Women Leaders Of Real Estate: Keisha Johnson On The 5 Things You Need To Succeed In The Real Estate Industry

An Interview With Jason Hartman

Education! Education! Education! Did I say education? I cannot express how important it is to keep yourself educated about this industry. This will not only allow you to be a great resource for your clients, but it will keep you on top of your craft which can only lead your business to success. Register with different organizations that will keep you informed about upcoming industry events. You want to do your best to attend as many events as possible.

As a part of my series about the ‘Five Things You Need To Know To Succeed In The Real Estate Industry’, I had the pleasure of interviewing Keisha Johnson.

Keisha Johnson helps clients position themselves to take advantage of great opportunities such as homeownership and achieve their Investment potential in the real estate market. With over 10 years of experience, she has extensive knowledge that she shares with her clients during the home purchase process. Whether they are first-time home buyers looking to take equity out of their home, or they’re ready to purchase an investment property, Keisha educates her clients so they feel empowered with information during the home ownership journey. Keisha facilitates monthly seminars with a wealth of information on common homeownership topics including, the mortgage process, and positioning your credit for the purchase. In addition to that, she is a community service award winner and offers her services to the community by educating the youth about their credit and positioning themselves to take advantage of great opportunities in the future.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us the “backstory” about what brought you to the Real Estate industry?

I had a desire to help others as well as myself to understand all that is required to become a homeowner. I spent a great part of my life with the belief that it just was not possible for me to own a home. I thought my credit was just not good enough and I couldn’t possibly save enough, Now that I’m a mortgage broker, I realize that the home ownership process does not have to be that difficult. All I had to do was position myself and begin the journey! As a result, I spend a great deal of time providing my clients with information that will help to position them to purchase their home.

Can you share with our readers the most interesting or amusing story that occurred to you in your career so far? Can you share the lesson or take away you took out of that story?

The summer of 2019 was our first annual family vacation. It was very exciting because we were headed to Disney World! As a child, this was a dream for me. I would hear of other children going and hoped, that I would one day get the chance to go. Well, it never quite happened as a child, but here I was early 40’s entering the gates of Disney. I could just picture all those commercials showing the gates as people walked through and how magical it looked. Well there I was walking through those very gates, but instead of taking in every moment, there I was with the phone at my ears speaking to a client trying to firm up what I would say was one of my most difficult files. It was quite amusing because instead of enjoying the moment and taking in every ounce of this experience I was trying to assist a client making sure we had a happy ending. I would say my lesson in this situation is to try to make time for family and yourself. You will always do your best for your clients, but do your very best to schedule time for yourself and enjoy the experiences.

Do you have a favorite “life lesson quote”? Can you share a story or example of how that was relevant to you in your life?

My favorite life lesson quote would be my very own quote “Uncomfortable yourself now so that you can be comfortable later.” What does that mean? Well you simply have to be willing to make some sacrifices now so that later you can reap the benefits. This is definitely relevant in my life. I have made many sacrifices while trying to build my career. I think one of my biggest sacrifices is giving up a bit of sleep to try to fit in all the tasks of the day. The sacrifices you make now may be a bit uncomfortable, but keep in mind that it does not have to be long term!

Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?

I am currently working on my YouTube channel Eye on Mortgage. Eye on Mortgage provides information about the mortgage industry. It is very important for me to keep my clients updated on relevant information pertaining to mortgages. Eye on Mortgage gives me an outlet to provide information about the industry to my clients and the general public.

What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?

I believe my company stands out because I am committed to making the client’s journey an enjoyable one! Minimizing disappointment is what I strive for with each client. I set the expectations from the very beginning, however, obstacles do arise. I do my best to navigate around these obstacles. For the most part, my clients are very committed and understand that sometimes we need to reposition to ensure that the result is a positive one.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

I am actually very fortunate to have 3 people I am grateful for in this industry. The first would be Scott Peckford. Scott hosts a podcast geared to the mortgage industry called I Love Mortgage Brokering. I stumbled upon his podcast early out in my career. He provided a wealth of information through his podcasts and I recently had the opportunity to meet with Scott through his training sessions.

The second person would be Dustan Woodhouse who I was made aware of through one of Scott’s Podcasts. I read his book Be The Better Broker which really provided some ground information about the industry. That book really set me on the right track. I also had the opportunity to meet with Dustan. He comes with a wealth of information.

Last but not least, my principal broker Mr. Steve Nembhard of Royal Dominion Mortgages. One of my greatest challenges in this industry was finding a principal broker who was truly a mentor. I joined his brokerage in 2019 and have seen my business really take off.

I love how my mentors continue to educate others about the industry. My whole mortgage process is about educating my clients to make sure that they understand the process every step of the way. I am very grateful to come across these like-minded individuals that provide a wealth of information that allows others to succeed.

Ok. Thank you for all that. Let’s now jump to the main core of our interview. Can you share 3 things that most excite you about the Real Estate industry? If you can please share a story or example.

I love making a clients’ homeownership dream a reality. In addition, I love meeting amazing clients and building relationships with industry leaders. I woke up one morning to an email from a client thanking me for all the work I did on their file and making their homeownership dream a reality. The email started with “Keisha words can’t explain.” At that moment I was reminded of why I do what I do. The email just brightened my day! I receive many emails like this, but there is something about waking up to such positive feedback. It just sets the tone for the day!

Can you share 3 things that most concern you about the industry? If you had the ability to implement 3 ways to reform or improve the industry, what would you suggest? Please share stories or examples if possible.

Client affordability, woman representation and full pre-approvals are my main concerns in this industry.

I believe that lenders should provide full pre-approvals to illuminate the risks involved with waiving financing conditions. This is the one area of the industry that I would definitely advocate for. There are just some files that can go either way and you do not want to risk the clients losing their deposit. I firmly believe that clients should be given a fair opportunity to firm up their affordability.

Although we are starting to see a slight shift, the Real Estate industry has been highly saturated with men. We want to see more women represented in this industry. I know that women can be just as competitive and successful as men so I encourage you to step out and step into an industry and let’s create a bit of diversity!

What advice would you give to other real estate leaders to help their teams to thrive and to create a really fantastic work culture?

Always have a positive attitude in everything that you do, especially when interacting with your clients and other industry professionals. It will make a world of difference when it comes to their experience with you. It will also create long lasting relationships.

Ok, here is the main question of our interview. You are a “Real Estate Insider”. If you had to advise someone about 5 non intuitive things one should know to succeed in the Real Estate industry, what would you say? Can you please give a story or an example for each?

1. Making sure that your clients understand every step of the process is the key to minimizing bumps in the home purchase journey. When your clients understand what is involved, then you are more likely to avoid confusion and disappointment.

2. Marketing is very important to building relationships with your existing clients and potential clients. You have to put yourself out there. No one will know you exist if you do not put yourself out there. If you are camera shy, get over yourself, get in front of that camera and post. Do not overthink it. Social media has become a very important tool in marketing. If you use it correctly you can gain some traffic and grow your business!

3. Be prepared to adapt to change. This industry is constantly changing. You can very easily be left behind if you do not stay on top of these changes. Find resources that will keep you updated. Be prepared to update your clients with these changes, especially if it affects their ability to purchase a home.

4. I cannot express how important it is to have a process in place from the very beginning. From the referral to closing day, you want to make sure you have a process in place that will help streamline your business flow. You may not need an assistant in the beginning, but as your business grows and you realize that having an assistant will help to take you to the next level, you will thank yourself for putting those processes in place. Also, when you have a process it is much easier to transfer the tasks over to your assistant.

5. Education! Education! Education! Did I say education? I cannot express how important it is to keep yourself educated about this industry. This will not only allow you to be a great resource for your clients, but it will keep you on top of your craft which can only lead your business to success. Register with different organizations that will keep you informed about upcoming industry events. You want to do your best to attend as many events as possible.

Because of your position, you are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the greatest amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

I would love to see full pre-approvals from lenders, especially in this market. If clients do not waive their financing conditions their offer is not entertained. Going in with a firm offer is not always possible for buyers. Putting their deposit on the line is not something every buyer is willing to do. This makes their chance of winning a bidding war very challenging. If lenders provided full pre-approval it would allow more clients to be able to compete in this market and have a better chance of getting into their homes.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

Thank you for your time, and your excellent insights! We wish you continued success.