Hitting RESET in a New Real Estate Market – with Kevin Markarian- EP006
In 2008, Kevin Markarian was facing an 0-2 count. With nothing to lose, he decided to swing for the fences. Kevin was a successful, young real estate agent in small town Modesto, California. Hit hard by the foreclosure crisis, the community was struggling and so was Kevin. His income had tanked, and he was showing homes that had been gutted, so Kevin decided to hit the reset button and try his hand at a new market in San Francisco. If he was going to fail, he wanted to fail big.
Kevin got back to basics and rebuilt his business in the City by the Bay. In 2014, he founded Marker Real Estate, a 45-agent firm with offices in San Francisco and Orange County. Marker is known as one of the nation’s most innovative companies because of their unique approach to digital marketing and robust systems around online lead generation. Kevin has been featured on the California Association of Realtors ‘Tools for Success’ and served as a panelist and speaker for the National Association of Realtors.
Today, Kevin sits down with Jeff to share his career reset, explaining the strategies he used to start over in 2008. He addresses the technology tools his team uses now to generate online leads and automate follow-up, offering advice around ‘getting comfortable being uncomfortable.’ Listen in for Kevin’s insight on building a team and learn his genius approach to choosing office space that expands your sphere of influence.
Key Takeaways
How Kevin got his start in real estate
- Got license at 21 in Modesto, CA
- #1 agent with developer by 23
- Benefit from being assistant trainer
Kevin’s career reset
- Epicenter of foreclosure crisis
- Nobody lending, cash deals only
- Decided to move to San Francisco
The fundamentals Kevin relied on to start over in SF
- Connecting with people, networking
- Prospecting (6-8 hours of cold calling)
- Partnering with Mortgage Bankers
- Events promoted by bank (e.g.: first-time buyer seminars)
The tools Kevin’s team uses now
- Online lead gen through Facebook, portals and AdWords
- Agentology, Agent Legend for automated follow-up
Kevin’s advice around online lead follow-up
- Follow-up fast and often
- ‘Get comfortable being uncomfortable’
The benefits of working on Kevin’s team
- Leads assigned to agents
- Learn to build sustainable business
Kevin’s approach to starting a brokerage
- Find pain point in market
- Create opportunity for others to be successful
Kevin’s strategic office spaces
- Coworking spaces (network, expand sphere)
- San Francisco Tennis Club
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