PROPERTYSPARK INTERVIEWS: Logan Lester, Real Estate Influencer

A mover and shaker who leads with her heart and works harder because her passion to make home ownership a priority outweighs anything else! 

 Houston, TX

RE/MAX FINE PROPERTIES/ THE SANSONE GROUP

 Logan Lester |   lololester  

What’s the most profitable aspect of your business, why do you think this is and how can others apply this to what they are doing?

Relationships are the heart of my business. The fundamentals of building solid, long-lasting relationships with my customers is something I never forget. The more I consistently stay in touch with clients, the more I build trust my clients current and previous and that is how I earn their referrals. Bear in mind, too, that a focus on personal growth and development is vital to success in real estate. What you put in, you get out. You’ve got to work for yourself by working on yourself. Self awareness and self improvement are essential to scale your brand and business!

What should other real estate entrepreneurs reading this be focusing on to expand their own business?

The thing that makes real estate a unique industry is this simple fact: You are the brand. While this is true of other industries, it is especially important when your business operates in your local community. Competition is your middle name and getting your face in front of your city is your goal. What better way to find your clients than to be on the platforms they frequent most? If you are not on social media, you are falling behind. Social media is the future of real estate and the time is NOW to create a forum where people are not just seeing listings, but getting to know you, their future agent. Try to make yourself relatable to your audience. Have fun with it and be genuine. Don’t be afraid to let your personality shine through. We are in a personality-driven market. Find an interesting angle and be yourself. Don’t try to be something you’re not. Be the most authentic you possible. Being authentic makes you more personable and potential clients will see you as someone they’d like to work with.

How has social media and online marketing affected your real estate business? How much more success have you had now after implementing social media and online marketing efforts?

I know first hand the power and impact of social media, and the genuine and authentic connections you can make with people you have never even met. This year I was named #2 on social media in Texas and I have tripled my income. Social media is a game changer in my business as over 80% of my clients comes from my vast network and social media presence.

What I’ve learned from my success with social media and my real estate career is to have a good Instagram account. To put things simply, you must have a good account that provides value. This is a good rule of thumb for anything in life. People want to follow you, be friends with you, hire you, or buy your product because of the value it brings them. This is especially true when it comes to social media. I personally follow people for the value they give me whether they realize it or not. Value comes in many different forms, but if you think about it. Most people follow or engage with a brand or person because they inspire them, educate them, make the viewer laugh or provide entertainment, etc. With this in mind, ask yourself, does my social media brand provide value? The best value you can provide is by being your authentic self, because not only will that attract the right kind of followers and clients, but you’ll avoid burn out because you are staying true to who you are. Variety brings value and keeps your followers engaged in getting to know you and the message you are trying to send. Don’t bombard your feed with listing after listing or boring real estate facts. If people wanted to see that they would go to zillow or some real estate site. Provide value by sharing a balance of your real life, your family, your lifestyle, your interests, AND real estate. This makes your followers get a better glimpse into who you are as a person and as a professional. They will be more likely to reach out to you if you are approachable and relatable instead of just shoving your listing pictures to their timelines!

How did you become a good leader?

As a former Miss Texas USA 2018 and Miss USA finalist, I am no stranger to being in leadership roles. In the fall of 2018, I hung up my pageant heels for the last time. Representing the state of Texas and the City of Houston was one of the biggest honors of my life and when it all came to an end I knew in my bones that this was just the beginning. Since I was young, I have always strived to make good choices and set a good example for those around me. I am human and far from perfect, but I genuinely feel like my experience competing in pageants really helped instill this desire to lead inside my heart. Since the fall of 2018, I have been ALL IN working on my real estate career and sharpening my brand. I have been able to combine my former pageant background following with my young professional Real Estate following to create my brand, @lololester. It has been my passion to inspire and empower others through my platform and I do this by simply being myself. I have been criticized by others who have had strong opinions about what I should do, not do, wear, not wear, etc. The moment I stopped listening to the opinions of others and instead dug deep inside to determine who/what I wanted to be. I noticed the game changed for me. When you drop who you think you should be and just embrace yourself others pick up on that.

What do you consider the main differences between those people who have been successful in your industry and those who have failed?

Being a successful realtor is NOTHING like selling sunset. I hate to burst your bubble, but shows like million dollar listing and HGTV are not real life. Real estate is the greatest business in the world, but it’s not always easy. The industry can be tough to get started in, there’s a high turnover rate and it requires an enormous amount of commitment to succeed. The “Ta-da” before and after flips and glamorous “open houses” do look very sparkly and cool, but that is not reality. I get people who DM me ALL the time asking for advice or some form of this question, “You make real estate look so fun, how do I get started?!”… The day-to-day reality behind my work is 60+ hour weeks, on call 24-7, flakey clients, stressful deadlines, early mornings and late evenings. If you want to be successful in this industry, especially in the beginning… you have to be willing to deal with the UGLY side of the business. If you think closing deals in heels is the reality of realtor, I promise you are mistaken. However, with the right training and work ethic, real estate can give both incredible financial and emotional rewards and set you up for huge opportunities in life.