Alyssa did not think that leaving her keys behind would result in her breaking and entering in on her client’s condo unit..let alone that this would happen on her first showing ever. Bad luck? Perhaps. Either way, it was a lesson learned. Leigh welcomes Alyssa Hellman who has been in real estate since 2010. She is the head coach of Bamboo Realty, in North Carolina. Please subscribe to this podcast in iTunes or in the Podcasts App on your phone. Never miss a beat from Leigh by visiting The Leigh Brown Experience. Time Stamped Show Notes:  00:21 – Introduction for today’s episode 00:40 – Leigh introduces Alyssa 01:26 – Alyssa is the head coach at Bamboo Realty 01:31 – Alyssa is not currently active in selling homes, but she has a team of agents 01:54 – Alyssa started as an assistant in 2010, and grew her career from there 02:40 – The difficult time in real estate helped mold Alyssa 02:53 – “When you come in and the market is low, you know, sometimes you’re having conversations with people that really aren’t easy conversations to have” 03:20 – Some new real estate agents come into the business cold and are thrown to the consumers 03:48 – Alyssa’s experience, in 2010, made her comfortable with helping her clients 03:59 – Alyssa learned quickly that she does NOT have all the answers 04:53 – Alyssa’s crazy story is one of the first deals she ever had in real estate 04:58 – This was when Alyssa was not listing properties, but helping buyers 05:01 – Alyssa’s team leader had a hot listing at that time 05:11 – The seller’s daughter and her boyfriend were looking for a condo 05:19 – Alyssa had never shown a property and her team leader told her to just call if she needed help 05:38 – The couple and Alyssa went to visit a condo with a rooftop deck 05:46 – They went into the unit, Alyssa left the keys in the unit, and went to the rooftop deck when a thunderstorm suddenly hit 06:00 – The boyfriend shut the door behind him 06:07 – Luckily, the seller had the windows slightly open 06:31 – Alyssa ended up cutting the screen so they could get inside 06:50 – Alyssa now will never leave the keys anywhere 06:58 – A broken screen is less of a liability than having people struck by lightning 07:38 – All the crazy shit that happens in real estate teaches us the lesson of what NOT to do 08:03 – The couple didn’t buy the condo 08:42 – Alyssa believes the seller was turned off by the automatic lock in the unit 08:50 – Leigh believes that any realtor who has shown a potential buyer their client’s home has locked themselves out or in of their client’s unit 09:16 – Fights among sellers, buyers and agents are becoming more common 10:08 – Alyssa learned about finding your voice in whatever communication method that works 10:18 – Alyssa tells her agents that they need to be comfortable talking with buyers, sellers and co-agents 11:20 – There’s an issue in the industry of people emailing rather than calling 12:02 – Alyssa’s mom would tell her that there’s an occasion to call, an occasion to write, and an occasion to see someone face-to-face 12:25 – Put yourself into the consumer’s shoes 13:23 – Don’t email in instances where there are questions that need to be answered 13:30 – You’ve got to provide an opportunity for a back-and-forth and an opportunity to answer their questions 14:04 – Alyssa would recommend certain agents, depending on the area 14:21 – Reach Alyssa through her email and Twitter 15:26 – Tweet Leigh Brown for your very own crazy story in real estate 3 Key Points Any terrible experience in real estate is an opportunity to learn what NOT to do. Even when the market is slow in real estate, there is still much to learn as an agent. Use your discretion when it comes to the RIGHT form of communication—does this instance require a phone call, an email, or face-to-face interaction? Credits Audio Production by Chris Mottram Show Notes provided by Mallard Creatives Cover Design by Two Minds Design Original Music by Rimsky Music