Episode 247 - Lindsay Dreyer, Owner/Broker

Episode Summary:

Our guest today has done some truly amazing things in the real estate world. Joining us is Lindsay Dreyer, the founder, broker, and owner of City Chic Real Estate in Washington D.C. Lindsay brings an exciting approach to the relationships built between brokers, realtors, and their clients!

In this episode, Lindsay and I discuss how being a ‘true digital native’ led Lindsay into the real estate world where she did 6 million in sales in her first year! We discuss some of the early doubts of the Internet’s ability to create real estate leads and how Lindsay has been able to create such a unique real estate website. Listen in to hear how Lindsay accomplished so much success early in her real estate career.

Top Takeaways:

Lindsay Dreyer’s Advice for New Agents
“You can’t do it by yourself. Get a mentor or go to a brokerage that gives you excellent training. I think compared to when I entered into the business in 2007 to now. It is infinitely harder. I think that the cost of getting into the business is a lot higher. Join a brokerage that’s like a team or join a team because that team is going to be invested in your success and will be able to give you leads or a system. It’s really tapping into someone’s previous success.”

“That’s really why I started City Chic was because I didn’t think I was an anomaly [in wanting brokerage support], and I felt like there would be other agents that would appreciate the support that I would have appreciated.” -Lindsay Dreyer [15:55]

“The biggest one [problem on a typical agent website] I think is that they all look the same. In the sea of every real estate agent and broker, there are so many websites out there. How are you going to look different, and how are you going to speak to the consumer to stand out?”

– Lindsay Dreyer [18:59]

Episode Highlights:

[00:34] Intro

[00:50] Meet Lindsay Dreyer—D.C. City Chic

[02:09] 1000Watt Reimagining City Chic

[05:11] Growing up in New Hampshire

[06:42] “True Digital Native”

[09:01] Attending University of Maryland

[11:11] Transitioning in D.C.

[14:55] Why Lindsay created City Chic

[17:35] Having a Killer Real Estate Website

[18:50] Biggest Problems with the Typical Agent Website

[20:26] Realtor for Life!

[25:50] Deciding if a realtor is the right fit

[28:32] Admin/Tech Set up

[32:05] Finding a work-life balance

[34:55] Lindsay’s advice for new agents

[36:04] Connect with Lindsay Dreyer

[36:28] Closing Thoughts

[37:01] Outro

Episode Notes:

Joining us today is Lindsay Dreyer, the founder, broker, and owner of City Chic Real Estate in Washington, D.C. Lindsay discusses her success in the real estate industry and how her background in tech during high school has set the foundation for some of her accomplishments in her business today.

Lindsay Dreyer is the first guest of The Real Estate Sessions to be from New Hampshire and comes to prove the myth wrong that New Hampshire is all rural living. In the town Lindsay is from and throughout the state is rich culture and history. In high school, Lindsay taught herself how to code html and use Adobe Photoshop using these skills to code her very own websites. She received a two-year graphic design certification from her high school’s vocational-technical education program. She landed an internship for one of the first SEO companies in the country as a webmaster at the age of sixteen! Lindsay admits that these skills were crucial to her future and played a large part in her success.

After high school, Lindsay Dreyer attended the University of Maryland as it was ranked in the top 10 in the country for both business and computer science. Ending up changing her college track, Lindsay found a love in sales and got her degree in marketing in only three years. Coming to a fork in the road, Lindsay received two job offers one in pharmaceutical sales and another in new home sales construction. She chose to go down the new home sales path and started working in Washington, D.C. in 2004. She received incredible training and learned the ins and outs of selling new homes, construction sales, mortgages, and more. When the market crashed in 2007, Lindsay found herself with no potential homebuyers for an entire month. On her way home one day, she decided to pursue real estate. She studied for the license and made the transition for sales to realtor in the fall of 2007.

Even though the financial crisis was in full spin, Lindsay focused on first time homebuyers, past clients, and ads and did 6 million in sales in the first year! After working with a few different brokerages, Lindsay never felt like she found her fit. Lindsay created City Chic Real Estate because she did not get the fit that she wanted and felt other agents would appreciate the support that she would have enjoyed.

Having decades of experience with web design, Lindsay shares her insights into some of the biggest problems she sees in the typical agent websites. The biggest challenge she finds is that they all look the same. There are so many agent websites out there, and to stand out, you must ask how you are going to speak to the consumer and how you will stand out. The second problem Lindsay shares is that many agent websites can be unclear about what they want the consumer to do. She admits that there have been times she looks at a real estate brokerage website and can’t even tell what market they are in. People want a great user experience and want to know how to get in contact with you. She shares that, for her website, she only gives consumers the option to book a call. She has seen an increase in leads and more buyer, rental, and listing appointments.

Lindsay Dreyer’s piece of advice for new agents is that you cannot do it by yourself. Get a mentor or go to a brokerage that will give you excellent training. Joining a brokerage that works like a team or joining a team is significant because it will be invested in your success and will be able to give you leads or a system to implement!

Resources Mentioned:

· Follow Up Boss

· Lucidpress

· RealScout

· Slack

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