Sept. 1, 2020

Episode 253 - Michael LaFido - Founder, Marketing Luxury Group

Episode 253 - Michael LaFido - Founder, Marketing Luxury Group

Episode Summary:

Today, our guest has spoken nationally on the topic of marketing for luxury properties and has even created a luxury designation offered to interested realtors. Joining us is Michael LaFido, a real estate consultant and top-producing realtor for the past twenty years. Michael shares his insights into the high-end luxury market and how it has been crucial to his success.

In this episode, join Michael and me as we discuss some of the secrets to getting into the luxury market and how Michael’s background shaped his business decisions today. We also dive into Michael’s luxury designation and some of the major myths about the luxury market!


Top Takeaways: 



  • Michael LaFido’s Advice for New Agents
  • “You hang out with nine top producers; you are bound to be the tenth. Who’s in your inner circle, who are you learning from?”
  • “Who are you surrounding yourself with? What are you listening to? If you want to be a top producing agent, if you want to earn X amount of dollars, you have got to observe them. “



“I tell real estate agents, grow your knowledge, and your confidence will grow. Grow your knowledge by listening to Bill’s podcast, by listening to our podcast (Luxury Listing Specials), by reading books. You can be a student of the game.” – Michael LaFido [22:19]


“My tagline in my consulting business and my home-selling business, it’s not the market; it’s the marketing. I believe that the agent’s job is to position the home more effectively so more buyers can visually see themselves moving in and buying the home.” – Michael LaFido [23:42]







Episode Highlights:

[00:14] Intro

[00:30] Meet Michael LaFido – The Luxury Real Estate Marketer

[01:11] Born and Raised in the Chicago Area

[01:49] Michael Jordan and the Cubs

[03:46] Playing High School Sports

[04:21] Playing College Football at Northern Michigan University

[06:21] Different Mindset on Football Today

[09:05] Becoming a Health and Physical Education Teacher

[12:08] How Michael Got into Real Estate

[14:27] Michael’s Love of Inspiring and Educating Others

[15:28] Driving Force in Getting into the Luxury Market

[18:06] Luxury Designation

[21:03] 5 Myths About the Luxury Market

[23:42] The Importance of Positioning a Home

[26:23] COVID-19’s Impact on the Luxury Market

[28:31] Michael’s Advice for New Agents

[29:26] Connect with Michael

[30:12] Closing Thoughts

[30:33] Outro


Episode Notes: 


Joining us today is Michael LaFido, author, consultant, and top-producing realtor for over twenty years. Michael was born and raised in the Chicago area and has lived in Wheaton, Illinois, just twenty-five miles west of downtown Chicago. In high school, Michael played many sports but fell in love with football, and It has been his sport of choice ever since. This led to him playing at a Division 2 school, Northern Michigan University playing the cornerback position.  


Michael LaFido believes that there are many lessons to learn in sports and shares that his biggest mentors were high school football coaches. Michael graduated from Northern Michigan University with degrees in Health Education and Physical Education. Michael landed his first teaching job in 1998, where he taught health and physical education and was a freshmen football coach. Today, he still is coaching now for his children’s football and baseball teams.


During college, Michael had started his own summer deck cleaning business called Deck Reshine, where he made about as much in one summer as he did in the first year of teaching! Michael ended up getting the idea to get into real estate from a client who shared that he ran a real estate brokerage, and his best real estate agent was a teacher and a coach.


Two months later, Michael had received his real estate license and, after a few years, became the second leading producer for the entire Midwest for Realty Executives, which led him to step away from teaching in 2009-2010.


Michael’s teaching didn’t stop, though. He continues to have a love for inspiring adults and educating real estate agents. He now uses his teaching skills to help real estate agents increase their average sale price to improve their overall quality of life. Seeing that there was a void in the luxury market, Michael created a luxury designation to help any realtor have the chance to become the top luxury agent in their area. With sixteen modules and the opportunity for continual growth, Michael’s luxury designation brings knowledge to all skillset levels.


Michael LaFido’s advice to new agents is to hang out with nine top producers. You are bound to be the tenth. Analyze your inner circle and see from whom you are learning. Who are you surrounding yourself with? Michael believes if you want to be a top producing agent, you have to observe who you are around.





Resources Mentioned:


·     LUXE Designation | FAQ

Connect:


Find | THE REAL ESTATE SESSIONS

At Tresonline.com

 

Find | Bill Risser

At bill.risser@fnf.com

On Twitter

On Facebook

On Youtube

 

Find | Michael LaFido

At Michael@marketingluxurygroup.com

On Luxury Listing Specialist

On Luxury Listing Podcast

On Website

On Facebook

 

RATE & SUBSCRIBE 

At Ratethispodcast.com/REsessions

On Apple Podcasts

On Google Podcasts

On Stitcher