How To Connect With Real Estate Clients At A Deep Level • Josh Myler

Josh Myler began his career 15 years ago in San Francisco in sales and marketing, transitioning into real estate business. Josh talks about his activities in civic and charitable organizations. Josh also discusses how grateful he feels for the success he achieved in real estate, and shares some tips on how to manage clients. Last, Josh discusses two main hats he believes every agent should wear- the one of the therapist and the one related to interior design and architecture.

If you’d prefer to watch this interview, click here to view on YouTube!

Josh Myler can be reached at (323) 333-0301 and jmyler@theagencyre.com.

This episode is brought to you by Real Geeks.

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Transcript

D.J. Paris 0:00
Today is all about connecting with your clients. And we’re going to show you how to deepen those relationships. Stay tuned. This episode of Keeping it real is brought to you by real geeks. How many homes are you going to sell this year? Do you have the right tools? Is your website turning soft leads and interested buyers? Are you spending money on leads that aren’t converting? Well real geeks is your solution. Find out why agents across the country choose real geeks as their technology partner. Real geeks was created by an agent for agents. They pride themselves on delivering a sales and marketing solution so that you can easily generate more business. Their agent websites are fast and built for lead conversion with a smooth search experience for your visitors. Real geeks also includes an easy to use agent CRM. So once a lead signs up on your website, you can track their interest and have great follow up conversations. Real geeks is loaded with a ton of marketing tools to nurture your leads and increase brand awareness visit real geeks.com forward slash keeping it real pod and find out why Realtors come to real geeks to generate more business again, visit real geeks.com forward slash keeping it real pod. And now on to our show.

Hello, and welcome to another episode of Keeping it real the largest podcast made by real estate agents and for real estate agents. My name is DJ Parris, I’m your guide, and your host through the show, and in just a moment, we’re gonna be speaking with top producer, Josh meilleur. But before we get to Josh, just a couple of quick reminders. Please help us grow by telling a friend think of another realtor that you know, that could use some of the wisdom that Josh is about to impart to you and he is going to impart an incredible amount of wisdom to you send send somebody you know a link to this episode. Though, you can always send someone over to our website keeping it real pod.com Or any podcast app search for keeping it real. Hit that subscribe button. Leave us a review. Let us know what you think of the show and also please support our sponsors. Our sponsors are the best we love our sponsors. They are the reason we can continue to make episodes and pay our bills, check out their products and services and consider investing in them. We thoroughly vet them and only have sponsors on here that we know could actually help you grow your business. So alright guys enough for me. Let’s get to the main event. my conversation with Josh smiler.

Trade today on the show my guests Josh meilleur. With the agency in Beverly Hills, California will tell you more about Josh. Prior to joining the real estate industry Josh began his sales and marketing career 15 years ago in San Francisco in the.com. Arena, he quickly established himself as an asset to both small and large companies developing and managing sales and marketing processes for both internal and external sales teams. Josh also goes where his clients need him to go. There are a vast number of micro markets throughout Los Angeles and knowing how to define value in each of them is integral to Josh’s ability to help his clients transition from one area to another. And Josh is also very active in local schools, civic and charitable organizations. He’s a member of the National Association of Realtors, the California Association of Realtors, Beverly Hills, Greater Los Angeles Association of Realtors, and the combined la Westside MLS. He’s a top 1% producer, absolute superstar. And please visit his website, Josh meilleur.com jshmyler.com and follow him on Instagram. I’m going to spell this out but there’ll be a link to this in the show notes. Or in the description rather, Josh sale meilleur JSHSAYLEMY L E R link in the notes. Josh, welcome to the show.

Josh Myler 4:19
DJ, what a nice introduction. Thank you for that. And thank you for having me on the show. It’s a pleasure. Pleasure to meet you.

D.J. Paris 4:28
Pleasure to meet with you. We had a bit of a challenge getting us together Josh’s Mike was having some tech challenges. We had sent Josh the wrong link. And so it all sounds very calm now but Josh and I have were scrambling for for the last 20 minutes. So I appreciate Josh’s patience. He’s a he’s a good man. And we are excited to finally have you on the show. Tell us tell us the journey. i How do you get you know, it’s so funny. I always think you know there’s that Little kid, part of me that always wanted to go to Beverly Hills and be a Beverly Hills, you know, actor or, you know some sort of celebrity I think every child has some minor fantasy of that at some point in their life, and then to become a realtor and then to become a Beverly Hills realtor I always think is on there’s something kind of cute and I don’t mean cute in a pejorative way. I mean, like, in a very impressive way. I think that is, it is really a difficult place to plant your flag and to be somebody, because the competition, of course, is pretty fierce. So I’d love to hear the entire journey of how you how you got to where you are,

Josh Myler 5:38
oh, man, where, where do I begin? I really was on a very, very serious path to med school. I was pre med at Berkeley, I fought tooth and nail to get that degree. And then, you know, in the end, I just decided as I was graduating, I was going to take three months off. And I met a friend of Elon Musk’s and Elon and his brother Kimball, were starting a company there first. And they needed an analyst. And they thought, Okay, well, let’s hire this kid at UC Berkeley. And so it started as kind of like a summer gig while I was deciding whether I wanted to take the MCAT and go to med school. Long story short, that started a very sort of brief stint, I would think about five or six years in the software industry. And that’s where I cut my teeth in sales and business development. And then about three months before the.com bubble burst, I said, I’m out. I’m done. Smartest, smart man. Oh, I mean, I gotta tell you, it was very, very lucky. Because then three months later, it was all my buddies were like, We’re gonna reinvent ourselves and go, you know, do whatever it is we want to do really with our lives. And I had made that decision, really based on following my heart and saying, I really don’t like doing this, I don’t care how much money I’m going to make. And at that point, an older brother, my oldest brother actually was living in Pasadena. And I came down here just to visit him. And, you know, when I was growing up, I’m from Northern California. And so I had never somehow never spent any time in Southern California. I came down here DJ, and I was like, This is it. This city that the weather, all the obvious things about LA, I was like this place rocks. So I actually just because I had had enough money in stock options from my, you know, tech days, I just took about three months to decide what I wanted to do. And inside of that three months while I was just kind of figuring it out, a friend of a friend of mine introduced me to a woman named Best Stein, and best Stein was the general manager of the Beverly Hills Coldwell Banker office. And at the time, I was like, I’m not going to be a real estate agent. There’s no way I’m going to figure out how to get to med school I’m going to do, I talked to Beth, I talked to a few other people. And I thought I could do this, this sounds like it might indeed be a good fit. So I dive in. And I’ll never forget one of my first I was paired with a mentor. And one of my first days out, you know, showing was with my mentor, and it was like training day, we get in the car

D.J. Paris 8:55
to go gun. It hands me

Josh Myler 8:57
a gun, and a joint. And anyway, yada yada yada. We ended up walking to house and the showing was with Tommy Lee. Oh, my goodness. And I didn’t he didn’t tell me who we were going to see. We just want to give

D.J. Paris 9:15
you the heads up that one of the most famous rock drummers of all time, you’re about to walk into it. And in one of the one of the craziest personas totally, you know, a public crazy persona.

Josh Myler 9:28
Yeah, yes. And it was wild just to be again, as you just touched on a moment ago, to be all of a sudden throwing myself into real estate, throwing myself into Beverly Hills real estate and then the first showing really I go on with my mentor is with just a mega Rockstar. It was just a great fun day. And I thought to myself, Okay, I could do this, I could do this. Now of course the the preceding You know, five years, we’re not Tommy Lee and rockstars it was getting down and dirty, and earning my my stripes and you know, keeping my head down, making all the calls sending all the emails networking in the way that you know, a new agent should.

D.J. Paris 10:22
It’s a pretty incredible switch, though. Oh, by the way, I just want to add, I’m gonna I’m gonna one up your your it’s not even a one up. It’s a silly story. But my mom, funny enough, my mom, this is 20 plus years. This is during the Dr. Feelgood album year. So I’m going to say this is probably 1992 1993. Something around that that time I was in high school. My mom was here in Chicago. I’m sorry, the audience. This is the silliest story that ever happened to our family. My mom is at this very fancy hotel waiting for friends called the Drake here in Chicago. It’s like this world renowned hotel, and it’s a really fancy and whatever. So my mom’s sitting waiting. My mom’s very, very much a lady. By the way. I remember preface this by saying my mom is very much a lady. This, this disheveled gentleman comes over to her and and pays her a very nice compliment. And my mom recognizes that he is probably some sort of celebrity well, because of the way he’s dressed, but he sort of looks a little bit out of it. And it turns out it was Vince Neil of Motley Crue. And he had he gave her his phone number and he gave her Oh, wow. Very, very, very polite. He was very polite. He was very nice. But my mom, I think I think I just got a hit on by a rock star. Many, many, many, many moons ago. But I guess we both have a motley crew connection.

Josh Myler 11:50
Yeah, seriously, I mean, so silly, in the 90s to me, but what I am

D.J. Paris 11:57
interested in you in your in sort of the switch on your life path, because I too, went into college with a desire to possibly become a doctor and I bailed out pretty fast, you went all the way through, you did the organic, inorganic chemistry stuff, you did the hardest part, the worst. And the worst, the worst, you had the worst time in college, because of all the studying you had to do that everyone else didn’t have to do. And going on to that path, the MCAT then of course, in med school, and then getting into technology with, you know, with with the masks, and and then you know, getting out of technology and now into real estate. That is those are big swing right there.

Josh Myler 12:44
Yeah, very circuitous. As I say. And I gotta tell you, TJ wouldn’t do it any other way. I wouldn’t change a thing. You know, there are moments where I look back, or moments when I’m driving around, as I you know, as most real estate agents, do, we live on our cars. And I’ll be driving around the city. And I feel very blessed to be able to do the what I do, and I feel very grateful for the success that I’ve had. Yet still, I have these moments where I think I would have been an amazing doctor. I don’t mean that I don’t mean to sound like a jerk. I really do. I was thinking pediatrics or cardiology. And by the way, what was driving that part of me is my dad was a cardiologist. My mom was a retired nurse. So I grew up around the hospital. So there was that. And I do have that sort of mid second heart paying for maybe what could be but the truth be told, I really wouldn’t change a thing and the path that took me through, you know, software sales and high tech, straight into real estate. It’s funny, but I guess we all have our journey. Right? And although

D.J. Paris 13:55
it sort of sounds like you have a little bit of that, that he called that servant’s heart, right like that. I’m here to serve, I’m here to, to, to be of service horse. People who have that tend to be attracted to healthcare, real estate, you know, lots of industries, actually. So it seems like it actually would be probably a pretty good fit. Yeah. And

Josh Myler 14:17
I actually have a note on that I was just listening to a podcast with a guy named Michael singer. And he was talking about the pursuit of happiness and how we achieve ultimate happiness. And there are a number of answers there a million answers to that one is be of service, get out of your head, get out of your day, whatever kind of doom and gloom you’re experiencing in that moment, and go make sure someone else is happy. Go make sure you are doing the best you can to help someone else. And that is in my view, and for me has been a great source of happiness. The other thing that he said that I thought and this is DJ just a side note that I thought was interesting is He said that in all the studies that he did, that happiness for a lot of people comes from getting what you want, right? Most people would say if they get what they want, they’re happy. And he argues that, you know, getting what you want is a moving target. And so if you are going after something that’s a moving target, it’s always changing, you’re never really going to be happy. And then from a sort of more ethereal place, he talks about how inside of all of us, is this river happiness. And if we just succumb to it, jump in the river and drown in happiness. It’s there, instead of make it don’t make it conditional. So anyway, that’s a side note. And that’s part of what kind of drives me in this business, just to segue back is, you know, we all have hard days, we all have those shitty days that, you know, prevent us from getting out of bed. And one thing that really has helped, is focusing for me on my clients, it’s never about the deal. I mean, sure, it’s fun to do transactions, it’s great to get in the, you know, in the, in the depths of that deep end of the pool, if you will, with the other agent, we’re going back and forth, and negotiating. The search is also fun, right. But the matchmaking and the figuring out how there really is a buyer for every house and a house for every buyer. And then even more so seeing the look on that person’s face when they find just how to yesterday, someone walked into a house, one of my houses were my listings. And she kind of whispered, she didn’t think I could hear she whispered to her agent. So Should I just tell him should I tell him? This is the one. And she walked into the kitchen where I was standing. She looked at me and she had those eyes, those eyes that I just love, which is this is the one how do we make this work? It’s the best. And of course, that’s just the beginning, right? You got to get through the escrow, you got to close the deal. But there is really nothing like making someone happy. And, and being a part of that process.

D.J. Paris 17:18
There’s something to the magic that you just very, very elegantly described. And I’m glad and I was I was there in that room as you were describing it. And I appreciate you, you doing so. Because I think that’s, you know, some of the intangibles that we don’t talk about a lot on the show, we talk a lot about strategy and that’s great. But being able to bank some of those experiences to remind ourselves when times are maybe more challenging that this is what can happen you know, seeing somebody’s eyes light up making the transaction happen maybe even a first time homebuyer, you know, going from renting or purchasing is quite a quite a day. So there’s a lot of accomplishment and fulfillment and happiness. You know, you’re talking about Michael singer, by the way, if anyone isn’t familiar with Michael singer read the book, read books that he have, he has written because it is a fascinating story of technology guy who is also spiritually bent and trying to figure out how to be in both worlds at the same time. And he is probably does it better. He probably did it better than anyone I know.

Josh Myler 18:33
Yeah. The Untethered Soul the

D.J. Paris 18:35
Untethered Soul? Yes,

Josh Myler 18:37
that’s a great book.

D.J. Paris 18:39
Yeah, so let’s, um, but but let let, I would, you know, I do love the fact that you are connected. And I think that’s really important. How important is it for you, again, we know that there’s mechanics associated with a real estate transaction. There’s negotiating there’s there’s a lot of there’s numbers, there’s, there’s a lot there, but you’re you’re really clued into, you know, the experience, I think of the buyer and the seller. And I’m curious, I want to talk about that, because you play in a slightly different, slightly different level. You know, you’re working with high net worth individuals. These are Beverly Hills, you know, places, these are nice homes. What’s different about working with sort of that kind of clientele versus, you know, a lay person who’s, you know, not living in Beverly Hills?

Josh Myler 19:37
Yeah, it’s a great question. I think that it’s probably the number one thing I think about when you ask that question. DJ is experience, you know, the more high net worth people. This typically isn’t their first rodeo, right? So there’s, there’s less hand holding in one way, but there’s always hand holding, right? A first timer. is going to be fearful of things that are different than the guy who or the or the person who is more experienced in the realm of doing the deal. So an example of that is, you know, first I’ve got a couple right now who, you know, they’re getting beat out beaten by all these other cash buyers. They’re getting financing. And I think we’ve written four offers now, and they just can’t figure out how to win and the fatigue is setting in. And all the while, I’m kind of, in a way, smiling on the inside, because I’m watching the evolution of their experience happened before my eyes. It’s heartbreaking to lose what you think is the one. But I know better. And they are starting to learn what that process is like. And I’m such a believer I call it fatalistic, or what have you. But for better or worse, I’m a huge believer, because I’ve seen it, and I’ve experienced it, that there truly is when it’s right. And they’re ready and the house is ready. It’s going to be the best one of all right? So you take them through this arc of Wait, what is in escrow? And how do we do this and your teaching, which I really enjoy that process, versus someone who’s really experienced, and they get fearful of, I think, different things fearful that the other side isn’t being honest, or there is something wrong with the house that no one is going to be able to figure out and they’re not going to be able to figure out and you have to kind of coach them through more of an experience, experience perspective on fear. I would say, I really do try to make them feel like they have a guide. No matter who it is, no matter whether it’s a first time buyer or someone who’s buying their 10th house, I want them to feel like I’ve got the rudder, and we’re on the river. And we’re all on the boat, and it’s my job to keep us on the boat. Does that make sense?

D.J. Paris 22:17
It makes perfect sense. I, you know, I I’ve said this talked about this a lot on our show. So I apologize to our audience who pay me says, uh, you know, come up with something new. But for anyone who is newer to our show, you know, I had an experience two and a half years ago, where I bought a condo, it was not my first time buying a condo. And I also worked here at an agency where we have almost 800 agents. So you would think that I would, and I’m not, I’m not a practicing agent myself. But you would think with the amount of surrounding myself with agent, sort of, you know, agents are just around me all the time, whether it’s the show or my job, and I was buying a condo, and I was freaking out. And I needed somebody to, to call me down and tell me what to do. I needed a coach I needed, I needed to help her because I was I was representing myself. And I finally said, Well, this is silly, I need to have somebody else objectively looking at this, because I don’t I am way too connected. I’m way too dysregulated I am going to I was going through the ups and downs of of as a client would. And I my boss stepped in and he’s like, I’ll take I’ll take it from here. And it was it was really, really smart. Because what I think I’m curious about being able to emotionally comfort someone through a transaction. And, you know, we tend to not think of these skills as as, as important as obviously knowing the market and understanding negotiating tactics. And obviously those things are important too. But we don’t talk enough about the emotional side of it. I mean, these, these are still big purchase decisions or selling decisions for your clients, even though it’s not their first rodeo. You I assume assume oftentimes there are teams of people as well, that you have too many masters to serve. So I’m curious about how you keep everyone engaged and and moving forward?

Josh Myler 24:18
Well, I spoke on a panel fairly recently, and we you know, the question was, what are the keys to your success, and I talked about how we wear a lot of hats, as real estate agents. This is not something that is new, I’m sure to you considering how many real estate agents you are around and with whom you have conversations all the time. We do wear a lot of hats and I would say the two hats that I wear the most one therapist, right. And it’s not just therapy to our clients, it’s often keeping calm the agent on the other side Yeah, right, because we’re all in it together, you know, you’ve got a client who wants the same thing that my client wants. So let’s figure out how to, like lay down the guns and do this together. And that can be difficult, because there are as I call them out there, and I won’t name any names, the deal killers, right, the agents who, for better or worse, find a way to screw things up because of their own, the stuff that that’s going on inside of them heart and mind. So I would say that skill is something that I think can be learned. But I also think you’re born with it, it’s in your DNA, to keep everybody calm. Because it’s so DJ, it’s the most, in my view, one of the most emotionally charged endeavors is buying or selling a house, you’re dealing with people who have lived in their houses for 2030 years, sometimes, even if it’s two years, they’re just, they’ve got their identity wrapped up into this entity, because it is arguably the biggest thing they’ve ever invested in. Now they’re selling it, how much can how much am I going to get? How much it can? How much can you figure out how to get me or they’re looking to buy something, and that’s a big life change. So there’s a lot of psychology that goes into it. And then you again, you got to keep all the all the, all the bodies and minds and hearts calm on the other side. And that’s, that’s a challenge. And I feel like I’ve had a lot of success with that. You know, I have a business partner with whom I do a lot of business and you know, invariably, there’s a difficult client, you’re gonna you’re gonna have to deal with, you know, he’s not good at that. He’s not good at dealing with those humans. So he says, Send Josh into the living room. And Josh, we I it’s like, it’s like I’m the cooler. You know, like at the at the blackjack table at the blackjack table. Not a good thing. You don’t want to be the

D.J. Paris 27:14
the coolers is what when people start losing? Yes,

Josh Myler 27:17
yeah. Yeah.

D.J. Paris 27:18
But it reduces the temperature of the room. Yeah,

Josh Myler 27:22
that’s exactly right. And that’s what I have found is the key. One of the keys to my success is just keeping calm. The other hats are interior design, architecture. We’re dealing I think it’s so fascinating, because many of us don’t have law degrees, and we’re dealing with a lot of legalese. And we’re guiding people in ways that really walk that line. And, you know, I’ve learned my lesson, fortunately, have never been in a lawsuit. I don’t intend on being in a lawsuit because I’m smart enough to say, okay, that’s not my wheelhouse. I’m going to I’m going to stay in my lane, go talk to a real estate attorney. And that’s, by the way, another piece of advice I would give to any real estate agent who, you know, either just got in or who’s super experienced, I would say, know when to say when and to direct your clients, you know, to talk to a real estate attorney, because it will keep you at at a out of out of court and your clients out of court. So anyway, yes, the the therapist hat is one that I wear a lot and actually I enjoy it.

D.J. Paris 28:42
Well, you I think, you know, realtors, it’s funny, we talk a lot about skill based you know, different different skills that Realtors need, but I this idea of being able to lock in and really have a good awareness of what what the what the client needs is is not talked about as much I mean obviously we have the superficial parts where we need to know the specifics of you know what, what they want, why don’t they want to buy what they want to sell all the haves, musts, you know, and that and have nots. But then there is something about making sure that that client is is is maintaining their emotional regulation right throughout the transaction. And that’s really an important thing because it is such a stressful event. How do you how do you help clients stay calm?

Josh Myler 29:41
Well, I’ll tell you just as a quick story, this just happened yesterday. I’m not kidding. We’re representing these buyers. We keep getting keep losing out in multiples. And we were we lost this most recent one yesterday. We got the news. They didn’t select your offer. Okay. You know, boohoo, right. And we were offered the backup position. Right? My clients, you know, instinctively it was like knee jerk, no, screw them, if they didn’t want our offer, we, we don’t want anything to do with them. To which I said, Okay, hold on. And now it’s therapy, hat on, therapists hat on, let’s keep our eye on the prize. Because I have seen so many great things happen for people who didn’t get what they wanted immediately, but decided, okay, you know what, we’re going to take the backup position, and then the first position falls out, and it goes straight to the backup. And they thank me every single time, because what I did was I talked them out of letting their ego get in the way of the their them getting the prize. Right. So that’s one of the things that I say a lot is let’s, you know, stay focused and keep our eyes on the prize. And let’s not let our egos because truthfully, DJ, the person on the other side is making the decision, they’re long gone, after the escrow closes, you’re going to be in your house and joining that house, totally, with no thought about who sold it to you, or how it came to pass. So I think it’s really acknowledging when those moments happen, those those moments that are part of the human condition, those ego those getting your ego bruised. I mean, it’s it’s the most human thing ever, you know, getting getting rejected, is not a good feeling.

D.J. Paris 31:43
It’s not and is there’s a rejection component to buying and selling real estate. It’s almost like asking a girl out on a first date and having her say no, and there is a little bit of a connection there. Right. And so what we know is it doesn’t feel good to be to be put in putting in second second place. But would you say, you know, trying to help the client, understand, hey, second place isn’t so bad.

Josh Myler 32:14
No, and actually could could be the path to your succeeding. A really good friend of mine gave me the best piece of advice. He said, when when someone sends you an email, or leave you a voice message that pisses you off, that really gets you don’t respond, give it 24 hours, you know, we’ve all heard a lot of us have heard this. And it’s just the best, I mean, sometimes I’ll write the email, and I won’t say send it, you know, and then the next morning, of course, God, I’m so happy, I didn’t send that email, you know, we all we all are fallible, we all are human. And if we just give ourselves a beat, just to be to let all that stuff run through our veins, then I think we’d all be a lot more successful, we get closer to the things that we want and need. And I think we’d live a happier life.

D.J. Paris 33:14
Yeah, I always feel like there’s this, you know, anxiety that just kind of just permeates through us. And it comes out in the form of energy. And it comes out in the form of, you know, criticism or, or whatever it is, you know, it’s a hard thing for a human to endure this, this anxiety. And so we we push it out out into the world. And as a result, we make other people anxious. And you’re right, if we could all you know, take take a giant deep breath, and relax. We stay in

Josh Myler 33:46
the boat, seagulls in the boat DJ, your life is a river and it’s just a crate, there’s going to be rapids, there’s going to be maybe a waterfall. You know, just because you get your ego bruised, don’t jump out of the boat, let’s stay you know. So my job is that sort of boat captain is to keep everybody calm and prevent people from jumping in the water.

D.J. Paris 34:11
It is a really, really important and we’re speaking metaphorically but it is actual actually very practical, right? Because at the end of the day, people are you know, we have human reactions to human conditions. So we have, you know, a wrinkle happens in a transaction. And again, this is not talked about very, very often, but a wrinkle happens. The wrinkle gets smoothed out somehow. But what what we’re really we really need to do is now figure out what what was the emotional toll that that took on the client, how are they feeling? How are they doing? And, you know, you seem to have you seem to be really keyed into that. And ultimately, you’re right, we’re talking we’re really talking about feelings and how to manage mitigate feelings.

Josh Myler 34:59
That’s Right. That’s right. And of course, again, you know, I’m thinking about the more experienced buyers who are quicker to deal with the, the transactional side of the deal, but there they get every bit as emotional, sometimes more hot headed. So it’s just a different type of therapy. I mean, we’re talking about therapy a lot. But I really do think that it is such an important component to being successful as a real estate agent. And again, it’s something you can learn through trials and tribulations of doing deals and dealing with people. You know, I mentioned, you know, my wonderful buyer’s agent, his name is Evan Ferrante. And he’s a new agent. He’s been at it now two years. And we had a situation recently where Evan was doing a showing. And the house is actually occupied by a tenant who does not want to leave the house, this person knows that the house is going to sell. And she took me outside right after the showing, and just started bawling our eyes out. And so Evan calls me and I said, Welcome to the Jungle. Welcome to Real Estate, Powell. And so, you know, she’s, she’s like sobbing on his shoulder. And I’m like, so what did you do? And he said, I consoled her and told her, everything’s gonna be fine. And I, you know, if I, I mean, DJ has so many stories, so many stories. You know, like that. It’s been 20, actually 20 years, I got my license in 2003. And I think of it you mentioned 15 years earlier, I think of it as 15 years, because the first five years of that 20 was all training day, ya know, people’s thinking get.

D.J. Paris 37:05
Yeah. Trial by Fire. Yeah, I and yeah, and let’s talk about wisdom, because I think that’s, you know, you have a 20 year career, I think, when he gets 20 years, you now get to, like you were saying earlier, I’ve seen other transactions end up, you know, for example, we’re now in second place on our offer, but I’ve seen this workout where this actually might get accepted. How important is wisdom, to help, you know, keep your clients engaged.

Josh Myler 37:41
So important. I mean, you look, when we’re doing this matchmaking, when we’re putting a deal together, we’re putting two people who don’t know each other, right at all together, and we’ve got to figure out how to foster trust very quickly. In the same way, I have to make sure that they trust me, and my ability to do that. And so knowledge and wisdom, not just about market data, you know, I was an analyst right out of school for a tech company that ended up selling for a lot of money. That was my first job. And I do have that analytical OCD thing that helps me analyze markets and break down numbers for clients, that’s part of it. Right, they need to trust that, you know, the inventory, they need to trust that you have a handle on what value means, you know, all the variables in the equation of value. And there are a number of them, that you have a handle on all of them, and then can speak intelligibly about those variables and the whole equation, so that they trust, okay, you know, Josh can not only keep our emotions in check, so that we can keep moving forward. But also we trust that he knows what he’s talking about. Yeah. So knowledge, and an understanding of the market, in which you’re selling and working is is huge, in in the pursuit of, again, fostering trust in your clients,

D.J. Paris 39:17
you have to know you have to know the inventory. And you do of course, and it’s really something that, you know, 500 episodes in, has, has yet to be refuted by any of our guests. It’s like, you know, study the market, as if it were the, you know, the most precious document on the planet because it’s an ever changing document. But study the MLS, you know, 30 minutes an hour or two hours a day, just to make sure you know everything about your local market, and within a year, you’re going to be so incredibly knowledgeable. If you, you know, put a little bit of that discipline in place that you’re gonna, you’re gonna you We’re gonna leapfrog over other agents.

Josh Myler 40:02
Yeah, it’s important to put the data in context. Meaning it’s not just what’s happening right now. It’s how things have changed over time. So often when I’m when I’m doing my analysis for clients, who asked me, How much is my house worth today, I think it’s important to give them an opportunity to see how things have changed. So I’ll go two or three years back, so that they have a, it’s, again, that teaching element. They have an understanding of where, where we’re coming from. And I think now more than ever, that’s hugely important, because we just come out of the crate, arguably the craziest time in the housing market in the last 100 years. I mean, I would argue, ever, you know, what COVID did to the housing market was unbelievable. And I still think we are, you know, feeling latent effects. You know, I think that right now, there people have settled in to what I call the normalcy, that normal market, right, where, I think for a time after COVID settled, and rates started to come up. People were whining and crying, you know, bloody murder about old money was so cheap before rates were I mean, why can’t we have that again, and again, therapists hat, you’ve got to get over it and move on. Right as you want to buy a house, this person wants to sell you that house. The only way forward is to accept what’s now except Except what we’re dealing with now. And so that’s settled a little bit. And I’m surprised in it in the face of a lot of uncertainty in the market, not just housing market, but the broader markets, that there’s still many buyers out there who were making offers, as I said, we’re going into multiples against a lot of people. And I think the one variable left standing, and I’m sure DJ, you’ve heard this from other real estate agents is in the in the value equation is a lack of inventory. Yeah. Right. What surprises me again, is the the demand. But I think psychologically, people have gotten over what was there subscribing to the philosophy that okay, rates are what they are, and they will eventually come down. So let’s keep going. And let’s my buddy here,

D.J. Paris 42:43
Josh, cat has just made an appearance. Yeah, can do.

Josh Myler 42:47
Let’s, let’s, uh, let’s refi rates are bound to come down. So let’s refi. And, and, and keep our eye on the price.

D.J. Paris 43:00
Yeah, it’s, you know, how have you been working with buyers? Presently, that are sitting on the sidelines? What are these the sorts of things you’re saying to them? Who are, you know, worried about interest rates? And just, you know, is it is it is it as simple as, you know, date the rate marry the house? Is that kind of the philosophy? Or are you seeing buyers, pulling back,

Josh Myler 43:30
I liked that date, the rate, marry the house, I love that. I think there’s a little bit of that. My way my style is, and I think a lot of people who know me and have come to know how I work. Realize that I don’t push very hard. You know, I think of myself in a way, like I’m the anti agent, if you will, I am not trying to sell anybody anything. So if there is reticence or fear, let’s deal with that. First, there will always be a house. I mean, if we look back at history, you get pretty comfortable understanding that there there gajillion houses out there. And I don’t think a good thing to do ever is to push someone in to something too quickly. Or at all for that matter. You know, if you if you feel most comfortable, you know, dipping your toe in or sitting in the shallow end, so that you can kind of get your bearings. And let’s do that, you know, you may miss some opportunities, but again, there will be others. So I think people now again, there are great many people who have subscribed to the idea that we’re just going to rent right now and wait until rates come down? Fine, no problem. Let’s do that. And then there are other people who are ready to go. And so again, I’m using this boat analogy too much. But you know, there are a bunch of different personalities who have who come from a lot of different walks of life in this boat. And my job is to understand who my audience is. Understand to the extent that I can, their fears, their wants, their desires, their needs, and then figure out how to give that to them, and be there with them in that moment. Does that make sense?

D.J. Paris 45:41
It makes perfect sense. It’s really the consultancy sort of approach. It’s That’s right. It’s yeah. And you said very elegantly, perfectly. It’s, Hey, I see you, I hear you, I know you. Here’s what we’re here’s where we’re aiming. And it includes not just the numbers that includes the feelings and hand the numbers, and of course, the property and all of the specifics. And we’re going to aim towards it. And we’re going to keep moving forward. And we’re going to calibrate along the way it makes perfect sense.

Josh Myler 46:17
Yeah, there’s another facet to that, that we haven’t talked about. And that’s disclosure. Right when when real estate agents and in the in the real estate world, we talk about disclosures, we immediately think of disclosing, you know, a seller disclosing all they know about a house to a buyer. Right? Super important, super obvious, I think. But there’s also disclosures that happened between you and your clients, right. And so if we’re going to be there, and I’m going to be there, in that moment with you, whatever moment you’re in, I also am going to show you the data and disclose to you what the market looks like. So that you understand all the opportunities and opportunity costs, right? If you’re going to sit and wait. And so that you can never say to yourself, Josh did not tell us that if we sat and waited, that we would miss out on X, Y and Z. So I think there’s two things be there in the moment, but also make sure they understand what’s going on and what they may be walking away from, or getting themselves into or out of. So that again, they know their eyes are wide open.

D.J. Paris 47:29
I love this idea of like scenario planning. This is essentially what you’re doing. And you’re giving people visions of futures that they can walk around and and see how they find them to be comfortable or not. Again, we’re talking a little bit more thoroughly. Is that a word? I think it is, yeah, ethereal ly more than normal, but I think it’s important because we are, you know, we are, you know, obviously we’re just transacting homes, but what we’re really talking about is all the emotional components that go into the decisions. And there’s so many decisions that go into not even just buying a home, but living in a home. You know, it’s so, so critical to us as human beings, it really does become this important thing where as you as the agent can really get a sense of what that family or individual client needs, and be able to deliver to them exactly the experience they’re looking for.

Josh Myler 48:30
I mean, that that’s it, right? That’s the key to building, I think, a successful real estate career that’s lasting, you know, if you’re just in it to do a deal, I’ll tell you right now, it’s not going to be fun, and it’s not going to last very long. But if you are there with them, and you’re able to I think, boil down to their essence, all the questions you just mentioned, all the boxes that need to be checked. If you can guide them through that process, then you’re not just an agent anymore, you’re a friend, you’re an advisor. And, again, that part of the business is the part that I enjoy the most. And that I think I you know, is what is attributable to most of my success for sure. And that’s what I would say to any new agent. And it’s difficult sometimes I would say to them, try not to focus on the deal. Of course you need to do that, you know, focus on the client. Focus on the human part of it, not the transactional part of it, and that person will will feel like you’re there for them. Right?

D.J. Paris 49:48
Everybody wants to be taken every hour. I shouldn’t say everyone most people want to feel taken care of and, but one of the ways you can demonstrate care is through, you know, all this extra effort for through real estate, right? So you can constantly reach out to clients. Hey, let’s talk about what were you guys thinking about, you know, the next three years? What are you thinking about the next five years? Here’s where I see, here’s, here’s an opportunity I see for you. Here’s something, you know, again, just having these future conversations, it’s, it’s actually very exciting to have those kinds of conversations with clients. And because they’re going to be excited about it, of course, everyone’s typically excited about some something in their future. And you can begin to plan that with them. I think that’s a really interesting approach.

Josh Myler 50:41
I totally agree. It’s huge. And again, for newer agents who are not, you know, they haven’t yet experienced the kind of success they know in their hearts, in some cases they deserve and they will have, it hasn’t come yet. And so it’s harder to to focus on those more, as you said, ethereal things and, and not just get caught in the, in the in the trees. You know what I mean? Focus more on the forest. And I think the best agents, new or old, are those that have the ability to to focus on the trees and the forest. Because I’ll tell you, a lot of your our clients don’t have that ability. They’ve got blinders on emotional blinders. So totally, totally agree with you, TJ.

D.J. Paris 51:34
Well, this is a great place to look, Josh meilleur is the guest. He is an incredibly successful and amazing, connected, passionate agent in Beverly Hills with the agency, please visit him at Josh meilleur.com. If any of our audience has people that move in and out of the Beverly Hills area and are you’re looking to work with Josh or maybe refer business to or from him, he would be honored to speak with you. So definitely reach out to him also follow him on Instagram, Josh sail, actually spelled J O S. H is actually not I’m not going to spell it, because I’m going to put it in the description. So I don’t have it in front of me. My apologies there. But Josh, Josh, this was a wonderful time. On behalf of our audience want to thank you for coming on our show You were amazing, really, really impassioned speech, I had a wonderful time. And on behalf of our audience. And on behalf of Josh and myself to our audience, we want to say thank you for making it all the way to the end of the episode. As always, please remember to tell a friend, think of one other agent that could benefit from hearing from Josh. We did a lot of good work today on this in this conversation. So please send them a link to the podcast, keeping it real pod.com Is our website and you follow us on all the social channels as well. Josh, we appreciate you. And we are excited to talk to you in the future. Thanks, everybody. Thanks, Josh.

Josh Myler 53:10
Thank you so much, DJ, this is a real pleasure. I’m totally honored to be a part of it. Thank you for inviting me to do this.