How You Do Anything Is How You Do Everything • Ivan Chorney

Ivan Chorney with Ivan&Mike Team at Compass talks about his own life journey and his transition from a bartender to moving to Miami from LA as a developer. Ivan discusses the importance of networking and communication as keys to a successful relationship with his own team and clients. He also emphasized a quote he repeats to his team ”How you do anything is how you do everything“, because that will determine how they will be as an agent. Last, Ivan talks about delegating work and how important it is to have a good relationship with clients and not feel neglected.

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

Ivan Chorney can be reached at 786-863-5900 and ivan.chorney@compass.com.

This episode is brought to you by Real Geeks.

---

Transcript

D.J. Paris 0:00
What is the secret recipe for being chosen by developers to represent their new construction? Or we’re going to talk about that today? 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 in 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. There 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 Paris. I am your guide and host through the show and in just a moment we’re going to be speaking with Top Producer IVAN Seany. But before we get to Ivan first just wanted to say thank you we are closing in now on we’re coming up on 500 episodes and we are we’ll probably hit that later this year. And we are so honored and grateful for all of our listeners and viewers. We now also stream live our episodes while at least the interview portion then we go back and produce it but while we’re interviewing our guests we actually stream live to YouTube, Facebook and LinkedIn simultaneously so check find us on social media and you can actually watch us as we record our episodes you don’t have to wait for us to produce the episodes if you wish. So we just upgraded our equipment and we’re now streaming live to those three sources. So anyway enough about all that let’s get to the main event my conversation with Ivan shorty.

Okay, today on the show we have Ivan shorty with the Ivan and Mike team with compass in Miami. Let me tell you more about Ivan. Ivan. Tony leads the number one new construction real estate team in southeast Florida with Michael Mark Mara. Sorry, Mark. I’m gonna start that when

Ivan Chorney 3:03
it’s March arena,

D.J. Paris 3:04
March arena. Oh, yeah. Okay, take two. Gosh, what a day. All right, take two. Hey, today on the show we have Ivan Shawnee with the Ivan and Mike team with compass in Miami. Now I’ve been leads the number one new construction real estate team in southeast Florida with Michael Mark Torino. The Ivan and my team at Compass specializes in ultra luxury homes and new development sales. The team transacted listen to this guy’s to over 282 million in close transactions last year known for exceptional service. Charney is a property matchmaker sought out for his savvy negotiation style with a friendly down to earth demeanor. His real estate career began as a developer if you’re if you’re just listening, Mike’s making some some funny gestures in the back which is why I’m I’m laughing during his bio, so I apologize that I’m not that unprofessional. But he is he’s really making this fun. So let me get back to his his bio because it’s so great. His real estate career began as a developer sales rep selling pre construction projects in Miami and Miami Beach tourney is a trusted resource for reliable information to help his clients make accurate and informed investment decisions. He is entrenched in the Miami Beach community serving as a big brother with Big Brothers Big Sisters. Please visit Ivan and mike.com IV a n a n d mi ke.com to learn all things Ivan and Mike and also follow them on Instagram which is only miami luxury. Ivan I’m so happy to have you on the show. Welcome

Ivan Chorney 4:41
Hey man, thanks so much for having me. That was like the warmest toasty as welcome I like my glow and over here that’s that’s why I was making you laugh in the background.

D.J. Paris 4:52
Yeah, no, it is it people do it all the time. And because it’s it can be you know, it’s like not always something that people are used to Hearing is all their credits kind of at one side. I know it would make me very uncomfortable if someone are reading mine. So I definitely I definitely understand the urge to sort of have fun with it. And also it was just it was just that just your personality. I think that’s great. Yeah, let’s so I always love to start at the beginning of the story. So I’m curious of how you got into, well, first how you just got into real estate. So I know you started as as a as a sales rep for a developer. But how did you how did that come about?

Ivan Chorney 5:33
So I actually, I moved to Miami in 2005. I had been in LA for four and a half years. And I was, you know, kind of doing odd jobs in Miami to fill up the time and also, you know, make a little bit of money. I was also I was bartending for a staffing company. And one of the assignments was to bartend at the launch party for a new development called called Canyon Ranch in Miami Beach. So and you know, so I’m bartending this party, and it’s a launch and it’s just glamorous, and like, just gray look, and people dressed to the nines. Sure. And I’m like, I’m like, this is cool. Like, this is cool. All these people are cool. And they’re having they’re having an awesome time. And like, I’m like, this is this is what I think I need to do. Yeah. And I had already been working on my license, because I was like, alright, yeah, no, maybe I’ll use my money to invest. I was like, talking to my buddy in St. Petersburg.

D.J. Paris 6:42
Well, and it’s like, it’s like, every third person in Florida has a license, you might as well get one anyway. So

Ivan Chorney 6:47
yeah, right. Might as well I might as well jump in. And so while I was there, I spoke to the broker, who’s like, just the coolest dude, he had, like, you know, the frosted blonde tips were which were back. Really, they were really in back then. I even had them, like, a few years before that. So I can’t judge. But I was like, you know, so I just told him, I was like, I want to hang my license for you. I want to work on new on new construction. I’m like, what’s it going to take? He’s like, Well, you know, how many people in our database? I’m like, What’s the database? And like, and he’s like, how much experience you have in sales. And I’m like, Well, I was a personal trainer, and like, I sold memberships, that sales, sales, it was something. And anyway, you know, you’d like me, I was obviously, you know, somewhat personable. And he said, Listen, you know, come Come meet with my office manager. And we’ll figure something out. So I went met with the office manager, they, you know, they let me be a sales associate on, you know, in their brokerage, which, you know, basically, it didn’t cost them anything, I just was there. And I just made a point of like, going in every day to the office, going to every sales meeting, you know, which were often held at these new construction projects, and constantly asking, like, when was there going to be a project for me? I was like, you know, I was like, if you’ve, if you’ve seen Shawshank Redemption, they talk about like him sending the letters to get the library. Yeah. And they finally just gave him well, that was like me, I was like, What am I gonna get project? What am I gonna get project? So I ended up getting getting on a project in Miami Beach, which was like, it was not the most high end project that they had, but it was kind of like, alright, well, we’ll try you out here. And I was put on it with two very seasoned agents. And I quickly outsold them, and I was the I was the star sales agent on that team.

D.J. Paris 8:39
Wow, what? That’s an amazing story. Because number one, you were, you know, approach somebody at an event where, you know, you were the hired help. And then also, of course, working on your license at the same time, but just having the confidence to say to a, you know, to someone, they’re like, I want to work with you. In some ways, I think that’s like, every employers like fantasies situation where somebody’s like that motivated. Were even in a scenario where it’s not a real estate, specific sort of meeting for you and him, you’re still having the confidence to go like, I want this. And I. And so it’s, I’d love to say like, oh, I’m surprised that they would take a chance on you, because of not having that particular background. But now that I think about it, it actually makes perfect sense, because it wasn’t a time where they would expect for somebody to come up who isn’t yet in the industry and be like, I want to work with you. Yeah, I wonder, I wonder how much of that just played in, you know,

Ivan Chorney 9:38
yeah, I mean, you know, and even now, you know, years laters 17 years later, and, you know, having this this great team and everything. What agents are constantly approaching us to come work with us? I mean, you know, we just brought on a guy a couple months ago, he was on me for a year to join the team. Yeah, I was like, Nah, sorry, wrong time. We’re not looking for any already, he was relentless. And I finally was like Mike, I’m like, gotta give this guy a shot. I’m like, I liked this guy. He was he was an athlete, he keeps keeps checking in with me, he wants to take me out for coffee. I’m like, I’m like, we need this kind of tenacity, in, in the work, you know, in the agent side of things, and it’s a quote, I repeat to my team, all the time is how you do anything, is how you do everything. So we know that that will correlate to how they will be as an agent.

D.J. Paris 10:28
I was trying to think I know a bunch of college athletes that have become realtors, I mean, some of them I’ve had on the show who are now top of the mountain realtors. But even just people who are newer to the industry who have that, that background, where they played some some level of college sports, they always succeed at in real estate. And it’s, it’s like I’ve yet to meet somebody who I know for sure played some sort of sport and then failed at real estate. I haven’t met those. I’m sure they exist. But boy, there’s something about that discipline, and that just hard work and tenacity, where they’re kinda like, yeah, I just gonna, I’m just gonna do the same effort I put into, you know, my sport into this. And I mean, you know, as well as I do, anyone who puts that kind of commitment in is guaranteed, almost guaranteed to be successful.

Ivan Chorney 11:12
Yeah, no, totally, that’s, that’s spot on. And even, you know, just having a tolerance for discomfort, you know, whether that, whether that’s just being in like, uncomfortable positions, you know, just like, having to grind and, you know, like, and sometimes do things that you don’t want to do, like, all that stuff, just, you know, keeps building character, and that, that ends up like, you know, being the building blocks for, you know, at least for me, those are the building blocks, building blocks of my success.

D.J. Paris 11:40
Yeah, mine to this idea of learning how to tolerate discomfort. I mean, it’s like, you’re a personal trainer, I just actually came from the personal trainer just before for this. And it’s, it’s, I won’t, but I’m to make just embarrassed to do that. But but it is, it is wild, because I’m almost three years in, and I never had that level of commitment to working out, I just didn’t my whole life. And so I’m like, I gotta get a trainer. And, and I will tell you that it’s no, it’s still not fun, because it’s pain. I mean, it’s, it’s painful. But it is, it is it is look taught me how to tolerate discomfort physically, that that physical discomfort of like, this is going to be painful, and there’s a huge benefit to doing it. And if I can just go well, the benefit is going to outweigh whatever the short term pain is. And that’s it doesn’t mean everyone needs to start like lifting heavy weights, but the idea of getting comfortable with whatever was the physical discomfort or mental discomfort or whatever it is, is so critical for being successful, because this is a business that really can knock you down pretty fast. And, and pretty hard. I mean, all it takes is, you know, you find out your, your best friend went with a different realtor, or you just you lose a deal for whatever reason. It’s not your fault. Yeah, it’s, it’s,

Ivan Chorney 13:02
and we all do. We all do. There’s all kinds of all kinds of roadblocks, you know, year near big deals, that just didn’t happen. And, and, you know, it’s it’s really tough at the time, especially when you, you haven’t kind of crossed over that, that kind of luxury or that that level of success, and you’re just trying to find your way to climb through and you miss those deals, and it’s tough, but it does build character. And that’s a you know, that’s the stuff I lean on now, in my success.

D.J. Paris 13:34
Yeah, it’s I think resiliency is just like the name of the game with this one. It’s just you’re gonna get knocked down constantly. And and just this idea of like, it’s all going to work out, I’m just going to keep at it. And, and it usually, usually is a lot of that it’s yes, or where it says, you know, so so I’m probably speaking for the audience here, because and they I think they understand the that your story starts with, with you sort of having this this opportunity, in a sense that you jumped on when you were not not in the industry at that moment. But for anyone that is in the industry right now. And I think I think I’d have an idea of what you’re going to say, but I don’t want to say it for you. Because I might be wrong. But I’m curious. And if anyone listening is going I want to be to be chosen to be to you know, work some any kind of developer does. Maybe it’s luxury, maybe it isn’t. But I would like to be chosen to represent a developer in some of these transactions. I know here in Chicago that is like, you know, it is and there’s pros and cons to being chosen to I know it’s not all Wine and Roses, but it is certainly something that people aspire to at least the option of being chosen. So I’m curious what you would suggest to somebody who wants to start taking steps to get the I have of developers.

Ivan Chorney 14:52
You know that there is a little bit of a difference from when I started in you know basically 2006 to now Oh, you know, when I got into the business there were there were agents that literally did nothing but work on developments. Sure, you know, like, and I had a friend who worked on a project with me. And he, he basically said it this way you have, you have house cats, and you have street cats. And he’s like, he’s like, I’m a housecat. He’s like, I’m never going to be street, that Street guy. And, and obviously, I wasn’t housecat at the time. Now, I’m a street cat, but it’s like, you know, the two, they were two very distinct groups, now, we’ve got these indoor outdoor cats. And we find that, you know, I find that a lot of the best developers, the top developments, they want seasoned agents that are actually out there in the street, you know, mixing and mingling with top clients, you know, from sure and around the world, and also, you know, socializing with all the other top agents so that they can mix with those agents and have those agents bring their, their clients and so it’s an even more coveted and harder spot to get. But I would say, two, I would say, two ways. One, find like an entry entry level kind of project, it might even be, you know, working for like culture homes, you know, you have some sales experience, you got your license, like, be willing to sell way out in the burbs, and just like, you know, like sound selling just a box of homes, you know, or, or some kind of real estate, that would be kind of like one way, and then you just work your way up, be she the absolute best in every one of those situations. And you’ll plot the plot, you’re on course, the other one is, you know, is the team route. And I would say get yourself on a team, you know, because I say the three keys to mastery are immersion, modeling, and repetition. So if you’re in a team, and you’re now immerse immersing immersing yourself and there should be other stuff with that, but you’re doing that you’ve got the leaders, the other, the other people on the team, you know, you’re modeling after and then you just keep repeating, repeating repeating, then that’s going to build a backbone of kind of the substance that developers are going to look for. And and then you’ll start having some of the, you know, the sales experience, you’ll start having some of the, you’ll know some of the talk, you can talk the talk. And I think you’ll you’ll you’ll have put together a database and all those kinds of variables that developers look for, and you might get a little bit of a leg up and be able to skip over Kolter homes and go right into work in a lower Miami Project.

D.J. Paris 17:37
Yeah, that makes that really makes perfect sense. Yeah, I think I agree with all of that. And I also think, too, like, I don’t want to minimize how hard it is for you to do that even today. Because it’s not like once you’re in you’re in because you have to perform and deliver every single time and the stakes are really high for you. Because there’s a line of agents cash a mile long that would love to take your spot on some of those development deals. And you’re in an ultra competitive market. In fact, you could argue Miami might be the number one real estate market in the in the world or the country, as far as was amount of dollars that sort of exchanged hands and,

Ivan Chorney 18:20
and and the most resilient to I must say, Yeah,

D.J. Paris 18:24
well, it is it is. Yeah, it’s like this time of year. I always think, Hmm, Florida has it. There’s there’s a lot of benefits to tax. It’s

Ivan Chorney 18:35
a lot. There’s a lot going for Miami, Miami is is just transforming so rapidly. It just keeps getting better and better.

D.J. Paris 18:43
Yeah, I was I was there. About two years ago, I hadn’t been to to Miami, and that that time and the staff staying down on South Beach and just just just love what what’s been done down there. So that’s, I think that’s really helpful advice. It’s, it’s, you know, it’s all the same things that I think we’ve heard, I’ve heard from other agents on the show, but I don’t think that means it’s, you know, repetition is, as you said, one of the three components, it’s the mother of skill, it’s, it’s doing the same thing, mother of mastery. Yeah, it is, I think, is this idea of just putting the blinders on and going for it and, you know, developing skills I think it’s you’re right, when you play at that level, the skill is really, really important. And a skills can be honed and sharpened. Right. So it’s this idea of just working on it. Let’s talk about the relationships because you you have a really when you work with developers, like that’s a really difficult thing because you’re serving many masters really, you’re obviously keeping the developers happy trying to sell at the rate that they want with the pricing that they want. Also dealing with other realtors dealing with buyers, and you know all sorts of factors. So You know, I know there’s it does not mean that it’s an easy job at all working on developments or with developers. But I’m curious on sort of, as your team has continued to grow, where do you find the most joy? Do you like working with, you know, the, you know, with developers with with the public with both, you know, I’m curious on what’s like, your favorite thing?

Ivan Chorney 20:24
Yeah. I mean, you know, as I said, I was, I was a house cat, and then I, you know, moved out onto the street, and I’m, I’m actually happier being a street cat. I like being out there in the world. I like mixing and mingling. And I don’t like being kind of just like, to not say stuck, but just like, you know, just too focused on one project. Because, you know, Miami is so, so dynamic and so versatile. And there’s so many great real estate opportunities, and I love selling everything, you know, so. So, you know, right now my, like, what I prefer to do, I want to work with, I want to work with people, I love to work, I just love working with great people. You know, like, when I first started in membership sales in, you know, for a gym. That was it was it was different kinds of sales, it was like using techniques chosing techniques, you know, and I remember the first time I used that closing technique to close somebody, and they bought a membership, and then I realized that they weren’t coming in. And like that I basically sold them, like, I didn’t like it, I didn’t feel good about it. What I what I what I do now is is relationships house like, first, I’m selling me, like, do you want to work with me? Like, here’s all the reasons why because it’d be your trusted resource, I’m a property matchmaker, I’m gonna put you with the most amazing property. But, you know, I want to become their friend, I want to I mean, because I truly, deeply care about them. And that’s what gives me the satisfaction because I know, in the end, I’ve helped put them in their family in a place where they’re just, they’re going to have the best lifestyle, like the best lifestyle that’s going to match their needs. So, so that’s what really like, you know, turns my crank so to speak.

D.J. Paris 22:17
Yeah, that’s your why you like you, like giving you there’s a lot of satisfaction in that. And so I’m curious, because you’re talking about wanting to become, you know, friends and envelop the sort of intimate relationships with with clients or, and really deepen, continue to deepen them so that, you know, they continue to, you know, obviously be part of your life. I’m curious, I’m always curious on what what are you doing? Or what do you recommend doing in between sales with a client so that you know, you just sold somebody a home they moved in? It’s their dream home, it might be their forever home? Or at least their for a while home? What are you doing so that to make sure that they don’t forget about you? One year, two years, three years, and just, I always think, you know, this is a huge opportunity, and probably something that a lot of agents struggle with, it’s like, okay, transaction over, I know, I should stay in touch. I’m not exactly sure how often and what and what to do.

Ivan Chorney 23:15
Yeah. Great point. That’s, I think that’s vital. Because you don’t you know, you don’t want to be a one pump chump. You want you not only it’s just do you want that repeat business, but you want them to tell their you know, their friends and their family. And and you want, and you just don’t know, for me, I just I want to know, how they’re doing down the road. So I think I think it’s, you know, part systems like you got to have systems in place. That’s, you know, your CRM, you got to have your CRM working. For me delegating, like, when I started really delegating and spending money on delegating. That was that was hugely transformative, you know, having assistants helping you do stuff, and they help us with follow up in a major way, whether it’s emails, text messages, sending gifts, sending letters, you know, so that’s kind of the whole kit and caboodle is that like, you know, we’re sending them gifts on their birthday, we’re sending them cards, we’re calling them, we’re checking in, you know, every every couple of weeks, you know, just saying hello, you know, how are they enjoying their place? They hear about this thing that’s going on, we send them articles, oh, the top 10 restaurants in Miami. We texted over to them where we have our assistance text over dome. So we’re just you know, cuz constantly trying to be say we’re trying to be like an internal resource as well.

D.J. Paris 24:43
Because that is such a you know, it’s so funny. This top 10 This top restaurants thing. It sounds so simple. And yet in all of the interviews I’ve had over all of the years, I don’t think anyone specifically gave that particular tip and I just realized as you were saying it, what a brilliant tip it is because you You can just make it neighborhood specific to wherever they live. And this is really an endless amount of content. I mean, you could say, you could do restaurant of the week, or you could do top three restaurants, or whatever, however you want to do it. But that is such an easy way to create content that’s actually valuable to the people that live in those communities. And in a way, that’s not, hey, I’m looking for another sale or, you know, send me the names of some of your friends, which of course, I’m not criticizing people who do it that way, either. Yeah, different way. Yeah. It’s not my particular approach. But But I understand that some people are better for people that are like, I don’t want to bug I don’t really want to bother people, it’s like, well, then send them things of value. And that is a great example, or something that, and you could do it with your sphere of influence. You could I mean, it’s, it’s not that much work. It’s about it. Boy, I would love I would love it. If every week, I received an email in the neighborhood I live, which is Wicker Park, and which is got hundreds of restaurants. I mean, we just have so many restaurants, and it can be overwhelming. And I live in the middle of it. And I’m like, God, I would love for somebody to be like, this is the place you should go this weekend. And I mean, I really would

Ivan Chorney 26:10
get that on a Friday. You’re like, Oh, I’m gonna go out tonight or tomorrow night like, oh, top 10 Like, this place, let’s say, oh, that’s the food I want. Boom.

D.J. Paris 26:17
I know. It’s it sounds silly. And it but it is like, again, that’s as an I’m guys. I’m not a practicing agent. I’m licensed, I don’t practice. So like I am somebody who is might be in your database. I’m like a person that is like in your database. There’s a lot of people like me, they want to know, you know, and they don’t always necessarily, you know, I think people who own homes are always interested in what my home’s worth. But aside from that, I think most a lot of the communication can just be like, Hey, how’s it going? What are you up to? What are you? And I imagine you do a lot about

Ivan Chorney 26:48
it? Totally. Yeah. All the time. I mean, I’m, I gorge, I gorge on all things Miami, like I’m just, you know, you can tell I light up when I talk about the city. It’s the city is my second love, you know, so I love sharing things about the city. And when I learned about, you know, oh, this, this new rooftop restaurant is coming to Coconut Grove. You know, I’m like, taking the link and I’m texting it out to all my clients who bought in Coconut Grove, you know, like, and it’s just, it’s really like a natural thing for me. And it obviously, it perpetuates the relationship, you know, for for years to come.

D.J. Paris 27:26
Let’s let’s I want to talk about delegating, because you mentioned that that was really a game changer for you when you started investing in hiring, you know, or just getting getting some of the things off your plate that maybe weren’t the things you really prefer to do. Or maybe they weren’t business building things but things that needed to get done. So I’m curious on on, you know, for there’s a lot of people out there listening who are going I would love to delegate some of my work, how do you figure out what you want to delegate and what you want to keep for yourself?

Ivan Chorney 27:57
I think it’s pretty easy. What do you what do you tend to procrastinate on? What do you what do you avoid doing? Delegate that shit, man, don’t do it. I mean, you know, Mike and I joined join partners, we became partners and and, you know, first years like, you’re not closing like crazy amounts of deals. And, you know, money’s a little bit tighter. And it’s like, you know, we were at that point where we were kind of like, overflowing, you know, like, trying to be Jack of all trades, writing contracts, doing follow up writing listings, like chasing our commissions. I mean, it was fucking hard. I’m sorry, I’m

D.J. Paris 28:37
sure. No, you can swear.

Ivan Chorney 28:40
It was hard. It was hard and overwhelming. And it took away from my ability to perform at what I’m best at, which is working with people and closing deals. Like, I love working with people. I love selling the best of the best real estate in Miami. I love going into the projects, you know, talking to the agents talking to developers. I don’t love working on contracts. I don’t love the minutiae of like, you know, the, you know, scheduling the inspections and being there the inspection like I don’t want to do that stuff. So once once I realized that for myself, Mike and I had a good conversation, he was on board and we decided like, let’s spend some money and hire somebody to do this shit. And let me tell you that was that’s a game changer. If you have not hired somebody to take the load off of you stuff you don’t like doing or don’t have the time to go out and hire somebody. Start with start with a virtual admin if you you know if you don’t have the budget to go full time somebody you know in person, get a virtual admin like it will be a huge game changer for people

D.J. Paris 29:53
and and command really affordable. I mean, you can you know, depending on the skill level, I mean, you can Find people as low as you know, I don’t know, $5 an hour, maybe even less. Now, obviously, it’s not so much about wanting to spend the least amount of money. But if that’s your budget, you can find people that will do it. And so you know, places like upwork.com are great resources where you can go post and add people from all over the world will vie for your business. And you know, you’ll have to figure out, you know, who you want to hire. But, but yeah, I that’s a great option. So for anyone out there that’s like, I can’t afford to have, you know, a full time assistant. Maybe you

Ivan Chorney 30:31
can’t afford not to. Yeah, well, you’re right afford not to I’m telling you can change.

D.J. Paris 30:38
And, and we should also honor the fact that probably when you guys were ready to make that financial commitment initially, was that an uncomfortable moment? Like, oh, my gosh, we was at a time where you were like, Oh, it wasn’t, it was easy for

Ivan Chorney 30:51
it. No, no, no, it was totally, it was hard to start spending, like, our own money that we were getting, and like, you know, as a real estate agent, you’re like, you’d never really know exactly when the next shark is comment or maybe know when the next one is, but not the one after that. And so that’s, that’s, that’s uncomfortable and brutal. But it’s, it’s necessary. And so now,

D.J. Paris 31:14
it’s again, it’s this idea of betting on yourself and going like no, this will work out, it might be uncomfortable for a while because I’m spending money. And yeah, there’s going to be times of like, I gotta train and build systems and all of those things. Yes. So you just got to push through that discomfort and realize, like, oh, top agents aren’t doing everything. They’re just doing, what they are, what they love and what they’re best at? And what’s what’s on Cornerstone activities. Yeah. So, we’re back to relationships for a moment. So, you know, you just gave a lot of great examples of providing value, you know, in between transactions, you know, staying in touch with clients, giving them something that they can use on a regular basis, making sure they don’t feel neglected, you know, whether it’s just reaching out and how’s it going, you know, saw you went on vacation, tell me about it kind of thing versus, you know, hey, here’s like some cool real estate info, or here’s some, you know, community info. How important is it to be really immersed in the community first. So we all know, real estate is usually hyperlocal. For most agents work, you know, locally, how important is it to be known in the community, not so much to be like a public figure, but just somebody that’s in the community and and supportive of the community? I imagine you guys are for sure.

Ivan Chorney 32:35
Yeah. I mean, you know, I guess there’s two folds that twofold. Answer, one, like, you know, I know, agents that have picked up and left one market plop themselves into another market and found found immediate success. You know, so there are there are ways to do that. And they clearly were not immersed in, you know, the, in the world, so to speak sure of that city yet. It’s, it’s, it’s clearly beneficial for us to be immersed in, you know, all the things Miami, I mean, and in volunteering. You know, like, as you mentioned, like, I’m a big brother, in Big Brothers, Big Sisters. We also we do a lot of donations to some of the, you know, the various big charities in Miami. Lois house is one that we we did it we we got a table for we invited people and we mix and mingle. So, you know, it’s good for people to see that, you know, it’s, we’re not just about the money, you know, we’re also about the community. And we get out and about, and we go to the chamber every now and again, and all that stuff. I you know, I think it’s important. It also, you know, it also kind of depends on who your your upline faces. You know, for people that, you know, like, if someone on my team was, you know, focused on getting single family home listings in X community, I’d be like, You need to start living in that community. You know, like, you need to start, you need to start going to, you know, the weekly mom’s events or or you need to see, like, start getting plugged into the schools and go into the art fair, like, you got to start digging yourself into that. And, and, you know, like Mike and I, we, we deal with mostly, I would say northeasterners is a big is a big portion of our clientele. northeasterners people, people from Chicago, California, a lot, a lot, a lot of tax flights and some Canadian insurance, some some Europeans and some South Americans. We actually came in, I specifically don’t have a huge amount of like local clients. So, you know, for us, it’s almost more important for us to be out and about in the world, you know, so we’re traveling to Europe in the summer, you know, trying to go to the head Hamptons are going into New York City a lot I hit. Well, that makes sense. I’m from Connecticut. So I go home to Connecticut a couple times a year. So that’s, that’s that’s kind of how we kind of get out into the bigger community, so to speak. That’s so

D.J. Paris 35:15
interesting. So you travel to where the potential customers are and where they are today. And and where they might be, obviously, in the future is is Miami that way that makes perfect sense. I’ve yet to hear anybody talk about that specifically about leaving geographically so that you can get in front of potential buyers or

Ivan Chorney 35:35
sides. I mean, I had a I had a prospect that I had been in touch with over the phone only, and he was from Atlanta, the compass ended up having the compass retreat in Atlanta. So I looked them up, and I said, Hey, what are you doing? I’d love to, you know, take you out for coffee. He said, No, come over my house. So he invited me over his house was this freaking giant mansion, in like one of the most, you know, wealthy areas of Atlanta, and we just, like, totally hit it off. And him it brought his wife over, they started pouring me whiskey, I was like, Oh my god. So you know, but it was great. Because like, you know, I know, as soon as they come to Miami, we’re going out and I’ve segmented that relationship.

D.J. Paris 36:16
In the same vein, I’d love to hear your perspective of the importance of building strong relationships with other realtors, whether they’re in your local market, and the people, you know, will be on, you know, maybe one side of a deal with against the other, working together to close it or even Realtors from other markets who might be referring clients in? How critical is it for you to have strong relationships with other agents?

Ivan Chorney 36:45
Yeah, I mean, it’s, it’s, it’s super critical, I think, really, for every agent. You know, I know some agents that 75% of their business is referrals from other agents. That’s not us. But it’s actually something we’re working on growing. We actually have, you know, we’ve kind of put the structure in place to to really work on growing our referral network. We’re looking for great partners out there. But but you know, that’s why we went to buy we went to Atlanta. Jessica bade us who runs our team, she’s going to Boston this weekend to meet with agents, she was in New York meet with agents. Mike was in New York meeting with agents, Haydar Michael on our team was meeting with agents in New York. So this is really like a big initiative of ours to to get out there and meet lots of agents from the various feeder markets around the country, but you know, really, even around the world, because Toronto, London, you know, there’s, there’s other feeder markets, but even even just, you know, within Miami, it’s very, it’s very important, I think, to, to be well liked, you know, to be thought of as somebody who’s likable and easy to work with, you know, because I know from like my side, when, when I’m going to show listings, and I’m like looking at who the who the agents are, like, there’s occasionally going to be an agent where I go, like,

D.J. Paris 38:11
you never want to be on that end of it. You don’t want to be on that or somebody looks at you and want to know,

Ivan Chorney 38:18
like, I’m like this this person, you know, they do this they do that, like, you know, ex tried to steal my client ones, they’re a problem or they’re just, they just don’t they just don’t shut up. They just talk talk, talk talk talk to clients, like overwhelmed. I’m like, there’s there’s a few of them out there and my advice is don’t be that person.

D.J. Paris 38:40
i There’s a there’s a way Adam Carolla used to talk about he goes you never want to be as like a life advice thing and he was saying you never want to be the guy that when your name comes up on the caller ID to someone else they go oh, god bless told us that is a good point.

Ivan Chorney 38:58
Yeah, I mean, like I get calls from other agents that just asked him for like help like, Hey, I saw you closed this unit in this building. I have a client who’s thinking about buying the same unit two floors up can you give me some insight? And I’m like Absolutely. Like I want to be helpful because you know, when the shoe was on the other foot like maybe I’ll need them and the vast majority of agents not see me the vast majority a lot of agents can’t be bothered. You know, they even a lot of them have just just bad etiquette. They don’t answer the phone. I’m like Miami, it for as glamorous and wealthy as a city as it is. I really don’t think it’s the hardest city to become successful in because you just have to do this much more to set yourself above the people that are doing the bare minimum.

D.J. Paris 39:47
You know, I agree and you just said something very powerful that I want to make kind of like step on a little bit because it’s so you just said something actually quite quite brilliant I think which was if you are selling this protect really applies to condo sales. You know, this idea that if you’re about to list a condo, in a building that you haven’t listed in before, take a look at the closed listings and not just for the data, but actually go, Hey, maybe I’ll reach out to a couple agents that just closed the deal here and be like, hey, is there anything I need to know, I’m, I know, You’ve had success in this building, I would, I’m sorry to bug you. But I’d really love to get any advice that you might have. And first of all, that’s super flattering to get

Ivan Chorney 40:26
super flattering, like I was I, it just happened to me last week. And I was like, um, it was just like, more than kind of blown away or that somebody weren’t happy? Yeah. Because I was like, oh, you know, like, this guy’s like, looking up to me. And he’s, you know, he’s leaning on me for help. And I was like, this is this is this, and I was completely transparent about the deal. And he was like, beyond thankful, because like, he didn’t know that the deal included the boat slip, and what that equated to on a on a on $1 level. So it was it was great. Yeah,

D.J. Paris 40:57
this this idea of I mean, it is it, you know, I know, you guys weren’t on opposite ends of the transaction. But even when that happens, it’s still a cooperative commission, right? It’s still supposed to be cooperative. And so I think agents sometimes forget about that, when it’s when it’s just a random agent, and at a different, you know, maybe they closed the deal a week before, and you’re like, I don’t want to bother them. They don’t they don’t know me, I don’t know them. It’s, you know, I think that’s it, if they don’t call you back, it’s no big deal. But at least you made the effort. And, and again, I think that that idea of, you know, agents who are successful and my experience, and of course, there’s exceptions to this, but almost all the time that I’ve dealt with agents who are top producers, they tend to be super generous, and super friendly, and they get it, everyone’s got to start somewhere, they remember what it was like, and it’s appreciative when, when you when when somebody calls them and says, Hey, I’d love to get some advice.

Ivan Chorney 41:50
Totally, I, besides all this other stuff, and, you know, seeing this seeing my clients happy, like the other thing, I get tremendous satisfaction out of helping other people, and like helping other people to avoid some of the pitfalls and hurdles that I had to go through. And I’ll say to my team members, like, if, if your experience on my team through my, your experience on my team, you don’t end up being becoming a better person than you were when you got here, then I’m a fan, I fail, you know, so like, I really, you know, hold myself up to make to be a contribution to everybody and to, you know, make sure that they leave a better person or better professional than when they got here.

D.J. Paris 42:34
I wonder how many of our listeners right now having just heard you say that are thinking, I would love it, if my team lead or my managing broker, or whoever is sort of in charge of me, as an agent said, I want everybody here to become a better human being. And my job is to help you become a better human being not just become successful real estate, I want to help. You know, that is, that is a really powerful thing that you said. And I want to honor that. Because I don’t know that every team lead or managing broker has that same philosophy, it’s certainly a tremendous responsibility that you’re taking on, and one that you take very seriously. And so I think it’s a great place to mention that if somebody is a realtor in the Miami, sort of Miami Dade area, and you’re looking to maybe see what other options exist, and you think you might be a fit for the Ivan and Mike team. And again, remember, it might take some time because these guys want to see a level of commitment and dedication. But you got to start somewhere. If if somebody was wanting to consider working on your team, with your team providing some value to your team, tell me like what are you looking for in an agent? And and how could they get in touch with you?

Ivan Chorney 43:46
Yeah, well, I mean, we’re not looking for green agents, green as inexperience. That doesn’t mean it’s an absolute no, nothing is ever an absolute no. You know, that this last gentleman we brought on he was green. And that’s why it was it was it was a no for now, which is also you know, people should be taking notes as far as sales go. No, it was only know for now. But it wasn’t know at the time, it became a it became a yes, because he was tenacious enough. But right right out of the gates, we’re looking for people that are a little bit more seasoned, you know, listing specialists, you know, somebody that can go out there and get single family home listings that can go out there and, you know, kind of kill their own prey, not just that they’re not just going to sit back and wait for us to just feeding off of, you know, that’s that we’re not looking for that, you know, but we’re looking for people that that that want to be part of a team and want to be part of a special team, a team that’s more about it’s not just about the numbers and just about you know, Gucci Gucci belts and parties on you know, on South Beach on Friday like we Really, we’re about personal development, we’re about giving back to our community. And we really, you know, feel like, like we’re a family, you know? So if you’re if you’re about that jam, cool, if that’s not your game, and that’s cool, too. Just, we’re not the fit for you.

D.J. Paris 45:16
Like, yeah, no, I think that’s very fair. And if people if they want to, if anyone out there wants to reach out to the Ivan and Mike team, go to Ivan and mike.com, we’ll have a link to that in the show notes or hit them up on Instagram or Facebook, on Instagram. They’re only miami luxury. I have one last question for you, because and it’s kind of a funny thing, I get a little nervous asking it because I’m always afraid somebody’s going to chastise me for bringing up something that might be a bit negative. No, no, it’s I think it’s realistic. And I’m just curious to get your take. I think 2023 is going to be a really tough year for agents. I don’t I don’t think I’m going on a limb by saying that I think but there’s some people that just like to see the positive side of everything. And they’re like, it’s gonna be fine. i We have almost eight that’s major. Well, that’s good. No, that’s good. Because I want to hear that perspective. Because for me, we have about 800 agents here at our company. And I’m terrified because I’m like, Oh, my God, rates are up, inventories down, this is going to be tough. What are you doing to stay positive? And also stay productive, despite the fact that there are definitely challenges right now, that didn’t maybe exist a couple years ago.

Ivan Chorney 46:24
Okay, so where attention goes energy flows, right. So if you’re constantly focused on the, the sensationalism that’s out there about, you know, fuck, sorry, housing bubble, it’s Bubble, Bubble, Bubble, Bubble, bubble, collapse, you know, the housing market is blah, blah, is this and I’m like, You know what noise, it’s just noise. I’m, I’m always reading between the lines, I’m looking at the market, I’m I got my boots on the ground here, Miami, we’re very low inventory. So you know what I’m like, I’m focused on the fact that, like, I know what the reality is. And I’m focused on the fact that there are still great opportunities out there. So I truly believe there are opportunities out there for people and I truly believe there are great, great products out there for people to buy. And that’s why I just did 25 million this past weekend. And three deals. Unbelievable. Three, three deals, I was out of the country, I did 25 million. I’m not trying to like say I’m like, you know this,

D.J. Paris 47:31
no, you’re not. You’re just reporting you’re, like,

Ivan Chorney 47:34
i i Stay positive. I listen, I get up in the morning, I listened to, to meditation, I have affirmations like I am started standing gate at the car, I’m standing guard at the gate of my mind. That’s and I just can’t let the crap come in. That’s just noise.

D.J. Paris 47:54
Yeah, it’s but Well, you said something very important. You said I know the reality. It’s not like I’m Pollyanna. I’m not paying attention. I don’t actually know what’s going on. No, I know what’s going on. Which is why I’m choosing to focus my energy in things that will actually help drive my business because you can’t control inventory or rates, but you can find opportunity within within those things. It but if you’re right, if your mind is being entertained by information that isn’t particularly helpful to actually creating a plan, then it becomes like just consumerism, I’m just taking in information and it’s gonna bum me out because of course it is. And it’s not like you’re not strong enough to push it away. It’s just human nature to when you absorb things to sort of react to them. And so, you said something really important. It’s like, you can pay attention, and you can not pay too much attention so that you’re immobilized. Yeah, exactly.

Ivan Chorney 48:48
It’s like, you know, you’re not trying to be like a car salesman. Nobody wants that, like, you know, and, you know, all of our, all of our buyers are sophisticated, right? They’re, they’re seeing all the headlines out there, and I can’t be like, you know, don’t read those. Don’t listen, any of that. It’s all fucking crap. You know? Like, there’s, there’s some truth in that, too. It’s just like, you know, let me let me understand you, and what what your needs are what what fits your lifestyle. Let me present some options, and then let me go to work and negotiate. You will. Frickin hell of a deal.

D.J. Paris 49:23
Yeah, I love it. I think I think again, my mindset, we’re talking about focusing our energy in a way that is actually going to help us continue in our business, despite whatever challenges are before us because there’s always challenges even and let’s remember to everyone, low interest rate environment, the 3% days. That was not a lot of fun. If you were working with buyers, it was it was a lot of fun if you had a lot of listings, but if you were working with buyers, all my like let’s not forget that your buyers who got homes were thrilled. There’s a lot of unhappy people though that didn’t get one But they wanted or who paid, you know, X amount over what they probably should have, because that was the condition. So

Ivan Chorney 50:06
I’m so glad that days of multiple offers are like, almost over like that stuff was. That was stressful.

D.J. Paris 50:13
Yeah, yeah. So So that’s I love that I love that you said all this because that just reminded me that yes, things are different now but not necessarily worse or better, just different. And so within different you have

Ivan Chorney 50:26
to be chameleon. Yeah, to be a chameleon that’s in real estate, you real estate is is moving, whether it’s a down market, an up market, a middle market, that there’s there’s stuff being transacted. So just just be able to kind of take the ebbs and the flows, you know, don’t get don’t get don’t get pulled into the weeds.

D.J. Paris 50:47
Well, I think this is a great place to wrap up. Because for anyone listening who thinks, gosh, you know, I would like to have a connection, maybe down to the Miami area, or you know, somebody that I could possibly refer business to as well in the future, because, of course, lots of people retire or move to Florida or buy second, third, you know, plus properties. You know, you obviously deal with people with multiple, multiple properties. And, you know, you’re looking for to build those relationships, so that you when you do have those opportunities, and by the way, I haven’t find those opportunities on the flip side to where those people who are buying an $8 million home, probably not their only home, they probably have other properties, he’s going to probably need to refer those people out in case they’re moving somewhere where they don’t know an agent. So this is a great reciprocal relationship, possibly. So even everyone out there, if you’re like, Well, you know, gosh, I don’t know if I’d be of any value. You know, think about it. And if you think you could provide value to Ivan or vice versa, you know, reach out and say, Hey, I’d love to be part of your network. And here’s why. And here’s what I do. That’s how relationships get get started and found it so and by the way, too, for anyone out there who’s a buyer seller investor or renter who is looking to find a property or sell a property in the Miami area. You know, Ivan and Mike are the guys so I’ve been in like.com they’re gonna take awesome care of you. I mean, the amount of transactions you guys are sorry, the production level that you did last year, I was trying to think because I don’t have our Chicago numbers pulled up for the entire metro or the entire area. But I would say that would put you as one of the if not the top team, maybe one two or three out of 47,000 agents. So I’ve been in like our big big producers and they are very, very, very good at what they do. So you should consider working with them. Whether you’re an agent, you know, or whether you’re somebody looking to work with a realtor, buy sell, rent, invest, etc. Those guys these guys are the best so everyone go out and visit Ivan and mike.com also follow them on Instagram, which is miami luxury sales. Sorry, no, it isn’t.

Ivan Chorney 52:50
Any miami luxury.

D.J. Paris 52:52
Sorry about that. Only miami luxury on Instagram. By the way guys don’t have to worry about that. There’s a link to it in our show notes. Just click on it. Subscribe and follow them. Mike it sir Mike. Ivan, your partner’s Mike. Well,

Ivan Chorney 53:05
he’s cool. He’s alright.

D.J. Paris 53:08
I guess when I when I expect to talk to an Ivan. And this is like, probably something that isn’t politically correct. But I expect like a thick heavy accent from like an Eastern European accent WOULD YOU DO NOT? Dawn? Yeah, that’s there we go. No, I’m talking to Ivan. No, Ivan, it was it was a pleasure. By the way just to ask you. Where are you from in Connecticut?

Ivan Chorney 53:29
A little town called Madison. It’s 20 minutes east of New Haven on the shoreline.

D.J. Paris 53:34
So is that near Old lime.

Ivan Chorney 53:37
It’s very close. It’s about 2025 minutes from O line O line. We just keep going a little bit further, like 10 More exits off at 95.

D.J. Paris 53:44
I’ve been to old line. That’s probably the closest I’ve been but anyway. All right. On behalf of our audience, guys, we all need to thank Ivan for coming on our show talking about how he built his business. We’re so grateful that he said spend an hour with us. So on behalf of everyone Ivan, we say thanks. And if I called you Mike at any other time during this I think now thinking just wanted to do it once just Okay, sorry about that. That’s my it’s a tough day. But on behalf of Ivan and myself, we want to say thank you to the audience for making it all the way through guys get in touch with Ivan, you know, reach out to them see if you can and we’re so grateful we just ask one thing of everyone who listens is just tell one friend about the show one other realtor that might be struggling right now that’s worried about this year that stressed a lot of agents are send them a link to this episode. This is going to turn their day around and hopefully provide them a little bit of a little bit of kindness and you know strategy for how to move through the year. So tell a friend send him over to our website keeping it real pod.com Every episode can be streamed through a browser or if there are podcast listeners, just pull up to a search for keeping it real. Hit that subscribe button. We appreciate it. All right, Ivan. It was a real pleasure. Sure And next time I’ll have Mike on the show because I won’t screw up.

Ivan Chorney 55:04
You gotta call him Ivan.

D.J. Paris 55:06
That’s true that maybe he’s got a thick accent then I’ll get confused again. Anyway, it was a pleasure. Thanks so much. We will see everybody on the next episode. Awesome.