Building Out a Brand New Office in 45 Days

Welcome to the Leading Lane podcast for Real Estate Pros by Real Estate Pros with your hosts Ashley Frederick and Stephen Burch. If you're looking for an honest, authentic and raw perspective, you found it cool. Well, welcome back to the podcast. Today I get to turn the tables here and interview Ashley on her new building that they just remodeled. Completely gutted out. Right. And moved into in 45 days. So my, my first question is what prompted the move from your previous location to where you are currently? Yeah, you know, it's funny, you can actually relate it to houses in the. When you're paying rent, right. It doesn't necessarily go towards anything of equity or whatnot. So when we opened, you know, four years ago, it made sense to rent where it was a quick decision to open our franchise. Four years ago, it was just three of us when we opened our doors. And so we found a, you know, cute little rental. And in our area it's hard to find commercial buildings to purchase. They're normally in need of significant repair. Ours was more cosmetic repairs that we wanted to do, but a lot of them are code violations that haven't been updated since the 1900s. Second stories are, you know, residential. So that made it really tough. And then we were pretty fortunate where we were as far as the rent, which same thing I think get pretty astronomical the larger of a building that you get. So it was probably on our long term goals to own something. But last year I think we had signed an additional three year lease. So we were a year into our fourth year. So, you know, two more years left. But as people have probably listened to the podcast, there's been a lot of changes in our real estate world, our real estate office in the last four years and one of them and it's, it is what it is. But we hired Steven so I'm not trying to sound, you know, salesy or anything, but it did make a difference in what we were doing. I always say that you don't know what you don't know to have someone come in and take a look at what to you seemed like the smart thing to do and have someone be like, not so smart, you could do it different. You know, it's. I think that sometimes that's hard for people because they can take it personally. You can also just feel, and I don't know if you feel that way from clients like that. They almost feel like insignificant or stupid. Like I should have known that. I think that's just our human nature to think like that. I do feel like that's how some of your clients are when you start to pick apart things. Yeah. I think that like at the first is like, oh, well, that's just something so easy. Why didn't I see it? It's right there in front of my face. But really, like, you're not looking at it from those glasses or those eyes. So you just need somebody to be able to shift it a little bit and just look at it from a different perspective. It's nothing to fill any sort of negative way whatsoever as long as you recognize that there needs to be a change and you're working towards that change. Yeah. And I think that's what it is, right. Is we're all here to help one another. And if someone can show you a smoother path, then great for all of us. And so, you know, you started kind of pointing those things out to us, which in turn we were able to save money in areas that we weren't. We were able to structure things differently so that things changed as far as the bottom line. And when you start to make those changes. Right. It allows you to do some other things. Allows us to do some nice things for our agents, it allows us to offer some great programs, but it also allows us the capital to potentially look at purchasing a building. So that wasn't necessarily on our radar since we were in Elise, but through some testing and whatnot, me not feeling well, we discovered that I had mold in my system. And Maya, who's been on the podcast before, was like, either you live or you work in it. So I was like, oh, you mean those buckets that we keep on putting under all the windows? Does that have something to do with those wetness, our mold? And once we got the results back from the building that we were in. Right. It was a no brainer. I needed to make a decision for the safety of myself and our staff to move. So it was a very quick move, I think within finding out. I think it was like less than 20 days because then we had to find a temporary location. We might have been in another country. So we waited for that to come back from that and found a great temporary location. Landlord was amazing to work with us. You know, we moved 13 people to a second story office space and in that time frame we started just. I guess I should back up a little bit. Started to look at places and I was actually showing. So I'm sitting in it now, but I was showing this building to someone else, a client. It was a pretty small business though. So when she was leaving, she said something like, it's just too much of a building for me. You know, it'd be great like for an office of your size or something. And I was like, huh, never thought about that. And then as we were thinking about living or working in this place that we were working, I brought, you know, the co owner, Stephanie in one day and I was like, so just meet me downtown. And so why anything walked in. And I was like, so envision this. And I had already had a floor plan and everything. And she was like, cool, let's do it. And I think we were at conference actually, and it was like the minute we got back from conference, we ended up writing an offer and it came together and you know, small town, usa. We had to keep things confidential for numerous reasons. And closed May 20th. And then my husband Ben, honestly started and like, I think we closed at 8 and he started at 8:30, tearing down the walls. And it was really this vision of how I think that a real estate office should feel and look. And there's not a lot of that in our area as far as like modern or updated or bright colors. Sure. And I just wanted people to feel at home when they came in. Not just agents, but also our, you know, staff, clients, customers. But also be a really nice, welcoming space. I mean, we have the ability to have business after fives here, large trainings. We've had other people that have asked about having closings here. We have four guest offices so agents can pop in with their clients whenever they want. It's just such a great ability to do more things. So what that looks like is a lot of craziness. We had a, you know, have a storage unit and we packed up all the things that we didn't think we would need over the next 45 days. By the way, we needed a lot of those things. So then I would end up having to crawl, no lie, like, took my shoes off, like, had. It was like a. Like a worm. Like I had to go through the storage unit to try to find things. I mean, it's just great because like, sometimes I'd fall and like break stuff in the storage unit. We're like, oh, we'll figure that out later. And then the next day we'd be like, oh, we should have got whatever. And then you have to go back and through it again. So it's fun. We probably ordered extra things we didn't need because we couldn't find them. But, you know, people were great. Like all of our clients were great as far as finding us in our. In our interim location. But know there's a lot of decisions to be made in a, in a remodel, which, you know, you're very familiar with in some of your office locations. Obviously we do it for a living with clients and my husband being in construction. But commercial is different, right? Like, commercial has different standards. Like you can't use wood studs, you have to use metal studs. And that creates a whole nother trying to hang walls when there's metal studs. Right. Like there's fun things to. Or hang pictures. But we also have great relationships with our local contractors, and I was able to pull quite a few favors. Like, no, like, I don't need you 90 days from now. I need you like yesterday. And then, you know, everyone is always like, oh, Ashley, you're so funny. And I'm like, okay, but I'm not kidding. So see you soon. Yeah. And it, I mean, if you think about remodeling a 4,000 square foot property in less than 45 days, I mean, the amount of contractors that were in and out of here between, like flooring, H vac, electrical, plumbing, all of that is a, A feat to take on. I'll definitely give Ben credit for helping to manage that. You know, but there are things that come up, right? Things that you don't plan for. The building wasn't that old, but, you know, the city inspector decided to have us change some things, and those were extra costs. Right. So I always have to be able to take those on. I think it was just too like, for. For staff and agents, the excitement. We also didn't tell them where we were going if. But you told them like the day that you closed though, right? Yes, so. But. Right. We were in an interim location. So I think I've talked about it before that I do this 90 day plan with agents. So this was the way I introduced it. We were at our old office and I think I put in May, it said move number one. And then in July it said move number two. So obviously people thought on my 90 day plan, they had no idea what it meant. So then we have to go over our 90 day plans so I get to move number one. And I was like, so we're moving next week. I should have taken a video because I'll never forget Celeste's face. It was just like her jaw was on the floor. And then I was like, everything's okay. We'll be fine. And then I was like, and then we're gonna move in July, but I can't really tell you where we're Going, so it's a surprise, you'll love it. And I think it was amazing to me that like no one asked any questions. No one said like, where are we going? What are we doing? Like, they literally just packed up the office, put it all in storage, took us to the new place and patiently waited for to find out where we were going. Well, it's because they trust you, right? Like you're their leader. They knew that you, you weren't going to move anywhere, you know, crazy like you, they knew that you had their best interest in mind and so therefore they trusted you and didn't have to question it. Yeah, I appreciate that and I appreciate them, but I think it was, I was like waiting for them to be like, is it here? Is it there? And I'm sure they had those side conversations, but I think we videotaped it the day I didn't even tell them. I was like, so we're going to go for a walk as a group and we just have to ride across the street. So we walked across the street and then everyone's like, oh my gosh. And you can see the excitement. So I think that that kind of anticipated all of that. But a build out, you know, there's obviously the hands on deck of the contractors, but this also wouldn't have happened without the agents and staff staying here till 10 o' clock at night. Painting. More painting, more painting. I feel like I never want to paint again after this. But it was a group effort and you know, you had been here and helped with some ideas. But it's kind of funny, like as, as things start to come together, your idea for those spaces changes as well. Or you see things that are like, how about that? So in our conference room we have a little inlay or kind of actually it's an inlay on one side and it darts out on the other side. It was just supposed to be drywall and it's a really big room and I just kept on staring at it for a couple days and then I was like, nope, I need shiplap on that wall. And corsepen was like, what? I was like, yeah, like shiplap. And as a matter of fact, I want it to be teal. And Chad just kind of looked at me and then I was. And then the next day I came back and I was like, you know what I mean? Like, that'll look great, but there should really be a fireplace in that wall too. And they would just look at each other and I'd be like, it's fine. Right. It doesn't add any. Anything to the time frame or whatever. And then they would just kind of look at me and, like, leave. I think they probably wanted me not to stop for a couple days because I was going to add something else. But that's the part of remodeling, right? Like, you have a. You have something in mind, but once the spaces start to take shape, I mean, want to add things to make it an extra flair or whatnot. And so it just started coming together and we picked a fantastic location. We have this amazing little plaza right behind us. You know, it's hub city days this weekend. So there I think there's going to be estimates of 9,000 to 10,000 people downtown. That was one of my biggest goals, was to be in place by Hub city days, and we did that. So there's typically a car show, about 900. So there'll be cars parked right out front and in the back. Then they have a brew fest and a concert and everything. So to have our signage like right there, it's really important to us. But it was really important to just be part of the community as well. So if you're in real estate, I think that. I think really any business, for the most part, it's about community. It's about people. People make the world go around. People are who you need, you know, to make transactions happen, to get the support you need to make things like this a reality. If we didn't have the support of our community, same thing, right? If we weren't doing transactions for all of these clients that trust us every single day, we also wouldn't be able to have a building like this. Right. I think the hardest part is probably the week before. I think I might have text messaged you a couple times. I was like, this is never happening. But picked a closing date off of some other plans. And I remember telling Ben that closing date, and he looked at me like I was nuts. And I was like, it's no big deal. I mean, it's just like, you know, moving some walls and a little bit more than moving a couple walls. But it's amazing what can happen in. In a week. I mean, I remember being like, oh, my gosh, we're going to have to cancel this ribbon cutting. It's never going to happen. And I think even what happened in 72 hours, I mean, you were here for the last 72 hours, but the amount of people, like, hands on deck, including yourself and a trip to the er,. Right? We got a lot done. We had tremendous amount of work done. And even we had a fantastic stager that came in and she really beefed off this place. And I mean, I honestly called her on like a Friday and I was like, hey, could you stop on Monday? I need some help decorating. Ribbon cutting was Tuesday, because that's just the way we roll. And she came in and then she's like, oh, well, I thought it was just your office, but I want to do this, this, this and this and this. And so she brought all these fantastic things. You brought some fantastic ideas. And it's just amazing to me, like, when you put so many different people together, but the end goal ends up exactly how you wanted it. So, I mean, it doesn't happen without a lot of planning, a lot of hard work, um, and a lot of. Support and not, not a lot of stress at all. Like, not at all. No. Uh huh. So, funny story. I had to take my cat into the vet yesterday because she is a little ill. And the vet said, is there anything stressful in your life that like, maybe the cat would have picked up on? And I like blatantly looked at them and I was like, I mean, I can't even explain the amount of stress over the last two months. And they didn't ask questions, but I was like, there's a lot going on. And they're like, well, just so you know, that sometimes stresses out your cat. They can pick up on your anxiety and your stress. And I was like, oh, then she's definitely over the edge. She's. She's feeling it, huh? Yeah. She's feeling a little bit better though, right? Yes. Good, good. No, I remember when we got there that Sunday, Ryan and I walked in and we were like, oh, shit. Like we're, we're not going to leave for like the next three days here. Like, we are staying. But honestly, like, I will tell you that your team had everything under control. It was just chaotic for, for us because we didn't know what we were walking into. But Ben and Chad were so cool, calm and collected and, and I will have to tell you, like, Chad, Chad, correct. That man is a stand up man. Chill, go with the flow. I felt so bad. I had him put some stuff up on the wall and then it wasn't quite right and I was like, oh. Like, if this was Ryan or anybody else, I'd be like, hey, move that. But he doesn't know me. This is the first time he's met me. And I was like, so I'm going to have you move that. And he just Looked at me and I was like, I'm so sorry. He was like, nope, I deal with Ashley all the time. And I was like, okay, fair. So this is. If this is the only thing that I tell you the whole time to redo, like, I'm going to do okay. It was just so funny. Great guy. I mean, like Ben busted his ass. Like both of us. I worked like 80 hour weeks. Yeah. I mean, all of you guys have worked so hard. And so what. What sense of pride? Like, I know that you didn't work on other things in the other office cosmetic wise, but is there a different sense of pride walking into this office versus others? Yeah, you know, for sure. I think to be honest, it might have even set in a little bit more with the slight scare that we had this week. So. Right. It was just a mishap. Furnace AC system more or less went out this week. No one's fault. 17 Years old, those things happen. But. Right, right. It. The motor more or less melted, caused everything to fill with smoke in the office. And I think that. I don't know why, I think it maybe just put it in perspective. Right. Because it is like truly yours. Like we could have lost the whole entire building had that happened overnight or. Or over a weekend. But I'll tell you, like over the last week, I think is when it really set in and we were gone last week, you know, so our goal was to get to the ribbon cutting and then leave down, which is exactly what we did. We did the ribbon cutting and I was out the next day. And I think it was like late Sunday night and I was home and I think I was just sitting at home more or less thinking about it. And I think that's when it really hit me like, we did it. We had a fantastic turnout for our ribbon cutting. That to me was also. It's hard to take in, I think. Right. Like you can relate it to a wedding or something. Like you can't take it in in the moment because you're just so entrenched and talking to people or whatnot. But when you actually sit back and think about all the people that made time, all the people that sent messages, there's a sense of pride that people really appreciate us and support what we do. But then like having just a slight scare of losing all of that, it's different though, right? So like every morning I'm thankful to walk into this place. I think it's just different because it is like truly ours and it's a significant investment that we made into the Community and into our agents and staff and clients and customers to show them that right, like we are the real deal, like we're here to stay. We want to be your leading source of all the right things, the ways to do things, to giving back, to being there at the closing table, to also, you know, doing the hard things. There's a lot of real estate transactions that are hard. It's divorces, it's deaths and having a safe space for people to come in and have those conversations. But it's also, I'll be honest, it's a little bit of the coloring. Like there is a bright, there's a bright office, there's white. And I think that's something that a lot of people have said when they come in is they just feel energized when they walk in the building. And I think that the sense of pride is just seeing people walk in and being happy and seeing the agents here more often. It was really fun. We had, I think I told you this, but we have a goal chart and so it kind of has these little houses and we can scratch them off as we have closings. And on Tuesday was our first, well, our second office meeting and we got to do our close out game and then agents got to fill in their little houses, if you will. And so we had to play catch up from two weeks, but we filled in 12 houses. And I think almost every agent did it. And I don't know, it was just, it was fun and it was, you know, just having that much more room to do things like that and have those trainings and you know, we have couches and people are comfortable and it's just, it's a little humbling to just be able to see that. We've worked this hard, we've made significant changes along with your help and you know, to be able to make these. Things happen and, and you know, that's. Again, this isn't a sales pitch, but you, you invested in yourself and your business by hiring me. And then that changed some perspectives and some things that were happening, you know, on the books and everything else. Then you invested in your health and yourself and hired Maya. And you discovered different things and so you had to change, adjust and look at where you are. And so I think the, the moral here was, yeah, we, you, you have a new space and it's beautiful and I, I think that you guys are going to thrive there even more, but without investing in yourself and not without you not being open minded and open hearted to change and wanting to better yourself. And help others around you. If you didn't invest in yourself, you wouldn't have this opportunity. Right. And it's scary to think that what if you never discovered that, how toxic the mold was for, for yourself and for others that were in that office. So it's so important to continue to invest in yourself because you don't know where that's going to take you and pivot into your life, into your business. And at the end of the day, like, you're constantly bettering yourself and bettering those around you. Well, I think that's just it. Right? Like, people always try to correlate a number. Like, right. We always talk about return on investments. And I think what is important to remember is that like a return on investment isn't always a dollar figure. Right? So return on investment could be your mental health, it could be your actual health, it's your surroundings, you know, so when you're thinking about these investments, like, oh, it's going to cost X. But sure, like, we tried to do the math and figure out ways that we would recoup that. And I mean, I think I've said this before, but within like, you know, like a month, I was like, well, that just paid for itself and then some, you know, I think we talked about we were able to find $100,000 in savings, you know, and that's a lot of money, but. Right. That then in turn creates other opportunities that we might not have had, had we not just taken the risk that we thought was a risk. Right. To invest something when in all reality it was like the biggest reward that we could have had. But, you know, I said this at my grand opening too. It also has to do with surrounding yourself with extraordinary people. And that comes over time. Right. That goes back to mental health and investing in yourself. And you have to invest in. Do I want to be around positive, supportive people? And what happens when you actually do get put in those rooms and you have people that will challenge you and you have people that have these big dreams, it changes your trajectory 100%. And I mean, kudos to you. Like, there, there's been so many things that have been thrown at you and you're dealing with so many other little, not little fires, but little fires on top of moving legit, moving out of an office into a temporary redoing one. All of the other things that are happening in your personal life, all the other businesses that, that you still have to conduct and still, you know, produce and help other agents, like that is so much on your plate. So Kudos to you. It's a beautiful space, and it was so fun to be there and being, you know, like, obviously I see it from the outside, but actually, physically being there, it was a lot of fun, and you have a lot of support. Your community loves you, and I definitely know that your agents and the people around you just adore you. So cheers to you, friend. Thank you so much. Yeah. All right, we're up on time, so thank you guys for tuning in. And catch us next time. If you've enjoyed today's episode, please, like, subscribe and share with others. Stay connected. For more genuine insights and strategies to boost your real estate career on Facebook or check out our website. We'll see you next time.