00;00;04;26 - 00;00;26;20
Ryan Carter
Amy. I'm really excited to spend some time and to talk. Talk with you. You know, we have a long history together. I know all the things about you it's been. But I say that jokingly, but I say it also in that it's been really incredible to see you grow and what an incredible, you know, personal real estate business you've built.
00;00;26;20 - 00;00;41;06
Ryan Carter
What an incredible leader you are and partner you are at 8z. So I'd love for other people to know that history and know that about you. So tell us a bit about your history, how long you've been in the business, what got you to 8z? All the things. Yeah.
00;00;41;21 - 00;01;07;05
Amy Terry
So I mean, it's it's true to say, I literally grew up in this company. I met the founder of 8z at 18. I was 18 at 18 and worked with him through college as a part time job and then was always headed to law school. That was always the plan. And then I was getting ready to graduate, had been accepted to law school, had interned with the DEA, and it just didn't feel right.
00;01;07;11 - 00;01;25;26
Amy Terry
I just wasn't sure that's what I wanted. So I went to Lane and because I valued his opinion and he really encouraged me to do a one year deferment, get my real estate license, he needed some help with his business. So that's what I did. And just 18 years ago this month. Wow. So and it's flown by. So yeah.
00;01;25;26 - 00;01;48;08
Amy Terry
I mean, I started as a real estate broker at 22 and then as an MBA with 8z for the last ten years. Yeah. And I feel really grateful that I've been surrounded by mentors and leaders that have continuously pushed me out of my comfort zone, pushed me to do things that I didn't think I'd be good at, and given me space to grow.
00;01;48;08 - 00;01;50;26
Amy Terry
It's it's made this such a fulfilling career.
00;01;51;26 - 00;02;14;17
Ryan Carter
Well, you've certainly shown up in that space and stepped up to it. I mean, I imagine you're beginning to build a real estate career as a woman, 22 years old. You know, I think you probably had to perhaps prove yourself a little bit more or show up with the skill set that you have so naturally in sort of perhaps a stronger way.
00;02;15;29 - 00;02;18;12
Ryan Carter
Yeah. I mean, what was that like?
00;02;19;09 - 00;02;43;14
Amy Terry
I think, you know, to be successful in this business, you just have to have some hustle and hunger and drive. And there was I mean, I cried a lot my first two years. There's a lot of rejection in this business and there's a lot of putting yourself out there and you have to kind of grow thicker skin. But at the same time, it can be so rewarding and so fun just to be people bring you into their lives.
00;02;43;15 - 00;02;52;14
Amy Terry
Yes. And you get to be a part of helping them solve problems and reach their goals. But yeah, it was I look back now sometimes I'm like, I can't believe someone trusted me at.
00;02;53;03 - 00;02;53;17
Ryan Carter
20.
00;02;53;17 - 00;03;09;01
Amy Terry
Two. But, you know, I the the biggest piece, too, is that I surrounded myself with really good people that knew what they were doing. Yeah. So I always had that back up. So I felt confident that I was helping people and putting them in the right direction and. And avoiding a lot of pitfalls.
00;03;09;04 - 00;03;34;17
Ryan Carter
Yeah. I mean, you know, what we do in our industry is, you know, really impacts people's lives. It's really important. It can it can change futures. Yes. And you have such a history of doing that for so many people. It's really incredible to think about, you know, what would you say is your favorite part about being a real estate agent?
00;03;34;27 - 00;03;38;07
Amy Terry
Yeah, I mean, I'm really passionate about helping people build wealth.
00;03;38;07 - 00;03;38;18
Ryan Carter
Yeah.
00;03;38;22 - 00;04;01;23
Amy Terry
And that's what gets me up every day to start working with clients. You know, homeownership can be a game changer and create generational wealth. Yes. And then I'm also an investor outside of being a real estate agent. So I'm really excited about helping people build wealth through investment properties and making it not so scary and break down the process and make it attainable.
00;04;02;11 - 00;04;04;09
Amy Terry
So that's really what I get excited about.
00;04;04;21 - 00;04;26;14
Ryan Carter
Yeah, I mean, Amy, you bring so much to the table for clients, not only someone that's perhaps a first time homebuyer or a first time, oh, sell a home seller or someone that's beginning to develop their real estate portfolio or someone that has amassed a real estate portfolio. You really have the gamut of that expertize to bring to the table for clients.
00;04;26;28 - 00;04;49;04
Amy Terry
Yeah, I mean, that's what's really cool about real estate, too, right? Is that you never get bored. Yeah. You know, every year I'm finding a different avenue that I get excited about, so, you know, I bought and how old I bought and flipped. I've developed, I've done water rights, I've done liens, subdividing all the things. And so I can speak to all of those and it's an ever growing and changing and challenging business, which is amazing.
00;04;49;06 - 00;04;49;17
Amy Terry
Yeah.
00;04;50;06 - 00;05;23;09
Ryan Carter
Yeah. And you have your you've been a part of so many different facets of that business from, you know, owning a merchandizing company to two stage listings to having a very wide investment portfolio. You've really tapped into so many components of our industry. That's really cool. Yeah. So let's pivot for a little bit and talk a little bit about another side of your professional business, and that's the team you built at 80 and your leadership at 83 and 80.
00;05;23;09 - 00;05;46;24
Ryan Carter
8z Amazing. You have a really incredible team. I know the culture you have at your team. What's the excellence in performance you built in your team? Share a little bit about about your team and what you think makes to Stiefel or or different than other brokerages.
00;05;46;24 - 00;06;09;13
Amy Terry
Yeah. So I feel so fortunate that, you know, we both were a part of 8z from the ground up and the beginning and we've really been able to build a brokerage that we're really proud of and that, you know, fulfills the values that were important to us. And I think one thing that makes us really unique and with my team is, you know, my agents are whole people.
00;06;09;23 - 00;06;31;00
Amy Terry
So I'm mentoring and coaching with them as a whole person. You know, it's not all about your production, it's about fulfillment and achieving goals and making sure that you're able to live a balanced life. You know what good is selling a ton of real estate if you're not having any time to enjoy those profits? So I think that is a huge piece.
00;06;31;00 - 00;06;39;19
Amy Terry
As I add the whole list, live use our agents as people and that's what comes first. And then, you know, production kind of follows that.
00;06;39;22 - 00;07;12;01
Ryan Carter
Yeah, well you're hitting on something really critical to who we are. It's this idea of a high performance culture. We have high performing agents at our brokerage. And to sustain that, you really have to think about work life integration or who are you outside of real estate? And you're right. I think it's important for us to also think about that and support and partner with agents outside of just their business so they can really be successful in life and in their careers.
00;07;12;01 - 00;07;14;12
Ryan Carter
We call it the real estate. Good life. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00;07;14;17 - 00;07;31;04
Amy Terry
And even this morning, I mean, I was on a coaching call with one of our coaches who's really looking at our whole lives. And, you know, what's up level this part and that's automatically going to top level your business. And I'm just so grateful to be part of an organization that's that's taking steps forward in that.
00;07;31;04 - 00;07;45;12
Ryan Carter
Yeah well you know you are leading in that charge at you know I know you spoke about I know that that that looking at your team and looking at your team members in eight years as whole people is really important to you because that's who you are.
00;07;45;15 - 00;07;45;26
Amy Terry
Yeah.
00;07;46;01 - 00;08;08;03
Ryan Carter
Yeah. Let's let's pivot again for a little bit and talk about talk about the market. You know, it's a dynamic market, right? By default, the real estate industry is a market and markets are not static. You know, what kind of conversations are you having with clients with with perhaps your agents, you know, about the market today.
00;08;08;03 - 00;08;17;07
Amy Terry
Yeah. So, you know, having done this 18 years, I came in in 2005 and it was a super hot market until about 28.
00;08;18;03 - 00;08;18;12
Ryan Carter
Yeah.
00;08;18;20 - 00;08;44;25
Amy Terry
So having you know lived through that and then I had to reinvent myself, shift the business and I was a short sale queen for like, you know, five, six years. And all I did was foreclosures and short sales. So really, as far as with clients and with my agents, it's just a reminder that it's all cyclical. Yeah. Looking at the data, it's always it's typically not as bad as people assume that it is and it's very headline industry.
00;08;44;25 - 00;08;58;02
Amy Terry
It's certainly not as scary as you see. And I mean, it's clickbait, right? Yeah. So just having conversations and the reality is there is no perfect timing, anything, you know, if I could do that, I would be a multi-millionaire.
00;08;58;24 - 00;09;03;23
Ryan Carter
But when they say the perfect time to buy real estate is when you buy real estate. Yes.
00;09;04;01 - 00;09;06;04
Amy Terry
Or yesterday. Yeah, that's right.
00;09;06;07 - 00;09;10;03
Ryan Carter
That's right. That's right. That's it. Perfect. Yes, yes. Yesterday.
00;09;10;08 - 00;09;29;11
Amy Terry
So I think yeah, it's it's having making educated decisions and buying when it's the right time for you and your family. And then with agents, there's always a market. We've got to find the market. That's right. And every year is different. And I personally, I think that's what makes it fun. It would be kind of boring if we did the same thing every year in and out.
00;09;29;11 - 00;09;45;14
Amy Terry
And also what you focus on expands. Yeah, you know in 2021 you could not get a buyer under contract and that was frustrating. You could even get a showing. Yeah. So now there's more opportunity for buyers. So let's just focus on the positive and trust that there is a market always.
00;09;45;25 - 00;10;11;00
Ryan Carter
Yeah. You know, something's kind of struck me what you just said. It's about sort of educating, right? You know, at 80, we have something called the three C's clarity, control and confidence. And it's really about, on the agent side, educating clients to make the best decision of what's happening in the current market for their lives. Right. Because markets are different and client's needs are different.
00;10;11;08 - 00;10;35;14
Ryan Carter
And we really we really feel a charge at 8z to ensure that we are educating clients and giving them all their options so that they can make the best choice in any market. Yeah. And then on the agent side, it's, you know, you awesome. You said it, right? It's about creating a market, leveling off and being that professional to create a business that sustains any market.
00;10;35;14 - 00;10;49;18
Ryan Carter
And we have the systems that see to do that. Yes, I think that's really one you know, one of the things that's really remarkable about it, we really partner with Agents Deep to have them have a holistic, sustainable business. Yeah. Yeah.
00;10;50;00 - 00;11;07;07
Amy Terry
And you know, for me, I'm going to you know, if you're smart about the way you build your business, you're smart about the way you invest. You know, I turned 40 this year and and shared with Ryan that, you know, I'm going to travel a lot this year and I've been able to do that and kind of take advantage of a little bit of a slower market.
00;11;07;07 - 00;11;19;04
Amy Terry
So that I mean, talk about living the real estate, good life like yeah, being able to time that and and still enjoy life and not be super stressed and also know that stuff's happening behind the scenes. All right. While you're traveling.
00;11;20;04 - 00;11;43;01
Ryan Carter
That's that's actually really important because you are such a symbol of living the real estate, your life, especially now. You've worked so hard, you've built such a business that is sort of giving back to you and that is being supported by the systems behind the scenes. And you're stepping up and tapping into the good life part of real estate and enjoying your life.
00;11;43;01 - 00;11;48;12
Ryan Carter
And you know that your team is showing up for you and all the systems are there sustaining your business.
00;11;48;12 - 00;11;51;04
Amy Terry
Yeah, and I know that my clients are getting taken care of.
00;11;51;04 - 00;11;51;16
Ryan Carter
That's it.
00;11;52;05 - 00;12;00;22
Amy Terry
You know, it's you know, we always say clients first is super, super important for us. And to be able to do both is really amazing. Yeah. Yeah.
00;12;02;03 - 00;12;22;21
Ryan Carter
All right, I to put you on the spot, baby. You've been doing real estate for a long time. Real estate's an interesting industry. There's a lot of things that happen. Yeah. What what is sort of a, I don't know, sort of whatever word you want to put on it, a sensational or like, oh my gosh, that just happened.
00;12;22;21 - 00;12;37;27
Ryan Carter
Or I just saw that when I showed a buyer or something or what is your what is the story that will go down in infamy in your business? And all of these years, anything that kind of sticks out as a funny.
00;12;39;04 - 00;13;05;20
Amy Terry
There's yeah there's so many especially back in the foreclosure short sale days, but one that sticks out. I had an investor or that that purchased a property and you know was back it was a great deal it was as is no inspection just you know made the purchase but we had notice and we were looking at the house that there were several patched holes in the walls and we thought, well, maybe I don't know how sites, I don't know.
00;13;05;20 - 00;13;28;18
Amy Terry
But when my client got in there, what we realized the seller had done is punched a hole, reached down, clipped the electrical, punched a hole, reach down, clipped the electrical, and then patched all the wall. So luckily, you know, he had budgeted for worst case scenario but had to rewire the whole house, the electric. So, yeah, the foreclosure days were very, very interesting.
00;13;30;12 - 00;13;31;26
Amy Terry
So yeah, that was I'll always remember.
00;13;31;26 - 00;13;55;01
Ryan Carter
I don't know if I've heard that before, but it's definitely a unique one. Yes. Yes. So in the you're a partner at 8z a, you know, two questions for you sort of related. I'd love for you to share, you know, what it means for you to be a partner at 18 and then talk to people about, you know, what a partner at 80 looks like.
00;13;55;04 - 00;13;55;18
Ryan Carter
Yeah.
00;13;56;10 - 00;14;19;08
Amy Terry
So being a partner in 8z is truly an honor. You know, I remember when we started the company that the mission was to sort of raise the level of professionalism in the industry, which I think that we're continuing to do. And becoming a partner makes you a true owner in 8z and it helps shift your mindset of where do we want this overall to go?
00;14;20;10 - 00;14;41;22
Amy Terry
So getting getting to participate in all of that is wonderful. On top of profit sharing, which is wonderful. And you know, our owner and founder always promised that if he exited, he'd sell the company to us. And when, you know, you were in it with that, you know, like going through the whole process to figure out how do we legally do this?
00;14;42;11 - 00;15;01;00
Amy Terry
And, you know, it was dancing and one of a kind first kind of brokerage to do that. And we're so grateful for that and grateful for the opportunity. And it's for me, it's an honor to be a part of the bigger decisions of what direction we're going with our agents and our clients and how we're taking care of them.
00;15;01;15 - 00;15;18;09
Amy Terry
And then the security of, you know, the long term profit sharing and health insurance and all the things that is kind of broken at other brokerages, that there's no retirement plan, there's no ownership opportunities, true ownership operations.
00;15;18;21 - 00;15;20;19
Ryan Carter
That's right. It's an important distinction.
00;15;20;19 - 00;15;29;13
Amy Terry
Yes. Yes. So I'm really proud of. I'm proud to be a partner. I'm proud of the partnership program and I'm really proud of what we're doing in the industry.
00;15;29;22 - 00;15;52;18
Ryan Carter
Yeah, you should be because you're leading it. It's really awesome to be an owner of 8z with you and to partner with you as we lead the company forward and continue to build and continue to do all the cool things that we're doing. And, you know, a few things, you know, you said it, but it is it is unrivaled in the real estate industry.
00;15;52;18 - 00;16;26;04
Ryan Carter
There's no other brokerage that is an Aesop company that is really bringing agents into true ownership. You're not buying shares. There's no stock options. There's no REITs or anything of that nature. It's there's no smoke and mirrors. You become a partner at 8z and you are an owner of our company. And then what you said, Amy, is it's not just then about being an owner receiving all of those benefits, profit sharing, salary, all the things you are guiding the company as a decision maker, as an owner, it's really cool.
00;16;26;09 - 00;16;59;02
Ryan Carter
Yeah, yeah. Talking about 8z and it's really cool to see all the hats that you wear and you wear them really successfully. You are a top performing agent. You are the managing broker and leader of a top performing team. You live in amazing, real estate, good life. You really have a life that's fulfilling. In addition to the successes you have in your professional life, how do you do it?
00;16;59;02 - 00;17;02;04
Ryan Carter
How do you do it all in one component?
00;17;02;05 - 00;17;23;03
Amy Terry
Yeah, well, the thing that's amazing is that I'm not the only one 8z that's doing all of that. And so, you know, we've worked together to create a system that really supports us. You know, the heart of my business is my transaction coordinator. She I'm not exaggerating when I say life changing, you know, she just makes everything run smoothly.
00;17;23;03 - 00;17;46;13
Amy Terry
I have that extra catch all. She's managing my schedule like it's just agreed. We have an amazing marketing staff that's helping us stay on top of our game, continue moving the needle, social media, marketing, taking care of all of that for us. And then we have an amazing listing manager that's doing your data input, communicating with your sellers, getting listings prepped for market, getting them marketed for you.
00;17;46;22 - 00;18;08;19
Amy Terry
So, you know, we really believe that an agent is most valuable face to face, belly to belly with their clients. Yeah. So we're going to take care of everything behind the scenes so that you can maximize that time, maximize your the number of transactions you can do. So, yeah, it's, it's a whole team effort to be able to run my business.
00;18;08;24 - 00;18;30;07
Ryan Carter
All right. All right. You know, I think a lot of the credit goes to you, but I but I will accept that the 8z support system and 8z platform really does allow that to happen. And you also have a life outside of real estate. You know that at 80, it's a kind of a loaded question because the support we could be we could be here all day.
00;18;31;06 - 00;18;57;17
Ryan Carter
We kind of scratch the surface of that. You know, Amy talked about a transaction manager, a listing marketing manager, a database manager, a full in-house marketing agency. The list goes on. But I think to sum it up, it's really about, you know, in leadership. And as we run the company, we really have a saying it's about how many buttons can we push for the agent so they can stay in the art of the relationship with the client.
00;18;57;17 - 00;19;10;06
Ryan Carter
As Amy said, it's about your highest and best use of time is face to face, fostering those relationships and being an expert in a transaction. 8z wants to take everything else off of your plate.
00;19;11;04 - 00;19;22;14
Amy Terry
And also I'll add to that too, that we create client events that create the opportunity for you to be face to face. Yeah. So on top of it, it's, it's great.
00;19;22;14 - 00;19;46;08
Ryan Carter
You Yeah, yeah, it's true, you know, our, our post-closing collective program, we have a robust spirit database program, but we recreate systems that sort of are automatically putting you in flow and face to face with your clients. Yes. Yeah. And mean there are really so many things that I'm proud of what we do here as we're building this company.
00;19;46;08 - 00;20;01;17
Ryan Carter
We spoke about the partner program. We spoke about the really robust support things we have for agents here. And we also are thinking about life beyond an agent's real estate business. Amy, share with with us about the wealth builder program. Yeah.
00;20;02;02 - 00;20;23;28
Amy Terry
So we feel like one of the things that are kind of broken in real estate is that agents are on their own for retirement. There's not really a facilitated option for most agents. So, you know, one of our former managing brokers developed a program called Wealth Builder, and it's basically sort of crowdfunding to invest in real estate. And it's just happens automatically.
00;20;23;28 - 00;20;45;18
Amy Terry
You can do a lump sum, you can contribute a portion of your commissions, but they handle everything for you purchasing the properties, managing the properties, making all the decisions, and then you get the benefits of that rental income. And even as someone who owns my own rentals and invest in real estate, I also invest in this program so twofold.
00;20;45;18 - 00;21;05;06
Amy Terry
It's an amazing opportunity for agents, but it also goes to show to their needs. Is such a cool place that you can grow as an individual and create something like that. You know, we're open to how do we make our company better. Yeah, and this was, you know, an agent took this and ran with it and it's benefiting everybody.
00;21;05;16 - 00;21;15;06
Amy Terry
And it's something we always talk about, like, why don't we all go in together? And he actually formalized it and managed it and it's it's amazing. Yeah.
00;21;15;06 - 00;21;37;29
Ryan Carter
You know, one of the things that is so cool about what we do is 8z is at a is we're not bound by any specific playbook. You know, we create we created a partner program. We created a wealth of the program. We are just building something that works and enhances our agents lives regardless if it's been done, been done before, or if you're supposed to do it in an industry.
00;21;38;08 - 00;21;58;16
Ryan Carter
8z just want to do it. We want to enhance our agents lives. Yeah. Abby, it's been so great spending some time talking to you, you know, hearing you share about what an incredible business you've built, what an incredible leader you are at Yeah, just keep doing what you're doing. You're doing it so well.
00;21;58;21 - 00;22;01;01
Amy Terry
Thank you.
