Cliff HildrethExperience: 11 years Specializations: Residential Real Estate, Luxury Homes, Foreclosures and New Home Developments Areas Served: Greater Los Angeles Area Q: What made you become interested in real estate? A: I was an investor that was unhappy with my realtor. I was complaining so much that my wife told me “if you think you can do a better job, just do it yourself”. So I did. I initially intended just to use my license to buy and sell my own properties but, once I got into real estate, I found that I really liked helping others as well. Q: What is the most interesting thing that happened during an open house you hosted? A: One of the people that were going through the home actually had a heart attack right in front of me! I gave him CPR until the ambulance arrived. As far as I know, he’s still kickin’. Q: What was your favorite moment in your career so far? A: I was helping a wounded vet from the Afghan war that really wanted to buy a home for him, his wife and child that was on the way but the seller had better offers (that were not VA loans with 0% down). I sat down with the seller and talked about his situation. We really bonded and it came out that the sellers father died in the Vietnam War and was very unhappy about the way the Vietnam Vets were treated after they came home. I was able to appeal to her compassion to maybe do a little to right that wrong by giving my client a leg up (no pun intended) in the offer reviews. She finally decided to let us have the deal to help my client as a way to say thanks for his sacrifice. My clients were overwhelmed by her generosity. They now have a home to raise their little girl. Q: What do you wish you had known when you first got your real estate license? A: The amount of frustration you encounter and how much actual work is involved if you want to be successful! You really have to have a thick skin to succeed in this business. You can’t let rejection color your attitude. I always tell agents that I mentor that “History starts when you wake up in the morning!”. If you let yesterday’s deal that crashed affect your attitude, you will spend time pouting and find that you didn’t get anything done today either! Q: In what ways have you seen the real estate industry change since you started? A: Technology! Technology! Technology! We were still using paper contracts when I started. Facebook was just getting going and the first iPhone was still a year away. Everything is now online. Lead generation is easier and cheaper than it was then. The best part is, I don’t have to door knock anymore! Q: What’s the most challenging part of your job? A: It’s maintaining a good attitude (see above) and having the discipline to make my calls every day and FOLLOW UP with leads. It’s easy to get distracted when you are an independent contractor and nobody is looking over your shoulder to see if you are working. Q: If you could sum up being a real estate agent in five words or less, what would you say? A: Helping people find a home.
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