Before becoming one of the top twenty highest producing real estate brokers in Chicago, Daniel Close was an aspiring musician. When he transitioned to real estate he first started in leasing and then moved into full-time sales. In our conversation Dan explains how he grew his business from zero clients to hundreds, why moving to Redfin was the best decision he ever made, and why he values his customer’s feedback above all else. (Dan has almost 300 five-star reviews from clients, by the way).
Daniel Close can be reached at 224-430-2643 and daniel.close@redfin.com.
Transcript
D.J. Paris 0:15
Hello and welcome to another episode of Keeping it real. The only podcast made by Chicago real estate brokers for Chicago real estate brokers. My name is DJ Paris, I am your host through the show. So first, as usual, a big thank you to everyone who is listening and everyone who has told a friend, if you know any brokers out there in the Chicagoland area actually could be from anywhere really, who want to learn what the top Chicagoland brokers are doing to grow their business, pass this podcast over to them. I was actually out to dinner with someone the other day, who is a new friend to me. And she was telling me that she loves her broker. So whenever I mentioned I do marketing for real estate, people often tell me Oh, I love my broker. And she mentioned this brokers name, who I don’t know, but it’s probably on our list of people to interview and here’s why. So we only interview the top 1%. Right, there’s 40,000 realtors, which means we basically talk to the top 400. And we’ve not gotten through, but you know, 50 or 60 of them yet, so we have a lot to get through. But she was telling me that prior to working with this broker, she had gone through three other brokers before and she’s bought and sold property and she owns property and has investments and things. So she’s a savvy investor, but she’s also very easy to work with, from what I could tell. And she goes, you know, the previous three brokers were nice and fine, but they didn’t really do a great job. But now that I found this person, you know, her fourth broker at a different firm, she’s like, I’ll never go anywhere else. She goes, I in fact, she said, I’ve even referred seven buyers and sellers to this person in the last year. And that’s how much she loves this broker. Right. So those are the kinds of people we are talking to on these podcasts today. Today is no exception. I got Dan, from Redfin, who’s amazing. And he’s going to talk about why he’s actually the top 20 of the top of the 40,000 realtors, he’s literally in the top 20 As far as production. So I suspect what he does is a lot different from what other brokers do. And we’re going to find out what that is in a moment. But again, that’s our intention here. I know if I was out there. If I was a practicing broker, I would want to know, what are these top brokers doing? So that’s what we do here. So if you know anyone else who’s a broker who is eager to learn from the best, send them this podcast. That’s the biggest way you can thank us. So also visit our website keeping it real pod.com Facebook, keeping it real pod, and anywhere else, podcasts or serve, you’ll find us and keep sending in your requests and comments, and we appreciate it. All right on your Interview with Dan close.
Today on the show, we have Dan close, Dan was raised in Libertyville, Illinois and is a graduate of DePaul University here in Lincoln Park. I actually work just a few blocks from there. Dan has lived in Chicago for nearly 15 years and has been a liscensed licensed real estate agent and broker for almost a decade, Dan has carved out a specialization as a buyer broker on Chicago’s north and near Northwest side’s consistently appearing in the top 20 to 30 agents by volume citywide with about 250 homes closed in the last four years. And I’m gonna pause Dan’s bio for a second and talk about what a big accomplishment that is. There are 40,000 realtors in the Chicagoland area. So that’s just how much competition there is. Dan is in the top 20 or 30 here in the city. So congrats to Dan, back to Dan’s bio. While not adverse when not advocating for his clients. Dan enjoys life music. He’s just a joy stand up comedy watching Netflix with his wife, Christa, their dog bow and their cat Callie. And Dan does not really much care for the cat. But she was part of the deal when he got married. And Dan lives in Humboldt Park. So welcome Dan to the show. Hi, DJ,
Daniel Close 4:08
thanks for having me on.
D.J. Paris 4:10
That, yeah, thank you very much. Really appreciate it. I’m really excited to have you know, and obviously, you know, we’re always talking to top producers. And we’re all super excited to always hear what you guys are doing. To that is maybe different from other brokers in the industry. But specifically, you’re at a firm that is doing things differently. You’re at Redfin, if I hadn’t mentioned that earlier. It’s important to mention that I just was talking to you off offline about how exciting I think what Redfin is doing is probably to the probably inspiring some fear and other agents and agencies. I know that’s not that important to you, but just the fact that you guys are doing so well is so exciting, I think. But anyway, tell us how you got started. You’ve been you’ve been in real estate for 10 years. So tell us how you got started in real estate.
Daniel Close 4:59
Well, you know, I Uh, I got started the same way I think most people probably did, which is not really intentionally, you know, I don’t talk to a lot of my colleagues and hear them say, Well, when I was a young boy, I always dreamt of being a real tour, or anything like that I find most of my colleagues, even many of the best of my colleagues sort of, maybe not stumbled into it, but definitely sort of unexpectedly came to the industry, which is certainly how I arrived at it. I was at DePaul University majoring in music of all things. And I, I sort of see my journey as gradually becoming more practical in my life plan. So it started with I will be a professional, classical trombonist, which is why maybe the least practical sentence, one can say out loud. And then I thought, Well, that seems silly. I shouldn’t be a professional jazz and classical trombone, this because that’s a more fair approach. And then I thought, you know, that’s still pretty impractical and a pretty hard way to make a living. So let me stay in the arts world. But I’m going to focus on fundraising, development, marketing, programming for nonprofit organizations, orchestras, operas, that’s for sure. It’s sort of like popped the lid into the business world a little bit. And I decided, well, that’s what I’m going to do. So I ended up with a degree in music, as well as a minor in Business Administration, trying to make a difference in the arts through sort of the business side of things. The problem with that is I graduated in 2009, which is not a great time to be looking for a job, especially in the nonprofits, especially in the arts, nonprofits, right? Anytime you have an economic downturn, if people are trying to decide between supporting the orchestra or feeding the children, they will always feed the children and not support the orchestra. So job
D.J. Paris 6:56
is symphony. Yes, Symphony ticket sales go down.
Daniel Close 7:00
luxury item, unfortunately, right. So I was out, you know, trying to get a job. And it was just a really competitive environment. And I was trying everything I could, and I, you know, I got work, but nothing that I would call a career. So a friend of mine, was working at a real estate company doing apartment rentals. And he said, Well, you know, you, you have a big mouth, and you’re good at talking to people. And, you know, if nothing else, you can come over here, you can make some money, I know you want to do this arts thing. And if you’re in real estate business, you have a flexible schedule. So if you need to go do an interview or go do this or that you don’t have any boss telling you, you can’t. So that, wouldn’t that be great? And I said, Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. So I started doing rentals with, you know, unfortunately, as most new rental brokers very little in the way of any training, or preparation and just sort of, you know, here’s a business card, you have your temporary license, go Good luck to you. And in my first month, I made more money than I would have made if I was fully employed in the arts industry. And it sort of came to me as a as a surprise. I’m like, Well, hey, I’m making more money than I thought I would. And be I, I like it, you know, I find this not only be a perfectly fine job, but I derive some sort of satisfaction from it, I derive some joy from it. And then, you know, month, after month went by, I was consistently doing better at this thing I had just barely started to understand. While also not getting a job in the industry, I thought that was gonna be my, my focus from my life. So it very quickly became, why not just be a real estate broker, if I’m good at it, and I love it. And I’m getting, you know, a good living out of it. And I’m getting a sense of accomplishment and self fulfillment, what more what more is there?
D.J. Paris 8:56
Sure. And and, you know, why be limited by just leasing? So obviously, that makes perfect sense. Sure. Yeah. I
Daniel Close 9:03
mean, I started just doing leasing. But after a couple years at that, I started having clients asking me to help them buy sure homes, and my first answer to them was I can’t, because I was a renter, right. I had to leave,
D.J. Paris 9:17
which is a painful answer.
Daniel Close 9:19
I felt like a real dope. They’re like, well, we’d really like to buy a $500,000 condo I’m like, so then, you know, that happened to me, maybe twice. And I said, Alright, that’s all I gotta get my broker license because I see this going, you know, a different way. Plus, obviously I want to get into sales and I want to, you know, be more well rounded. So I did that and then slowly transitioned into residential sales until my change to Redfin. I, you know, I had worked at several other brokerages, small independent brokerages, and then I moved to Redfin, which expressly does not do rentals. So that was my sort of full dive into 100% full time just residential sales. With sort of no other, no other components still being an inactive piece of my business.
D.J. Paris 10:05
And I’d like to credit you with something that probably doesn’t isn’t a big deal for you, but in the industry, I think is quite a big deal. And this is, you know, so such a rare thing. I want to point it out. So So Dan started even prior to getting his leasing license, he was on his 120 Day sponsorship is basically what what what he said, which, which for money brokers aren’t even aware of, that’s a thing. And basically, it’s a way to sort of, you know, start doing leasing without having even the leasing license at the time, dip your toe in the water, see if you like it. And the state still allows people to do this, you obviously can’t do sales, but you can do rentals. And I will tell 99% of people who do these 120 Day sponsorships never go on even to get their leasing license. Dan not only went on to get his leasing license, and then of course, went on to get his broker license and obviously is a top producer today. I mean, really, that is a truly incredible thing in theory 128 leasing sponsorship, should everyone should go get their leasing license, but literally almost nobody does. So I just wanted to, to make a point of that, that that’s a really important thing to bring up that, you know, obviously, you’ve done quite well, but that’s awesome. I’m not sure why more people don’t progress from the 120 day thing, but it might be because lack of training at certain firms, things like that. But it’s Yeah, awesome. Good for you. Yeah. And so let’s talk about the switch to Redfin, because you’ve been other firms before, what attracted you to Redfin? You know, why did you make that switch?
Daniel Close 11:33
Well, you know, I was in a unique position. I mean, obviously, every brokerage offers different things to its agents. And every brokerage has a different sort of philosophy and outlook on the industry. And I was coming into Redfin, you know, someone who I already considered to be relatively successful, you know, I was doing anywhere from 100 to 120, rentals annually, and smattering of sales, right, let’s say, five to 10 million a year in sales, nothing significant. But I knew how to run a transaction, I knew how to negotiate, you know, I wasn’t green. But at the same time, I knew I had a lot to learn about sales and a lot of growth still to do. And I was trying to find a brokerage that would give me the right balance between a supportive brokerage that provided real tangible training and sort of tangible support, not just lip service, but a real system. As well, as someone who will give me my independence, you know, I didn’t want to work under someone as a licensed assistant, or just sort of be on a team or I had to start at the bottom right, doing showings or this or that, because I already had my own transactions. And my Oh, you had your own business. Yeah. But I also didn’t want to go somewhere where you know, my previous brokerages which were a great way to get started, and I’m very happy I worked there were very much hey, here’s your business card. Here’s your email address. Yeah, make us money. And I, you know, I don’t want to do that anymore. I want I want somebody that’s going to really support me. And Redfin, I felt was the best combination of those factors. Because they provide, you know, effectively as many leads as you could ever want. That’s a very, like, you know, overused expression in the real estate industry.
D.J. Paris 13:17
But it’s very true. It’s damaged Zillow are always at the top of the organic search results, and truly is probably number three, of course, that Zillow too, but it’s Redfin, Trulia and Zillow are the three so of course, I mean, that’s Redfin
Daniel Close 13:31
is the only brokerage, you know, exactly. Zillow and Trulia are always up there. But their immediate websites, they’re not, you know, and the difference is Redfin being up in that echelon of websites, but being a full service brokerage means the amount of business they can push their agents like myself, as well as all the all of the training they’re able to do is, it was a great way for me to get, you know, my business sort of moving up to a totally different level, and not have to worry about a lot of the minutia that a lot of agents have to be worried about in terms of marketing themselves, and where their leads are coming from and this and that. So I felt it was a great way to be independent, and to be my own agent, have my own clients, but really be supported in a way where I get peace of mind as well as just, you know, an organization I can really feel like I’m, I’m a part of.
D.J. Paris 14:23
Yeah, I really could not agree more. I was telling Dan, prior to starting recording that I was recently at an event in New York, it was an independent brokerage event. For smaller firms. The firm I work at has only we only have 600 brokers, which sounds may sound like a lot but really, the grand scheme of things is pretty small. And so firms like ours went out to this one day a bet and there were all these different sessions and the one of the big concerns for a lot of the brokerage firms, of course is you know, competing with Redfin. Obviously we see In the billboards, you know that we know about the incentives that they offer, you know, consumers. And we also know that the consumer experience tends to be overwhelmingly positive, they’ve cracked that code like they know exactly how to take a buyer or seller from start to close. In a way that is exactly what that buyer or seller wants. And it’s systematized and it’s scalable. And people like Dan obviously fit perfectly into that into that model. And it will I just want to make this this interesting point. So we were at a session, which was about should should other firms be terrified of Redfin? And the answer was, yes, you know, there firms should be and so there was a journalist on stage and he was running this discussion. And he’s, I don’t know his name, but very well respected. Real estate brokerage journalist. He’s like, that’s his specialty. And he knows all the firms and he knows a lot about Redfin. And he was explaining a couple of the things Redfin does that are so cool. One of which being and I can’t remember the exact number, but the average, you know, transaction from start to finish has something like 1200 sort of interactions, like minute interactions, it was and Redfin’s got it down from the average one being 1200. Something to like 200. Like, they figured out how to really streamline a sale from start to finish. And obviously, they’re just incredibly efficient. Right. And then it also consumers love it, which is the most important part, I’m sure. But what was really interesting was at the end of this, and I understand I’m sorry to take up so much time, I just wanted to make this final point that at the end of the conversation, this journalist said, he said, look in 10 years if you’re not working at a firm like Redfin, which, you know, has this really well oiled machine, and is, you know, providing discounts back to consumers and really giving them this amazing experience for, you know, less cost than other firms. Or if you’re not at 100% brokerage firm, which is like the firm I work at, where we pay out, you know, almost 100%, you know, aside from those two models, he’s he said, if you’re a traditional real estate model, he’s like, You should be very, very scared, because you won’t be able to compete. And I don’t know if that’s true, you know, that was just his opinion. But boy, did that just silence the room, because I think we were the only 100% firm in the room. And then there, I don’t think there was anyone from Redfin there because they wouldn’t have needed to be there. And everyone else just got really quiet. So
Daniel Close 17:26
yeah, I mean, it’s, you know, our goal is we’re certainly, you know, no one’s trying to scare anybody, but I think he is, is right, I think every brokerage, they do need their own philosophy and every brokerage needs to have their own outlook and their own belief system and really be in business for a reason. Now, you know, those can always be different and there’s lots of room in the industry for lots of different outlooks, especially today with eye buyer and open door and you know, obviously compasses making huge waves in Chicago. Sure. There’s plenty of room for for everybody. But the reason I came to Redfin is because if nothing else, they do have a very distinctive point of view, a very clear sort of ethical code and philosophy that I really found to be intriguing, you know, all kinds of harnessing technology and harnessing efficiency for the betterment of our clients.
D.J. Paris 18:20
What would you say and I know you had written about this to us, when we were asking you prior to the interview, what would you say is one of the big misconceptions that brokers have about Redfin?
Daniel Close 18:31
I mean, there’s a lot I mean, the the the single biggest one, which makes me want to sort of bash my head against the wall is that Redfin is not a brokerage.
D.J. Paris 18:38
Oh, yeah, they’re clearly a brokerage.
Daniel Close 18:41
All right. Well, you’d be surprised. You know, like, very, very often it’s, you know, we have to stop Redfin from accessing our MLS data or assumptions. And it’s Well, we are we are you, right Redfin, if he’s just like at properties and stuff, just like Coldwell Banker. We’re all real estate brokerages, we all have the same MLS. That’s one the other is probably just that, you know, the agency there are very green or don’t really care about clients as if we’re some sort of discount model. I think conversely Redfin allows its agents to do so much business. That you know, virtually every one of our agents that are brokerages is a quote unquote, top producer, of course, you know, you can mince and dice that word, a lot of different ways to mean a lot of different things. But if we’re looking at like, let’s say top 10% of volume or transaction count in the industry, virtually every Redfin lead agent is at that level, which means they’re doing a really significant amount of business not to, you know, because we’re bragging but just you know, that we know what we’re doing. And we’ve seen a lot of scenarios and we do have a lot of experience. And the other component of that being is we’re paid almost entirely on how happy our clients are. Exactly. There is you know, we have a salary and there there’s a Numerous number of ways were paid. But far and away, the most important is our clients being thrilled with what we’re doing, they get surveyed on every aspect of the transaction start to finish. So we may have slightly different priorities than some brokers, it just, you know, sort of depends on how you run your business. But we absolutely care. I’d argue more than many people, because how we’re paid, it is critical that all of our clients, both sellers, and buyers, are just kind of raving lunatics with how happy they are, after working with us whether we do sell a house, or we fail to sell them a house, either way, they’re getting the exact same survey and we’re being scored exactly the same way. So we’re really invested in each transaction, both because it’s, it’s good for us and we just feel it’s how Redfin’s, you know, philosophy was meant to be used in the industry.
D.J. Paris 20:55
Yeah, they are clearly about the customer experience in a way that is systemized so it’s it’s systematized rather, it is very clear that that that and I love the fact that you’re compensated that way. I think that is really cool. We at our firm, so we’re like a more traditional model in the way that you know, brokers get paid. However, we and we’ve always shied away from a management perspective of doing this as far as serving the, the clients of our brokers, because what we never want to do is step on their toes and and say, Hey, we’re serving your clients. And finally, you know, I’m in the management side, we finally like, of course, we need to serve either the clients we want to meet, we need to make sure that we don’t, they’re not, you know, affected financially, whether somebody whether they’re rated high or low because it is their business. But we need to know, just from our perspective, our our brokers doing a good job we think they are, but it’s nice to actually get some numbers. And so we now sort of said, Well, for one of our brokers is unhappy that we’re serving the client after the transaction, your case, they’re being surveyed, all the way through, which is even better. But we just actually started implementing that ourselves. So we feel sort of silly not doing it before. But we were worried like, Oh, we don’t want to upset our broker. So we’re like, of course, we need to worry, we need to make sure. So I love the fact that you guys are really doing that from start to finish. And I love the fact that you’re compensated for that. Or lack or not compensated, maybe if it doesn’t
Daniel Close 22:20
work, or it’s I mean, because it’s either, you know, we’re compensated that way. But it’s also that’s how we receive our feedback. That’s how our training is structure. That’s how company priorities change, new, you know, new rollouts happen all based a lot on the the customer feedback, where if any one agent is getting consistent feedback in a certain way, or just in general, the company is seeing feedback in a certain in a certain way, then we don’t just look at that and go Hmm, good to know, you know, we take that and go okay, how do we improve? You know, how do we evolve? How do we refine what we’re doing? We’re doing a great job now. But there’s always room to get better. And you need to constantly be thinking about getting better, both from a personal standpoint, as well as an organizational standpoint, or you’re gonna get left in the dust?
D.J. Paris 23:03
Yeah, yes, I’m right with you. 100%. I always asked, I always sometimes forget to ask this question. So I want to ask before I forget. So just switching gears for a brief moment for because you’ve worked at multiple firms is what sort of sparked this, and you started out doing leasing and really pushed your way into sales over over time? What advice do you have for a brand new broker who without experience, so somebody takes their exam, they pass they join a firm? What advice do you have for them on how to get started? What do you recommend? Hey, while you’re in the process of building your sales pipeline, do some rentals or would you recommend going trying to go straight into sales? Do you have any advice for the newer broker?
Daniel Close 23:45
Well, you know, I’ll answer it two ways. The you know, the first advice I’d give is, let’s say you are, you
know, wanting to operate in a more say traditional fashion, I would say a big part of it is just diving in headfirst, and being willing to do anything about rentals that would include residential sales, you know, apartment buildings, you know, with the caveat that of course, you feel like you’re able to do a good job for your client, you don’t want to get in over your head, and be in a situation that’s kind of above your paygrade, where your client is at a detriment due to your inexperience. And the way you kind of ensure that as any brokerage, you join, if you’re brand new, you need someone you can look up to, you need either a mentor or at a bare minimum, a managing broker or a team leader, or someone who you can bring your concerns to, because when I when I got started, I was at least smart enough to know I didn’t know anything, right? And I would ask him a million if I wanted to pull his hair out, you know, because I was asking him a million dumb questions. But you know, that’s how you have to do it. Because if you don’t ask, you’re gonna make an assumption and you’re going to make a bad decision for your clients. So it’s really making sure you’re given the support at your company. To start cutting your teeth. start bringing every little scenario and question laundry and question you have to someone who who has been doing this for years, who can guide you and make sure you’re growing and you’re learning in the right way. That’s my general advice. Depending on on what you want to do, Redfin actually also has a great program that is really well suited for newer brokers, we have sort of two categories of agents, lead a lead agent like myself, which tends to be more experienced, full time broker and we have a team of associate agents who work on our teams. They work in support of my clients and other lead agents, clients, handling showings, handling various events that you know, we can’t always be there much like a high producing listings team right in Chicago, you think of all the top producers in the in the listings world Jenny Ames and Emily’s Expo hog. Sure, Jeff, Jeff Lowe, they have a team to support them, because YouTube, they’re they’re incredibly busy. And they have to have a team to be successful. And that’s kind of how Redfin is set up, where we have the this team of their licensed brokers that support our clients. And if you’re new to the industry, you can be licensed, you can become an associate agent. And you can sort of learn from the bottom up, learn how everything works slowly, but because of how we’re structured, you get a much more consistent and steady paycheck. That’s often very appreciated when you’re, when you’re new in the industry. But you know, that’s just one way to take it, the much more important thing is making sure you’re supported. And you’re at a brokerage, where you can grow. And don’t be too, don’t be too good for anything. If someone wants to do it. I think I did a $600 rental my first year when I was in real estate, which was on the MLS, so it’s a half month minus $100. That’s not a big payday. I think I took 200 bucks, and I split off 20% From my broker. So I was probably like after taxes $102 Right. But you know, that’s $102 More than I had before. And you just got to do it, you know, eventually, if you’re successful enough, you can start making strategic choices about the type of business you take and don’t take when you’re first starting, you just have to take everything and just, you know, start digesting it.
D.J. Paris 27:09
But I think that’s really good advice all the way around. So thanks for that. I did want to hear, but just because now I am absolutely fascinated. So whenever I just peek behind the curtain when we do these, these these interviews, we ask the guests, in this case, Dan, to you know, we prompt them with some questions so that we can talk about them on the show. And then 90% of the time, I never get to any of these questions. So this one this, you know, it is I feel bad sometimes for that. But a lot of times the conversation just takes a turn and we go that that direction. But this one I really want to ask about. So we asked about your funniest real estate experience that I almost don’t want to give away what happened. But if you remember what you wrote us, could you tell us that story? It was during?
Daniel Close 27:52
Yeah, yeah. So I was I was sort of struggling to think about, you know, because I was talking to my wife thinking about this, because I’m a fairly informal guy. And I like having good sense of humor. So I tend to have fun every day, you know, most of my real estate transactions are pretty, pretty casual and pretty fun. But I’m trying to think of, you know, what is like the funniest thing, and the only thing I could think of was I had this this client that I’m sure all brokers listening, no, this kind of client, very, very diligent, nice guy, but just won’t let anything go, you know, everything just has to be exactly the right way. You know, every detail just has to be right, very, very organized. And if it’s not, right, then, you know, the deal is not going to keep going and we just had to, you know, work through every last little ounce. So we get we get under contract, we finish the home inspection, and surprisingly, actually not that bad of a home inspection. Because again, this kind of client, God forbid, it’s about home inspection, they’re gonna you know, go apoplectic on you know, broken GFCI outlets or whatever. So it was pretty smooth and you know, he’s still feeling happy, but we get through it all and then the day after the inspection, the basement gets some some water not a lot of water just a little tiny bit but it’s sort of you know, causes some damage and of course, he’s very upset and the seller says no problem we’re going to fix it we have a whole solution and we go through all this stuff. And they say we’re going to take out the carpet we’re going to take out the baseboards, we’re going to put in new carpet and then we’re going to put the baseboards back in and we him and I both go you’re gonna put the baseboards back in they go Yeah, we’re gonna pry the baseboards off. And then we’re gonna replace the carpet and then put them back in. Okay, and we both go well, what if you damage the baseboards? And are they kind of wet? Like, are you sure you don’t want to replace the baseboards? And they go, no, no, no, it’ll be fine. It’s gonna look great. You know, we go okay, you know, we’ll see a final walkthrough and we get there and of course, the baseboards look like crap. They’re kind of warped. Very clearly they were pried off and you know, they’re cheap to us, like, why not just replace them would have been so easy. And he goes, You know, I’m not okay with this. The baseboards look bad. And I told you it was a concern you promised us they would look like just like new and of course they don’t. So we get to closing. And you know, he has his attorney. There the seller’s attorneys there, I’m there, the listing agent is there. And he’s, I’m not, I’m not closing. You know, they’re arguing, you know, they’re just baseboards, you know, you could replace a handyman can replace these baseboards and three hours for you. It’s a couple of 100 bucks. And he goes, No, I need I need $500 on my clothing. And the you know, everyone goes, That’s ridiculous. You know, we’re not doing this. It’s a very minor issue. We were acting in good faith, we did our best. And he says, Okay, well, then I’m leaving, and he tells the terminal pack up his package a briefcase and says, we’re out here. And, you know, at this point, everyone’s getting ready to lose it. And everyone’s okay. Okay, hold on, hold on. And the listing agent says, Just sit down for one second, what is it going to take? Right now? For this transaction? She wasn’t having any. It’s
D.J. Paris 31:11
like, what am I going to take to get you in this car today? And drive off the lot? Yeah,
Daniel Close 31:16
yeah, exactly. Just like to like we’re not walking out of here over baseboards like, what is he going to take? And he and he looks at and goes, I need $200. And she goes, Well, my clients not gonna give you $200. And he goes, Well, then I’m, I’m leaving. And she goes, wait, just wait. And she storms out of the room, brings her attorney, she comes back. I think 10 minutes later, she has a 1020s crumpled up in her hand. And she goes, here’s your $200 and throws the $2 in his face, oh, my God, and leaves. Wow. And we’re all looking at each other like, oh, boy, you know, but he’s not upset at all. Because again, he’s a very diligent organized, he’s very matter of fact. And as far as he’s concerned, he asked for $200 He was given $200, he picked them up off the floor and straighten them out and put them in his wallet. And he goes, Great, let’s get this house closed. And he was thrilled. And then you know, we close it. And that now my only concern is that agent. You know, she was very happy. And I had a showing with her the next day. And we sort of look at, you know, different client, of course, and we sort of looked at each other. And I think she’s a little embarrassed. And I’m a little embarrassed. But as far as we’re concerned, just kind of water under the bridge, because you know, stuff happens in, in the industry. And we just needed to do what we needed to do to to get the transaction transaction done. And she didn’t let it bother her. And I haven’t let it bother me. But it was just funny how upset everyone got over something that is ultimately so small. And ultimately, how thrilled my client was to have $20 tossed in his face. He couldn’t have been happier with the outcome.
D.J. Paris 32:53
Yeah, oh, he just he just he felt that this was right. And this is what I wanted what
Daniel Close 32:58
he wanted. And it was the principle of the matter. Sure. And he was willing to lose a $500,000 house over this, this principle of his which is his prerogative, and as my client, it is my job to defend that principle to my death, and that’s what we did.
D.J. Paris 33:15
And you know, good for him. I really, I mean, I saw I sided with him, because there are plenty of times where a seller will be like they are not going to blow up this deal for you know, in this case. $200 Oh, yes, he will. Done it and 95% of the time either. Yeah, 90% of the time that listing the sorry that the seller would be right, they’re not going to blow up this deal. And, you know, the the person just has to eat, you know, eat the baseboards. But in this case, he was like, no, no, I will I will walk I love that. Good for them. Not super, probably comfortable for you to sit through that. But you got through it. So
Daniel Close 33:50
no, it’s a good story. And it’s a you know, it’s a growing experience to be to be in a room that tense and dealing with that kind of negotiation. It’s, you know, sort of like eating your vegetables or something. It’s, it’s good for a growing realtor to be subjected to such uncomfortable dialogue.
D.J. Paris 34:08
Well, anyway, I think that’s a great point for us to wrap up the episode. So, again, Dan, so glad to have you on the show. What I would like to do is make sure that that well, in particular, you mentioned you know, if other brokers are interested in learning more about Redfin, you know, by the way, let’s just ask this now, where should other brokers go if they’re interested in learning about revenue?
Daniel Close 34:30
Well, you know, there’s a there’s a number of options just on on redfin.com. There’s a really detailed sort of robust section of the website that outlines its benefits to, you know, brokers and kind of what we offer are much more easily. You can email myself or any broker at Redfin, we have a full recruiting team based in Chicago, whose full time job it is, is to just interact with qualified talented brokers either over the phone or In person, and explain to them kind of, you know, how Redfin might fit into their business and sort of ensure all of their questions are completely answered with no obligation.
D.J. Paris 35:08
And you know, we don’t just have brokers that listen, we have consumers, buyers and sellers, investors, etc. If they are interested in working with you directly, I know if I was a buyer or seller, I would want to work with somebody who’s a top 20 or 30. For, you know, producer, top one percenter that’s a, that would be a good thing, I think. So how should a consumer get in touch with you?
Daniel Close 35:31
Any number of ways you can always call me my cell is 224-430-2643, you can send me an email to daniel.close@redfin.com. Or you can just look me up online. If you just Google my name, Daniel, close, you’ll see me at the very top of the results. Or you can just go request a home. If you see any home you like on Redfin, or the old or the mobile app, you can always request to go see it, someone from my office will reach out to you. At that point, you can ask to work with me specifically, and they’ll connect you to me directly.
D.J. Paris 36:04
Oh, and one last question. Are you still playing trombone?
Daniel Close 36:08
You know, I took I until very recently referred to myself as a recovering musician. And I took maybe a five year sabbatical, to focus on real estate. And I just got married in April, and I really learned how to play trombone for my wedding reception.
D.J. Paris 36:26
Oh my gosh.
Daniel Close 36:28
So as of two months ago, yes, I am back in the saddle. Not nearly what I used to be but you know, half halfway decent so I’m hoping you know, as my as my career continues to grow and become a little more efficient, in terms of my time management, I’ll get more into it and hopefully the be hitting a stage somewhere near you.
D.J. Paris 36:47
Or maybe yeah, maybe we’ll see you either at the Green Mill or maybe down at the at the symphony for trap. So
Daniel Close 36:54
probably playing for free beer. I
D.J. Paris 36:55
haven’t fat. There you go. All right. Well, Dan, thanks so much for being on the show. And we’ll see everyone the next episode. But thanks, Dan, for your time today.
Daniel Close 37:04
Thanks for having me.
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