Business
The COVID-19 pandemic affected everybody and every industry. But there is always something to learn when the going gets tough. Even successful real estate broker James Harris wasn’t immune to the effects of the pandemic. He, too, experienced fear and was in a state of anxiety for two weeks. But faith is the opposite of fear. He woke up one morning and decided to get back on his feet and not to be crippled with fear. “I immediately took to social media… I started to get creative. I started to think of outside-the-box ways to market my business,” Harris told us in our latest podcast. He had to transform everything from print media to digital. One thing that every business should take from the pandemic is that one has to change with the times. COVID-19 certainly provided the learning curve. Harris is one of the most successful real estate brokers in the U.S. If you think he looks familiar, that’s because he’s one of the stars of Bravo’s Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles, which is set to return for season 13 this summer. His career in real estate started in his teens. Born and raised in London, Harris has always had that entrepreneurial spirit. He made a name for himself as a residential investment agent in the U.K. Harris then brought his British sophistication to the United States. He is the principal of The Agency Real Estate, and the founder of The PLS, a property listing service. He is also the co-founder of Bond Street Partners, which specializes in high-end real estate. The British broker making waves in U.S. real estate may be successful, but he actually doesn’t advise other agents, especially struggling agents, to do what he does. Instead, these agents should find themselves and think outside the box in terms of selling themselves. “I think, struggling agents may look at successful agents and think, ‘what the hell am I doing differently and how can I be more like that person?’” Harris said. Instead, the agent should look at themself and ask: What is my unique selling point? Everything starts with the person, and it starts with motivation. “Work on yourself so you can motivate and help others,” Harris also said. In the podcast, Harris also talked about how the real estate industry remained strong in the middle of the pandemic--it was a combination of the change in lifestyle and low-interest rates. We also discussed the following topics: Real estate industry amidst the pandemic How I stayed focus during the pandemic Advice for struggling agents Creativity & thinking outside the box Boutique brokerages Motivation What agents should focus on in 2021 Achieving goals No matter how big the company gets, Harris said there is always room for growth. His goals include continuing to rise and continuing to grow. Part of his goal is to bring in “hungry agents” while also helping others invest in real estate. Harris also has his own podcast where he talks about keeping a positive outlook despite a chaotic life, hence, the title Positively Chaotic with James Harris. Contact James Harris: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jamesbondst/ The Agency Real Estate - https://www.theagencyre.com/agent/james-harris/ The Property Listing Service - https://thepls.com/ Bond Street Partners - https://bondstreetpartners.com/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/jamesbondst Subscribe & Review To The RUN GPG Podcast Thanks for tuning in to this week’s episode of the RUN GPG Podcast! Please leave us a review on iTunes. This will help us continue delivering beneficial content for you and our listeners each week!