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Something people may not know about real estate agent, Trae Gardner:"he ran one of the Top Ten Event planning companies in Dallas before getting into Real Estate. If that fact alone doesn't impress potential clients and the scores of local real estate agents who (by reputation) work 24-7, then try these facts on for size: over the last fifteen years, Gardner has single-handedly managed to build a great reputation in the real estate market, establish a great reputation for staging and marketing McKinney homes, mentor others on Real Estate Marketing, appear on television commercials like Dalworth Carpet Cleaning and Travis Boating Supply " rank among Stratton Group Realtors Top 10 agents nationwide, and earn the attention of the DFW's Web Circles for the highest natural ranking on Yahoo and Google for residential real estate in 2005, and singing a different country music venues in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.. Despite these near-superhuman achievements, the affable and approachable Gardner is surprisingly, well, human.
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"People sometimes assume that if you run a successful business, you become unapproachable," says the accomplished agent, who works in all the DFW markets from McKinney to Park Cities "I return all of my own calls, which are never 50 to 100 a day and many times, are close to 200 a day. My clients can always get me on the phone." For Gardner, who branded his self with the memorable "Want Your Home Sold? Get Staged?" slogan, this is a human side to real estate. .That's not the only thing the East Texas-raised Gardner has learned. After a promising entertainment career , the young entertainers introduction into the business was far less fashionable. He naturally transitioned from strolling the stages in Texas to running a Events Marketing company in North Dallas. But after the birth of his two twin boys and the departure of his beautiful wife to their home to take care of the newborn's. Trae was left with no time to spend with his family. Gardner decided to invite some friends and clients to the horse races and called up his old Real Estate Agent, "Kurt Stratton of Stratton Group Realtors." Stratton convinced Trae that he needed to get his Real Estate License right away. Trae began immediately finding a way to make himself different than all of the other agents and then it came to him. Give other agents great tools to see your listing and the home will sell fast and at a great price. |
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He said, 'You'll go into real estate and you'll be great at it; " he recalls. "I didn't know anything about the business and I hadn't finished any of the required Real Estate School Courses. It was a complete leap of faith: Armed with only ambition and determination, he quickly earned his real estate license and started working in McKinney. Three-month-old Tyler and Preston slept under his desk while Gardner worked long days and weeks, building a real estate business from an empty rolodex. "I still keep that rolodex as a reminder of where I've come from," says Gardner, who moved to the McKinney office in 2003 and Stratton Group Realtors in 20051."I know what it's like to start off in this business and to be scared about trying to make a living at it. The mentoring came as a result of people hearing my story. It's been very rewarding for me to share my experience. My story is a way to restore hope."
At Stratton Group Realtors and The Stonebridge Realty Group, the forward-thinking Gardner was given "the space to fly." She says the company has always remained receptive to his ideas, even when he faced criticism. The question for his is not ever "why?", but "why not?" Kurt can testify to Gardner's innovation and detennination.As owner and president of Stratton Group Realtors, Stratton has worked with Gardner off and on throughout the years. "Trae is an asset to his profession," raves Stratton. "It is a pleasure to work with his. He's efficient, and does a complete service to his clients. There are always a myriad of issues that come up during the course of an escrow, and he is always there, right on top of everything." The secrets of Gardner's success include his accessibility, trust, and ability to not take things personally, according to Stratton. "He develops a very close friendship with his clients, but does not get emotional. He's able to step back and be that voice of reason. He's interested in developing and continuing relationships with his clients for the long term:' It should be no surprise then, that 50% of his business comes from past clients and referrals, which is a direct result of the kind of care he puts into his clients. She strives to create and establish relationships that are based on integrity and reliability in each word and action he takes. It's practically one of his mission statements "I am the one who is ultimately responsible for my clients' future," he says. "It's my mission to treat them as I'd want to be treated. I want to retain them as clients for life because I do a good job for them. It's such a great feeling to help them find the exact home they are looking for." To accomplish this task, Gardner has mastered "the art of delegation," claims Stratton. He knows exactly what kinds of tasks to delegate and to whom. She has created a solid support team of seven staff members, which includes a personal assistant, billing administrator, marketing coordinator and graphic designer, office manager, escrow coordinator, and a part-time showing assistant. They not only make it possible for Gardner to go home at 6:30 p.m. everyday, but they also provide his clients with first rate service. "My strengths are finding properties for my clients, showing the property and efficiently negotiating the transaction for them. Because I've mastered these skills, I can delegate these duties and tasks to people who are great at their jobs. We are a team with a business approach to real estate." Gardner has created a casual work atmosphere to reflect his ever-casual. approachable, and breezy personality. Trae enjoys taking the "self-contained" team on field trips to the lake house and other fun destinations to promote camaraderie and team spirit while discussing important procedures. During busy periods, staff members will pitch in for each this, and Gardner has been known to even answer the phones! This positive business environment translates to not only happy employees, but happy clients too. "My support team always looks out for the best interest of the client," says Gardner, who counts several North Dallas elite and celebrities among his clientele. "My team and I operate from a position of always being able to provide necessary information, but also to use discretion and protect our clients' interests." And this gift he offers clients is his "vast mental inventory" of homes on the market and his seemingly unlimited knowledge about the highest echelons of the Greater North Dallas real estate market. She spends a great deal of time reviewing the market, driving through neighborhoods, and teaching himself the most up-to-date market activity. "If someone said they wanted to buy a home for a million dollars, 1 could easily rattle off several markets, location, lot size, and price," he says. "I am in this market, and not just in one place, but in every area. I love each and every neighborhood in McKinney, Frisco, or North Dallas. They are all so different." For Gardner, he keeps up with the ever-changing real estate market in a variety of ways, including consulting a business coach and meeting with Mastermind Groups across the country. Several times a year, he meets with the group to gain a broader understanding of the real estate market on a nationallevel.They discuss issues like new technology, changes in the industry, business issues, techniques to increase profitability, and ways to avoid "real estate agent burnout." Constantly on-the-go, Gardner takes special precautions to avoid becoming "consumed" and "addicted" to the business he loves. While he manages to be in every North Dallas neighborhood at once, he calls his business coach in Lake Texoma every Thursday morning, works out with a personal trainer a few times a week, and always finds time for his "inspiration,"Babette, his wife, Tyler and Preston. A long way from the days of napping under desks and struggling to fill empty rolodex with names, the Father and family still do everything together - annual ski trips to New Mexico, getaways to exotic locales like Tahiti and Australia, entertaining friends at their McKinney home and walking their dog, Abbey. You will still find Trae out on some of the smaller local stages these days with his two boys in tow. He has taken great pride in both of his boys interest in singing and entertaining small crowds. |
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