An Example of How to Niche Successfully: Helping Military Service Members

An Example of How to Niche Successfully: Helping Military Service Members On today’s episode of Confessions of a Top Producing Real Estate Agent, I’m sharing a great example of how to Niche Successfully welcome to this episode of Confessions of a Top Producing Real Estate Agent. I’m your host, Jennifer Myers, listen in, as I share exactly what I did to go from not being able to sell a house for years to becoming one of the top 1% of agents in the us. So even opening my own brokerage full of agents helped me serve all the clients that were coming my way. I taught those agents the same strategies I used in day two became top Producing agents. Now through this podcast in agent Grad school.com, I’m sharing those same modern marketing and business strategies with you. Most of which I learned from looking outside the real estate industry, no fluff, no theory, no outdated sales techniques or paying for leads, just the exact steps to get you the real estate business you’ve always wanted. And the life outside your business, you’ve always wanted too. Let’s make it happen. And dive into today’s episode Today. I wanna introduce you to a real estate agent out of Miami Palm beach area of Florida. His name is Harrison Casagrande. And with a last name like Casagrande, he’s probably, he was probably destined to become a real estate agent, but before he was a real estate agent, he actually served for 10 years in the United States coast guard. Once he ended his service with the military, he decided he wanted to become a real estate agent. And the driving force behind that was his experience of buying a home as a service member. So I encourage you to listen very closely take notes about how he came up with his Niche and how he was able to build a successful Niche and become, become known as the person in the Miami Palm beach area who can help service members and service and family members of service members achieve their dream of home ownership. And then of course help them sell or rent out their property when it comes time to move. One thing he told me is a third of the military is relocated every single year. There’s over a million people in our military, and a third of them are moving every year, regardless of the pandemic, regardless of the interest rates, regardless of the recession. And so what a huge opportunity for those of you who want to Niche in the military arena help people in the military service people, whether active or Retired buy and sell houses. And he shows such a beautiful way of how to do that from beginning to end, he explains how everything he, he has brought to fruition and brought into the world and is turning successful for him. He, it came all from an experience. It came all from a thought and then taking action. And what I love most about Harrison is, you know, he didn’t have experience. He was a brand new real estate agent. He didn’t talk himself out of, you know, Niching and helping service members. He didn’t tell himself there wasn’t enough of those people that he couldn’t find them. He didn’t do any of that. He just had an idea. He saw a need, he saw a problem that he could solve and he went for it. And so for all of you that are kind of on the, kind of on the cusp of wanting to Niche or wondering if Niching is a good idea, I hope today’s interview will help you see that it really is the way to become magnetic and get more clients not less. And for those of you who have been thinking about, or are trying to Niche in the military space, the service member space, Harrison shares so many great examples of how you uniquely can help those people who are moving to your area that are service members and family of service members. Now, when you go to Harrison’s website and social media, you might think, man, like it all looks so good. And now he’s known as this guy and he’s getting clients and all that is true, but he’ll be the first to tell you it was not an easy road. It was challenging. It was difficult, but he just kept going. In fact, one of his favorite quotes is there was no big break. There were just years and years of work and that’s exactly what he did. And that’s exactly why he succeeded. So I hope you enjoyed today’s interview. I hope it helps you think about whatever Niche that you wanna be in, how to approach it, an example of how it’s successful. And specifically for those of you who want to focus on helping military service members. There’s so many great tips here. So if you want to find more about Harrison after listening to this, this episode, you can go to the shownotes page for this episode, agent Grad school.com/military, and we’ll link to Harrison, social Harrison, social media, his website, and even his email. He’s such a generous real estate agent. And he’s happy to share with you anything you need to really truly help service members in your area. Thanks so much, Harrison. I thoroughly enjoyed having this conversation and I hope that it will help all of our listeners learn how to Niche and specifically how to help those in the military. Hey Harrison, thanks for being here today. Hey Jennifer, thank you so much for having me happy Friday. Happy Friday. So the reason I wanted to talk to you, first of all, I love what you’re doing. You have created really a real estate company that helps specifically people in the military or they were in the military buy homes in Florida, specifically the Miami area. Yeah, Correct? Yes. The company’s called Florida military Realty. We help veterans in active military who get stationed here in Florida, especially south Florida buy homes here. Absolutely Amazing. So I’ll definitely put your link so people can find you. But the reason I wanted you on this podcast is you beautifully who’s this years, you have beautifully a thriving business, competitive Miami real is a world. And the fact that you were able to kind of like create your own lane outta the gate is something to inspire others. So thank you. Absolutely. Thank you. So yeah, I knew that, you know, even from your previous podcast before, you know, Niche marketing is so important, right? You know, you want to target an audience that is going to best serve you and best serve them. Right. This really kind of came from a problem that I saw back in 2014, when I first got stationed here, when I got stationed here, I was stationed to homestead air force reserve base. And there wasn’t a lot of realtors and lenders who really could help me with my VA benefit. And I knew that there was such a huge military presence here in south Florida, but really know a sense of military community. So I knew that was always a problem that I always wanted to solve. So when I separated from the military, I learned more about it. And I really built this idea of when you get stationed here, there’s someone here to help you, right? Miami, even before 2020 was exponentially growing right to navigate that. I have clients that have never even been to the east coast before, let alone in south Florida or Miami. So to have someone here to really have boots on the ground and say, Hey, I’m here for you. Let’s help you find a place. So the next 3, 4, 5, maybe even six years, instead of paying for rent, you’re having a home and having ownership. So that was the idea behind it, all of It. Well, here’s what I love about what you’re saying, and this is what I want everybody listening to really pick up on. So number one, Harrison, you identified a problem, a problem that actually you went through, right? Absolutely. And not only that, but you are creating a community, you are focused on helping people, not just with real estate, but really like welcoming them, like creating home in this new place. Kinda like what you didn’t feel like happened when you moved there. Absolutely. And I, and a lot of it is really just to bring awareness cause not a lot of people realize that a third of our military transfers every year, that’s a lot of people and we only have 10 days approved from our command for house hunting. So imagine here you are, you’re, you’ve been living on the west coast. Maybe you’re have a spouse, maybe kids, and you’re coming somewhere. You’ve never been before. You’re getting stationed there. And you only, the command only approves you 10 days of house hunting. So for me having that experience and knowing that can really, it helps me bridge that relationship with them and say, Hey, what can I do to help you? Right? Cause after military members who are coming here and they have these issues, like what schools are we gonna go to? Where’s the nearest VA clinic, the VA hospital, a lot of, you know, families do need special needs. How do you bridge that and make them feel welcome here? And that’s really what I strive for more than anything. Well, and I love that you use essentially you use real estate and helping people buy and sell homes as your, for accomplishing that for others Because you just do, you know, one home at a time to really build community, right. Especially throughout south Florida, you know, keeping ’em closer to the bases or not too far of a drive. That’s crucial, crucial. Well, I love that. You’re saying it’s like one person at a time. I think so often with in real estate, we think we need like a ton of clients. It’s like, no, just one person help one person at and it’ll build Really. And it really comes down to the relationship. Right? So being in the coast guard for over 10 years, I know a lot of guys who have been stationed down here, a lot of military members who are getting stationed down here. So just being the known person down here and helping people and Connecting people with other people that have been here, that’s crucial too. Especially if you have, you know, if your kids in hockey or, and they want to join other, you know, there’s all those different avenue as well to not just right, not just essentially just a home buying process, which a lot of people don’t know that the VA one’s one of the best loans that you can use compared to conventional or FHA. It’s 0% down. All you really pay is for closing costs, right. That’s huge for a military member and they get housing allowance anyways. Right. They get basic housing allowance for that particular area. So instead of using it for rent, use it for ownership, you know, that’s where, yeah, That’s What it’s used for. So we’re gonna talk about all the ways that you help and other agents can help military buyers. Cause I love the way that you come at this, but before we get there, I think so many real estate agents resist this idea of Niching or resist this idea of exactly what you did and what you’re finding successful, which is like, I see a problem, one problem that I’m gonna, and this is real estates, the way that I, that problem, how I, that in real is everything. Everybody you help, anybody who’s doesn’t works is people exactly how you can help them. And that’s how people come to you. So how did you resist that? How did you like double down on this idea? So I really knew what value I could bring, right? So I could transact condominiums, single family home from Palm beach county to Miami-Dade county. Right? So, you know, with that kind of broad spectrum, real estate is real estate. And so you could paint it as broad or narrow as you want. However, the value that I can bring is the experience that I did have being a prior military member and for also purchasing my own home myself at 24 years old in 2014, I’ve already had real life experience. And I’ve also had experience being in the military, mixing those both together and understanding that there was a problem here in south Florida that I would love to fix is really what drove me to only stay within that. Obviously, you know, friends and family, they reach out and they want to, you know, conduct real estate as well too. And obviously I’m there for them. I’ll I won’t say no to that. Of course. Yeah. However, when it comes to like, you know, multimillion dollar listings or whatever, have you for different types of clients, there’s an agent for every client, right? Yeah. And so, you know, you really have to focus on that. And if it’s a specific area, if it’s, you know, you’re farming is a location or if it’s a type of person, right. Maybe it’s, you’re helping people who are 65 year and up and you’re doing reverse mortgages, right. And for different condominiums, wherever you see fit that you can drive the most value to, you know, that’s really what you should focus your Niche to be, and really have your website and your energy towards that. Because that’s where you’ll get most of your audience. That’s where you’ll get most of your clients. Yeah. And that’s how you become known as doing a certain thing for certain people. And once you become known as doing a certain thing for certain people, it’s like a magnet, it just brings It’s its yeah, it is. That’s usually the first thing that people say to me, oh you work with military and veterans only. Yes I do 40 military. Ty does now for Harrison, you know, my mom wants to buy a home. I’m gonna help her out. I’m not gonna, you know, let that referral go away. You know? Or even amongst friends or whatever, have you close people, you know, referrals. But for the most part, I built a company designated devoted to service members, both active military and veterans. Amazing. And it’s been wildly successful. So now tell us how you military, like you come from just starting in real estate. Right. And you’re like have this idea. I understand my, I understand how I’m help actually get in front of military people so that they understood that you existed so that you could help them. How did you do that? So I’d say about, it’s about 50 50 of my clients. A lot 50% of them come from my website and social media platforms. Right. Just building awareness, different posts that will attract people. Right. You know, different things about the VA loan or different market trends. Right. But then a lot of it is just talking with people right. And being a subject matter expert in it. Right. I actually have, my four year degree have majored in real estate. I’ve taken the military relocation process certification, just all those little different things, you know, are good talking points. Right. And like, Hey, this is what I do. This is what I’ve learned. This is what I can do for you. And that’s really a lot of referrals, a lot of referrals, Hey, I have a buddy in Miami who help you in real estate. That’s me, I’m your guy. You’re that guy. So I’m that, I’m the guy. I’m that guy. I’m that guy for a lot of people, which is good. Especially during transfer season. Our transfer season for military is from March to may. And that’s our high season. Like we really felt, we really felt. Yeah. So in the military during November, December is when we send our dream sheet to uncle Sam, they call it sheet because the United States will put you where they need to. Right. The military will put you where they need to, but you have a dream sheet of your top five, top 10, and then you really start getting orders around March and April. And that’s our high season is a lot of military members transferred during the summer. And they’re usually at their new units by then. And that’s a third, a third of our military I’d say, give or take will Transfer no matter what the Mar no matter what the market, no matter what rates are, no matter their inflation is high. Yeah, exactly. Recession, pandemic doesn’t matter. The military moves regardless. So knowing that that’s another thing that I really wanted to be there. Them, you know, to help them understand what these markets mean and show them that they can still buy within, you know, using their benefits that they have. A lot of people don’t even know what they’re eligible for. So as a realtor, not only am I helping them find a home, but I’m introducing them to a lender, I’m introducing them to a, an appraiser, an inspector right there, all these different people I bring to them is the relationship that I have with these people to help them get to the finish line. So they get their set of keys. Right? So one thing that I love that you do is you really educate service members about the housing allowance they have and how they should, they have an option of, they could either rent or they could own. And you really explain that process to them. Can you talk a little bit about that piece of the puzzle and why that is so important? The thing is not a lot of people know what they can and can’t do, right? And so they go to a realtor first. So I never will call myself a sales agent. I don’t do sales. That’s not what I’m here for. I’m more of a facilitator, right? So someone knows, Hey, I need to call a realtor if I want to do housing or buy a home. Right. So through that, having people who are knowledgeable in their craft, like I said, having a good mortgage loan originator compared to just going through a big bank is huge because that person gets to develop that relationship through their finances. Right? A lender will help you on the financing side of real estate, which is just as equally as important. So that educational piece is huge. A lot of people don’t, they always have the question, should I buy? Or should I rent? Right. Yeah. You have to go through those process with someone to educate you, to make the best decision for that. Yes. Cause maybe it is rent for another year and that’s okay. Cuz we’ll help you put yourself on a budget for the next year. We’ll still keep sending you homes and narrow down neighborhoods. We’ll narrow down things. Even, even though we’re commission based and nothing happens to the end, working with those people over time. That’s what really gets a lot of people, comfortable with you to make such a big financial and emotional decision like that. So introducing them and educating them is to me, the number one thing, whether we do business or not now is irrelevant, but at least you understand what you can and can’t do to make the best decision. Yeah. So it’s so first of all, what you said is, you know, the, answer’s not always, yes, let’s go look at houses. Let’s figure this out first. And do you have a lot of members that come to you wondering whether they should rent or own? And if so, how do you walk them through that process? Making that Decision? So the biggest thing I tell them is this, especially for service members, they get the basic housing allowance anyways. So you could spend the next four or five years renting and you could, you know, potentially spend close to over a hundred thousand dollars in rent or you could be paying down your mortgage and building equity for yourself. And even at a young age, at 18 years old, as soon as you, you are eligible to have the VA loan and you can use that more than once I get a lot of, oh, can I, is this a one and done thing? No, you could use it multiple times. You could actually have two VA loans at the same time. A lot of things like that, people don’t know. So I help them say, Hey, listen, if you, you know, are you going to rent at your next duty station? Or are you gonna buy, you could be part of this market and you could have options at the end of your tour. You could either sell it or you could rent it, but you’ll create wealth for yourself and for your family, which is crucial because for the next time they move. So the next duty station, they can do the same exact thing. Yeah. It’s actually a really brilliant plan, especially if someone else is paying for it, right? Like it’s a no brainer. And housing allowance goes by your county. So depending on what county you are, especially my date, it’s a good amount of money to have a decent home. You could find something good within that price range. So it’s, that’s my biggest for them is what, why waste the money for rent, right? When you could own something for zero money down, all you have to do is pay for your closing costs, You know? Yeah. And maybe in a, I don’t know how your market’s doing, but in a lot of markets it’s shifting that maybe they can even get those closing costs paid for these days. Correct? Correct. Here in south Florida. I mean, things are definitely cooling off a little bit, but there’s been such a high desire to live in south Florida for, you know, even before the pandemic, even it’s always been on a upward tick. There’s always people moving from all over, from all over, especially, you know, the Northeast area and the west coast. Yeah. So I, everybody Harrison, there’s making, making and introducing them to qualify people that actually understand the product that could help them, the VA loan that all has to happen first. I want you, I really hope that everybody listening understands that that is the process and that sets the tone for the relationship. And that’s how you build trust with your clients. And that’s how you were coming known so quickly amongst the service members is because you take the time to do that. Right. And, and to simply get to know them and get to know what their problems are, right? Cause whether they’re military or not people, they have their own set of issues, whether it’s time constraints, whether it’s finance constraints, whatever have you, how can we get you to the finish line of what you really want, which is to have your own set of keys to your own home. Right? And so just talking with them, getting to know them, knowing, you know, what those issues are so important, how you can help solve them. That’s really what they’re coming to you for is to, can you be a problem solver to what I want, right. And that’s what you really need to be for them. Yeah. Not just service numbers, but for every client that comes to that is literally your job is to solve people’s problems. It is, and everyone’s are very special and unique in and of itself. Not one thing is a cookie cutter thing. So you’re right. Just getting in the car and just starting to show them stuff. You have to take the time to talk with them, get to know them cuz you don’t wanna waste your or their time because you might not be the best fit for that person. Right. Or vice versa. Right. So, you know, if someone’s looking for something in particular, you have to reach out to different people or different referrals, but that’s why having a Niche and an audience that you’re targeting is so important because then you could bring the value. Right? So for me, it’s my military members, active duty and veterans. And so I can bring the value to them and really show them how I can help them get to where they want, You know? Yeah. And I think that’s the other thing, at least for me. And my experience that Niching allowed me to do is to truly become an expert. And like my version of what you did was first time home buyers. Right. So I wasn’t focused and then came to first time homes, people moved. I really, and you’re helping in the Miami Palm beach area. Like, you know, that you’re the best person to do that. And you come from that place. Absolutely. And I even tell, you know, other agents too, who are not in Florida or software, if somebody has any kind of questions or any kind of concerns, if they do have a veteran or an active military member, they don’t work with that person. You know, those types of people please reach out don’t, you know, fumble something and then they end up renting anyways. Right. Because they do have a very unique loan and they have a great opportunity and they’re eligible to do so. So if anyone has any questions or need help with anything, I’m more than available. Awesome. And I’ll put your contact information and your amazing website on the shownotes for this podcast, which agent Grad school on that, like people who have an interest like I get, so I, the military, I wanna help service members and I’m like, do it, like become known as that person. But then what are a couple tips after they’ve decided to do that Niche and after they like really put their presence out there, like you’re saying on your website, on social media, you become known as this person, what are some tips once they have those clients that truly helps these clients. So if you have realtors who are looking to help veterans and active military as well, look for honestly the, the geographical locations, that’s where a big basis of where the VA clinics are. Those are the most important, right? Cause it’s proximity to, you know, like I said, VA clinics, some hospitals specialize in certain things, right? So if you have a service member that does need those special needs, you wanna know those areas, right? Any kind of stations or maybe even the air stations or the bases, those are really familiarize yourself with those, the schools around that area, the different communities. And that’s really what will help the military member feel comfortable with their next transition to that next duty station. Cuz you’ll be the subject expert, not just military, but of that area. So you’ll feel a lot more comfortable, right? Wherever, even if it’s like, you know, religious practices or whatever, all those different things that they need, you know, closest grocery store, you know, all those different things. They, everyone asks that one of the biggest things here in Miami-Dade county is that we have a pit bull. We you’re not allowed to have a pit bull in Miami-Dade it’s Okay. So I have members who do have pit bulls and they end up going to Broward county to buy homes. Like that’s just one of those Little things. Yeah. Just, Just that small thing like that helps people so much. Right? So unfortunately you have no pit bulls in Miami day, but you could have ’em in Broward or Palm beach. And look, you know that this is the kind thing that you have to know if you’re gonna be an expert on this type of thing. Absolutely. That’s a great example I could give for That’s Harrison. I hope hear this too. It’s from your mind a desire to truly nobody you anything. No, you figured it out and you worked your ass off becoming the expert and you did it in like five years. Thank you so much for that. I really do appreciate the kind words. It’s been a challenge to say the least for the last couple years, but it’s been rewarding. It has been, I mean, I remember, you know, after I handed my first set of keys to, it was actually, my first transaction was textbook exactly why I created this company. I had a guy coming from San Diego. He was working with a realtor here for three or four months. And when it was time for him to station, as he was driving across country with his dog and all his stuff, by the time he got here, the realtor went ghost on him. Right. Wow. And he found my website, he called me and I said, buddy, you called the right guy. And so we found him and this was one of those moments where you’re just like, okay, this is why I, I put all this time and energy into this. And so he was stationed in homestead where I was, I was previously stationed there. So I knew all the area. I knew the roads I knew I’d been there, done that I literal was in his boots before. And we found him a beautiful single family home with a garage and a yard for his dog Bronco. And it was great. And after I handed over the set of keys to him, it was such an emotional, you know, moment for me, cuz it’s like, when you do put so much time and energy into something and it really was just part of my imagination, just my thought that I put down to paper one day, I was very fortunate to have some amazing people in my life, great mentors who have pushed me along the way and guided me. But a lot of the work came from me. I was just guided through it, but it’s been successful and we’ve handled a lot of military members. I just transacted with a, a guy that I was stationed with. He was actually my supervisor. Yeah. I love this story. And when I was stationed in Rhode Island, I knew nobody. And my supervisor took me along and showed me Rhode Island. And now I got to pay it forward. He gave me a call saying that he was getting stationed here in Miami. And he didn’t even know at the time that I was a realtor and what I did, he was just, he just knew that I lived here, but went through the whole process with him, introduced him to some, a, a good lender and including my mentor and just really took care of him. He loves hockey. So I showed him, you know, all the Pine’s ice arena where he could play hockey and really try to make him feel as if he was part of it the same way that he made me part of Rhode Island there. So it was a lot of full circle moments and it’s been growing a lot of awareness and it’s been getting good traction. So I’m very grateful to say the least, thank you. Well, you’ve worked really hard to get to this. And every piece of success, something truly remarkable. And I want everybody to hear it started in his mind and he didn’t talk himself out of it. He saw that he could actually provide value, truly help people. And he wiped for it. And he kept going for it, even though it was, it was, I know it was so hard every step of the way, right? I mean, you just, you were just like, I’m doing it. It is. And the challenges I thought were so hard back then, even now they’re just different. They’re just different. You just get used to it and you get more resilient and you just keep pushing forward. Cuz I know the end result, what I want. And the end result is when someone gets stationed in Florida, I hope I know they to call. Right. Which is Florida military Realty. And we’re here for them. We’re here for them. Yeah. So for any of you listening, who know of anybody moving to the Florida area, specifically Miami Palm beach, just know that if you refer anybody to Harrison, they’re an amazing, you can find him at Florida. Is it Florida? Military real estate.com. Yeah. Well Florida military real.com. Yes. Yeah. So send all your people to Harrison and then Harrison, for anybody who is listening and they’re like resisting the idea of Niching, whether it’s military or not any words of there, It’s so important to, it’s like a, if you’re more hyper focused on a certain target audience, you’ll get more traction that way. You’ll be known for that. As you mentioned before. And that’s so important when you’re trying to get everybody, you’ll get nobody. Yeah. And that’s, I think that’s such a common saying to say right when you’re trying to get everybody, you’ll get nobody when you’re trying to go after a certain problem, I don’t even wanna say an audience, a certain problem, see, help solve that, help solve that. I think we all get kind of, we drive value on how much we can solve someone’s problem. Right. I think that if you really target to see what maybe your area or certain demographic needs go for that really try to help those people, maybe something personal that happened to you, right. Maybe as a first time home buyer, you only wanna work with first time home buyers because you wanna take it to that next level. Right. So there’s definitely a lot of avenues to take. You just have to get a little creative. Yeah. That’s it. Well, Harrison, thank you for being such a shining example of what’s possible in this industry and serving really with a servant’s heart and also thank you for your service and also servicing our service members. Thank you. It’s amazing. So thank you so much. I appreciate that. Thank you. Thank you for listening to this episode of Confessions of a Top Producing Real Estate Agent. We purposely keep this podcast sponsor and commercial free so we can focus solely on providing real estate agents with the content that will help them grow their real estate business and have a life they love outside the business too, but we need your help to get this podcast in the hands of other real estate agents. So please, if you liked this episode, leave a review on iTunes or wherever you’re listening and also tell all your agent friends to listen in too. Thank you so much for supporting this show for being a listener and supporting other agents along your way to success. That’s what this is all about. See you next time. On another episode of Confessions of a Top Producing Real Estate Agent. And until then come hang with me over at agent Grad school.com. I’ll see you there. Thank you for listening to this episode of Confessions of a Top Producing Real Estate Agent. We purposely keep this podcast sponsor and commercial free so we can focus solely on providing real estate agents with the content that will help them grow their real estate business and have a life they love outside the business too, but we need your help to get this podcast in the hands of other real estate agents. So please, if you liked this episode, leave a review on iTunes or wherever you’re listening and also tell all your agent friends to listen in to thank you so much for supporting this show for being a listener and supporting other agents along your way to success. That’s what this is all about. See you next time. On another episode of Confessions of a Top Producing Real Estate Agent. And until then come hang with me over at agent Grad school.com. I’ll see you there.