While working in construction in 2006, Ryan Joyce procured his broker’s license with a hope of blending the two industries. There was a lot of competition in real estate at the time due to the recession, so he took a bank job handling secondary loans while he created a plan. “I moved on quickly because I wanted to learn how to do short sales. I became a transaction coordinator for another well-known Help-U-Sell Real Estate Broker, David Bartels, of Help-U-Sell Full Service,” Ryan shared.
Looking for a platform on which to build a future, Ryan looked into opportunities in the Bakersfield, California area. He explained, “I had friends who were doing ‘fix and flips’ on houses and they were making a killing. So I moved from Ventura to Bakersfield to learn from the people I respected and were doing well. I earned a “Rising Star Award” from the local real estate association. I chased every lead, and really sunk my teeth into it. Then the market changed towards institutional investors, and the profit margin started shifting. I still wanted to be in real estate and I wanted to build my own business, buying a Help-U-Sell franchise was a natural fit.” Ryan is now the proud owner of Help-U-Sell Bakersfield Equity Savers.
A recent name on our monthly Top Producers list, Ryan has been steadily building his business and staying busy. There are two additional people in Ryan’s office, his wife, who has been working alongside him for a few years, and a new agent. “I constantly look for ways to cut unnecessary expenses while looking for ways to increase revenue,” he said.
Bakersfield, California is considered unique and Ryan believes that has a significant impact on current and future success. “Bakersfield is an hour and a half from Hollywood, and two hours from the beach, you have reasonable access to everything. This is an affordable area of California, and there is opportunity here because of the extreme price differential versus coastal homes. The price range of houses tends to be less than $300,000, and you’ll also see the opposite end – mobile homes selling for $30,000. People come because they are qualified to buy a lot more house for their money. That is the reason why investment properties have been a focus here recently, and that will be our primary focus for 2019.”
One of Ryan’s favorite aspects of Help-U-Sell are the coaching groups. He appreciates the camaraderie, both with people from around the country, and with the many other Brokers from within his own state. “There’s an opportunity to bounce ideas off other people in the group. You can ask how they would handle a situation or what they have been testing in marketing efforts. There’s a strong sense of accountability to one another. They help to drive each other forward. I also consistently track leads, and take the advice of people like John Powell or Jack Bailey on following up,” Ryan added. “The advice is clearing working, we are on track to close 40 sides this year.”
Ryan makes keeping in touch digitally with clients a priority. He becomes friends with clients on Facebook and reaches out with holidays cards. He also appreciates the advantages of a company with over four decades of experience. “Help-U-Sell has great brand name recognition in Bakersfield. It was well-established before the crash and I owe a lot of my early success to the brand recognition. I do have some competition, but there are many people I’m just not competing with because they can’t offer the same service and price,” Ryan said. “I learned in coaching that it’s not about price. If you provide as much service as possible, they will see your value, not just your price.”