Mike Wagner | Agent of the Month - SUCCESS! Real Estate

Mike Wagner has been recognized for the month of July for his sales success and high productivity. We recently sat down with him to find out how he got his start and how he has accomplished so much success in this market. Here’s what he had to say…

Real Estate can be a difficult career…what ultimately helped you decide to choose it as your career?

I have always had an interest in Real Estate and I had been wanting to make the career change – it finally came together for me!

Whether you are new to the business or a seasoned agent…tell us when you became licensed and how you did it?

I got my license in August of 2018. I did my course in 2 weekends and took my test 5 days after and passed. I took it as a positive sign to get moving forward!

Real Estate is local…what local community do you have the most success in? Why did you choose it – did it choose you?

I was a commercial truck manager for Ford for 15 years prior and made a lot of really great connections and did very well at it. I wanted to move into real estate and leverage my connections from my previous job. I was scared to make the change but my mentor Melissa Mayer was there every step of the way and I am very grateful! I feel the most comfortable in Canton where my wife grew up and I have lived for the past 15 years. We have two teenagers at home and have some strong ties to the community!

Some Agents love working with buyers…others with sellers. Tell us a little bit about who you love to work with.

I am a Marine veteran and I feel very drawn to help fellow veterans achieve their real estate goals and use their VA loan programs. I have had about a split of sellers versus buyers which has made the first year very interesting for me. I think I lean more towards helping buyers finding their new home and I thrive off of there energy and excitement!

There are many areas of Real Estate that a professional can focus on…residential, rentals, commercial. What is your focus?

I have focused on residential so far to start but I hope to venture into the commercial space as I am comfortable with the commercial clients from my last job.

We all know how important technology is in our day to day lives. How has technology impacted your Real Estate career? Do you use technology in a unique way? If so, tell us about it.

Yes, technology has been so important in starting Real Estate off. I am not the most technical person but I am a fast learner and it has helped in so many ways. In the first couple of months, Chris Pierce and Melissa Mayer were so important in helping me get the right technology in place to launch my career.

Do you use technology to get specific jobs done in your day to day business? What types of tools do you currently use?

I like Dotloop the most out of all the platforms I use. I think it is a game-changer to be able to send for electronic signatures and not have to obtain them in person. I also enjoy using Cloud CMA and RPR.

Almost EVERYONE uses social media in both their personal and professional lives. Do you use both?

I use social media now more than I ever have for both personal and business. I enjoy Facebook the most but also Instagram and LinkedIn are fun as well. I am on all of these at least a couple times a day.

How important is the lead generation to your current business? How much time would you say you spend on lead generation?

I have been fortunate so far that all of my clients except 2 have been referrals from my own sphere. I have not had to pay for any 3rd party lead generation sites but staying in touch with my network of contacts or sphere has me very busy. I would say I spend at least 1 day a week on trying to generate leads in some type of way.

Where would you say MOST of your leads come from?

My referral network and from picking up a couple of buyers at open houses.

Are there any other tools or techniques do you rely on to be GREAT at your job? Is there something special that we don’t know about yet that you would like to share with the company?

I can’t say I am great yet at what I do but if I figure out a secret to it I will be sure to let you know.

Staying up to date in this industry is a constant challenge. How much time do you spend on educating yourself? What do you do to stay up to date in this industry?

I put 2 hours aside every day to just go on and learn something new. I am overwhelmed at home much this industry has to offer.

Do you spend time studying the current Real Estate Market? How do you perform your research? Do you find that being knowledgeable about the market gives you an advantage? If so, how?

Yes, I believe you have to be an expert in knowing the market in your area to succeed. Being able to tell a client about a property that may interest them that they didn’t find themselves builds a lot of value in me as an agent.

What ultimately made you decide to choose our company? When did you join our team?

The freedom of making your own business and just going after it without a corporate big brother telling you what to do all the time. Plus I saw how great and successful the agents were doing and I wanted to be a part of that team. I joined in October and my first Success event was the party at Granite Links and it seemed to just be the right fit all around and great people.

Is there anything in particular that SUCCESS! offers that really works for you and your career?

The commission plan is great after you get your first 10 deals and that can seem to take forever mentally. The freedom of working at your own pace is great as well. The biggest compliment I have is all the staff and support. I’m sure everyone says they are in the best office but the Canton office just seems to be special. Renee Roberts is a great manger and a great broker and everyone in that office is so helpful and works so hard and drives everyone to want to do better. It is nice to know if I am stuck there is someone in that office that has the answer to any situation that comes up. Plus the corporate staff is very helpful and patient and thank you, Jaime, Ellen, Chris, Lisa, and Steve.

What would you say sets SUCCESS! Real Estate apart from other Real Estate Agencies?

I feel the best of the best found each other and we are just heads and tails over our competition. When I interact with other co-broke’s they just don’t impress me as the other Success agents do.

We love working here…Would you recommend SUCCESS! Real Estate to another agent or co-broke? What about our company do you think would or should appeal to other agents?

I would think the freedom and the great splits would motivate a lot of the agents out there.

Real Estate can be a 25/7 job. Many of our agents juggle full-time family and personal lives in addition to running their own real estate business. How do you manage to keep it all together?

I am not sure if it is really all together yet! I have a very supportive wife which is the biggest factor in keeping my success moving forward. She always knows what to say to make me less stressed out or helps me see situations for what they really are.

We would love to know a little bit about you…

I grew up in a small farming town in Ohio. I met my wife when I was in the Marines right before I deployed to Iraq in 2003. I was lucky enough to come home from Iraq and move to Canton and start a family with her. We have two boys and 2 dogs, 2 Guineu Pigs, and 4 fish aquariums and my wife and kids are trying to convince me they need more pets!

What is your favorite thing to do when you are not selling Real Estate in your downtime?

I love to work out and just be active. I like to golf, go on hikes, and barbeque – I enjoy great food. I really enjoy the beach and the ocean so I am jealous of the Marshfield office location! and I love to go to the movies and go shopping really for anything.

Is there anything else that you would like to share with us?

I like the passion everyone seems to have that works at Success. I look forward to growing every year and just to keep learning the business.