Business Innovators Radio - From Military Service to Real Estate Success: A Journey of Resilience and Empowerment

Episode Date: February 22, 2024

In this episode of the Agents Lounge Podcast, guest Iris Ramos, an experienced realtor with a military background, shares her inspiring journey from serving in the Air Force to building a successful career in real estate. Iris opens up about the unexpected circumstances that led her to leave the military and stay in San Antonio to care for her family. She recounts the pivotal moment when she decided to pursue a career in real estate, driven by a desire to provide better guidance and support to homebuyers.Iris discusses the challenges she faced as a new realtor, particularly in establishing her business and finding clients. She quickly gained traction through networking and building relationships and became a trusted agent, leading to a referral-based business that has sustained her for the past decade.The conversation also delves into Iris’s expertise in working with military clients. Drawing from her military background, she understands the unique needs and challenges faced by military personnel and their families during the home-buying process. Iris shares how she navigates the fast-paced nature of military relocations and ensures her clients receive the knowledge and support necessary to make informed decisions.As the conversation shifts to the current real estate landscape, Iris provides valuable insights into the market’s recent fluctuations and the impact on buyers and sellers. She explores the opportunities for investors and offers strategies for finding good deals and navigating the changing market conditions.Throughout the episode, Iris’s passion for real estate and dedication to her clients shine through. Her commitment to nurturing relationships and providing exceptional service is evident in her successful career and the long-lasting connections she has built with her clients.Join Francisco Bermudez Jr and Marco Salinas as they dive into Iris Ramos’s remarkable journey, gaining valuable insights into the world of real estate and finding inspiration in her resilience and determination to create a better future for herself and her clients.Listen to the full episode for an engaging conversation filled with wisdom, practical advice, and stories of triumph in the real estate industry.About Iris Ramos:Iris Ramos is a dynamic real estate professional with an extensive background that uniquely positions her to serve clients with exceptional insight and dedication. Transitioning from a career in the Air Force due to an injury and family circumstances, Iris carved a new path in the real estate sector. She started her journey in 2014 with Keller Williams Heritage and quickly found her footing in a slow recovering economy by building a business rooted in referrals, beginning with her manager as her first client. With a heart for the military community, Iris excels in addressing their specific needs and overcoming challenges such as tight timelines and long-distance relocations, often managing transactions via FaceTime to accommodate her clients’ circumstances. Her approach to real estate is deeply educational; she prioritizes presenting a thorough buyer presentation to ensure clients are well-informed at every step. Iris’ career is marked by perseverance, as illustrated by her experience helping a self-employed couple secure a home under challenging circumstances, which later sold for a higher price in a shifting market. Her passion extends beyond transactions, with a focus on real estate investing and mentoring aspiring investors, including her nephew, reflecting her commitment to fostering growth within the industry. Balancing a demanding career with personal time, Iris enjoys downtime with her family, hitting the gym, watching movies, and relishing vacations to beautiful beach destinations like Grand Cayman and Jamaica. She maintains a strong dedication to her clients, some of whom have become lifelong friends, as she helps navigate their real estate needs with discipline, simplicity, and a future-focused mindset. In the years to come, Iris aspires to continue her investment ventures and mentorship, possibly expanding her reach and bringing others into the fold of her successful and fulfilling career in real estate.www.sanantoniohomesforsalebyiris.comAbout The Show Sponsor:The Agents Lounge Podcast is proudly sponsored by Airtegrity Comfort Solutions, your trusted HVAC experts in San Antonio, TX. With a commitment to exceptional service and top-notch comfort, Airtegrity is dedicated to keeping your home or business cool in the scorching Texas heat.Visit their website at https://airtegritycs.com to discover the range of services they offer. From professional air conditioning installations to reliable repairs and maintenance, Airtegrity has you covered. Their team of skilled technicians is equipped with the knowledge and expertise to handle all your HVAC needs efficiently and effectively.Whether you’re looking for a new system installation, need repairs, or want to schedule routine maintenance to ensure your HVAC system is running smoothly, Airtegrity Comfort Solutions is just a phone call away. Reach out to them at 210-446-0105, and their friendly staff will be ready to assist you.Experience the comfort and peace of mind that comes with Airtegrity’s exceptional HVAC solutions. Trust their reliable service and enjoy the benefits of a well-functioning heating and cooling system. Visit their website or call them today to schedule your next HVAC service. Airtegrity Comfort Solutions, your go-to HVAC experts in San Antonio, TX.Agents Lounge Podcasthttps://businessinnovatorsradio.com/agents-lounge-podcast/Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/from-military-service-to-real-estate-success-a-journey-of-resilience-and-empowerment

Welcome to the Agents Lounge podcast, where we talk all things real estate with the industry's top performers. Join us as we dive into the inspiring journeys of successful agents and uncover the secrets to their success. Whether you're a seasoned agent or just starting out, we've got the tips and tricks to help you navigate the world of real estate. Brought to you by Eritory Comfort Solutions. So grab a seat and join us in the Agents Lounge. Welcome back to another episode of the Agents Lounge podcast. I'm your host today filling in Marco Salinas. Joining me as usual is Francisco Bermudas Jr.

He is the owner of Eritrea Comfort Solutions. And what we're trying to do today is see if we can get him to talk a little bit more because usually he's a little quiet. Yeah, but lately he's been doing a good job. So welcome, welcome Francisco. Our guest for today, day is Ms. Iris Ramos with Keller Williams Heritage, right? Here in San Antonio, she's been a realtor for a good...

Ten years. Ten years. Oh, my gosh. A whole decade. So she brings experience and she brings wisdom today to us. So we're going to be talking with her and learning a little bit more about her story, her background, her journey, and all that good fun stuff. So Iris, welcome.

Thank you. Thank you for being here. Yes. Thank you for having me. Absolutely. So, okay. So 10 years in the game, that means what year are we in now? So 2014, you started.

Okay, take us back a little before that. What were you doing before you were a realtor? And maybe you can tell us like how did this whole like, I want to be a realtor? Like, how did that thing come to be? Yeah. So in 2013, I came home. I was actually in the Air Force. I don't know if I knew that about me.

I did a little bit. Yeah. I was in the Air Force. And I came home. there was a family something happened with family and I had to come home it was a my sister passed away okay um and i came back home and the intent was to go back to the air force and i was gonna that was be my career yeah when i came back um i took over my the boys my her sons so my my two nephews now and they were little the baby was nine months old and the other one was four years yeah so it was

it was something i mean it kept me here but the intent was always to go back yeah and when it was time to go back, I just didn't see myself going back and leaving my family here. So I decided to stay here and the family got bigger, so I thought about buying house. So one of my mom's best friends actually was a realtor at the time. And we went to him and he kind of guided us and got us into a home. Yeah. Well, the experience was great and I loved him. He was a family friend. But I just felt like I needed, they were a little bit more guidance. So it was the first time home buyer. He basically came and said, give me a check for this, give me a check for that. And I did it. But I just felt like there could have been a little bit more knowledge.

So that's really where it came from. I did really no research on real estate. And I went. I signed up for school and I just took a leap of faith. I called my mom. I never really went to her and told her like, Mom, I want to do this. I just called her after and just tell her like I did this. It's done.

Yeah. So I went to her and I told her I wrote in real estate school and I was still in banking at the time. Okay. But that's how it started. Wow. So it was a kind of unexpected thing. Yeah. It wasn't planned at all.

Yeah. Wow. Where were you stationed? I was here at Lackland. Oh, it was. Okay. So you were already in San Antonio, but you just had a different career. Yes.

I got you. So was it hard to get out of the military? Had you already done your time in that? Did they give you a special accommodations? They did because I had, the reason I came home was I had gotten injured. I was on convalescent leave and that's when my everything happened with my sister. So they let me come and they, I was always, I was always trying. I stayed doing, I was doing the physical training, everything, because I always wanted to go back.

Yeah. That was the intent. But, no, they let me come home because of the situation and take care, to take care of the family. But prior to that, in your mind, you were like, I'm going to have a long military career. Yes, I was going to retire. That was my heart. When I came home and I was on the bus and I was crying and everybody was like, why are you crying? I'm like, because I really, really, really want to be here, but I really need to be there for my family.

But, no, I, that was my thing. I was going to retire from the military. Wow. So 10 years later, has it worked out? Yes. You've done pretty well. Yes, I love what I do. I say real estate changed my life and it really did.

Yeah, that's amazing. Okay, so you jumped right in around 2014 or so, and you started getting busy and you started doing your thing. And so at that point, like I remember back then, so the economy obviously took a hit 2008 and then it just, each year it just kind of slowly started picking up. So one of the things that I always ask is like with real estate agents, how did you? you establish your business? Like, how did you find clients back then when you were just getting started? You know, it's not like you have this huge budget to advertise in the market, right? Was it just networking and family and friends? Like, what was your strategy back then? So it's really what happened was, so I ended up getting out of banking. I had to make a decision

whether I do real estate or I get out of banking. And so I decided to do real estate. But my manager was so sweet. And I loved him death. Well, he ended up being my first client. Oh, there you go. Okay. And then he knew a lot. of people. So he started referring me out. He was like, the first person to believe in me. I had no, I mean, no experience. And so he was my very first client. And since then, I just really, I've always been relationship-based. I like to take care of my people. And since then, it's just come in. I mean, a lot from social media, my relationships, my friendships, and people that I've worked with in the past. Yeah. So here we are 10 years later. And if you look back, the majority of your clients

were all pretty much like referrals. Yes. From another person that you helped. They were very very happy and they were like you got to you got to work with iris she's really great yeah i'm a hundred percent referral base right now wow so a whole 10 year career based on that which which shows you that you do a good job yeah right then uh people are going to refer you yeah right yeah okay i'm going to put it on you what question you have so obviously you have a military background does that in any way help you service the military community yes i do work with a lot of military i mean i understand the lingo i understand the structure. I kind of, I mean, I can mirror their behavior. I mean, yeah, it really does help me. I am certified for it. What are some of the biggest obstacles that you help them with?

I think it's really for them. Everything is like time. It's like everything needs to be done super fast and meeting deadlines and stuff. I think that's probably the toughest. And I've had clients relocate from out of the country or out of the state and they're doing everything through face time. So that's probably, that's probably scary. That's really scary for me when they come. And we, we, we, we, we, we show them property for the first time. And it's scary. Like, are you going to really going to love it or are you going to back out on the day closing? Yeah.

Seriously. Right. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

And, and. Family. Yeah. Yeah. What about, what about, um, one of the things you mentioned earlier was that, like, like, with your experience, you felt like they didn't really give you a lot of info. Like, how do you, how do you, how do you make sure that they're getting a little extra, the knowledge and, you know, so that's important.

Yeah. Who you work with is very important. I mean, my lender, I make sure that it's someone that's going to educate the client. I bring my clients into the office and I do a whole buyer presentation to make sure they're aware of like, when I ask for a check, what is this for? To know what the option period is and know. So that when they go into buying the home, they're like, oh, we really talked about this. I know what to expect next. And they're familiar with the process at that point.

So it's not like I was. It was like a check. I'm like, what's the check for? What is, what do I, you know, just everything's answered upfront. Yeah. I like that. Yeah. I like that.

So can you think of any, are there any stories that you could think of Iris where you had a kind of a challenging situation? Maybe a challenging client. Oh, I've been tired. Like one that really stands out where you were able to maybe turn the situation around or maybe kind of save the deal. And if maybe that client had a bad experience and they had given up, but you stepped in and you were able to kind of, you know, get the whole situation under control. based on your knowledge, your experience. Yeah, so I actually, this is fresh because I was just thinking about it yesterday. But so I had, I met a, I don't even know, it's probably like in 2000.

I was probably two or three years into the business. So I'm still hungry at that point. I'm still hungry now, but at that point, like everything needs to close, right? Yeah. I met this really sweet couple and they wanted to buy a home, but they were self-employed. And they had only been in the business for a year. So they only had one-year tax return. So you know how that works.

They need to have two years. Yeah. So I reached out to my lender and, you know, He wasn't able to get the deal done. And I just, they really wanted a house. And I'm like, I need to get this family into a home. Well, I ended up, I called and call it and called networking, right? And called it called and I finally found a bank that was able to help them.

Well, they ended up buying a home. And it was, I mean, it was in the location they wanted. They were going to do renovations or whatnot. But the day of closing, I walked the property with the husband. This was like an hour before closing. And we heard, I was in the car, I was waiting for him to come. to arrive to the appointment and I just hear like a siren going off when I get down. Well, the detectors were going off because there was a leak.

The whole second floor ruined the entire first floor of the home. While y'all were doing the walk? While we were doing the walkthrough right before. It was flooding right there. It was flooding. There was hardwood floors. Like, it was a mess. And the husband was, I mean, he was with, his wife didn't go.

It was just me and him. So imagine he was just like so overwhelmed. And what was crazy was that he owns a mitigation. company. That was the company that they were opened. So he was like devastated because they're about to close. They were so excited. And he's like, how am I going to call my wife? We literally cried in the front yard because he was crying and I'm very emotional. So we're both crying. He's like, how am I going to tell her? So he told her and she said, I'm not going to buy the house then. And he goes, you don't believe in our business? And she's like, oh, man. She's like, no, we'll buy the house. So they bought

the house. And this was like, it was a challenging deal, but we were able to get it done. And then we faced that. And then we had to file insurance claims. What? now they're like a very good client of mine and they've I work with the with the brother now he's doing investments with me I'm like holding his hand and wow about real estate investing but they're super sweet clients and incredible very successful business and they were able to basically fix the problems they did with their house with their own equipment and their own service they built that they bought that house for and it was before I mean years ago you could buy a house for a really nice house and stonick for 250 I know that's around what they bought it for and then I helped them sell it for 465

Wow. That sounds incredible. Yeah. That is a really amazing story. Absolutely amazing. Okay, now let me pull something out of that that I heard you say. So they were self-employed. Yes.

And so obviously when, you know, if somebody's listening to this or watching this and they're self-employed, a lot of times that makes people feel like, oh, man, you know, I don't think I can get a house, right? So what was it that that bank did differently to work to be able to work with them? They were able to do a portfolio loan to a little. to allow them to do it with for a conventional loan, but they can still make it happen. Normally it requires a little bit more of a down payment. Oh, okay, okay. So if somebody is self-employed,

they should know that there are options. There are options, yeah. If you have a problem, just bring it to me. I'll find a solution. There you go. I'm a problem solving. You work magic, right? Okay, so let's fast forward a little bit.

2020, the world got flipped upside down, right? There was this little hiccup that happened. And then that had a big effect. for 2020, for 2021. The rates were low. The house prices were still low, at least at the beginning of COVID, right? So everybody was sitting around doing nothing. Like, I know what I'll do.

I'll buy another house, right? So the market was just going nuts for those couple of years. And then you and I were talking a little before we started the podcast. Like once 2020 hit, all of a sudden, things really started changing. The rates started going up, which historically, if you zoom out, the rates are still low. Yes. But what we got used to was like you can't compare it, right? So that's why people are like, man, I got a little taste of that like two point whatever or three point whatever.

And so now if it's five, six, seven, it's like forgetting, you know. But historically, it's still low. Absolutely. And so there's that. The house prices did definitely go up a lot. I think what I've seen is that they're going down a little bit maybe, right? Yeah, in some cases. We're just trying to adjust.

Nothing drastic, but yeah. And so what did you do to kind of, I guess, maybe shift or pivot once things started to slow down. Yeah, started slowing down like that after being so crazy for so long. Yeah. So in 2017, I started real estate investing myself. And I learned a lot about the different avenues. There's a lot of different terms, wholesaling, flipping.

And I started buying rental properties at that point. And then I started buying off market properties and renovating them and keeping them as rentals. Yeah. So when I was doing it, then I'd meet people and people would ask me, like, what are you doing? And so that's really what I did. I pivoted to investing. So I started finding investors that were buying or even past clients that had already bought and sold with me.

And now they had equity and they wanted to start investing. So just mentoring them, showing them, they'd buy with me, they'd sell with me. And until now, like, I'm still mentoring clients and they're doing the investing. Wow. So you're telling me that these last couple of years, people are still doing a lot of they're moving around and buying investments and renting them. Are people still doing flips? They are.

I'm doing them myself too. Wow. So you can still make money in this market on a flip. Absolutely. Totally still possible. So I always remembered like when the market was a little more normal, it was all about finding those pocket deals, like those, you know, obviously you want to get a low price house so that you can flip it into something else.

It seems like it's definitely not as easy to find. find those, right? It takes a little more work, but it's possible. It is possible, absolutely. Can you share any strategies without giving away all your secret sauce? Yeah. But what are some, what are some strategies to, for potential investors, like, to find some of those good deals that are still out there? Do you just have to really do a lot of research? Really, my, I mean, it's networking. Who do you know and who has a problem that you can solve? Can you solve the problem? And really just, that's really what it is. It's just solving a problem. someone has a situation, a divorce, or if someone passed away, normally those are the situations

where you can help up. And it's an opportunity, yeah. And then, but how do you catch wind of those? Like, you just, you have your network that's like everybody's got their, their ear to the street. Yeah, you just need to let people know. You buy houses. Yeah. Wow.

Okay. That's interesting. So it's good to know that these things are still happening because a lot of people think, well, I just got to throw in the towel. I can't do anything right now, but you're still seeing a whole lot of good things happening. Yes. Yes. So today I actually put one of my best friends. So we actually go to vacations together, it's her husband and her son. And I take my boys and we go on vacation together. Well, one day we were at the park. And they asked me,

something came up about real estate and rental property. And I had started talking to them. And the husband asked me, he's like, so how do you do this? What do you need? And I started telling him just like a little bit of, you know, what you need. And he said, well, tell me what to do. And I'll go tomorrow and I'll withdraw from my stocks and this and that. And I'll have the money in account by this day. and my LLC created. Well, within a few days he had that, and today I listed his property for what person was. That is amazing. That is amazing.

What else you got, buddy? I mean, that's a great vacation right there. But how come you don't turn it off? Irish was supposed to be vacationed. No, my mind is always going. She's over there in Cancun doing a presentation, PowerPoint. I'm not coming back until... I need to close a deal while we're out here.

And then I can go back, right? Congratulations. Yeah. No kidding. I'm super excited for them. Okay. That brings up something interesting, though. And this is a question that I like to ask.

How does a busy real estate agent, like yourself, how do you, or is it possible to find a balance? Can you balance work and life and family and taking care of your boys? I mean, obviously you're doing it, right? So it's obviously possible. But how do you do that? Yeah. I mean, it's not easy. I mean, I learned that not everything is a priority, and you can't say yes to everybody.

You have to say no a lot of times. But it's just really focusing on what's a priority and what do you need to always be doing. And that's really what I do. I mean, I say no to a lot of things, and I just focus on what's important in my family, my business, and that's it, my faith, taking care of my health. Yeah. So you do have to kind of trim out some of the exist stuff, right? You don't have time to be playing around, really, with, you know, unimportant things.

things you have to really prioritize and make good usage of your time. What is your, what is your, how do you track your time? Do you have, do you use the phone? Do you write in a calendar? Like, what is, do you have any tips for time management for a busy, busy real estate agent? I have a schedule and I, the things are most important to me, like personally, I try to knock it out in the morning. Okay. And then by the time the business day starts, my phone's on, I'm available for clients, but a lot of time blocking. My Sundays are from my kids in church. But throughout the week, I'm, just focused on my schedule. Are you one of those that's basically always available?

Is the phone always on? Or have you gotten to where you could kind of say this time and these days? You said Sunday, right? Like you try to minimize calls and things on Sundays? I do. And most, I'm very transparent about my life. And I know, I mean, my clients know I have my boys and stuff. So they're actually very respectful of my time.

And on Sundays, I always set the expectation up front. I tell them Sundays normally my day. And I do, I work by appointment only. And just by saying that, they'll respect. the Sunday and sometimes they won't even reach out to me on Sundays. Wow. That is that is amazing. Before we started the podcast today, we were talking about credit repair, right? So right now, I mean, it's tough economy. A lot of people had to go into their credit, get into debt to, I mean, just pay their grocery bills. Yeah. And a lot of people are finally getting out of that. For somebody that's a new

homeowner or wants to get into a new home and they just went through a difficult time last year and they finally got another job they're making they're paying off their debt how what are some of the things that you could help them to get into a home yeah so normally what i do is that that consultation face to face kind of really figuring out what their struggles are if it's credit repair sometimes we sit down and we realize they're spending a lot of money on things that they shouldn't be spending money on and they need a down payment um so just things like that and i mean i have professionals that I work with that can help and guide to. But it's really just meeting with them and seeing what their struggles are and really going from there. So even if they feel like they're

kind of scared that they're not ready, you would still make them? Absolutely. Absolutely. There you go. There you go. So what do the numbers look like right now? Like if I, as of right now, we're recording this early 2024. If I want to buy a home, where do I need my credit score to be? and also like are there any programs now for down payment assistance? Does any of that exist? Yeah, there's still a lot of programs for that. As far as credit, a lot of the, that's like, I jokingly say I got out of banking because it changed all the time. But this is changing all the time too, the requirements and stuff.

But now with how the market is and with rates, a lot of lenders are getting very creative with financing. But yes, there are still down payment assistance programs. and options. And really, I just say, like, if you don't think your credit word needs to be, or if you have a self-employment issue or tax or, maybe it's a no right now, but it doesn't mean we can't do it in the future. Yeah, yeah, in the next six months, in the next year. Absolutely.

But it takes some pre-planning, right? Yes, yes. And that's really, I think that's the thing with a lot of people is that they want to apply when they're ready. And sometimes it's apply now so I can see where you're at and I can take exactly what you need to do. So we're ready within set time. Right. Yeah, exactly. So what do you, what does your system look like, Iris, for when somebody comes to you, how do you kind of tell yourself, okay, I know that this person is serious. Like, they're serious about buying. Even if, for example, if they can't buy right now, how do you, how do you kind of make sure that you're, I guess maybe this goes back to the time management, right? There's a lot of tire kickers. And then there's other people that have good intentions, but they just, they don't want to take it serious. They don't want to, they don't want to, they don't want to, they don't want to, they don't want to, because they want to keep partying and spending their money on the wrong things, right?

And so how many chances do you give someone, you know, if you call them back six months later and it hasn't changed, is that it? Or you're like, okay, well, obviously you're not serious. So call me when you are. Or do you typically still follow up with people like way down, like years down the line? Yeah, I still follow up with people. I mean, I track all that stuff. You have your database?

Yes, I do. And I track everything because like I said, sometimes it's no now, but it may be a yes in a year when you're ready. but normally you can catch on when you have that face-to-face appointment and they ask questions and you tell them, do this, do this, and they'll do it so you know that they're serious about moving forward. Yeah. Yeah. Got you.

And what are you seeing with like builders? Are they offering a lot of cool stuff right now? They are offering. They're doing rate buy downs. So rates right now, I think some of the builders are going down to 2.99. Yeah, which is huge right now because you're looking at six and sevens depending on credit and stuff. But yeah, there's a lot of...

On that note, can you explain how that works just in case somebody doesn't know what is a rate buy down and how long does that last? Yeah, so the rate buy down is essentially you're paying up front to get the rate as low as whatever they agree to. But the beauty of it is that because it's a builder, it's an in-house lender, they're offering, basically they're telling you, I'll give you this amount of money to do this to get this rate and paying for closing costs and getting the amazing, right and amazing payment at that. their cost. So you're getting a really good deal right now if you're going to a new home. And even because they want to move everything so fast, you can probably even negotiate on the sales price. Wow. Yeah. And those rates, you lock them in for how long? Is it one year? Is it three years? Yeah. So it's called a two-one buy-down. So basically how it works is the first

year it's fixed at whatever rate they agreed to, second year. And then from the third to 30th, that's going to be the fixed rate. But basically the way it works is whatever the funds that they have, they're applying it to the first and second year to keep that rate super low. Oh, gotcha, got you. Now, three through 30, if anything changes, you can also refi. Absolutely. So there's still options. Yes, there are.

Yeah. And I mean, a lot of people think they're scared or intimidated by the rates, but, I mean, it's a time where you're really able to negotiate if you have a home to sell or, you know, things that you couldn't do when the rates were so low. Yeah, very, very true. Talk to me about going back to what he said about the military. Are there special incentives? Are there special programs if you're in the military since you have experience with that? Yes. Well, there's a VA loan. Most people know about that. Zero down. But normally when you compare a VA loan or just payment-wise, it's going to be very different than it would be for someone that doesn't have the entitlement because you don't have the mortgage insurance and requirements are a little more lenient depending on who you go to.

But no, there's, I mean, if you meet the credit requirement, you don't have a down payment. I can get the builder to cover. your closing cost, you're going in with your earnest money. And that can be $500, $1,000 buying a new home. Wow. Yeah. And so like VA loans, what kind of score, more or less, you know? Some lenders will do $580. Some will go down to $600. Some will ask for $620. But it just depends. I mean, every lender is very, very different. And right now with how everything is, they're getting a little more lenient on some of those requirements. Okay. But it sounds like it's kind of always a case-by-case. basis, right? Yes.

Yeah. But I mean, if you apply with one lender and you're not able to get approved, then I'm sure I can find someone else, yeah. There you go. Yeah, because IRISCA has a lot of connections. If you haven't figured that out yet, Princess. No, I can see that. So I want to know more about how, I mean, you've been in the industry 10 years.

What are some of the differences that you have seen, yourself professionally, that you have changed from when you first started to right now? And I think right now it's mostly like how you're probably nurturing your clients and growing your client list. I mean, one thing that's been the same consistent as their relationships and really catering to my clients and taking care of those relationships. But I think with the market, a lot of things change. A lot of the things that I've implemented into my business now, it's just been by trial and error. Things that I see work or things that I see don't work. And then I make adjustments from there.

But it's really about who you work with and really taking care of those clients. Yeah. Wow. Yeah, that is awesome. So your 10 years in, what does the next 10 years look like for Iris? Man. Ramos. Yeah, do you intend for things to kind of stay exactly the way they are? Do you ever, like, have you ever thought about mentoring or being anybody under you? Or do you want to expand more on the investment side of things? Like, what is your next like five years and then 10 year vision? Yeah. So as far as investing, I want to continue to doing that. I mean, my oldest nephew now, he's 15. So he's about to be in college. And I tell him that I want him to just try real estate. I said, just try it.

Even if you don't want to do what I do, because it's not for everybody. But maybe you become a lender or a title rep or just something. I mean, there's so much opportunity out there. But I do want to bring my boys into the business. I love real estate investing. And I have quite a few clients now that are, that I'm mentoring. And I fell in love with that part of the business too. So I definitely want to continue doing that and doing my own flips as well.

Yeah. But I'm still, I mean, my relationships that I have, I mean, I've known these, most of my clients, I've known they've gotten married, they've had children, I've gone to their weddings, baby showers. So those relationships, I really cherish them. And I don't want to, I won't, I don't see myself not, you know, continuing with that. Do you go to the kinses? I haven't gone to any somewhere. I was just going to say, like, do you dance there? No, I don't dance at all.

Check out the realtor. I didn't know she danced like that. No, I'm just kidding. You don't want to see me dance, Marco. TikToks. No, I don't know. She knew those moves like that. I mean, you could have a line of people that want to buy a house.

You never know. I was going to try those things. Oh, you don't want to see me dance. I'm just kidding. Are you like two left feet? Yes. I can march. I can march all day.

I mean, if you tell, I can keep count, I can. Yeah. I don't dance. But not dancing. No. That's how you think. Okay. Okay.

Okay. Okay, got you. But you're saying, like, now you're helping some of people in the next generation already. After doing it for 10 years, it's like enough time has gone by that some of your early clients, now you're helping their kids. Yeah. And, of course, the cool thing about real estate is people do move usually on average a couple of times, right? Oh, yes, absolutely. So there's movement even with the same one client.

Yeah, lifestyle changes or, I mean, some of them got into investing. Some of them unfortunately get divorced. Right. Yeah. Sometimes it's good and sometimes it's bad. Yes. But what matters is that you're there for them and they know they can rely on you. They know they can trust you.

That's the hardest part, right? Is finding somebody that you can stick with, that you can trust, right? So, yeah, I think it's really awesome and really impressive. I knew you when you were in your earlier years. Yeah. So it's cool to see how far you've come and how well you've done. So we definitely congratulate you. We celebrate all your achievements.

and I think for sure your future is going to be very, continue to be very bright. Thank you, Michael. Keep building that real estate portfolio. Yes. My last couple of questions is this. What do you do on your downtime? What is, you shared a little bit. You spend time with your boys, right?

I know that you also, apparently you do real estate on vacation. So, like, is that kind of your big thing? You like to travel? You like to, like, what is your off time when you do have off time? I mean, I do like to travel. I take the, normally I'll go to. two weeks in the summer with them with my friends that I was telling you about. Yeah.

I like to do things outdoors. My oldest nephew, he's in track. So he's like, now he's getting into fitness and stuff like that. So I do, I mean, really, it's very boring. But, I mean, I like to go to the gym. I think that's time away from, normally that's like my quiet time. I go in the morning when everybody's asleep and it's peaceful. And I push my body to do things that I didn't know I could do.

But gym and then spend time with my boys. I like to watch movies. It's kind of boring actually Now that I'm talking about I don't really do much I like to do things with my friends and family dinner Yeah Well it's good discipline

Yeah because if you don't have discipline then I mean it's hard it's hard Yeah it is yeah Well not to mention that the older that I get The more that I really feel like The simple things in life are The things that really matter Yes

You know what I mean And so you don't have to do all these Extravagant things or whatever And plus sometimes that stuff leads to bigger problems anyways. Yeah, no kidding. Let's just keep things simple and safe and healthy. And yeah, no, that's pretty awesome.

What's been your favorite vacation spot so far? Ooh, I think maybe last year we were this, or yeah, last year in the summer we went to Grand Cayman. Okay. That was so much fun. Wow. And Jamaica was a lot of fun too. How many presentations did you do that?

It was so. That's not common, right? You don't normally do. that. No, it just, I mean, sometimes it comes, it just comes up. Just natural, yeah, right? It's always over mine. We'll start picking your brain, right?

Yeah. But the thing is, you don't mind. No, I don't mind. You're not like, hey, I'm on vacation. Don't ask me that. No, no, no, no. Instead, a flip chart comes down. Yes.

I don't know. Yeah, that's awesome. So the Grand Cayman Islands were, was so far your favorite. Yes. It's just beautiful, huh? It is beautiful. Yeah, I love the beach. That's probably one of things I like to do.

Okay. You're a beach person? Yeah, I love the summer. Yeah, I love going. driving down to the beach with the boys. Wow. And so if you're going to go to a beach locally, which is your spot? Oh, man.

After going over there, like, I'm like, where do I go? You don't want to go to Ranchi Corpus? No. There's too many seashells. Yeah. After you get a taste for those beautiful sand. Is it like the white sand? Is that kind of how it is there?

You could see, like, the water's crystal clear. Yeah, going far in, we were swimming with the stingrays, and you could see like. You could see everything. Yeah. See, once you get a taste of that? It's like, man. And then somebody's like, you want to go to the Guadalupe? No, not really.

I don't want to go in that raunchy water anymore, man, after I got a little taste. Well, that's awesome, Iris. Thank you very much again for being here. If somebody's listening and they want to reach out to you, what's the best way to contact you? My phone is always on me. So I can try to share my phone number? Sure, yeah. The phone number is 210-400-2917, or you can add me on social media, Iris Ramos.

I'm on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook. pretty much everywhere. Cool. And we'll add your information on the show notes. Okay. When we put this together and we put it out there and then we'll give you all the goodies so you can share it as well with your network. Awesome. But thank you again, Iris.

We really appreciate your time. Thank you. It's great to catch up with you again. And you got any final words? I mean, thank you for coming to the podcast. I mean, I'm very excited to see. I mean, see you in the future because I can see that. You have the energy.

You're young and discipline. Yep. Her real estate empire. Yep. Thank you. Iris, thank you. Yes. Thank you for having me.

That does it, guys, for another episode of the Agents Lounge Podcast. We'll catch you here next time. You've been listening to the Agents Lounge Podcast, brought to you by Airtegrity Comfort Solutions. To learn more about the resources mentioned on today's show or to listen to past episodes, please visit agentsloungepodcast.com.