Business Innovators Radio - Interview with Arica Andreatta Owner/Broker Code of the West Real Estate

Episode Date: September 13, 2024

Arica was born and raised in Huerfano County and has a deep sense of respect for the land and the way of life in Southern Colorado. Arica graduated from John Mall High School in Walsenburg and then moved to Boulder, where she obtained a BA in Business Management with an emphasis in Real Estate from the University of Colorado. Throughout college, she worked as a mortgage broker assistant, and upon graduation in 2007, she became a licensed broker associate at Coldwell Banker, one of the leading real estate brokerages in Boulder, CO.Although Arica was fortunate enough to have a great deal of success as a realtor in Denver and Boulder, she felt something was missing. She decided to take a leap of faith and move back to Southern Colorado, as this is where her heart resided. Upon her return, she worked as a manager for a large corporation that offered durable medical equipment throughout Southern Colorado. Arica learned a great deal about managing other employees, financial accounting, human resources, marketing, and the overall skills necessary to operate a successful business. She was then promoted to a Sales Representative position, where she traveled all over Southern Colorado, meeting with physicians and promoting the business and equipment offered. Through these travels, Arica often thought about real estate and how passionate she was about helping others find their little piece of heaven, just as she had found her serenity in the quaint town of La Veta, Colorado.Arica then decided to join the fine group at Capture Colorado, where she learned about Real Estate in Southern Colorado and how it differs from Northern Colorado. Arica immediately found great success, as she was the top producer in the company and among the top 10 producers in Huerfano County in 2015, closing over $4.7 million in sales with 34 successful transactions. With this success, she decided to spread her wings and open her own brokerage firm and has steadily continued her success, which was shown in 2016 when she was named “The Broker of the Year” and in 2017 when she was given the title of “The Top Producer” in Huerfano County with over $11,000,000 in personal sales and $21,000,000 as a company.In 2018, Arica was named one of the “10 Best Real Estate Agents in Colorado” by the American Institute of Real Estate Agents. In 2019, Arica served as the Spanish Peaks MLS President. From 2019-2021, Arica served as a member of the Board of Directors for the Pueblo Association of Realtors. In 2020, Arica received the prestigious designation of ALC (Accredited Land Consultant) which places her amongst the elite 44 brokers in the State of Colorado to hold this designation out of the 44,0000 licensed brokers in the state.In 2021 Arica served as a member of the Colorado Association of Realtors Grievance Committee amongst a variety of other county boards, committees, and volunteer efforts. In early 2022, Arica received recognition from USA TODAY as one of the “Top 10 Real Estate experts to follow in 2022”. In 7 short years, Arica led her team to unprecedented numbers for the region, closing over 3,184 transactions, which has attributed to over $552,000,000 in closed sales dollars. 2024 is already off to the best start yet, thanks to the dedicated team of brokers and support staff at Code of the West Real Estate and with the guidance of Arica and her leadership!Amongst these many successes, Arica’s true passion for management and teaching others how to find similar success persisted and she is honored to say Code of the West now employs 60+ local community members and is consistently adding new positions. Every individual who works for Code of the West Real Estate strives to better the community in which they live and has found success while doing so.Arica is the owner and managing broker of the Code of West Real Estate and volunteers a great deal of her time in order to benefit her community. As proof of Arica’s dedication to her community, she was elected by an overwhelming majority in 2020 to serve as a Huerfano County Commissioner for a 4 year term. More than anything, Arica is a wife and proud mother of two boys, Jhett Willis, and Madix Don Andreatta. As an avid outdoorswoman, Arica and her family have a deep sense of passion and respect for the land and enjoy spending their free time exploring Colorado and working on their La Veta Cattle Ranch.Learn More: https://www.cotwrealestate.comElite Real Estate Leaders Podcasthttps://businessinnovatorsradio.com/elite-real-estate-leaders-podcastSource: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/interview-with-arica-andreatta-owner-broker-code-of-the-west-real-estate

Welcome to the Elite Real Estate Leaders Podcast, brought to you by Trailstone Insurance Group, bringing you interviews with the best real estate and mortgage professionals, empowering you to understand the current trends in the housing market so that you make the American dream your reality. Enjoy today's episode. Welcome to the Elite Real Estate Leaders podcast. Today we have with us Erica Andrea, who's the owner and broker of Code of the West Real Estate. Erica, welcome to the program. Thank you for having me.

Hey, so I want to learn all about what you do and why you do it and how you do it and all of that great stuff, but get us started with what is your story and background and how did you get into the real estate industry in the beginning? Absolutely. So I was born and raised in Southern Colorado, ventured to Northern Colorado to go to school at CU Boulder, Go Buffs, and got a degree in business management with an emphasis in real Estates, I worked with Coldwell Banker as the assistant mortgage broker during my time in college, but I also learned a lot about real estate through those four years with that emphasis in real estate.

I then practiced up north in the Denver Boulder Market with Coldwell Banker as a realtor. Really enjoyed my time, but was just called back home to Southern Colorado because of the outdoors and the beauty of the area. I started my own brokerage in 2016, thinking it would just be maybe me and a few realtors, but we've quickly advanced our team to 50 brokers and 11 support staff. And we are just honored to be in a rural part of Colorado where we can take real estate to the next level, which had been lacking for some time. Yeah, you know, that is awesome, you know, coming on home and now you can focus on what you know best,

the area you know best. That's a huge agency. And I think that you guys just have a. a passion for helping people find out what you guys love about your local area. So what are some of those things that set apart the area that you guys are from? And then also your company as a whole broker, Code of the West or Code of the West real estate. In fact, before you answer that, I want to hear what's the story of Code of the West. What does that mean? Sure. A Code of the West is actually kind of like a 10 bullet points of a way to live life. And that is written by

writer Zane Gray. And so when we were looking for a name for our brokerage, have what we are as people and individuals as a part of that name. And I truly believe that all of our brokers have a heart to serve. They're all here for their community and they go above and beyond. By no means are we salespeople. We are helpers with hearts to serve. But the Code of the West itself is live each day with courage, take pride in your work, Always finish what you see. Do what has to be done. Be tough. Be fair. When you make a promise, keep it. Ride for the brand. Talk less and say more. And remember that some things aren't for sale. And lastly, know where to draw the line. So I think those are some key points in life, but also in real estate that we try to hold true. Yeah, you know, we could probably do an entire interview on each one of those points. You know, that's really awesome. I've, I'm not a West. person, but I appreciate those old values, and those are just awesome. I'm sure with a team the size of

yours, you find yourself as the team leader kind of rotating through and going, hey, this month, we're going to talk about this value or one of the code or this quarter. Do you find that you guys are kind of focusing on those so that it's more than just a little plaque on the wall? We absolutely do. And I think all of us hold true to that in our personal lives. as well as our professional lives. Yeah, 100%. So what are some of the things that you all do that sets you apart from other agencies

that maybe a buyer or a seller would really appreciate but yet not know from the surface of just glancing at a website? Absolutely. We have a very extensive marketing package. Southern Colorado, in my opinion, is the last undiscovered part of Colorado. And a lot of people don't realize

the beauty or the outdoor recreation or just the solitude and also the land of opportunity until they get here. So we invest a lot of money in marketing dollars to make sure there's no stone unturned and that our sellers can be reached not only locally, statewide, nationwide, but internationally. So that's a promise that we keep to our sellers to make sure that they have the top notch in marketing. But also for our buyers, it's just having that boots on the ground, the knowledge of what we're selling. So we have team our office that specialize in farm and ranch. I am one of the leaders of that team and I have an accredited land consultant designation behind my name, which is a very unique designation. And there's only probably less than 50 brokers in the state of

Colorado have that designation when there's about 44,000 brokers in the state. So we can help with the farm and ranch. We also have a team that does raw land. for those looking to build their homes. We have a residential branch, a commercial branch, and then also investment. Like I said, it's an undiscovered part of Colorado where you can be an entrepreneur. You can make a lot of your dreams come true very affordably,

and your return on investment is very large here. Oh, I mean, those are really impressive credentials. It's not every day. You see, like you said, there's only 50 of you. And that makes me curious, what? What is the thing that you're seeing sell the most in your area? Because the small town, you know, service, you kind of think really quaint homes, but it sounds like it's a lot of new building and land. Tell us a little bit about kind of the trends that you're seeing and where you see it going.

Sure. We have always been a gateway to those living in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, a place to quickly escape the heat and come for a second home vacation. or just to stay a little while. After COVID, we really started seeing a big push of people moving from metropolitan areas in Colorado, but other states as well, because a lot of people can work from home. And so they want to be able to work from home in a place that they love and a door. And then they can go and go on a hiking trail, take the dog for a walk, you know, go fishing, camping, whatever it might be, and not see those big masses of people like you would in some of our northern Colorado. areas. So definitely working from home has been a good addition to our community and it's really helped with the growth. And then again, just anyone wanting to have that live work space,

we can accommodate that very well where you can maybe live in a facility and also have an art gallery for the business of your choice. Yeah, that's unique to the area too, because as opposed to the big city, you know, you're in a whole different world literally. And I think that's one of the draws. And that can't be communicated just with pictures and online. You've almost got to experience it. Absolutely. And you have to experience it with someone who's living it every day. Yep. Living it and loving it. That just kind of flows off. It's almost like that should be a slogan, you know, living it and loving it. So what keeps you guys passionate and enthusiastic about what you do and keeping things fresh? I think in any small town, when you can bring

an organization of town that creates jobs or people that are part of your community, it has such a bigger impact. We are made up in our community of volunteers, people that did something for a career, now they're retired, and so they started in our real community. And it is just a true sense of community, something that a lot of communities have gone away from, not by choice, but by nature. And we still have that tight-knit community where everyone knows each other. You wave, when you drive past each other, whether you know them or not, and you know if they're local, if they wait back. Yeah.

Just bringing life back to a slower pace back to the roots while not having to sacrifice with amenities. And I think that's why people are attracted to our area. I love it. Do you guys work mostly with buyers or mostly with sellers or is it a good mix? It's a really good mix. And then do you find people that are, you know, like in the more metro areas, you will get a lot of first-time home buyers.

You probably don't get as many of first-time home buyers in your area, or what is the need that you're finding your clients having? Sure. We do definitely have some first-time home buyers, and we love to help them with that. You know, sometimes you have some credit that's less than desirable, and so you need some guidance on how to get that credit up. So we have good partnerships with all of our lenders that can advise you

and help you with getting your credit where you need to be. And also we have first-time home buyers that maybe are looking for a certain lifestyle, but can't quite get there yet. So we can place them in a home that's within their means. They can build some equity. And then we can transition them to the next home. So we have a lot of repeat clients that are just looking to get to their end goal and we're able to help them get there.

Just a side-bought. I was just going to finish up that thought with. is buying a home for the first time in your area different than buying in more metro areas? Are there different things that you point out to your buyers? It might be a little easier here because we have programs like USDA, which is specifically for rural buyers. We work closely. Yeah.

So funny. Do you say USDA loans? So USDA rather for homes or, you know, if you're looking to start up a farm or a ranch. So we have programs for that. Of course, FHA, VA. So we have all the programs you'd see in the city, but a lot of times you qualify for additional help in programs, especially on the commercial aspect.

There is a big drive to rehabilitate some of these old historic buildings and our community is made up of old mining towns. And we have some of the most beautiful infrastructure of big warehouses and buildings that are just sitting there. still in a pristine condition. And so there's incentives that we can do to get you into those buildings, whether it's historic tax credits or just a variety of different programs, electrification grants and funding, if you're going to go the electric route, solar is big here. Colorado has a lot of sunshine days and specifically Southern Colorado. So I'd say there's

more opportunity in real estate here. Yeah, that's a great point. Some of those things that you might not find on a Google search. You're only going to find with people that are living it and loving the area, like we said earlier. Do you find people also, I would suspect, and I don't know your area, but more like second home. You know, I'm in Denver and I want to get away and go to Southern Colorado is a second home, a draw to people? Absolutely. We have a lot of second home owners or even just vacant landowners that will bring their RV

and just come and go. yes, that is a big part of our market and a big part of the draw. You know, you can be in Denver and to our area, which is going to be on anything south to New Mexico border. In two, two and a half hours, we're right off of the I-25 corridor. So it makes it really convenient. You can live here and still be to Denver International Airport very quickly. And so it's a desirable place to be because of the speed and the quickness in which you can get to any of the amenities that you're needing. Just give us a quick overview. You're in Southern Colorado, but what areas do you particularly or counties that people would recognize that you particularly cover? Sure. Our agency does cover the entire state of Colorado. We have brokers in each part. We also partner with a branch in Montana and we cover New Mexico.

Me specifically where my headquarters are located, that would be in the Werfano County, Levito-Walsenburg area, and Los Angeles County, which would be Trinity. add. So just a little bit south of Pablo on the I-25 quarter. Sure. Yeah. It sounds like you're, you know, you have kind of a deep love for Southern Colorado. And I know, this is just kind of a question that I know I can ask. Not Mike. No, I'm just kidding. But I have a female entrepreneur in the real estate industry, especially in Southern Colorado, what are, you know, some of the challenges you've had and things that you've had to overcome? Sure. You're always going to face challenges of the minority. I remember opening the doors in 2016 and people would come in and say, I need to talk to the boss.

And I'd say, well, you're looking at it. And they would kind of chuckle like, no, really, where's the boss? So being a young female in business is hard to overcome sometimes. But I don't think that that should stop anyone. So me, for example, being in real estate in Southern Colorado, I saw the potential for growth and development. but I also saw that a lot of times those investors were shot down at the government level because we had a lot of government officials that were seated that weren't interested in economic development, tourism or growth for whatever the reason. I said, well, maybe I could also help my community by becoming a part of that government. So I ran for a county commissioner and I was elected the first female and the youngest county

commissioner in history. So I just say to anyone feeling like you're in an industry, that doesn't cater to you or you're a minority in your industry, don't give up, take it to the next level and magical things can happen. Wow. So now we've shifted to personal development goal setting, don't give up, but isn't it true that those principles probably can overlay into your code that we were talking about earlier? I think that is just so perfect.

Absolutely. Well, I tell you, this has been really helpful just getting a breath of fresh air, you know, talking about an area, and again, it's just sticking my mind where you live there and you love it and you're showing people a different lifestyle and probably from the big city, you're throttling back and downshifting, you know, your life and your busyness and it's just such a neat way that you're able to gift that to people. So if someone is interested in looking in your area, what is the best way they can learn more and then also reach out and connect with you? Absolutely. We have agents available around the clock ready to serve. and they can find us at our website, which is www.c.w.c.com, and that's just an acronym for Code of the West. So, again, C-O-T-W real estate.com, or they can always give us a call, and that would be 719-742-3626. And we'd be happy to help in any way. Awesome. Erica, thank you so much for coming on. It's been a real pleasure chatting with you.

You as well. Thank you for having me. It was a pleasure. Thank you for listening to the Elite Real Estate Leaders podcast, brought to you by Trailstone Insurance Group. To learn more about the topics mentioned on today's show or listen to past episodes, visit www.org.com.