1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:10,460
Hey there and thank you for joining me for another episode of YQG In Bloom.

2
00:00:10,460 --> 00:00:18,000
My name is Tracy Martens and today I am at Pinnacle Plus Realty with Marco Spurduti

3
00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:20,320
and Jared Dennis.

4
00:00:20,320 --> 00:00:22,160
I'm sorry.

5
00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:27,240
But Pinnacle is going to be celebrating their fifth anniversary coming up March 1st, right?

6
00:00:27,240 --> 00:00:28,800
I believe so, yeah.

7
00:00:28,800 --> 00:00:29,800
Awesome.

8
00:00:29,800 --> 00:00:33,560
Marco, how long have you been here at Pinnacle?

9
00:00:33,560 --> 00:00:36,760
I've been at Pinnacle for about three years.

10
00:00:36,760 --> 00:00:38,640
Are you a real estate agent?

11
00:00:38,640 --> 00:00:40,640
Yes, I'm a real estate agent.

12
00:00:40,640 --> 00:00:45,360
I was at a different brokerage before and then decided to move over to Pinnacle.

13
00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:46,840
So yeah, it's been great.

14
00:00:46,840 --> 00:00:48,840
And you've been here for three years as well?

15
00:00:48,840 --> 00:00:51,000
Yep, I've been here for three years.

16
00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:57,240
Myself, I was working in a bank and then I came here to Pinnacle Plus.

17
00:00:57,240 --> 00:01:01,040
Marco, what made you decide to come to Pinnacle?

18
00:01:01,040 --> 00:01:03,320
What made this a good fit for you?

19
00:01:03,320 --> 00:01:09,000
I had done a deal with Ed Azar and coincidentally our fathers did many dealings back in the

20
00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:10,000
day.

21
00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:14,840
My dad was a banker and Ed's dad was a developer and he enticed me to come over and just to

22
00:01:14,840 --> 00:01:19,120
talk to him and Larry and it's incredible the amount of support that I got.

23
00:01:19,120 --> 00:01:23,640
So with educating, mentoring, awesome place to be at.

24
00:01:23,640 --> 00:01:25,920
The real estate agency is local.

25
00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:28,840
It is from the Windsor-Essex County area, correct?

26
00:01:28,840 --> 00:01:36,680
Yes, we have other branches in the United States but we do have most of our main work

27
00:01:36,680 --> 00:01:38,960
here is in Windsor and Essex County.

28
00:01:38,960 --> 00:01:42,960
We have a branch in Kingsville and then in Plymouth like I said.

29
00:01:42,960 --> 00:01:49,280
And John Eshak is the broker record and then Ed Azar, Larry Pickle and Mack Laforest, they're

30
00:01:49,280 --> 00:01:50,280
all kind of co-owners.

31
00:01:50,280 --> 00:01:51,280
Okay, excellent.

32
00:01:51,280 --> 00:01:54,280
And we're their minions.

33
00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:57,080
And people can purchase over in the states as well.

34
00:01:57,080 --> 00:01:59,880
So it's really nice that you guys have the back and forth.

35
00:01:59,880 --> 00:02:00,880
For sure, for sure.

36
00:02:00,880 --> 00:02:07,760
Both myself and Jared have referred a few clients over to our broker there Mack who

37
00:02:07,760 --> 00:02:14,120
does the majority of the work there and he's helped all our friends find homes, investment

38
00:02:14,120 --> 00:02:15,600
properties.

39
00:02:15,600 --> 00:02:20,160
Definitely an added bonus of working here at Pinnacle Plus, that's for sure.

40
00:02:20,160 --> 00:02:23,880
And how many real estate agents are at Pinnacle Plus?

41
00:02:23,880 --> 00:02:27,280
You'd have to definitely ask Michelle or Ed but I think there's about 30.

42
00:02:27,280 --> 00:02:28,280
Approximately.

43
00:02:28,280 --> 00:02:34,040
And then I think there's four in Kingsville and then a couple in the states.

44
00:02:34,040 --> 00:02:35,040
Yeah, 30 in general.

45
00:02:35,040 --> 00:02:39,800
We'll flow between all of our offices so we can help people in Essex County everywhere

46
00:02:39,800 --> 00:02:43,640
from Sarnia to Chatham to Windsor, Essex.

47
00:02:43,640 --> 00:02:47,160
And now I know for you Mark, you also used to flip homes.

48
00:02:47,160 --> 00:02:48,480
Do you still do that?

49
00:02:48,480 --> 00:02:54,960
Now I'm more customer focused and if somebody's looking for a flip I help them shop for one

50
00:02:54,960 --> 00:02:57,880
but I know what I'm looking for in that situation.

51
00:02:57,880 --> 00:03:02,800
Bad wiring, bad plumbing, things that we can add value to, changing old kitchens and kind

52
00:03:02,800 --> 00:03:04,820
of the cost involved in some of that.

53
00:03:04,820 --> 00:03:10,520
So I have a few clients that trust my opinions and help make them a lot of money.

54
00:03:10,520 --> 00:03:12,520
Now did you enjoy?

55
00:03:12,520 --> 00:03:14,120
I loved flipping, yeah.

56
00:03:14,120 --> 00:03:16,440
It was a real fun process but it's a lot of work.

57
00:03:16,440 --> 00:03:21,800
So HGTV is a line to people, it's not easy and it takes more than a weekend.

58
00:03:21,800 --> 00:03:26,600
It's a lot of work but if you take pride in what you do and you really love it then I

59
00:03:26,600 --> 00:03:30,520
said there's money to be made, you change a property to somebody who's really going

60
00:03:30,520 --> 00:03:33,640
to enjoy it and it's kind of a win-win all around.

61
00:03:33,640 --> 00:03:34,640
Well it's rewarding.

62
00:03:34,640 --> 00:03:35,640
Sure, of course.

63
00:03:35,640 --> 00:03:40,120
I mean nothing better than going in and seeing what it was and then at the end.

64
00:03:40,120 --> 00:03:41,640
But we've both seen bad flips.

65
00:03:41,640 --> 00:03:43,200
Oh yeah, that's for sure.

66
00:03:43,200 --> 00:03:45,880
I mean they're all over the place, right?

67
00:03:45,880 --> 00:03:47,560
But you've got to be really careful.

68
00:03:47,560 --> 00:03:51,080
Lipstick on a pig, you see that quite a bit.

69
00:03:51,080 --> 00:03:56,280
You can only polish that turd so much before it's...

70
00:03:56,280 --> 00:04:02,120
Now you, Jared, you own rental properties or you used to?

71
00:04:02,120 --> 00:04:07,540
Yeah, so kind of how I started, I worked at a credit union that Pinnacle Plus ends up

72
00:04:07,540 --> 00:04:08,960
banking at.

73
00:04:08,960 --> 00:04:11,520
So they kind of drew me away from that and brought me here.

74
00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:17,520
My family owned, or a family member owned some rental property and while they were away

75
00:04:17,520 --> 00:04:23,160
in Toronto area they trusted me with kind of managing everything down here for them.

76
00:04:23,160 --> 00:04:28,620
And yeah, I got some experience flipping those properties over, managing some lease agreements

77
00:04:28,620 --> 00:04:29,620
and stuff like that.

78
00:04:29,620 --> 00:04:35,480
So really it all kind of came together once these guys kind of reached out to me and brought

79
00:04:35,480 --> 00:04:36,480
me here.

80
00:04:36,480 --> 00:04:42,360
Well it's nice to have that extra experience on both sides to be able to help any of your

81
00:04:42,360 --> 00:04:48,840
clients if they want to purchase a rental property or flip a house, which I would be

82
00:04:48,840 --> 00:04:52,120
completely lost at both of them.

83
00:04:52,120 --> 00:04:57,640
Now Jared, when we were talking earlier about First Time Homeowners, you were telling me

84
00:04:57,640 --> 00:05:03,600
about a lot of different incentives and various grants that are out there.

85
00:05:03,600 --> 00:05:06,880
And not just for First Time Homeowners, for anybody really.

86
00:05:06,880 --> 00:05:12,200
Yeah, there's a lot to be definitely looked at.

87
00:05:12,200 --> 00:05:17,080
You might not qualify for every single one, but there definitely is a lot of government

88
00:05:17,080 --> 00:05:18,160
incentives.

89
00:05:18,160 --> 00:05:25,200
Some of them have to do with being eco-friendly or even just as simple as putting your money

90
00:05:25,200 --> 00:05:29,700
in certain savings accounts so that way you save money on taxes.

91
00:05:29,700 --> 00:05:32,400
So yeah, there's different strategies for different buyers.

92
00:05:32,400 --> 00:05:36,480
Oh and it's nice for you guys to be able to help people when they're buying the house

93
00:05:36,480 --> 00:05:39,840
and trying to work out our market right now.

94
00:05:39,840 --> 00:05:41,320
It's just so confusing.

95
00:05:41,320 --> 00:05:47,760
Well and sometimes when we're shopping with First Time Buyers especially, because a lot

96
00:05:47,760 --> 00:05:52,480
of times we'll work together on helping people find a place because there's just so much

97
00:05:52,480 --> 00:05:58,500
to see, we'll not talk people out of a house, but we'll steer them away.

98
00:05:58,500 --> 00:06:03,200
So your eyes are bigger than your stomach right now, right, where they think they can

99
00:06:03,200 --> 00:06:10,200
do every renovation or totally gut a house where they might be biting off more than they

100
00:06:10,200 --> 00:06:11,200
can chew, right?

101
00:06:11,200 --> 00:06:16,600
So it's a real fine line with excitement and cautious optimism, right?

102
00:06:16,600 --> 00:06:21,440
So they both lead to the same thing where you're getting a house, but if you focus too

103
00:06:21,440 --> 00:06:26,720
much on getting those flips or getting a house that you want to make your own or a house

104
00:06:26,720 --> 00:06:32,320
that has character, well you might be just putting yourself at risk for financial duress,

105
00:06:32,320 --> 00:06:33,320
right?

106
00:06:33,320 --> 00:06:38,640
So you really have to look at the fundamentals of a home where there's good bones and good

107
00:06:38,640 --> 00:06:43,120
mechanical and that type of stuff and kind of pick your poison on what you want to update.

108
00:06:43,120 --> 00:06:50,240
Part of our job is more so like coaching these people or our clients, so we have to look

109
00:06:50,240 --> 00:06:54,160
at it from an area of conservatism.

110
00:06:54,160 --> 00:07:01,400
I think both of us with both of our backgrounds, Marco having his flipping background and then

111
00:07:01,400 --> 00:07:06,560
me coming with the banking background too, we're very conservative with all of our clients

112
00:07:06,560 --> 00:07:12,240
and yeah, like Marco said, you have to steer them in the right direction.

113
00:07:12,240 --> 00:07:18,840
There's a lot of lipsticks on pigs out there, so we have to kind of help them find the right

114
00:07:18,840 --> 00:07:19,840
one.

115
00:07:19,840 --> 00:07:23,760
So a lot of times we kind of joke about this, but what we're not here selling houses, we're

116
00:07:23,760 --> 00:07:25,320
here to talk you out of a house.

117
00:07:25,320 --> 00:07:29,560
And if you can ignore what we're saying and it's still the right house for you, then there'll

118
00:07:29,560 --> 00:07:31,800
be no cognitive dissonance.

119
00:07:31,800 --> 00:07:37,960
You'll be passionate about the purchase and really excited about your future, right?

120
00:07:37,960 --> 00:07:41,840
So if we can point out all the bad stuff, because everybody can see the shiny and new,

121
00:07:41,840 --> 00:07:45,840
if we can point out all the bad stuff and you say no, that's something we're willing

122
00:07:45,840 --> 00:07:48,920
to take on, then you're in a good spot.

123
00:07:48,920 --> 00:07:50,120
It's the right house.

124
00:07:50,120 --> 00:07:54,200
It's something that they got to also think about in the long run, like we're talking

125
00:07:54,200 --> 00:07:59,640
about if it's the first time homeowners and it's like, make sure you know the area and

126
00:07:59,640 --> 00:08:01,280
the schools and...

127
00:08:01,280 --> 00:08:03,200
Yeah, location, location, location.

128
00:08:03,200 --> 00:08:05,960
Yeah, you got to look at the big picture and not just a small one.

129
00:08:05,960 --> 00:08:10,800
And a lot of people, they see that picture online and it's like, okay, this is my house

130
00:08:10,800 --> 00:08:14,640
and they get there and it might not be.

131
00:08:14,640 --> 00:08:19,360
It can happen a lot, especially when people are looking at pictures and they can take

132
00:08:19,360 --> 00:08:20,520
it for face value.

133
00:08:20,520 --> 00:08:25,360
But I guess it takes like an expert eye of looking at those pictures every single day

134
00:08:25,360 --> 00:08:30,680
to know where do you nitpick and where do you tell them, this isn't exactly what it

135
00:08:30,680 --> 00:08:31,680
looks like.

136
00:08:31,680 --> 00:08:33,200
The wide angle lens.

137
00:08:33,200 --> 00:08:34,200
Yeah.

138
00:08:34,200 --> 00:08:35,200
It's very deceiving.

139
00:08:35,200 --> 00:08:36,200
Yeah, for sure.

140
00:08:36,200 --> 00:08:37,200
For sure.

141
00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:42,800
I mean, it's great because it sounds like you guys actually really care about your clients

142
00:08:42,800 --> 00:08:46,560
making sure that they are happy at the end of the day.

143
00:08:46,560 --> 00:08:47,560
For sure.

144
00:08:47,560 --> 00:08:48,560
Yeah, of course.

145
00:08:48,560 --> 00:08:52,560
If I was in somebody's house at Christmas because I know they're mad at me, then I did

146
00:08:52,560 --> 00:08:54,600
a bad job, right?

147
00:08:54,600 --> 00:08:59,900
So for the most part, you can be friendly with people and you become friends with people,

148
00:08:59,900 --> 00:09:02,560
but then just as quickly as they come into your life, they leave, right?

149
00:09:02,560 --> 00:09:05,040
And it's really hard holding onto those relationships.

150
00:09:05,040 --> 00:09:09,760
And for the most part, I stay friends with a lot of the people that I help transact houses

151
00:09:09,760 --> 00:09:10,760
with.

152
00:09:10,760 --> 00:09:17,420
And like I said, if you approach this business like that, then you'll do all right.

153
00:09:17,420 --> 00:09:19,680
It's not just a transaction.

154
00:09:19,680 --> 00:09:20,680
That's what we try to avoid.

155
00:09:20,680 --> 00:09:21,680
Oh, that's nice.

156
00:09:21,680 --> 00:09:22,680
Yeah.

157
00:09:22,680 --> 00:09:27,880
Especially if you guys can stay friends with the people afterwards and see them grow in

158
00:09:27,880 --> 00:09:32,640
the house that they bought or maybe even get their next house when they outgrow it.

159
00:09:32,640 --> 00:09:34,760
I saw people actually, I took a call today.

160
00:09:34,760 --> 00:09:38,760
There was somebody that called me asking for referrals.

161
00:09:38,760 --> 00:09:40,600
They said, well, this is what happened with the house.

162
00:09:40,600 --> 00:09:41,600
Can you help me with that?

163
00:09:41,600 --> 00:09:42,800
There was an HVAC problem.

164
00:09:42,800 --> 00:09:48,800
So I gave them a number of another client that I helped buy a house and hopefully it

165
00:09:48,800 --> 00:09:49,800
worked out.

166
00:09:49,800 --> 00:09:52,120
But so you constantly become a resource for them.

167
00:09:52,120 --> 00:09:54,320
It's not just during that one period.

168
00:09:54,320 --> 00:09:57,200
If you do your job well, then they'll keep calling you and say, hey, you have a lot of

169
00:09:57,200 --> 00:09:58,200
connections.

170
00:09:58,200 --> 00:09:59,680
What do you think I should do in this situation?

171
00:09:59,680 --> 00:10:00,680
Yeah.

172
00:10:00,680 --> 00:10:01,680
That's great.

173
00:10:01,680 --> 00:10:02,680
It's like an ongoing relationship.

174
00:10:02,680 --> 00:10:03,680
Yeah.

175
00:10:03,680 --> 00:10:05,040
It's always great to get to know people, right?

176
00:10:05,040 --> 00:10:10,600
Like you said, you want to sustain a relationship, but it's hard because you know so many people

177
00:10:10,600 --> 00:10:16,280
coming from this industry, but it's always good to at least get to know people and connect

178
00:10:16,280 --> 00:10:17,720
throughout the community, right?

179
00:10:17,720 --> 00:10:18,720
Yeah, it is.

180
00:10:18,720 --> 00:10:20,360
It is really joyous.

181
00:10:20,360 --> 00:10:21,800
And Jared brought up an excellent point.

182
00:10:21,800 --> 00:10:24,360
He said one word that really stood out was community.

183
00:10:24,360 --> 00:10:29,020
For the most part, I think most realtors tend to be or try to be as generous as possible

184
00:10:29,020 --> 00:10:30,960
with the community involvement.

185
00:10:30,960 --> 00:10:33,720
You'll see a lot of active activity, right?

186
00:10:33,720 --> 00:10:36,080
For me, Goodfellows is very important.

187
00:10:36,080 --> 00:10:37,760
I try to sponsor as much as I can.

188
00:10:37,760 --> 00:10:39,680
Jared, I know you do a few things.

189
00:10:39,680 --> 00:10:41,520
Yeah, I've done a few things.

190
00:10:41,520 --> 00:10:45,000
One of the ones that I've done is the Windsor Pride Fest.

191
00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:50,320
Something that I like and enjoy to go to and like to support.

192
00:10:50,320 --> 00:10:51,320
Just part of community, right?

193
00:10:51,320 --> 00:10:52,320
And building those relationships, right?

194
00:10:52,320 --> 00:10:53,800
So it's all part of that.

195
00:10:53,800 --> 00:10:55,200
Well, that's great.

196
00:10:55,200 --> 00:10:59,880
Now, did you go to the True Fest that we just had in Amersburg?

197
00:10:59,880 --> 00:11:06,960
No, I didn't get a chance to go out to that one, but I was at the Pride Fest this year

198
00:11:06,960 --> 00:11:10,400
and I have been in previous years, it's just that I was able to sponsor it this year.

199
00:11:10,400 --> 00:11:12,000
So that was nice to do.

200
00:11:12,000 --> 00:11:18,360
I have not hit the Pride Fest yet and I'm looking forward to it because it looks like

201
00:11:18,360 --> 00:11:19,360
it's a lot of fun.

202
00:11:19,360 --> 00:11:20,360
You should have won.

203
00:11:20,360 --> 00:11:21,360
He was giving Lady Gaga tickets away, I think, right?

204
00:11:21,360 --> 00:11:22,360
No, I thought about it.

205
00:11:22,360 --> 00:11:29,000
I did thought about it, but I ended up giving a giveaway to a couple nights stay at an Airbnb.

206
00:11:29,000 --> 00:11:31,360
So that was fun, too.

207
00:11:31,360 --> 00:11:37,320
Well, see, here you get real estate agents, you get Lady Gaga tickets, pretend.

208
00:11:37,320 --> 00:11:40,320
Or we can drive around and listen to Lady Gaga.

209
00:11:40,320 --> 00:11:41,320
There you go.

210
00:11:41,320 --> 00:11:42,320
Hey.

211
00:11:42,320 --> 00:11:49,880
OK, now, I know a lot of people have so many misconceptions with the market, whether you're

212
00:11:49,880 --> 00:11:54,800
purchasing a house, selling a house, and it's not just now, it seems forever.

213
00:11:54,800 --> 00:11:58,600
Everybody's always thinking, oh, we're on an upswing or we're on a downswing.

214
00:11:58,600 --> 00:12:05,080
How do you ease people's nerves going into either selling their houses or buying a house?

215
00:12:05,080 --> 00:12:14,060
I don't know about you, but for me, I always think about, OK, how would I be in this situation?

216
00:12:14,060 --> 00:12:20,320
And I'm always one to kind of go for it, but from a conservative perspective.

217
00:12:20,320 --> 00:12:26,280
So if anybody's having any jitters about putting that offer in and they see the dollar value

218
00:12:26,280 --> 00:12:30,120
that they're putting in, for example, or the deposit amount that they put in, you have

219
00:12:30,120 --> 00:12:34,880
to come from a place of encouragement and letting them know that you're going to be

220
00:12:34,880 --> 00:12:39,040
subject to market fluctuation, subject to market fluctuation.

221
00:12:39,040 --> 00:12:41,220
But you're growing.

222
00:12:41,220 --> 00:12:42,820
You're moving forward in your life.

223
00:12:42,820 --> 00:12:47,080
So you kind of have to remind them that like this is this is a positive thing and you're

224
00:12:47,080 --> 00:12:49,320
headed in the right direction.

225
00:12:49,320 --> 00:12:51,740
That's kind of the perspective that I always come at it with.

226
00:12:51,740 --> 00:12:54,200
And I always I'm big on the I think both of us are.

227
00:12:54,200 --> 00:12:58,640
But education, the most anxiety comes when people are not educated.

228
00:12:58,640 --> 00:13:03,480
So when I'm helping somebody buy a house for the first time, our first meeting might happen

229
00:13:03,480 --> 00:13:05,880
six months before we actually buy a house.

230
00:13:05,880 --> 00:13:10,200
But through that whole time period, you're nursing their questions and you're reinforcing

231
00:13:10,200 --> 00:13:12,140
their feelings.

232
00:13:12,140 --> 00:13:14,560
And then for sellers as well, it's the same thing.

233
00:13:14,560 --> 00:13:16,600
Hey, you're looking at selling.

234
00:13:16,600 --> 00:13:18,480
Well, that's not happening tomorrow.

235
00:13:18,480 --> 00:13:21,880
Let's figure out how we can earn you top dollar.

236
00:13:21,880 --> 00:13:24,240
And it's once again, it becomes education.

237
00:13:24,240 --> 00:13:28,400
So that's kind of kind of the approach that that I take.

238
00:13:28,400 --> 00:13:33,720
So that makes it easier to have that good relationship and have them be happy with either

239
00:13:33,720 --> 00:13:35,720
their purchase or their sales.

240
00:13:35,720 --> 00:13:36,720
For sure.

241
00:13:36,720 --> 00:13:37,720
For sure.

242
00:13:37,720 --> 00:13:39,460
The realtors in Windsor, Essex are really pro.

243
00:13:39,460 --> 00:13:43,360
You learn that when you go into different markets or when other agents come from different

244
00:13:43,360 --> 00:13:44,360
markets.

245
00:13:44,360 --> 00:13:48,680
I think for the most part, we have a really good group of people that operate with a lot

246
00:13:48,680 --> 00:13:52,620
of integrity and I learn a lot from other agents every day, especially ones with a lot

247
00:13:52,620 --> 00:13:55,160
of experience and how they operate.

248
00:13:55,160 --> 00:13:59,640
And I think for the most part, agents in the area operate that way with not too much pressure.

249
00:13:59,640 --> 00:14:02,320
I agree with you 100 percent.

250
00:14:02,320 --> 00:14:04,880
And that's something that I would love to educate people on.

251
00:14:04,880 --> 00:14:09,280
The community, it's we're in competition with each other, but we still work together.

252
00:14:09,280 --> 00:14:13,320
So I might have a buyer for your property.

253
00:14:13,320 --> 00:14:17,400
And I'm bringing my buyer to you and we work together as a professional to make sure everybody's

254
00:14:17,400 --> 00:14:19,040
happy at the end.

255
00:14:19,040 --> 00:14:21,980
Even though we're in competition, we still work together.

256
00:14:21,980 --> 00:14:24,480
It's not me versus them type of attitude for the most part.

257
00:14:24,480 --> 00:14:31,660
And you learn really quick the smoothest transactions and the realtors that help get deals done.

258
00:14:31,660 --> 00:14:34,440
So it's a really good working relationship.

259
00:14:34,440 --> 00:14:39,640
It goes like that, I feel like in a lot of industries in Windsor and Essex County.

260
00:14:39,640 --> 00:14:42,240
Everybody knows everybody, very tight knit community.

261
00:14:42,240 --> 00:14:48,040
So you see everybody like I do cornhole on Wednesdays out in McGregor.

262
00:14:48,040 --> 00:14:52,040
And I'm not out in the county very much, but on that day I see a bunch of realtors that

263
00:14:52,040 --> 00:14:53,560
are there playing alongside me.

264
00:14:53,560 --> 00:14:54,560
So it's nice.

265
00:14:54,560 --> 00:14:58,800
But like, yeah, it's a big tight knit, I would say, family.

266
00:14:58,800 --> 00:15:01,040
That's what I always told my son when he was growing up.

267
00:15:01,040 --> 00:15:06,120
It's like Windsor and Essex County may seem like it's big, but honestly, everybody knows

268
00:15:06,120 --> 00:15:09,480
everybody or at least there's that six degrees of separation.

269
00:15:09,480 --> 00:15:10,480
For sure.

270
00:15:10,480 --> 00:15:11,480
For sure.

271
00:15:11,480 --> 00:15:12,800
How do you see yourself?

272
00:15:12,800 --> 00:15:14,520
I like where I'm at right now.

273
00:15:14,520 --> 00:15:17,900
I don't know, more importantly, like in the future where I want to be is just a really

274
00:15:17,900 --> 00:15:18,900
focused dad.

275
00:15:18,900 --> 00:15:19,900
Yeah.

276
00:15:19,900 --> 00:15:23,920
That's a lot more because this job does take a lot away from you.

277
00:15:23,920 --> 00:15:25,640
So that's where I see myself in the future.

278
00:15:25,640 --> 00:15:31,400
I want to focus more on balancing my life and that's always a constant evolution.

279
00:15:31,400 --> 00:15:34,400
I like that answer.

280
00:15:34,400 --> 00:15:35,400
Yeah, communication.

281
00:15:35,400 --> 00:15:37,320
Like communication.

282
00:15:37,320 --> 00:15:38,520
So I was very fortunate.

283
00:15:38,520 --> 00:15:42,080
I used to work at Families First as a director and I've been a funeral director for about

284
00:15:42,080 --> 00:15:47,120
20 years and they sent me to Dale Carnegie Training, which was wonderful.

285
00:15:47,120 --> 00:15:51,640
So yeah, so it helps with communication, listening, that type of stuff.

286
00:15:51,640 --> 00:15:52,840
So those are different things.

287
00:15:52,840 --> 00:15:53,840
It's self-improvement.

288
00:15:53,840 --> 00:15:55,760
Not necessarily, I'm content in my business.

289
00:15:55,760 --> 00:15:58,140
I'm content with the people that trust me.

290
00:15:58,140 --> 00:16:04,480
So if I grow, great, but if it's at the detriment of my personal life and my family life, then

291
00:16:04,480 --> 00:16:05,480
I don't need that.

292
00:16:05,480 --> 00:16:06,480
I don't need that headache.

293
00:16:06,480 --> 00:16:10,760
I really love the people that I work with and if clients trust me, then I'm happy to

294
00:16:10,760 --> 00:16:11,760
work with them too.

295
00:16:11,760 --> 00:16:13,680
That's where I see my life.

296
00:16:13,680 --> 00:16:14,680
You know what?

297
00:16:14,680 --> 00:16:15,920
That is a perfect answer.

298
00:16:15,920 --> 00:16:17,480
Now how many kids do you have?

299
00:16:17,480 --> 00:16:19,560
You should ask my wife.

300
00:16:19,560 --> 00:16:22,800
So me and my wife, we have two kids.

301
00:16:22,800 --> 00:16:23,800
She says three.

302
00:16:23,800 --> 00:16:24,800
She says three.

303
00:16:24,800 --> 00:16:27,160
She includes me in that mess, right?

304
00:16:27,160 --> 00:16:29,320
So Elizabeth kind of manages our whole life.

305
00:16:29,320 --> 00:16:32,480
If it wasn't for her, we would disintegrate.

306
00:16:32,480 --> 00:16:33,480
So yeah.

307
00:16:33,480 --> 00:16:34,480
Good answer.

308
00:16:34,480 --> 00:16:37,480
Yeah, yeah.

309
00:16:37,480 --> 00:16:40,120
So anyway.

310
00:16:40,120 --> 00:16:41,120
And then...

311
00:16:41,120 --> 00:16:44,200
Yeah, I have one on the way actually.

312
00:16:44,200 --> 00:16:48,920
We're pretty excited about that, but yeah, just going to be new in that sort of part

313
00:16:48,920 --> 00:16:49,920
of life.

314
00:16:49,920 --> 00:16:50,920
That's exciting.

315
00:16:50,920 --> 00:16:51,920
Yeah, we're very excited.

316
00:16:51,920 --> 00:16:55,000
And kind of nerve-racking at the same time.

317
00:16:55,000 --> 00:16:59,360
Yeah, I can be, but my wife is pretty good at...

318
00:16:59,360 --> 00:17:06,160
Like you said, I would disintegrate if I didn't have her because she's been babysitting from

319
00:17:06,160 --> 00:17:07,160
a very young age.

320
00:17:07,160 --> 00:17:13,480
And I'll lean in on her skills and abilities during that time a lot.

321
00:17:13,480 --> 00:17:15,000
That's great.

322
00:17:15,000 --> 00:17:21,400
And I mean, having a wonderful family life really helps enhance the work life.

323
00:17:21,400 --> 00:17:23,360
It sounds like you guys have great lives.

324
00:17:23,360 --> 00:17:24,760
Yeah, you know what?

325
00:17:24,760 --> 00:17:25,760
Life is good.

326
00:17:25,760 --> 00:17:26,760
Life is good.

327
00:17:26,760 --> 00:17:27,760
And if it's not, then it'll get better.

328
00:17:27,760 --> 00:17:28,760
It always does.

329
00:17:28,760 --> 00:17:29,760
It changes, it evolves.

330
00:17:29,760 --> 00:17:30,760
Yeah, it's a natural flow, right?

331
00:17:30,760 --> 00:17:31,760
Exactly.

332
00:17:31,760 --> 00:17:36,760
I really want to thank both of you guys for being here today.

333
00:17:36,760 --> 00:17:38,320
Yeah, it was a lot of fun.

334
00:17:38,320 --> 00:17:40,680
And again, my name is Tracy Martens.

335
00:17:40,680 --> 00:17:46,200
Please make sure that you subscribe and like YQG In Bloom.

336
00:17:46,200 --> 00:17:54,040
And we want to wish Pinnacle Plus Realty a happy fifth anniversary.

337
00:17:54,040 --> 00:18:03,640
You guys all have a great day.