Michael Conrad

Everyone, Michael Conrad here with the Business of Homes podcast, I keep trying to do an intro for all of my lovely guests, and I keep forgetting because I’m having such a great time talking with them once again. We have a great guest today, Lila McCann, who some of you know from the music world. She was a successful recording artist for a number of years, but has gotten a lot more involved, of course, in real estate.

 

00:00:54:13 – 00:01:06:08

Michael Conrad

And so she’s an experienced realtor and with a lot to share. And I think a really interesting story about how she came to Nashville for the music but stayed for the real estate.

 

00:01:06:10 – 00:01:28:01

Lila McCann

Right? Because there’s an article in The New York Times about the music industry right now. It’s long and there’s a lot of truth to it. But when one music executive was saying, like, there’s so many people that came to Nashville for music and they’re amazing. They’re in real estate. They sell houses. And I was like, Yeah, that sounds familiar.

 

00:01:28:05 – 00:02:03:07

Michael Conrad

Okay, so that’s not just a funny truism, though. I think it there’s an interplay there that the business practice mindset, even just how you conduct yourself as an artist and a performer, that it has carryover components and that it has elements that convey into another thing where you think to yourself, like, what am I going to do with myself now that I’m not going to be a full time singer songwriter or an artist or performer or whatever, and you’re sort of looking at all the different, you know, industries and professions, avenues, and you’re saying, Well, what can I do?

 

00:02:03:07 – 00:02:11:02

Michael Conrad

And I don’t know if a lot of people put this together, but it’s certainly, I think, true and that a lot of those skills lend. So I’m trying to chase them So.

 

00:02:11:02 – 00:02:11:13

Lila McCann

Similar.

 

00:02:11:15 – 00:02:14:19

Michael Conrad

What your experience was in business?

 

00:02:14:20 – 00:02:41:02

Lila McCann

Well, I will say that my parlay into real estate wasn’t an attempt to shift from music to real estate. I it happened because I was my current broker at IMW real estate is Nathan Weinberg and Nathan and Steve maybe were building all these houses and he’s Nashville and my ex-husband and I had moved. We got the boom out of 12 South.

 

00:02:41:02 – 00:02:43:13

Lila McCann

We made our money and we crossed the river.

 

00:02:43:15 – 00:02:46:06

Michael Conrad

And it’s not usually the direction.

 

00:02:46:09 – 00:03:19:14

Lila McCann

I know, right? We went back and we were actually so glad that we did at the time that we did 2015 and Nathan and Steve were building were in the process of bidding out a custom home build for us during that time. Nathan and I became real good friends. My ex-husband and I got divorced. And so during the process of like they were ready to bid the job, and I was, I had to call him and be like, I know we have everything, like ready to go and locked and loaded.

 

00:03:19:16 – 00:03:33:17

Lila McCann

And we had sold our house in East Nashville that we had purchased, and we made great money on that too. So we were just kind of sitting in a rental waiting to build. And I said, I can’t have you beat the job. We’re getting divorced and we’re going to offload that piece of property. It was an acre and.

 

00:03:33:17 – 00:03:59:21

Lila McCann

Donaldson Which I wish I would have held on to. And but I said so, you know, this is a totally I have only been writing songs. I’ve been staying home with two small kids for the last eight years. I don’t know what I’m going to do. So it’s either like try to revive a music career that I haven’t really been active in in ten years or more or pivot.

 

00:03:59:23 – 00:04:20:20

Lila McCann

And he said, Have you ever thought about selling real estate? And I said, I actually have. I used to, like, make my own makeshift comps for friends when they were looking for new houses and all the homes that we owned. I have found myself, you know, I worked with an agent, but I ended up being the one to like, dig down deep to find like random listings and things like that.

 

00:04:20:20 – 00:04:53:21

Lila McCann

And you know, call builders and just all the stuff. And I said, So it’s something I’ve thought about but not really pursued. And when I lived in Los Angeles, my manager at the time had a part time business flipping houses, but they were high end homes, so million to $2 million homes. And so when I wasn’t on the road and was living there at like 19 years old by myself because I had to be independent, I was doing like day to day job site management for her.

 

00:04:53:21 – 00:05:16:20

Lila McCann

I was checking the roof and making sure like everything was put in, making sure orders were placed like. So I had a little bit of knowledge about real estate and construction and long story short, I met Nathan Weinberg the day after our phone call. I started real estate school a few months later. I tried to do it online.

 

00:05:16:20 – 00:05:42:13

Lila McCann

I don’t learn that way. So it was a long, tumultuous process. But he encouraged and kind of stood by me through that whole period of time. And so when I did get my license, I didn’t even have a conversation with another agency. I was like, I like this. It’s kind of family vibe. I’m new, I’ve got mentors and, you know, I’ve been there since then with a brief stint during COVID elsewhere.

 

00:05:42:13 – 00:05:44:04

Lila McCann

But, you know.

 

00:05:44:06 – 00:05:45:09

Michael Conrad

We all did something different.

 

00:05:45:11 – 00:06:05:12

Lila McCann

Yeah, I was like, Let me change it up. After about ten months, I’m like, Yeah, I kind of miss my people. Yeah. So. So it wasn’t like a conscious decision, but so many of those things transitioned well, because when you’re selling real estate, you’re connecting people with homes or people with ways to invest their money and build generational wealth.

 

00:06:05:12 – 00:06:20:09

Lila McCann

And when you’re in the music business, you’re connecting people with music and feelings. And it’s it’s a very similar plane of thought and it’s just a people business and I’m really good at people. So I thought, okay, I can do this.

 

00:06:20:10 – 00:06:47:14

Michael Conrad

I can connect to those people. Yeah, yeah. I, I think that as a performer, you spend a lot of time thinking about creating a product. Yeah. And connecting with an audience in that product. And real estate is different in that way. It’s probably the biggest difference from any sort of artist or performance based career is that you’re not really creating a product in quite the same way you’re now delivering a service.

 

00:06:47:19 – 00:06:54:23

Michael Conrad

Now you can start to talk about the interplay between those two things of like, Oh well, the product is you and your business are selling and that kind of thing.

 

00:06:54:23 – 00:07:03:09

Lila McCann

But, but at the end of the day, it’s really more about data numbers and what’s going to make me the most money, not as an agent, but as somebody who’s buying real estate. Right.

 

00:07:03:10 – 00:07:28:15

Michael Conrad

And and so, you know, let’s go back let’s go back to when you were first in music business and you were doing that. What did you learn along the way that kind of helped you understand, Oh, this isn’t just performance, this isn’t just passion. There is a business behind music because I think when we the learn for, you know, folks like yourself that were in the music business, what those things are, we’ll start to see the connections back to real estate to.

 

00:07:28:19 – 00:07:45:03

Lila McCann

I mean I think I will say there’s a lot of connectors. One of the biggest struggles that I’ve had is I started the music business at such a young age. I was 15 years old. I was in high school, I was in high school, and I was touring on tour with George Strait on the weekends. Like it was crazy and amazing.

 

00:07:45:05 – 00:08:09:18

Lila McCann

However, I was basically I was very motivated. So, you know, I love to work and do things, but you know, in that area you’re given a schedule and you show up and do your job at the time you’re called and that, you know, in a sense and you perform. And so outside of just having like a songwriting schedule, I had never had to self start anything.

 

00:08:09:18 – 00:08:32:20

Lila McCann

I didn’t have a schedule. I did whatever I wanted whenever I wanted, unless I was told to be somewhere, right. You know? And so that was and still is a struggle for me from a business mindset, because if I don’t block my time accordingly, I’m wasting it. And so that’s been something that I’ve had to learn to get better at.

 

00:08:32:22 – 00:08:52:23

Lila McCann

But it is sales and it’s selling yourself and also selling your knowledge, set your knowledge base and that you know what you’re talking about and admitting when you don’t know what you’re talking about and asking the right people for the guidance and the answers that you need and being okay with saying, Hey, I don’t know the answer, let me find it for you.

 

00:08:53:01 – 00:09:15:04

Lila McCann

And that’s hard because, you know, surviving in the music business is ego. And in real estate, you kind of have to put that ego on a shelf and just listen and for somebody that’s used to talking, learning how to listen is been great, but also eye opening.

 

00:09:15:06 – 00:09:51:18

Michael Conrad

Yeah, I would say that that has been a really similar experience for me. I came from the world of production and performance, not in music, but on the acting side. And you know, you get accustomed to being the one people are looking at and you have to have some of that same motivation and drive that puts you in front of a camera or up on stage or, you know, when you’re sort of building something new a business for yourself or, you know, trying to fill out a career path, you know, on your own.

 

00:09:51:20 – 00:10:03:02

Michael Conrad

But it you’re right, it it really is an essential flip, especially in real estate, where there is a service component and a, you know, less is more. And I am less important.

 

00:10:03:02 – 00:10:04:09

Lila McCann

Less listen more.

 

00:10:04:09 – 00:10:27:14

Michael Conrad

And that and that is tough. That is tough. I’m I’m learning that the hard way every day. Yeah. So but it’s immensely rewarding because when you do get it right and you see the formula start to click into place of it’s not about me, it’s about, you know, helping others and listening. You know, that is, that is the sweetest reward.

 

00:10:27:14 – 00:10:48:09

Michael Conrad

Yeah. Of, of the motivation to continue, you know, early on in any entrepreneur. But I think certainly in real estate it feels good to be visible, to have deals, to be working with some of the same people who recognize you and say, oh, I see you, you’re doing great or whatever. And so that immediate recognition early in your career feels validating it.

 

00:10:48:09 – 00:11:14:12

Michael Conrad

It feels similar to those performance sort of energy of like, Oh, I’m being recognized. They see me, I’m not invisible. Yeah. Which I think as a performer is an important piece of the culture that you learn. Like, don’t be invisible. Yeah, You know, even if you’re, you know, a support role, be extraordinary, you know? And so being extraordinary and being successful in real estate is really different.

 

00:11:14:12 – 00:11:45:16

Lila McCann

Measuring step. Yeah, it really is. And it’s success looks different for everybody. So success for one agent might be selling $10 million worth of real estate a year. For me, success is making great money, but I also want to take vacations with my family during the year and I don’t want to pick up my computer and this past year has been the first year where for me that balance has been really level and wonderful and that has a lot to do with the two partners that I work with, and we’re able to back each other up.

 

00:11:45:16 – 00:11:54:19

Lila McCann

So life has become less stressful and more inspiring and more fun. And so I love that.

 

00:11:54:21 – 00:12:16:00

Michael Conrad

So that’s another easy connection to make. When you start out as a performer, your solo, it’s you, you’re doing it all, you’re driving yourself places, you’re figuring it out, you’re saying yes or no. When the questions are asked of you, it’s all you. And in real estate in the beginning, it can be easy to see that that’s the only path forward is just to do it all on your own.

 

00:12:16:00 – 00:12:43:22

Michael Conrad

And there is good in that. There’s learning in that. But anyone who’s achieved any modicum of success, especially in the music business, begins to surround themselves with a team that provides advice, sounding board support, helping with decision making assistance when you’re not available, that kind of thing. And it’s easy to see that real estate can really run very smoothly and be very successful for all parties when there’s a team format.

 

00:12:43:22 – 00:13:07:15

Lila McCann

Well, and especially when they’re, you know, everybody’s bringing something different to the table because if I’m not great at, I don’t know, whatever kind of spreadsheet you want to look at, I’m going to give you some bad ass creative ideas on how to market your property. So, you know, we all kind of bring different things to the table and it’s been really beneficial in that way.

 

00:13:07:19 – 00:13:16:23

Michael Conrad

So tell me about your team now. What how are your team members complementing you and building a whole that’s greater than the sum of its parts?

 

00:13:17:00 – 00:13:23:19

Lila McCann

Well, so I am and I so we’re not a traditional team, so I’m part of a partnership.

 

00:13:23:21 – 00:13:26:04

Michael Conrad

Is there anything that’s a traditional team? I think it’s I don’t know.

 

00:13:26:04 – 00:13:47:18

Lila McCann

I think it’s whatever you want it to be. I think when people think of teams, they think of the person on the top and all the little peons that fall below it. And and there are teams like that and they’re well-oiled machines and they work wonderfully. My teammates are Chris Billingsley and Jennifer Weinberg, and we started a partnership a little over a year ago called Living True Home Group.

 

00:13:47:20 – 00:14:07:09

Lila McCann

And we had worked together a lot over the last five years. If someone was out of town and I needed backup, I would call Jennifer, I would call Chris vice versa. And then when I went to Reliant for about a year and while I was gone, they continued to take, you know, have a once a week check in, meeting with one another.

 

00:14:07:11 – 00:14:30:17

Lila McCann

And then I when I had come back to M-W, the three of us kind of started doing those things together again. And then the conversation started happening about like, what if we did this together? And what does that look like? And we went to a luncheon, learn about building a top producing team, and we all left that lunch alone and went, well, teamed Not for us because we don’t want to do that like that.

 

00:14:30:19 – 00:14:33:18

Lila McCann

This setup doesn’t interest us.

 

00:14:33:20 – 00:14:36:15

Michael Conrad

And what were they promoting?

 

00:14:36:17 – 00:14:54:00

Lila McCann

It was just a very traditional team like use the risk assessment, have this person do this part of the transaction and that person, and then the top person at the top makes the most money and people get paid based, you know, a very traditional setup. And I don’t think I think for all of us, we all think collaboratively.

 

00:14:54:02 – 00:15:18:03

Lila McCann

So nothing, none of us like the idea of being the one in charge, the one at the top, the the boss, the team lead that it just wasn’t how we envisioned being on a team. And so we had had conversations for a while and Jennifer was in the process of opening a lodging house in Pensacola called Lilly Hall.

 

00:15:18:03 – 00:15:34:19

Lila McCann

So she was selling real estate and being a hotelier at the same time. And she was like, I don’t know what this would look like. I’m not selling a ton of real estate right now. Like you and Chris are busier than I am. But because I’ve got this going on and we were like, we all have passions outside of real estate.

 

00:15:34:19 – 00:15:54:15

Lila McCann

So what if we got together and just supported each other’s passions and then supported each other in real estate? And so we put together this partnership and it is not normal. We split all of our business three ways. All three of us work. All of our clients. If we’ve got listings, two of us work the listing and one person stays out of it.

 

00:15:54:17 – 00:16:25:10

Lila McCann

And that way, if potentially an unrepresented buyer comes in and they need help like we can help them, but it’s still separate and it’s fair and to all parties involved. And so I don’t know how about how much it is they compliment me or help me and we all help each other. Yeah, it’s cool. Chris is like really great at putting together content and social media and she is fantastic.

 

00:16:25:12 – 00:16:50:06

Lila McCann

In a listing presentation, Jennifer is amazing with data and has great ideas and is like her. We all have like little Jennifer doesn’t play like that’s her thing. We’re like, we need somebody to stick system. Like we get Jennifer T-shirts. It’s true. Yeah, she shoots it straight and we all shoot it straight. And I think we all genuinely appreciate the opportunity to help clients.

 

00:16:50:10 – 00:17:11:19

Lila McCann

So, like, the teaching part is really big for us. The education part, yeah. We work with a lot of first time buyers. We work with a lot of single females in a space that is, you know, can be uncomfortable. And buying a house is hard and weird and scary and when you got three moms walking you through the process, you know, I think that helps.

 

00:17:11:19 – 00:17:12:03

Michael Conrad

That is.

 

00:17:12:03 – 00:17:31:15

Lila McCann

Nice. Put people at ease and then I am the I’m the people person. You know I’m I’m great with clients and I love that side of the business. But I also like the going to events and going to entrepreneur breakfasts. And, you know, I’m really active in our local and our real estate association here at Greater National Realtors.

 

00:17:31:16 – 00:17:55:12

Lila McCann

You know, I’m part of the leadership council there. I sit on the board at the LGBTQ Real Estate Alliance, which is tied in with, and I are creating safe spaces for the LGBTQ plus community to, you know, get through that barrier of entry to purchasing a home. And so we all have different things where we shine. And so when we come together, it’s really, really cool.

 

00:17:55:12 – 00:17:57:03

Lila McCann

The synergy is really great.

 

00:17:57:05 – 00:18:02:15

Michael Conrad

Yeah, I think that’s a very special sort of situation and I think it takes trust.

 

00:18:02:16 – 00:18:05:01

Lila McCann

Yeah, a lot of people.

 

00:18:05:03 – 00:18:30:15

Michael Conrad

Would be might maybe uncomfortable, would that? Because you have to be just a never ending contributor because it’s a slippery slope. And if you start to go down the road of who’s doing what, let’s measure it, or let’s erect some sort of quotas or standards where there’s a minimum contribution, then you’re focused on sort of the dark side of the coin of like, what am I missing out on or what are others not doing?

 

00:18:30:15 – 00:18:57:01

Michael Conrad

But if you focus on the light side of it and say, well, if I’m a just a constant contributor, a cost, a supporter, a constant encourager, then I’m getting out of it what I want. Exactly, I’m probably getting those things as well, at least if it’s mildly healthy. Yeah, and I’m not going to begrudge what’s not being done because I’m focusing on my contribution more than I’m focused on, you know, what am I receiving out of it?

 

00:18:57:06 – 00:19:19:17

Michael Conrad

And of course, these things classically throughout history, you know, these types of partnerships, they do break apart because the tides change, the wind changes, whatever. But I think it’s lovely. I think it’s beautiful. And I’ve heard of a couple partnerships in Nashville like that. They’re rare. Yeah, because I think it relies on a really high level of trust or maybe communication.

 

00:19:19:17 – 00:19:20:07

Michael Conrad

Yes.

 

00:19:20:07 – 00:19:44:02

Lila McCann

And we we have tough conversations. I mean, this has been for me personally, one of the slowest years in real estate I have ever encountered, which is scary. As a team. We’re doing great. Am I busy? Am I working every day? Absolutely. But this year, you know, with the market normalizing a little bit more, I thought, okay, where did I have an opportunity to, like, work with my sphere?

 

00:19:44:02 – 00:20:04:04

Lila McCann

Really work with the ties that I have in the music business? Get in front of those people, because I couldn’t do that during COVID and remind them that I sell real estate and just start planting those seeds. And so that has been a really big part of my year. And I’ve said to both of them this horror, I feel like, you know, I’m not bringing enough to the table.

 

00:20:04:04 – 00:20:12:19

Lila McCann

And that’s really frustrating. And if you guys ever have a problem with that, I need you to let me know. And we’ve all one by one, had these conversations at different times.

 

00:20:12:19 – 00:20:15:03

Michael Conrad

Everybody feels, Hi, everybody feels low, that’s natural.

 

00:20:15:03 – 00:20:40:02

Lila McCann

And they’re like, Lyla, you’re out doing all of the stuff that you’re really, really good at. And then I want to do is brings that we don’t want to do Exactly. So just like I’m over here doing this and I’m good at it. So I think it all, you know, it all builds business. And, you know, I’ve had to learn to be good with that, just as Chris or Jennifer has in times where maybe they’ve had less going on.

 

00:20:40:02 – 00:20:53:10

Lila McCann

And, you know, we always we do support each other so much. So there’s never a time where we don’t have anything to do because there’s always something to do.

 

00:20:53:12 – 00:21:18:07

Jake Hall

Hey, everyone, it’s Jake, director for the Business of Homes Podcast. I hope you’ve been enjoying today’s episode, starting with Layla’s transition from music to real estate, the importance of talk less and less and More, and the origin of Leila’s unique partnership. When we return, Lyla talks about her entrance to Tick Tock and the power that it has, how she is bringing agents together, and how to use your previous connections to further your current career.

 

00:21:18:08 – 00:21:35:08

Jake Hall

Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram @thebusinessofhomespod, where you can interact with us and see some great bite sized pieces from all of our episodes. For you listeners out there, did you know our entire podcast are filmed and are on our YouTube channel? Check it out next time you want to see our amazing guests tell their stories.

 

00:21:35:10 – 00:21:53:14

Jake Hall

And are you currently watching this episode in video format? Don’t forget to follow us in your preferred audio streaming service to take us with you on the go. Lastly, do you have any feedback or want to suggest someone for the show? Email us at thebusinessofhomespodcast@gmail.com. Please enjoy the rest of today’s episode with Leila McCann.

 

00:21:53:16 – 00:21:58:05

Jake Hall

Let’s get back to it.

 

00:21:58:07 – 00:22:18:09

Michael Conrad

There are so many people we were kind of talking about this before we started recording that there are so many people in Nashville that came for the music. Yeah, and stayed for the real estate. Yes. I’m sure there’s other people that came and stayed for something else, but it does feel like I can, off the top of my head, think of a number of people.

 

00:22:18:10 – 00:22:19:20

Lila McCann

Oh yeah, I know so many who.

 

00:22:19:20 – 00:22:49:03

Michael Conrad

Have this really interesting, I think beautiful background because real estate draws from so many things and so I’m always interested to hear the stories of those that were performers because that, of course, you know, is similar to where where I came from. But what is next in for you as you’re looking down the road? You know, does music continue to play a role in your real estate or have you, you know, got plans for something down the road?

 

00:22:49:07 – 00:23:13:15

Lila McCann

Well, it’s interesting because I so I haven’t been super active in the music business and I’m like, well, if I want to make an album another album next year, like I probably need to start like getting some cogs in motion and doing the things and so my 41 year old self last week was like, Oh, I have to get on TikTok, I have to get on TikTok.

 

00:23:13:17 – 00:23:38:02

Lila McCann

And so I did. And but I had said to my partners, and I’m going to be doing this because I need to get some music stuff kind of brewed up and let people know that I’m still here and I’m working on something new and try to see if there’s any excitement out there in regards to me as a performer and do you guys like, is it okay if I talk about our real estate team?

 

00:23:38:04 – 00:23:45:21

Lila McCann

I don’t want to open it up to like random people, like, you know, hitting us up all the time that aren’t interested in real estate. But at the same time.

 

00:23:45:22 – 00:23:48:12

Michael Conrad

That would be terrible. Those random leads would just be terrible.

 

00:23:48:12 – 00:24:08:10

Lila McCann

And I know, right? And Jennifer’s like, Hi, that’s free paid advertisement. Well, they get. So I had posted a little reel on Tik Tok last week, and because people had asked me where I was and why did you quit music and and I didn’t. But, you know, people’s perception is if they don’t see you, you’ve moved. You’re not doing it anymore where you go.

 

00:24:08:10 – 00:24:30:13

Lila McCann

And so you know, I was talking speaking a little bit to that and I said, you know, for the last five years, I’ve I’m a licensed real estate broker in the state of Tennessee, and I talk to clients and help them build generational wealth. And so I just did a little snippet about it. And I had so many I was giving real estate advice in the private messages.

 

00:24:30:15 – 00:24:49:05

Lila McCann

I’ve got this problem and I’m going through this. And I was like, okay, here’s where we need to start. And I would give them like a few things to look at. I don’t know how it is in your state, but this is how it is in ours. And I enjoyed it so much. So I’m like, I guess if it’s an opportunity to, you know, it’s not going to become a real estate page because it’s a music page.

 

00:24:49:05 – 00:24:57:03

Lila McCann

But if it gives me an opportunity to grow our business, then I’m all for that too.

 

00:24:57:05 – 00:24:58:02

Michael Conrad

I mean.

 

00:24:58:04 – 00:25:12:23

Lila McCann

But yeah, I feel like I literally had a fan from Instagram private like message me. And she said, You got to get on TikTok. People like you should look at your hashtags. Like there are people looking for you and they can’t find you. And oh.

 

00:25:12:23 – 00:25:13:10

Michael Conrad

Funny, it’s.

 

00:25:13:10 – 00:25:31:04

Lila McCann

Just your music videos on there, like random people dueting with your music videos. And I don’t know Jack about Tik Tok, so I was like, Could you? I don’t have it like purposefully because I know I will fall down a hole of never and never ending French bulldogs and I will never get out of it. So why I’m like.

 

00:25:31:08 – 00:25:32:08

Michael Conrad

Everybody has a niche.

 

00:25:32:08 – 00:25:41:06

Lila McCann

I know that’s my niche, so I’m staying away. But she’s like, Do you have kids? And I’m like, Yeah, have a 14 and an 11 year old. And she’s like, They’ll show you.

 

00:25:41:11 – 00:25:41:20

Michael Conrad

No, sorry.

 

00:25:41:22 – 00:26:07:10

Lila McCann

So I grabbed my 14 year old and I’m like, Dude, she had like, What’s the deal? I want to post stuff, but I don’t wanna look dumb and old and like, I don’t know what I’m doing. And so that’s been funny, but it’s like also shocking about just the amount of reach that that one platform has. Yeah, I’ve had like half a million views almost in less than ten days.

 

00:26:07:10 – 00:26:08:02

Michael Conrad

Yeah, it’s good.

 

00:26:08:04 – 00:26:23:12

Lila McCann

I’m like, What on earth? So, I mean, it’s exciting because it’s kind of for me, it’s like, Oh, this is good hype. Like I can make a record and people want to listen to it. So that’s kind of fun. But it’s a learning curve too.

 

00:26:23:14 – 00:26:54:11

Michael Conrad

Yeah. Social media continues to evolve in such a way where it’s this necessary evil in some respects, but it’s also kind of it feels magical at some point where it’s like there is this ability to have something work on your behalf. Yeah, and I think that’s a really special thing that is certainly different than what existed when I was in the world of performance, you know, a long time ago, because what you did was very present.

 

00:26:54:11 – 00:27:05:14

Michael Conrad

There was little that could speak on your behalf. And music, of course, did a better job, does a better job of that. You could send out a tape or, you know, do right or I guess a CD or whatever.

 

00:27:05:14 – 00:27:07:09

Lila McCann

But your identity.

 

00:27:07:11 – 00:27:33:20

Michael Conrad

And people could listen. But I think that’s an important piece as we think about real estate of what are the durable, lasting things that are speak for us. Yeah. You know, like what are our clients consuming or what is the public that’s around us consuming because they’re consuming something? Yeah. And so how can we be contributors to that conversation that either enriches our current audience or brings a wider audience?

 

00:27:33:20 – 00:27:48:05

Michael Conrad

And so, yeah, TikTok and Instagram and these various platforms have a really important role to play and it’s you’ve got to harness it. It’s like fire or something.

 

00:27:48:05 – 00:28:12:11

Lila McCann

It’s like I listened to Marie Lee’s podcast with y’all, which was great. I love Marie. She connected me with the most wonderful referral agent in North Carolina, and I will forever be thankful to her for that. But that’s like the same thing. It’s connecting people, like even agents. And, you know, I think for us it’s been like a kind of not trial and error, but like we always want to put educational pieces out there.

 

00:28:12:11 – 00:28:29:19

Lila McCann

Like if you’re not adding value to a client or a potential client move, get out the way somebody else will. And we’re in a business of educating people. And I, I recall, like the first couple of homes I bought, I couldn’t have told you what was on the purchase and sale agreement. Just tell me where to sign it.

 

00:28:29:21 – 00:28:50:18

Lila McCann

And the thought of asking, especially like a first time home buyer just throwing a bunch of paperwork at them and saying it’s all good. Like, here’s kind of what it’s about, makes my skin crawl. Like, I can’t imagine how that would feel. Well, I can, and that’s why I don’t do it that way. But, you know, we’ve had to like, see what works.

 

00:28:50:18 – 00:29:01:14

Lila McCann

Like, we like to have fun, but we want to educate and what are people responding to and trying to find that balance. So we’re not stuffy, but it’s not just like boring home tours and yeah.

 

00:29:01:17 – 00:29:31:03

Michael Conrad

And the platforms are all really different. Each one has a different type of flavor, a different audience. Yeah. And so I think that’s an education that I’m still getting. And I’m grateful to, you know, folks that are tip of the spear, like Marie, who are helping the larger real estate community, myself included, kind of try to wrap your mind a little bit more around how do we do what we love, How do we let other people know about what we’re doing that we love.

 

00:29:31:03 – 00:29:32:16

Lila McCann

And how do we do it authentically.

 

00:29:32:16 – 00:30:00:10

Michael Conrad

And exactly how do we not make it look like it’s canned content? And so that can be really difficult. And I think that, again, tying back to music, the authenticity in the product, your creation, so let’s get away from the idea of real estate agent as service person at the moment. And so now let’s talk about, you know, oh, you’re creating content for an audience, whether it’s a newsletter or whether it’s an educational class or whether it’s, you know, a real on Instagram, you’re creating a product and that is similar to music.

 

00:30:00:10 – 00:30:37:12

Michael Conrad

And so you’ve got to have and maintain a level of authenticity in what it is that you’re presenting, you know, how you’re presenting it and the channels in which you’re delivering it to people. And that’s of course, where social media comes in. And so that has been the the name of the game for me right now in my business is trying to create not only educational content but very authentic, where people are saying, okay, this has been presented to me at face value so that I can benefit from it, not so that he can benefit from it.

 

00:30:37:13 – 00:30:53:11

Michael Conrad

And of course, we’re all in business, not in nonprofits. So there is still business practice in angling and sort of intention, but it’s about making sure that the real you and the real reasons are showing through.

 

00:30:53:11 – 00:31:16:20

Lila McCann

Yeah, for sure. It’s true. We had a we had a listing in East Nashville over in Shelby Hills, and Jennifer had this I thought it was just a fabulous idea to bring the realtor community together. The market is weird right now. It’s a little quieter than we’re used to. Interest rates are in the sevens, people are, you know, just pressing pause a little bit.

 

00:31:16:20 – 00:31:33:21

Lila McCann

And I think it’s our job to show them that it’s okay to wait a bit, but it’s also okay to just do what works for you. And so she had this idea. She like we have an East Nashville realtor page and posted in that, Hey, who else? Who else has an open house this weekend? We know it’s all been quiet.

 

00:31:33:22 – 00:31:56:13

Lila McCann

How can we drive traffic for one another? I’ve got this idea and it’s called the race around East. And I made a map. And if you want to be part of it, like, I’ll throw your listing on the map and print some off and we’ll send each other people that come through our open houses. And if one person gets or whoever, however many, if you go to five open houses, you get a prize.

 

00:31:56:15 – 00:32:14:06

Lila McCann

And which I thought was a great idea because hey, it’s great to just bring realtors together. We’re all in the same business. We’re trying to help each other. If somebody comes through your house and it might not be right for them, this one over here might be you just don’t know. And and I think East National has a pretty tight knit realtor community.

 

00:32:14:08 – 00:32:37:04

Lila McCann

I think it’s a very special market. So she put that all together. And then I called our other partner and I was like, What are you doing Sunday? Well, Jennifer’s at this open house and she’s like, I mean, I’ve got some time. Why? What do you think? And and I’m like, I’m thinking, we turn this into a a lot of fun, but let’s do some social media content.

 

00:32:37:04 – 00:32:57:00

Lila McCann

So we got dressed up. It was a shit show and it was so much fun. We we did the race around it. So we had our map and we went to we had time to go to I think we went to four or five of the listings. We talked to the realtors, we toured the houses really quickly and there was a lot of funny just things involved.

 

00:32:57:00 – 00:33:17:18

Lila McCann

So we did it in stories the whole like real time, the whole screen. And then there was a lot of B-roll because there was a lot of antics. So we put that together in like a funny reel, and we had so many people reach out to us, realtors and potential clients and say, This was so cool and you guys made real estate look fun and thank you for doing that.

 

00:33:17:18 – 00:33:42:21

Lila McCann

And we did. We had the best time and I’m like, Oh, we got to do that again. And the synergy, it’s like one person has this great idea and then the other to roll with it and see, you know, how far we can take it. But that was like finding that piece and showcasing homes, but doing it in a fun way to potentially grab somebody that maybe is in the market and just connect with other people in our in our business.

 

00:33:42:23 – 00:34:04:10

Michael Conrad

As I reflect on, you know, all the we’ve talked about, I’m I’m reminded of some simple truths that you’ve laid down for us today of that the spheres that we come from, the places that we come from, end up being incredible foundational relationship opportunity.

 

00:34:04:11 – 00:34:05:03

Lila McCann

Absolutely.

 

00:34:05:05 – 00:34:32:14

Michael Conrad

When you are in real estate and it’s hard if you’re young, you don’t have as much of those experience or develop spheres or connections in which to fall back on. But if you come from the music business or really any other location, those are going to end up being just incredibly powerful, constantly replenishing sources of encouragement, sphere, you know, opportunity and new leads and new business.

 

00:34:32:16 – 00:34:42:06

Michael Conrad

And that’s, I think, just something that cannot be overstated because a lot of times people who are getting into real estate are leaving something.

 

00:34:42:06 – 00:34:42:18

Lila McCann

Yeah.

 

00:34:42:20 – 00:34:59:19

Michael Conrad

It happens where you’re not leaving anything, where, you know, you’re just happening into it. But a lot of times people are leaving one thing and moving into real estate. And so there is this temptation, I think, to say, Well, I don’t need to like, play to those connections. I believe in that or I don’t want to think about it.

 

00:34:59:19 – 00:35:06:12

Michael Conrad

I’m leaving it there. But those places that we leave become the fertile ground for us to be planning.

 

00:35:06:17 – 00:35:09:20

Lila McCann

It’s already people who know like and trust you. Yeah.

 

00:35:10:00 – 00:35:10:14

Michael Conrad

Key.

 

00:35:10:16 – 00:35:11:17

Lila McCann

You know.

 

00:35:11:19 – 00:35:36:23

Michael Conrad

And then the other thing I think is we cannot overlook, especially in today’s landscape, where real estate is changing so much and the world is evolving, we cannot overlook the powerful quality of a team. But there is maneuverability and offering so often operating solo, but that there is incredible safety net and benefit and learning and support and encouragement and so many things in a team.

 

00:35:36:23 – 00:35:39:00

Michael Conrad

And you know, every team looks different. You said it.

 

00:35:39:00 – 00:35:40:01

Lila McCann

And it’s not for everybody.

 

00:35:40:01 – 00:35:59:06

Michael Conrad

On an equal footing team has merit more than I think the general market sort of gives credit and I think it’s good for you to showcase that. So yeah, thank you. Thanks. This was really nice and really special to be able to hear your journey and for you to share it with our listeners here. Thank you guys. Everyone, for being here.

 

00:35:59:06 – 00:36:19:12

Michael Conrad

I’m Michael Conrad with the Business of Homes Podcast and I’m just happy to chat with folks who have unique stories and be able to share those with you and honestly learn along the way Myself, I hope you stick with us. Hit subscribe and we’ll catch you next time.

 

00:36:19:14 – 00:36:42:20

Jake Hall

Hey everyone. Jake again, director for the Business of Homes podcast. I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s episode. A huge thank you to Lila McCann for being a part of the podcast. Go follow her on Instagram @lilamccannmusic and @lilamccannrealtor and let her know how much you enjoyed her story. Don’t forget to subscribe on your preferred listening platform and make sure to follow us on Instagram as well @thebusinessofhomespod.

 

00:36:42:22 – 00:36:52:16

Jake Hall

Do you have any feedback or want to suggest someone for the show? Email us at thebusinessofhomespodcast@gmail.com. Thank you again for listening and we’ll see you soon.