iDesign Lab
Welcome to the iDesign Lab a Podcast where creativity and curiosity meet style and design hosted by Tiffany Woolley an Interior Designer, a style enthusiast along with her serial entrepreneur husband Scott. A place where they explore the rich and vibrant world of interior design and it’s constant evolution in style. iDesign Lab is your ultimate Interior design podcast where we explore the rich and vibrant world of design and it’s constant evolution in style and trends. iDesign lab provides industry insight, discussing the latest trends, styles and everything in between to better help you style your life through advice from trend setters, designers, influences, fabricators and manufacturers as well as personal stories that inspire, motivate and excite. Join us on this elevated, informative and lively journey into the world of all things Design. For more information about iDesign Lab and Tiffany & Scott Woolley visit the website at www.twinteriors.com/podcast.
iDesign Lab
Allison Stewart: Design Inspirations and Community Impact
Discover the captivating journey of Allison Stewart, a noted real estate expert from Delray Beach, Florida, who shares her transition from finance to becoming a leading force in the local real estate scene. Experience the hurdles and triumphs she faced—imagine going six months without earning a paycheck—before establishing a thriving business grounded in word-of-mouth success. Listen as she underscores the critical role of confidence, community knowledge, and people skills in achieving excellence in the real estate world.
Envision real estate open houses that are more like unforgettable events, complete with coffee, champagne, and ice cream trucks, and learn why Allison believes that going the extra mile for clients translates into success. We dive into the art of client relationship building and how to transform properties through strategic investments in presentation. Hear how Allison's approach to selecting listings aligns with her business ethos and the impressive results that follow when expectations are not just met, but exceeded.
Join us in exploring Allison's professional evolution, from transitioning during the COVID-19 boom to thriving in a collaborative team environment in downtown Delray. Her stories of resilience and relationship-building showcase the power of maintaining connections, even when the initial choice of clients doesn’t go her way. The episode wraps up with a lively discussion on design inspirations and the joy of contributing to local charitable events that enrich community spirit, offering a rich tapestry of insights for anyone passionate about real estate and design.
Learn more at:
https://twinteriors.com/podcast/
https://scottwoolley.com
The following podcast iDesign Lab is an SW Group production in association with Five Star and TW Interiors. This is iDesign Lab, a podcast where creativity and curiosity meet style and design. Curator of interiors, furnishings and lifestyles. Hosted by Tiffany Woolley, an interior designer and a style enthusiast, along with her serial entrepreneur husband Scott, idesign Lab is your ultimate design podcast where we explore the rich and vibrant world of design and its constant evolution in style and trends. Idesign Lab provides industry insight, discussing the latest trends, styles and everything in between to better help you style your life, through advice from trendsetters, designers, influencers, innovators, fabricators and manufacturers, as well as personal stories that inspire, motivate and excite. And join us on this elevated, informative and lively journey into the world of all things design.
Voice Over:Our guest today is Allison Stewart, a seasoned real estate expert. She's a local legend in Delray Beach, florida. Born and raised in this vibrant coastal community, she brings a deep-rooted passion and unparalleled knowledge of the area to every client she works with. With 15 years of experience in the real estate market, allison has built a reputation as one of the top agents in the region, consistently recognized by her peers as a top producer. Year after year, her expertise shines in her ability to achieve the highest possible prices for sellers and match buyers with the home of their dreams. Whether you're buying or selling, allison's commitment to excellence ensures every transaction is handled with the utmost care and precision. Beyond her real estate prowess, allison is a dedicated philanthropist giving back to the community through her support of the City of Hope Charity Foundation. She has co-chaired numerous events, tirelessly raising funds for a cause close to her heart.
TIffany Woolley:Welcome to iDesign Lab Podcast Today's guest, Allison Stewart. A dynamic leader in real estate, she specializes in high-end residential properties in South Palm Beach County. She is an awesome leader in our community and also a dear friend. Welcome to the podcast. This is fun.
Scott Woolley:So the first question we have to ask is how did you get into real estate. How did I get into real estate, honestly?
Allison Stewart:Yeah, no, no, honestly into real estate. How did I get into real estate, honestly?
Scott Woolley:yeah, no no honestly. I wanted a flexible job where I didn't have standard hours and I thought it would be fun and pretty. I'd get to look at pretty things all day and you know, this is 20 year old, allison right and then I'd have a ton of free time I could travel. And the reality is I have no freedom, no flexibility.
Allison Stewart:Now. Now, that's because you're successful. Yeah, you're taking care of the needs of all your clients.
Scott Woolley:And I like to work, yeah. But when I got into it I thought, oh, this will be fun. I get to see pretty houses and make my own schedule, did you?
Allison Stewart:have any family members or anyone that kind of led you towards it?
Scott Woolley:No, my degree was in finance and marketing and I thought I'd go into business with my dad who's a financial advisor. I interned in that industry in college and that was my path and I hated it.
TIffany Woolley:Really you didn't enjoy it at all. No, I hated it, didn't feel the connection?
Scott Woolley:Not at all. And so I, literally my dad, was friends with somebody that was in the business, family friend, and little did I know they would hire anyone, did they mentor?
TIffany Woolley:you in that regard? Not at all, and I stayed with the same company for 20 years, but you had to get a license first.
Scott Woolley:They would hire anyone. Did they mentor you in that regard, or have you?
Allison Stewart:come and see how, and I stayed with the same company for 20 years, but you had to get a license first.
Scott Woolley:Oh yeah, you had to get a license and go through these silly courses.
Allison Stewart:But did you have to have the license first before you could work or start doing anything? Yeah, you had to.
Scott Woolley:So I went through the class to see if it was something I really enjoyed or thought I could see myself doing. And and then you've taken an exam, and um, and then they officially hired me so what did it look like?
TIffany Woolley:starting out like, how did you go about gaining clientele? Like you said, you hung your hat at one particular branch or what do you call that? A real, yeah, real estate firm, real estate office.
Scott Woolley:It's hard to get into. I mean, you don't realize, if no one's handing someone with no experience a house to sell, you don't just you know someone. It's someone's biggest Asset, asset, their biggest decision that they're making. Probably, maybe ever, maybe in 10 years, they were not going to hand me.
Allison Stewart:So how did you get your first client or how did you start building clients?
Scott Woolley:I don't, even I would take anything. It's like the chicken or the egg kind of I would take anything. I lived with my parents for six months to a year. I went at least six months without a paycheck.
Allison Stewart:Wow.
TIffany Woolley:But, were you enjoying it during this growth time? No, no, I mean, I wasn't.
Scott Woolley:I didn't. I didn't hate it, but it was just like when is something going to happen? And you know this was 25 years ago. So I would do $200,000 places any kind of lead, any kind of I would just work anything and really word of mouth. You know, somebody referred a friend and then they referred a friend, but it took me 10 years to get my own confidence, to know that I, oh yeah, to know that I could beat out another agent, that I was better for the job. And then that comes across when you meet with people, not in an arrogant way, just like I can help you and I'm going to put the effort in more than somebody else is.
Allison Stewart:Is there one skill that's more important than anything in a position like this? That's more important than anything in a position like this? I mean, is it having confidence in yourself, or great people skills, or really knowing the community and what's for sale? Is there anything that's more important than another?
Scott Woolley:No, I mean, it would be hard to do without confidence and you know you can't have confidence without the knowledge true, a lot of people a lot, a lot of people have knowledge but not confidence. A whole lot of people have confidence without the knowledge or they you know, they just don't know, but they pretend, and I think that's dangerous to you know. It's hurting people, yeah, hurting clients.
Allison Stewart:So when you say knowledge, you mean knowing everything else that's for sale, necessarily not just what you're selling, Because anybody, these days especially, can find out what's for sale, but just strategically.
Scott Woolley:you know how does the? Market feel. What's the market doing? Okay, this household for this. But it's not apples to apples. You know, everyone thinks their house is nicer than their neighbors, so I learned that very early on. Um, funny, you know, they, they think their house is nice.
Scott Woolley:Oh, but ours has worth more and I'm like you know, sometimes it matters and sometimes it it just doesn't right. Um, I think honesty with people, being upfront is huge because I've missed out. To this day. I don't lose too many listing appointments. If I go on a listing, I'm probably getting it. But you know, I learned that I was losing listings, and listings is how you grow and how you get more business. Most realtors I mean just being a listing agent versus a buyer's agent. That's how you really grow. But I was losing listings because some other realtor would come in there and say, no, your house isn't worth $2 million, it's worth $2.5. And they were just telling them what they wanted to hear to get the listing.
Scott Woolley:And it would sit on the market for a year and um, but I was losing out and I never changed my strategy.
Allison Stewart:I was never going to overprice things because it would be a waste of my time so when you say strategy, we kind of think of that as designing the direction of your business, designing how. This is the iDesign lab and we try to talk about design all the time you're designing, what goes into kind of the thought process of designing like your next new client well strategy strategy. Is there a strategy? Do you look at each one differently or is the same? I was just gonna ask that too.
TIffany Woolley:I mean, do you look at each listing as something? You have to have different strategies for each one?
Scott Woolley:Yes, I think so. And time and market you know time and place of what's going on. What's going on in the world, what's the price point, what's happening at a $400,000 place and a $4 million place is very different, so you have to look at them each individually and in that moment in time and I mean interest rates, insurance, stock market, elections there's so many things that affect what could be going on in that particular house.
Scott Woolley:If you sold it two years earlier, it would have been. I would have told you a different story, or two years later.
Allison Stewart:What are you predicting now that the election's over COVID's passed? The boom is kind of yeah.
Scott Woolley:It was a quiet summer. Every election cycle we have a quiet. People just don't know the direction of things. They're hesitant to make a move. We've had interest rates high, which hasn't helped, but every election time it's quiet. So this past four months it's been very quiet.
Allison Stewart:You think it's going to pick up?
Scott Woolley:Oh yeah, yeah, I do definitely. I mean I think especially South Florida, palm Beach, Miami. I mean I think we South Florida, palm Beach Miami, I mean I think we're in higher end, the high end market. I wouldn't say that it was slow or stopped because of the election, but a lot of those people aren't here in the summertime, so that made it quieter.
Scott Woolley:But I definitely think that it will help. I don't know that we're going to skyrocket at all, to the frenziness that we saw right after COVID when everyone was trying to escape New York and escape California and Chicago and all these places, but I think it'll be healthy.
Allison Stewart:Is there an aspect of real estate that's your favorite part, that you really enjoy more than is it like the first meeting with the client?
Scott Woolley:getting the contract, knowing your relationships too, or so the thing that I am least excited about okay I'll start there. Or cared the least about is the paycheck. I mean, that sounds crazy, but you know me well enough to know that like I don't even think about it, I don't even care, I don't know if it came in. Usually my husband Nate is like did you get that check? That's like the last thing I'm thinking about. My favorite thing is like I'm so competitive I am.
Scott Woolley:Which is good I just I get a lead and I'm like I'll be there at 845 tonight and I've done that multiple times One of my, the cute little blue house on Ingraham that I sold. You know, after we sold the house he told me why he hired me over I won't name but big top agents by the beach. And you know he called me and said you sold a house across the street and a blind lead. I don't know what you really call that, but just like not a relationship, right? And he just saw my sign across the street and he said well, my wife and I are thinking about it.
Scott Woolley:This is a week before Christmas, a few days before Christmas, we're thinking about it, so maybe we'll have you come by the first week of January. My kids are coming in town, my grandkids are coming in town, so that sounds good. How about we make an appointment for the first week of January? And I said well, when do your kids come in town? And he said tonight or tomorrow. And I said well, I'm in the area, I'll come by now. And I don't even think I was in the area. But I was like I'm in the area, I'll come by now, and I don't even think I was in the area but I was like I'm gonna come by right now. I'm like I don't want to wait. I get so excited.
Scott Woolley:I don't want to wait until January and a lot could change in two weeks, in in January, you know in that in that time they might forget about me. So he was like really, uh, okay, let me just holler to my wife and she's gardening, okay, come on over. And I said, obviously I'm not going to be prepared with a full listing presentation, but I'm excited.
Voice Over:I want to see this house. I knew the house already.
Scott Woolley:So just from you know selling in the area, but I just I love the and I just know I'm going to get it Well.
Allison Stewart:you have a remarkable tenacity about yourself and conviction to like your clients. You are dedicated to them and getting their house sale. I mean morning, noon and night, it's like 24-7, seven days a week. But what we know and see of you is that you are there to make it happen for your clients, which is, I mean, there's not a lot of people like that, which is probably the reason why you do so well.
Scott Woolley:One of my most memorable compliments was from you, scott. About a year and a half ago, scott called me. I have no idea about what it was probably about a barbecue this weekend or something. And I picked up the phone and it's a Saturday and I'm like, oh yeah, I'm doing an open house and I've got a coffee.
Scott Woolley:And it's a Saturday and I'm like, oh yeah, I'm doing an open house and I've got a coffee truck it was so cute and you know I've got all this stuff going on and and I don't know how it came up, but he was like god every time, you, you, you have such good work ethic. You know you, just you do and I I guess I knew that, but listen, coming from you and and the businesses you've run and and what you've seen and who you met, and your, your success it's, it was like a very good feeling and you're, you're very impressive the way in which you were like just you just said a coffee truck.
Allison Stewart:I don't like who has an open house?
TIffany Woolley:oh, all of our coffee houses are spectacular. Tell us how even you go into curating each of those events. I mean, you're a great party planner.
Scott Woolley:To begin with. So I find that a lot of realtors don't want to spend money. I mean the coffee trucks.
Allison Stewart:They don't want to spend money when they're going to make a lot of money.
Scott Woolley:Or the champagne truck or the mimosa truck. Right, I'll do the mimosa truck. I'll do the mimosa truck, I'll do. I'm having an ice cream truck in andover sunday. I mean I'm I'm doing an open house and I people don't want to spend money. Who wants to spend people? They won't. They don't want to spend money on the photos, the extra money you know I spend a thousand dollars on pictures the, the ice cream or the coffee truck probably is twelve hundred dollars for two hours but there's the old expression you spend money to make money.
Scott Woolley:Yeah, yeah, and I first of all, I think it's fun, I want like a prop. I want people to come and have a good time.
Allison Stewart:And remember, they'll remember you.
Scott Woolley:Yeah, I want them to remember it. And you know, in my neighborhood my neighbors always pop by?
TIffany Woolley:I was just going to say does it like draw more people too, that wouldn't necessarily maybe come by?
Scott Woolley:Yeah, I mean nobody's coming from Palm Beach just to drive down to my ice cream truck.
Allison Stewart:But it's realtors who are showing up.
Scott Woolley:Sometimes Some is realtors. It depends I do brokers opens and I go all out. Sometimes I hire a party planner to do a-huh to do a full spread um and make it pretty. I want it to elevate the house. I want it to um. I want brokers to have a good time social media, even though I'm new to social media. I want them. I know they'll put it on social media um, and you know, sometimes the owners don't even know that you've done all what I'm doing.
Scott Woolley:They usually find out after the fact, because their neighbor will tell them holy cow, you had the best party at your house.
TIffany Woolley:You know they're not there. They're never there.
Scott Woolley:That is so funny, but yeah, so usually people, I think, find out or they realize how good I was to work with or how much I took care of them after the fact yeah, you know. I think they like take a chance and hire me, and then I exceed their expectations and then they refer me.
Allison Stewart:So when you get a listing, are there any important aspects that's important with a listing? Will you take any listing?
TIffany Woolley:No, that's interesting really.
Allison Stewart:Like if it's in a bad location or it's 15 years ago I would have but not now, of course.
Scott Woolley:Now I no, I won't take an overpriceless thing, because it would waste my time and I would disappoint someone and then you know it. Then that goes back to just being honest with people. I would rather tell them up front.
Scott Woolley:And if they don't, if we're not on the same page, or they don't believe me, then you know we we part ways and someone else is a is a better fit. But, um, there was a time last spring where I was so incredibly busy and had nine listings, which is way too many. I like three or four at a time and then sell one and pick up a new one, but that's a good rhythm for me.
Allison Stewart:Why is it like nine too many? Because I don't know. It's just me, because you can't be there.
Scott Woolley:You can't service nine listings.
TIffany Woolley:Okay.
Scott Woolley:Your phone rings. This is probably like when Nate would be showing up without me all the time.
Voice Over:Yeah, you know, I've got two little girls.
Scott Woolley:It's just you, can't you. You know, I've got two little girls. It's just you can't.
Scott Woolley:You can't service it I was so spread too thin, my phone's ringing way too much If I had a whole you know team under me of people. But I like to control my business and I want to be the one to do everything and I've had to let go of a little bit of that. But nine listings are not good and so even when I piled up the nine listings, I had people calling me hey, I've got this condo, you know it's worth a million two, or some sweet person that says you know, I have this cute little $450,000 townhouse. And I just said to them I am sorry but I cannot service you. I just can't take the business. You will not get the full what you deserve.
TIffany Woolley:So, yeah, back to that honesty, again. Yeah.
Allison Stewart:So what happens or what do you do when you come across a house and you know, okay, this is a good house, it's in a great neighborhood. And you walk inside and it's an absolute disaster Happens all the time I was going to say yeah, this morning, this morning, yeah.
Scott Woolley:So you've got to fix it, and not every situation. When did that begin Like that? Whole fixing these houses before I started doing this about maybe 12 years ago. That I really remember, and 12 years ago I was not as I was doing. Well, you know, fine, but not to the point where I am now. I would go in and you know that those 90s maroons and the greens, and you know I would the dark red colors, and I was seeing that a lot.
Scott Woolley:It was just kind of old world, yeah, and so I would say what do you think about painting?
Allison Stewart:the house.
Scott Woolley:You know, just that was it.
Allison Stewart:And how do most people react to that?
Scott Woolley:That's a lot of work when you're living there. You know, they don't think it's worth it, they don't get it. Oh, these new people are going to paint.
Voice Over:They don't want, they're not going to want my color, I'm going to pick this color and they're going to want.
Scott Woolley:But it is about making something, sell it all right, not just. You know, if you're living in a house and you have to make your beds and clean it, clean it up and get everything ready, you don't want to do that for six months, you don't want to pick up your kids, toys or what, whatever it is, and for six months of showings where you could have a showing twice a week because but do most people clean up and make their beds and have the house presentable, or do you go around doing?
Scott Woolley:it well, a little bit. Is that in an agreement that?
TIffany Woolley:they kind of take care of the housekeeping. No, never.
Scott Woolley:I usually kind of know somewhat of what I'm getting into. You know I can. I can tell um, but a realtor in my office just yesterday was kind of joking that he has. He's at a point where he has about nine listings right now that he's had for six months.
Scott Woolley:That's too long right well way too long and he and I have one listing right now. I have two coming on today or tomorrow. But he was like you, just yours, sell. You, sell them fast. I would rather I think this is key for my business I would rather spend a month prepping a house, literally getting myself dirty. I'm not the one painting, but coordinating painters.
Allison Stewart:And I have a great team of landscapers, painters any kind of resources. Wait, wait, wait, landscapers.
TIffany Woolley:So you're fixing landscaping for a house that you're going to set. You have to have it.
Scott Woolley:curb appeal, any curb appeal you need to give people purpose to. Okay, this is a usable backyard. You need them to picture themselves there. So I would rather spend a month, three or four weeks prepping a house, telling them what to put away, what to pack, what to get ready. Listen, you're moving anyways, so take down all your photos. Yeah, you're right, Put all your garbage away giveaway boxes. So get it out of my sight and you'll feel better too, Right?
Scott Woolley:So then you're going in and maybe reorganizing furniture and Sometimes I mean it depends A lot of times you're decluttering and and a lot of times you're holding somebody's hand. They've been in a house for 20 years. It is emotional, it's hard.
Voice Over:They're not quite ready.
Scott Woolley:They don't know where to start. It's overwhelming. So you become part therapist filming. So you become part psychologist therapist. Um, but so probably 12 years ago I I can remember this one house in my neighborhood where you know all these dark, red walls and the the owner didn't have a ton of money, didn't want to do it, and I said I'll do it will you let me pay for it?
Allison Stewart:and so so do you ask them for the money back when they sell, or it just comes off your commission?
Scott Woolley:No, I just said I believe in it that much that it will make a difference in how much money you get and how much easier it will be for me to sell it's worth your time so it's worth my time and money. Right Time is money, so it just is like it brightens a place, up it kind of. Then you can kind of see okay, this is just not my furniture, I can replace the furniture, and they always end up painting anyways.
TIffany Woolley:Nobody ever keeps the color. Well, when you talk about, I mean, furniture that brings in like the next level of staging opportunities, which I know you rely on sometimes too.
Allison Stewart:Yeah, I have a. When did that even change the industry? But explain staging for people who might not ever know.
Scott Woolley:So staging is where you bring in furniture that you're borrowing. You're renting for a period of time it could be two months to hopefully not more than six months. It costs a lot of money to stage places and it's very hard at times to convince a seller that this will help your house sell. And you also have to tell them your taste is not everyone's taste.
Allison Stewart:That must be a tough one.
Scott Woolley:It can be very tough, you know, your baby's ugly.
TIffany Woolley:Right your baby's ugly.
Scott Woolley:How many times I've gotten a phone call from this sweet person that says oh, we updated our kitchen and this and that.
Scott Woolley:And I'm excited. It's going to be a great listing and it was updated in 2005. And it's just, you just have to be gentle with people and tell them that it's lovely. But it's not what people want right now. So I started paying for things at times myself. I mean, I wasn't trying to be too crazy and throw money away, but if I really believed in it or I would say, I'll split it with you, I'll split the difference with you because I'm invested personally Right and I believe in this, and so I think, especially splitting something with people they could get on board.
TIffany Woolley:Yeah.
Scott Woolley:And then, as I saw it, work and work better you got more confidence in pushing it. I would get more confident with going to speak to someone and saying, hey, you knew the, the Smiths down the street. You went to dinner parties at their house for Christmas years before. But you saw what it looked like three months ago when we sold it and people are like, yeah, never looked better. You know like, oh, it was amazing. Nobody ever cleaned up their yard until you sold it.
Scott Woolley:You know, so then they can, they can, and I always tell people I talked to a seller and I'm like Picture yourself, you're the buyer, I'm going to show you houses. What are you looking for? What are you looking at? Would you buy this kitchen? Would you be able to see past these walls? And I think that kind of helps people. There's definitely so much psychology in it, not in a mind trick kind of way, but just understanding and helping people understand.
TIffany Woolley:People are so different.
Scott Woolley:Why are different and everybody's got a different motivation why they're moving, why they want to downsize. Life changes. So you know it's like every situation is so different, which I also think is really fun about my job.
Allison Stewart:So this, what we've been talking about has been people selling their houses and changing it, but what about the people who are going out looking to buy a house, who are going into houses? The average person really can't visualize themselves how it could be different. How do you overcome or how do you work with that to help people visualize? Or even if you stage it, yeah, and they don't care for the staging?
TIffany Woolley:Well, people typically like the staging because it feels newer and fresher Right, even if it's not their style. Right.
Scott Woolley:At least it's a blank slate or it's clean With buyers. I mean, I have a pretty good eye and I know silly information like ballpark, what a generator costs, ballpark, what a roof costs. I'm pretty good within a window of. I'll say to somebody I bet this roof is $50,000 to $55,000. And then they're always like Allison, it was $54,000. How would you know that?
Allison Stewart:I'm like I've seen a lot of roof.
Scott Woolley:So same thing. Hey, we can move this door and now this can be a bedroom instead of something else. Or half the time I'm texting Tiffany. What can I do here? Tiffany, help me, this has potential. How can I change?
Allison Stewart:that I didn't know that, oh yeah.
Scott Woolley:Yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean, I see well they go hand in hand.
TIffany Woolley:Yes, yeah, one of my resources two industries definitely go hand in hand.
Allison Stewart:You know one of the things that we do, a lot is 3D visuals. I don't know if you've seen, like where? We're a little bit, yeah, we're taking where someone looks at what they currently have, yeah, and then they're looking at a big picture that's 3d. It looks like a photograph of what it's going to be.
TIffany Woolley:Sometimes they're hard to tell apart whether they're photographs or yeah.
Allison Stewart:Yeah, it's so realistic, you mean like the front of the house or any any room so cool, it's amazing as soon as people see that, they're immediately okay, we want that, change our whole room, or that we want to change all these rooms, just the way the pictures are yeah, well, it makes our job a little easier yeah I there's time do you use any of that or?
Scott Woolley:so, um, the about probably six years ago, I started um using this photographer that they're kind of ahead of. They've always been ahead of the game with virtual staging. Um, do you know what that is Like? You just implant furniture into a white room and some of it is really bad, really bad A plant. But this particular software that they have, I mean, it is hard to tell in some of them that it's not real. People are blown away. But sometimes you have to stage so that people can feel it and different. You know, oh, okay, this room is so big.
TIffany Woolley:But oh, I see two sitting areas, Multiple sitting areas, exactly.
Scott Woolley:But the. So I use a little bit of the virtual staging, Sometimes some renderings staging, sometimes some renderings. But you know, it's amazing what you can offer people and kind of help them with their process of what something could look like.
TIffany Woolley:So what's the average time that something stays on the market, and what's too long?
Scott Woolley:You know, the old pre-COVID six months was the norm, right, okay, and then for three years, two and a half years, during COVID it was a week A day, you know.
TIffany Woolley:Had to make a decision. It was a day.
Scott Woolley:And now I think probably four months is the norm and of course it depends on the price point, but I would say that's realistic four months, and if you are, but it's always price, People can make excuses or can think it's other things and it could be other things, but at some price someone is going to buy this and someone could look at that and say, well, at a lower price I could have done it on my own, which I don't think is really the case, because you have to just have that experience to to be able to guide somebody through that.
TIffany Woolley:You know and is it true that, like really, your first offer is typically your best offer A lot of times a lot of times it is Um, that's you know.
Scott Woolley:I hear little rules like oh, you can offer 10%, you know, off the list. Well, I've never. That's not true, but a lot of times your first offer is your best, maybe a little over half the time.
TIffany Woolley:So what does that happen? When you get those offers, what does that negotiation process look like, and how do you even know to weed them out? Like, yeah, this is something I'm willing to even entertain with, and how do you?
Scott Woolley:even know to weed them out. Like, yeah, this is something I'm willing to even entertain with. So I like to price properties. If you guys said to me, allison, we want, we have to get 3.8 for our house, okay, a lot of realtors might come in and say, and you guys might think this way also, let's list it at 4.5, give ourselves room to negotiate and again, confidence and experience, I might have thought that, yeah, good strategy, let's try it. And sometimes we can try it, sometimes it might work. But I just think that you're helping other houses to sell when you are overpriced. There is not an urgency in buyers. So I like to. If 3.8 was our number but of course a little more would be great I would say let's price it at 3.999. And you are going to get real buyers. There is going to be an urgency. They're going to see the value. They're going to want to get it before someone else gets it Because it was a good buy or a proper, or just it's fair, it's a fair.
Scott Woolley:It's. You know, there's when it's overpriced. They may love it and come in and say but it's going to be here tomorrow, it's going to be here next week, so let's just keep looking. We'll keep an eye on.
Voice Over:Scott and.
Scott Woolley:Tiffany's house and they're gone. They're not coming back in most cases and then you sit and then you have to do price reductions anyways. So you know, but it's important that you have an advisor that you trust, that knows what they're doing. Advisor, you mean a realtor, you know a realtor that you trust and you know they have your best interest. They're not just trying to make a quick sale or a quick buck or add to the listings.
TIffany Woolley:They're just really trying to move it Right right and it's hard.
Scott Woolley:I mean if you were sitting there and somebody tells you, hey, it's worth 4.5,. I mean if you were sitting there and somebody tells you, hey, it's worth 4.5 and somebody else says it's worth 3.8 to 3.9,. You know, it's tempting to go with the higher price. But you know facts are facts. When it comes to what the history of a neighborhood is selling for, what the history of market is selling for and the market, you know the buyers are going to determine what somebody's house is worth.
TIffany Woolley:Not you guys, even though sellers like to think it's them Right. The buyers are the ones who are making those.
Scott Woolley:Yeah, yeah.
Allison Stewart:What's the norm in your selling someone's house? How often do you typically communicate with that person? Is it every day? Is it once a week? Is there a norm to make people feel comfortable?
Scott Woolley:I mean, if it's silent, if we're not getting any action, if I'm showing it every day, I'm talking to them, texting them every day.
Voice Over:Hey, I'm here. Here's the feedback.
Scott Woolley:But if we're not getting showings or phone calls, that's when it gets a little scary. But it's best to communicate rather than go into hiding. Good realtors get nervous or they don't like the uncomfortable conversations and so they kind of avoid and hope something's going to change, hope something is going to happen, and it's just better to reach out. So I don't think I would let more than a week go by you know four or five days to just give feedback.
Scott Woolley:Hey, you know, I'm not, i'm'm not seeing, we're not getting phone calls, or we're getting.
TIffany Woolley:Does that really?
Scott Woolley:happen. Yeah, wow, yeah, it happens. And and also if I have other listings and I can see, hey, there's a ton of action over here, and there's not over here.
Scott Woolley:So we can't just say there's no buyers, right, you know? Um, they're just not putting the same value that that you are on this, um, so, yeah, I mean it's, it's um, I don't like doing the same thing over and over and over again. So if I am getting the same feedback from people, if I am showing a house to buyers and I'm getting the same feedback, like I don't know, I'm just trying to think.
TIffany Woolley:Well, do you follow up with buyers, like other realtors, and see what they say?
Allison Stewart:Yeah, but it's so rare to get honest, real feedback and it's hard because the sellers From the people who are out looking or the realtors who are with those people, all of it.
Scott Woolley:Buyers and buyer's agents. It's hard to get real feedback. Sellers expect that everybody would give real feedback. The buyers themselves? They just say not a fit.
Allison Stewart:Right.
Scott Woolley:But they don't want to offend you and say the ceilings are too low.
Voice Over:Your baby is ugly. The baby is ugly.
Scott Woolley:They don't want to offend you and say the ceilings are too low or it's got to. You know no curb appeal, they just don't. And then buyers, realtors, have moved on. Their feedback is we're not calling you again. That is their feedback and they don't want to waste their time. They don't want to put the energy I mean myself. When I'm with a buyer. It's kind of annoying when a listing agent that I showed a place to is like can you give me some feedback?
Scott Woolley:And I'm like, uh, yeah, not interested you know, like you, just so, it's hard to get real, real feedback. It's very helpful, though, but so if you're seeing the same thing, hey, um, the house is too dark, the house is too small. There's going to be things you cannot change, of course, but I have changed course mid like, we're on the market three weeks and I'm like, nope, this isn't working. It's not always about just reducing the price. It might be about, hey, we have to stage this playroom, this house wants a dining room right.
Scott Woolley:People need to see a dining room and they can't see it.
Scott Woolley:So sometimes I'm like time out, we're, we're shifting gears and we're gonna stage something or paint something, or so do you take it off the market? Um, not too often, no, just it depends. It depends. Sometimes I'll put it off the market. Not too often, no, just it depends, it depends. Sometimes I'll put it temporarily off market for a minute. Sometimes I just say, hey, it can't be shown until Sunday, and this is probably one in four or five listings, so it's not every time.
Allison Stewart:So your focus is mainly on your listings, not taking people around to see other houses. Am I correct in saying that?
Scott Woolley:A little bit. You know, 15 years ago I worked mostly with buyers, probably because I didn't and I liked it. I mean, I was making money and it was good and I'd get listings. But you want listings? Listings is how you get more buyers. Listings brings get listings, but you want listings. Listings is how you get more buyers. Listings brings more listings Buyers. You can drive them around for three years and they go buy from somebody else. That's true.
Allison Stewart:Oh, that's the worst, that's true.
TIffany Woolley:That's got to be terrible.
Scott Woolley:Listings. You have a contract. You have a time to sell it. You have an opportunity to sell it. You're up against the clock kind of thing, but you're getting paid most likely. You know buyers it's like if this works, then this. And sometimes buyers have to sell their house to buy. So sometimes they want to look at what they could buy but they have to sell first. So we know we're showing things that they can't actually pull the trigger on.
Allison Stewart:That's got to be difficult in wearing.
Scott Woolley:Yeah, yeah, I enjoy some of the buying process Seeing a lot of what's out there.
Scott Woolley:And you get to know the people On the listing side. A lot of times it's more transactional. After the listing, appointment and the prep you barely see them. Right, they're out of the house, you're in the house. So the relationship isn't the same when you work with a buyer. You know their motivation. You know you really get to know them. Motivation, you know they're, you really get to know them. I mean good and bad, you know you. You definitely play therapist and yeah, um, but I get pretty fortunate with buyers. They're, they're serious, they're only working with me. Um, there's a confidence.
TIffany Woolley:Yeah, you recently made a big change. As we started this conversation, you said how you started with a family, friends, business and you kind of stayed there for quite a while. In the world we live in now, like this digital world and social media, how did switching to a more mainstream global company.
Scott Woolley:Well, actually, I guess they just announced this week that they're going global, Going global.
TIffany Woolley:And all that infrastructure that comes with it. How have you found that evolution for your path? Why did I move? Why? And just like the big difference, like just all the what is it?
Allison Stewart:The more helpful.
TIffany Woolley:Yeah, strategic partnerships or the.
Scott Woolley:Yeah, I mean, I'm a very loyal person. I don't like a lot of change.
Allison Stewart:No, people don't.
Scott Woolley:You think, yeah, knows people don't. You think, yeah, you know, but I could eat the same dinner like four nights a week and not be content.
Allison Stewart:We can't. I know. We have to have something different.
Scott Woolley:That's good for Nate. We'll be married forever. You know, like, I'm very loyal, I like the same thing, I like what you know, so it just works.
Allison Stewart:I'm saying that just about dinner, what so? It just worked at my own.
Scott Woolley:I'm saying that just about dinner.
Voice Over:What we like, something a different type of dinner every night, so we're always cooking something.
Allison Stewart:You know that.
Scott Woolley:So you know, it was kind of it worked at the company I was with for a long time. People were working with me. They were not working with the company. It was a smaller firm, it was a local firm, a family firm firm, but it was all my relationships right in 20 years. They never gave me a single piece of business.
Scott Woolley:They didn't, never, never, and I it just didn't, it didn't really matter, yeah but they were also mostly a Broward County firm right, and I mostly work Palm Delray, boca, palm Beach County so but it always just kind of coasted and I nobody bothered me. I knew their systems, I knew you know how they had their own marketing department. It's just like flowed. And COVID was a big, really big growth in my business and I just saw opportunity and just you know, for my family, I just said, okay, how long?
TIffany Woolley:is this going to?
Scott Woolley:last. You know how long is this boom going to last? I'm going to take every opportunity while you can get it, but really I kind of became like a household name in a lot of little areas and so that growth and my the price points changed so much you know, every 800 000 house became a 1.6 house and they sold in in days or hours days and then the houses that were two million dollars became $5 million.
Scott Woolley:So just a few good relationships that led to some great opportunities, great sales, referring business. I moved into this really nice price point, $2 to $5 million, close to the beach in Delray, and they're all friends, everybody's friends, and you know referring me and it's so cute. I love these people.
Scott Woolley:You know, I really do become friends with them and my kids will play with their grandkids. But I got into this price point and there were a few times last year where I went on a listing appointment. That was a cold call. They just saw my sign, no relationship, and I interviewed for the job, but without knowing the people, without a connection. And there was this one in particular who actually I saw you that day, oh my gosh. So this one in particular, probably a year and a half ago, a year ago, where I knew I got this listing, I nailed it, I prepped and had this awesome presentation and I also knew who I was up against. They told me who I was up against and it was like the top beach agent that's been around for 20 years.
TIffany Woolley:Right.
Scott Woolley:And I connected with the wife and the husband and it was just great.
TIffany Woolley:It was you know.
Scott Woolley:And so two days later I get a call and they said we just want to let you know we love you. Allison, your presentation was better. We like you more. You sold our neighbor's house, but we're going to go with the national company. We think we need this high end luxury brand. And it was like I got punched in the gut. And I'm like, okay, you know, I understand.
Allison Stewart:So you didn't lose it because of you. You lost it because of who you're working with.
Scott Woolley:Yes, yes. And they said you know we like you better, you know we trust you more.
TIffany Woolley:The commitment was so there too from, and I had such a plan.
Scott Woolley:I was like here's what we're gonna do. We're gonna do landscaping here, we're gonna do this. You know all these things and and I'm always willing to show up meet contractors yeah get myself dirty.
Scott Woolley:you don't have to be here, you, you, you go, stay at work. I will meet these people and make this all happen and it'll be ready in three weeks or whatever for the deal and um. So I, I remember I walked into tiffany's office and I just started crying and I, I mean, I mean that had not happened to me in 10, 15 years, crying over not getting a listing, come on, but it just was Such a catapult, it was a it just I knew I should have gotten it.
Allison Stewart:The people didn't feel you had the support system behind you, right, right.
Scott Woolley:So they felt like they needed a luxury national brand, and I had heard that another time or two, but this one was like a sure bet that this was my house to sell and, truthfully, it wasn't even the best house. It wasn't a great house to sell. It was expensive, but it had a lot of challenges of its own and so it wasn't a slam dunk for me to sell it. It was a challenge that you said you enjoyed yeah.
Scott Woolley:And I, like these people, and I just, just, you know, knew it was for me to do in this moment, and so I didn't get it, and can I tell you, I mean I cried and and, but it was fine, I kept the relationship. I never shut a door.
Voice Over:I kept the relationship.
Scott Woolley:I ended up working with them two more times this year, even though they listed with this other person they. They worked with me to sell their mom's house, help their mom find a new house, and I've kept this relationship with them. The house stayed on the market for over a year with that realtor.
Allison Stewart:Wow.
Scott Woolley:Kept dropping the price, kept dropping the price and this couple that I had become friends with, they were calling me saying hey, what would you do? We got this offer. Should we drop the price? Should I knock the house down and build a spec house? And we're talking this is like a $3.5 million house. Should I knock the house down? The lot's worth this, I can build this. I'm like what does your realtor say? What are they saying that you hired? And he's like well, I don't know, I trust you and I'm like this is crazy. And he knew, they knew that they made a mistake. Also, that other national brand realtor overpriced the house by 400, 500, 000 and I said, absolutely not. Look. And I showed them a, b and c of why it was and I said we, they were, they'd moved out of the house. You know they had moved on. So somebody who's moved out. You don't want to just hang on to something. It's a liability, it's a.
Scott Woolley:It's costing you the drain yeah, yeah, there's no, and it was a house that was going to need a roof right, it was going to need it wasn't improving. Nothing was getting better for this house, and so I I I said a certain price, and then the other one said five hundred thousand dollars more, and I would check on that house all the time and they would just shave off 100. Shave off 50. Price improvement. Shave off 50.
Allison Stewart:And you know it was Did it eventually sell?
Scott Woolley:It did for Like a million dollars less than what it started when they wanted to be or where they were told it would be. I mean, it sold for lot value and you could definitely make this a cute beachy house with the right decorator.
Allison Stewart:So you ended up changing to a new firm just recently.
Scott Woolley:Yeah, and I had the opportunity. Yeah, that and that, and I had the opportunity. So again, I've become friends with with this couple and worked with their family twice and maybe two months ago, um, I told them that you moved. They were part of the reason why I moved at that conversation and they felt terrible. They were like, oh my gosh, no, we didn't mean for that. And you know we were stupid and I said, honestly, sometimes you just need that kick in the pants and I just I was scared. I've got little kids. I didn't want to go through the process of rebranding and starting over because I knew it would be a setback to have to but was it really in hindsight.
Scott Woolley:Well, I'm still in it.
Voice Over:I mean, it's so new, it's so new.
Scott Woolley:But so, yeah, I'm learning all kinds of new technology and programs, assets that they bring to the table. Yes, yes, I mean there's so much that I moved to Compass and there's so much that they offer for realtors, for their clients, and there's so much to learn. I keep joking that I'm a dinosaur when it comes to this stuff.
TIffany Woolley:Are you enjoying the learning process of this?
Scott Woolley:No, I'm not. I'm not. Why do you speak that way? No, but what I am enjoying that I've never had, because I always was like just this lone person. I worked from home. I never had interaction with any realtors in my office. They never showed my listings. I never showed their listings. I wouldn't go into the office.
Allison Stewart:That's not a very supportive operation.
Scott Woolley:No, it wasn't their fault. I created that. A lot myself Insulated yourself.
Scott Woolley:I just knew what I had to do and I went to work and I didn't need them. They held my paperwork, they held deposits, they put their logo on things. So I didn't realize. But I used to call other realtors that are in town that I respect, that are my competition, but I have great relationships with a lot of them and I trust their. You know a handful of them. I trust their judgment and so sometimes I would call them and say, hey, what do you think about this price point? I think I'm listing this at $2,999. And they would say, well, I've got this under contract down the street for $3,200.
Scott Woolley:I think you could bump the price up down the street for three, two, I think you could bump the price up. So it's like this camaraderie or this. You know other professionals that do well, that know the business work in my area. Right, I never could have asked a single person at my old company To even understand where your feet were, ever, ever and even at my old company, I was a couple years their top producer, which was great, a nice pat on the back. It didn't get me anything. Didn't get me anything other than not even a dinner.
Allison Stewart:Nothing, but just like thanks for it sounds like it's good that you moved on.
Scott Woolley:Yes, yes, but at the old company, even if I had forged relationships, they were selling a different market. They were selling not only Broward County but $400,000 houses not $2 million houses so it's great to walk into my office now, which is right in downtown Delray.
Scott Woolley:We have the cutest little, cutest little brand new office and I've got there might be two, three people. We've got a team of there's about 15 of us on the team and I can say, hey, I've got this coming on on market. Or does anybody have? I've got somebody looking for a rental. They'd spend $80,000 a month, right, anybody. Wow, have a client that you can ask can I give them $80,000 for the month of February for their house? Right, and somebody goes huh, I think I might have a guy that is going to be in Europe for February and he might do it so already. I've only been officially there two or three months, but already that is happening daily these kinds of
Allison Stewart:conversations um sounds like a much better one company.
Scott Woolley:Yes, Well it's, it's kind of it's refreshing, it's nice to have an office. Yes, a lot, a lot of you know young people and you also are not alone. I didn't really. This is a specific office with just a team of 15. They belong to Compass nationally, but it's not an office with 300 realtors. It's a small group. So it's still kind of I'm learning a lot, but I do really love the fact that I have an office to go to and it's right where I work.
TIffany Woolley:It is.
Scott Woolley:I pop in in between appointments and then I'm going to have conversations with people that who knows what that's going to lead to.
TIffany Woolley:Yeah, Well, I think that's amazing and a great way to wrap up on a positive, exciting.
Allison Stewart:Let's ask a couple of last questions. No, I know we will.
TIffany Woolley:We'll do our fun little stuff. Oh okay, but I was saying, I like.
Allison Stewart:Yeah.
TIffany Woolley:Alright, so we always wrap up with just some fun design questions. Okay, what is your favorite restaurant? Design wise, oh, design Ooh Doesn't have to be local.
Allison Stewart:It could be any way you've traveled.
Scott Woolley:Do you have one. What's the place with the princess cake?
TIffany Woolley:St Ambrose.
Scott Woolley:I love that too, anywhere that has.
Allison Stewart:Palm Beach Island.
Scott Woolley:What's that style? It's like an art nouveau or anything at the Boca Raton they've done a dynamic interior. I love that style and that is like an art nouveau Palm Beach.
TIffany Woolley:Yeah, the flamingo.
Scott Woolley:So pretty and I feel like it has little touches in my house you feel comfortable there what about hotel design?
Allison Stewart:wise, you have a favorite design wise.
Scott Woolley:Yeah, um, I don't know.
TIffany Woolley:Um, I mean, I love the breakers just the history, the history back in time yeah, yeah, it's the gilded age.
Scott Woolley:Yeah, it's not just like a hotel, it's a little experience and timeless and destination.
TIffany Woolley:What's your favorite design element in your home? Probably my pantry I know I like I would be my my butler's pantry that we created from nowhere everyone told me it, it, you couldn't have it, it couldn't exist.
Scott Woolley:And then I said I know who I know you could figure this out. I'm gonna call tiffany. I swear. I tell people that all the time.
Allison Stewart:So you're very heavily involved in charitable foundations in the area in South Florida. Is there one particular event that you really like more than any?
Scott Woolley:Well, I mean, last week was fun the Hope Bash, it's probably one of the best. Put you know, put on events that annually we go to, it's one of the best that I've been to in years yeah, that's good in terms of how well organized it was.
TIffany Woolley:Yeah, what was really amazing to me is is that it was a premium open bar, which I haven't seen that in years and years and I actually loved how the bars were destinations, like they were like in the room, like I thought they were. Really. It was so cool yeah.
Scott Woolley:Yeah, I was at a meeting there yesterday and meant to tell them that you commented on that. It was like a follow-up to the committee that chaired it and that was one of my notes that I've got. That's so cute.
Scott Woolley:No, it was a, really it was well done yeah and I think what we were talking about yesterday in this committee kind of follow-up meeting was it's a younger crowd. For a lot of times what you see in Boca it's not the same people Like a lot of times you go to, you know, and I go to other things too and they're wonderful, you know charities and um, my, my dad and my mom and brother.
Scott Woolley:They've always been a part of. You know different charities and giving back but um a lot of times you see the same people. You go to the? Um. You know the the alzheimer's luncheon and you go to the breast cancer luncheon.
Scott Woolley:Right, leukemia Right and the Boca Hospital and you see a lot of the same people and they're wonderful, generous people that are giving and able to give to all these organizations, but for some reason, place of Hope. It's the last five years or so that I've been involved. It's kind of a different crowd and I was telling them yesterday I love that they don't shy away from their beliefs. You know their faith.
Voice Over:They're letting you know, this is a faith-based organization.
Scott Woolley:We can't do it alone. You know God is a part of it. They don't shy away from that.
TIffany Woolley:It was right at the front podium and America.
Scott Woolley:You know how pro-America they are.
TIffany Woolley:It is true.
Scott Woolley:And they want. I think it's catching on in the last two weeks too.
Voice Over:I think, it's really resonating with people, faith and freedom, Mm-hmm but yeah, it was a lot of fun.
Scott Woolley:It was fun to have you guys there.
TIffany Woolley:Well, it was a lot of fun. It was fun to have you guys there. Well, it was fun to go and attend and get dressed up, and get dressed up in a western theme, which we seem to all kind of like these days. Your girls, yeah little, yeah, so cute.
Scott Woolley:Well, thank you for joining us today on iDesign, your first podcast. I don't I've never even listened to a podcast before.
Allison Stewart:Tiffany's addicted to them, I know I listen to like five a day.
TIffany Woolley:I do know this, I do know.
Scott Woolley:So thanks for having me on.
Allison Stewart:All right, until next time.
Voice Over:Thanks, iDesign Labs podcast is an SW Group production in association with the Five Star and TW Interiors. To learn more about iDesign Lab or TW Interiors, please visit twinteriorscom.
