Episode 052: Care First, Close Second: Why Homebuyers Love Working with Realtor Tina Andrade

00:00:00:00 - 00:00:33:04
Nate Carver
If you're looking for a real teacher, that is care first and closing second. Taking care of you and your family. I'd like to introduce y'all to Tina Andrada out of Millington, Tennessee. And, she has been a real estate agent since January of 2000 and has been helping families and investors find, places to call home across 22 counties in Tennessee and Mississippi.

00:00:33:07 - 00:00:43:14
Nate Carver
Tinas approach to her entire real estate business that she has built on integrity, communication and compassion and putting her clients first.

00:00:43:16 - 00:01:02:23
Nate Carver
Hey, I'm Nate Carver and welcome to Between Two Doors.

00:01:03:00 - 00:01:04:16
Nate Carver
Hey, Tina. How are you?

00:01:04:18 - 00:01:07:04
Tina Andrade
Hi. I'm great. How are you today?

00:01:07:06 - 00:01:18:12
Nate Carver
I'm good. Cold. It's that time of year. Break out the hoodies in, And, the, I can stay warm between now. Not not hibernate the next couple of months, but.

00:01:18:13 - 00:01:31:22
Tina Andrade
When I hear you never know what you're going to get. And you can be in flip flops on Monday and in a coat and freezing on Wednesday. So, yeah, right now, let's keep your whole, your whole closet open because you don't know what you're going to wear.

00:01:31:24 - 00:01:49:07
Nate Carver
You're right. So let's have a little bit of background on, for you. You started in 2000. And, tell us a little bit about your journey, your why you got into real estate. And then I'll follow that up with a bunch of questions.

00:01:49:09 - 00:02:13:04
Tina Andrade
Okay. Well, I actually moved from Arkansas to Tennessee in 1997 as a property manager for equity properties, and I was running an apartment complex in Memphis and bought my first house in 1999 around the corner from the apartment complex. And you know, as any non agent looks at that check and thinks, oh my gosh, you know, look at the hours.

00:02:13:04 - 00:02:31:10
Tina Andrade
I'm working as a property manager at this apartment complex. And I could have been making that sell in a house, not thinking of the amount of money we put into it for education and every marketing and everything else. But it was a silly thought of. I'm already in this business, sort of. And I'm going to go get my real estate license.

00:02:31:12 - 00:02:45:23
Tina Andrade
And I did, and I graduated the class in December of 1999 and took my first job in new construction in January of 2000. And my career just evolved from there.

00:02:46:00 - 00:02:59:09
Nate Carver
Nice. What is, a couple of things you like doing outside of when you set step away from real estate as a real estate agent, if that's even possible. So carve out some time for yourself. What do you love doing?

00:02:59:11 - 00:03:19:18
Tina Andrade
I don't know that there's time carved out for a realtor, but I love to go vacationing. I make it a habit to go to the beach every year for a week with my family. For me, outside, a real estate family is probably my most important thing. And I spend as much time as possible with them.

00:03:19:20 - 00:03:33:11
Tina Andrade
Because this career does take a lot of your time. So I would say that cooking is a passion. I love to cook and, travel. So those are my things that I enjoy.

00:03:33:13 - 00:03:46:13
Nate Carver
All right. So I'm a I'm a beach guy, and I think I know the answer to this. Just knowing where Millington is, how far to drive from there is that? The communities that you serve to the beach.

00:03:46:15 - 00:03:50:01
Tina Andrade
It's going to be according to what beach you're talking about, right?

00:03:50:03 - 00:03:51:12
Nate Carver
Orange beach.

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Tina Andrade
Orange beach is about 6.5 hours, about six and a half. And a lot of people go there about 4.5 hours to Gulf Shores. Yeah. But, you know, we can go to Nashville Shores and three hours and hang out up there. And if we just want to hit a beach on a lake, we can be at a couple of different lakes in about two hours.

00:04:13:18 - 00:04:26:06
Nate Carver
And I was right on two of them. So good. Good deal. So tell us, tell me a little bit about what? What care first. Close second. Your philosophy there.

00:04:26:08 - 00:04:51:02
Tina Andrade
Well, I kind of learned early on in the career, you know, I got into it, as most people do. Single mom at the time, raising my kids, thinking I was going to have all this time. And I needed to make a lot of money. And everybody said real estate is the way to go. And so it kind of went in the blindsided thinking that it I'll, you know, it was kind of the way to make great money as a single parent and do all that.

00:04:51:02 - 00:05:10:09
Tina Andrade
But I found out the more I counted my money, instead of working for my clients, the less money I made. So I really had to have a inner talk with myself. And, you know, I'm a very spiritual person. And I had, just kind of went to prayer and I said, you know, how am I going to make this career work?

00:05:10:11 - 00:05:35:08
Tina Andrade
And I found that the less I think about what I'm making, and the more I think about my clients and what's best for them and how to work for them, and not worry about what the bottom dollar is on the back end. The more blessings I've been given in this career, and it has been tremendous to see how it has grown in 20, almost 26 years.

00:05:35:08 - 00:06:00:13
Tina Andrade
And the different routes I've taken from first time homebuyers to veterans to investors and learning all the ins and outs and, you know, and with everything I do, as I say, I want to treat you the way I'd want somebody to treat my mama. With respect and honesty and to do the right thing, even if it doesn't give you exactly what you thought you were going to get in the end.

00:06:00:13 - 00:06:07:08
Tina Andrade
And when I say that sometimes we have to give a little to get a little.

00:06:07:10 - 00:06:30:15
Nate Carver
Right. So what is, long term after, you know, after closing and somebody might think, oh, I just bought a house. That's kind of the end of it. I mean, that's the transactional piece of it. What about what is it about that relationship that's important to you? Well, beyond closing.

00:06:30:17 - 00:06:58:00
Tina Andrade
I tell all of my clients that closing does not end our relationship. It ends the transaction. And that I'm there for those phone calls. Once you move in and you don't know where your main shut off is, or you don't know where to find the clean out, that or all of a sudden you've had a plumbing issue six months later and you don't know who to call, or you got some mail in and it looks official, but you don't know.

00:06:58:00 - 00:07:15:17
Tina Andrade
Should you really pay for that or not? So I'm there to help with all those questions after you move in. You know, they may have decided they need to put in a new faucet and they don't know a plumber in the area. They they decided they need to they want to put in new interior doors because they don't like them.

00:07:15:17 - 00:07:33:11
Tina Andrade
Do I know a new good contractor? So for me, the after the closing is just because the transaction is done doesn't mean the relationship's over. So I tend to keep long term relationships with my clients. Yeah, it's more than just a Christmas card.

00:07:33:13 - 00:07:56:00
Nate Carver
Right? Well, they're, as as I'm filling out Christmas cards. What? This year? So, what what are some things that you do outside of the outside of Christmas cards? And Thanksgiving text that are important to you. Important touch points for you.

00:07:56:02 - 00:08:17:16
Tina Andrade
Well, I usually keep up with them about every three months. And I have a system where I rotate from phone calls to text messages, to a mail out or an email out. And, you know, I know my clients. I know if they have a baby due in three months, so I know to give them that call.

00:08:17:16 - 00:08:38:14
Tina Andrade
Hey, when's the baby shower? You know, I'm at the house warming parties and baby showers and wedding showers and weddings because those are built in the relationships. So, you know, I get those phone calls, you know, when I know they're trying for a baby. And I say to them, well, I'm going to keep up with you and find out if he's going to get a little sister.

00:08:38:14 - 00:08:59:08
Tina Andrade
And then later you found out he didn't get one, he got two, and she had twins. So, you know, they're all my friends on social media, and I keep up with them through social media, and I comment on all their stuff and tell them how proud I am of the things that are happening in their life. But it's just different touches at different times.

00:08:59:08 - 00:09:06:03
Tina Andrade
And it's not all about real estate. It's about, you know, them, their family, what's going on in their life.

00:09:06:05 - 00:09:18:05
Nate Carver
Nice. So in your in your journey in growth and success as real estate agent, what would you tell your one? Tina?

00:09:18:07 - 00:09:42:10
Tina Andrade
Oh, the one year old, when I was in it for the first year to not be afraid of changes because this career is ever evolving and that when you make a change, it's scary. But if you put the time and effort and education into it, that you might just find it could be the best thing you ever did.

00:09:42:10 - 00:10:05:14
Tina Andrade
Because it is very scary to change from being in new construction to doing, what I call residential sales out to the public, and you're not walking into you. It's a change to work with investors and learn about EVMs and Orvms and you know, how to run comps and all that for after market values and know what to do.

00:10:05:16 - 00:10:27:10
Tina Andrade
And you know, I just think with this industry, the industry rolls and changes every year. And you've got to be able to do that with it. And it's scary. And for someone Staunton, who moved to the city she knew knew nobody in. You know, I had no family, no friends and started from scratch. I had no idea what I was going to do.

00:10:27:12 - 00:10:53:14
Tina Andrade
And I will tell you, it was by trial and fire sometimes. And, and it wasn't always just error. It was throwing yourself in the fire and praying that you, you know, came out. Yeah. But I can say that I've made many mistakes over the 26 years of, you know, been able to say when I'm wrong and learn from that and just know that you don't know it all.

00:10:53:14 - 00:10:56:09
Tina Andrade
Every day you're going to learn something new.

00:10:56:11 - 00:11:17:20
Nate Carver
Yeah, yeah, I, I've only been a lender. I say only I've been a lender for six years and it is nowhere near what, the same as it was six years ago. Amount of changes and stuff is you got to be you got to be on top of your game. And, all these were in my learning had.

00:11:17:22 - 00:11:38:22
Nate Carver
Can you tell us, okay. So we mentioned, you know, 22 different counties across Tennessee and Mississippi. That is a big footprint. You have a team. I'd love to hear about the communities that you serve. And what what what? Yeah. Let's talk about the communities that you serve, and then we'll jump into your team.

00:11:38:24 - 00:12:04:17
Tina Andrade
Okay. So the the point of the 22 counties in two states is I started out in the Memphis, Tennessee area, Memphis Association of Realtors and was kind of work in that footprint. And then I had some family moved in to Mississippi, which, you know, we border each other across the line, you know, you're right there. So I started got my Mississippi license and thought, well, I'm going to work some of Mississippi.

00:12:04:17 - 00:12:27:14
Tina Andrade
I'm just going to do three counties over there, because that's where my family is. And I've done that for several years. And then about six years ago, I was approached by, someone to work with some veterans in the Jackson, Tennessee area, which would have put me in the central West area. What to do that? That added several 14 more counties to what I was already doing.

00:12:27:16 - 00:12:49:04
Tina Andrade
But my crazy self said, well, you know, for veterans, I'll do anything. I'll drive an hour, hour and a half. Let's go find your house, because I have a love for them. You know, got veterans in my family. We were in a lot of military in the family, a lot of military in my area. Because I live in Millington, where there's a Navy base, and I thought, you know, I couldn't join the military, but I can give back in this way.

00:12:49:04 - 00:13:07:19
Tina Andrade
So I'm just good to drive. And six years later, I'm driving 22 counties in two states, and I love it. Absolutely love it. The the people I get to meet, the people I get to help, the people I get to serve is amazing.

00:13:07:21 - 00:13:25:17
Nate Carver
Wow. So veterans, first time homebuyers, families moving in into Tennessee and Mississippi? Investors. And, you also you also do some stuff with with helping families with the estate sales too, right?

00:13:25:19 - 00:13:58:01
Tina Andrade
I do, I do so few probate attorneys around. And then now, of course, I've been known as the person that'll work with the estates. And those are a little more emotional, especially when you've got someone who it was their parents house for 40 years. It's a little lighter trend to do, because it is an emotional sale when you're selling your childhood home or, you know, it's even worse sometimes when the parents are still here and they're moved out living with them or in assisted living, it's just it's a different thing.

00:13:58:01 - 00:14:20:14
Tina Andrade
You have to be very slow, very meticulous and work at their pace and be able to talk to them in a manner that's not going to offend them when I mean, as I understand it, you know, and I know my parents homes are not all top notch, but those are my parents homes, and I can walk in as a realtor and see the things that need to be done.

00:14:20:14 - 00:14:48:02
Tina Andrade
But as a child, those are my parents homes, you know? So I do understand the, the having to have a little bit different outlook on an estate because it is emotional. You know, that's the thing about real estate. Everything's different. Estates are emotional and investors are not. It's all about the numbers and business. So that's where I say you as a realtor, you have to be able to rotate for your client's needs and not your own.

00:14:48:04 - 00:15:02:07
Tina Andrade
So yeah, estates are they can be a joy in the end, but they can definitely be tough to work if you are not in the right mindset to work with people who are emotionally attached to a house that they're not going to keep.

00:15:02:09 - 00:15:10:10
Nate Carver
Yeah. Any any particular, estate sale stand out to you? That was extremely memorable.

00:15:10:12 - 00:15:38:04
Tina Andrade
Oh, yeah. We had one. There were 28, 28 heirs. Wow. And we found 27. We finally found the 28th one. And they had been estranged from the family. And we had to take a ride out to North Carolina to convince them that it was worth financially worth. Son. And the documents to sell this house because there was more involved than just the house.

00:15:38:04 - 00:15:58:05
Tina Andrade
You've got to remember, you've got the house part. There's a lot of times more involved in this estate than just the house. But yeah, 2028 heirs took three months to find the 28th when after we sold the house, and then we had to drive up and convince them to sign the paperwork.

00:15:58:07 - 00:16:02:06
Nate Carver
So I feel like presence.

00:16:02:08 - 00:16:27:02
Tina Andrade
Relieved because the little family behind the house, it was they were, veterans, teachers, first time homebuyers. So we want to talk about an emotional roller coaster all the way around. Yeah that was it. That was probably the and not even the most expensive house I've sold on an estate. Probably one of the least expensive houses I've sold on an estate.

00:16:27:04 - 00:16:34:13
Tina Andrade
But probably one of the most rewarding and emotionally fulfilling for everybody involved when it was done.

00:16:34:15 - 00:17:00:13
Nate Carver
Yeah, I believe it. I was just thinking of my grandparents estate whenever they passed. Family. The family sold their, their, their farm. And I kind of knew what the new buyers were going to do to the place. And they were now in a massive renovation. So I sure did go in there. And I grabbed that doorjamb for where all of the kids would mark their growth.

00:17:00:13 - 00:17:01:22
Nate Carver
Right.

00:17:01:24 - 00:17:11:15
Tina Andrade
Oh, that's what I'm saying. That's what I'm saying. You never know what the simplest the I mean I've had people get upset about having to remove wallpaper and carpet.

00:17:11:16 - 00:17:12:19
Nate Carver
Yeah.

00:17:12:21 - 00:17:16:02
Tina Andrade
Because they remember when their mom bought that wallpaper.

00:17:16:04 - 00:17:17:14
Nate Carver
Yeah.

00:17:17:16 - 00:17:38:22
Tina Andrade
You know, I mean so you just, you never know what somebody is attached to. Yeah. I mean, when we talk about when we talk about a house is not a home until the people are in it. And once people get in it, it is no longer a house, it is a home. And that a that emotional attachment can get really strong.

00:17:38:24 - 00:17:56:09
Nate Carver
Yeah. Yeah. You're right. That's the one thing the most memorable. I got a lot of great memories of that place. But a tangible thing is that because I just remember as kids, you know, we all lining up all the grandkids, they would. Grandpa would come in and pull out it.

00:17:56:09 - 00:17:58:15
Tina Andrade
Mark you mark it.

00:17:58:17 - 00:18:06:23
Nate Carver
Yeah. I think my grandmother would be like, oh, you see, he'd have something to say about tearing up the house and it is great.

00:18:07:03 - 00:18:15:00
Tina Andrade
But yeah, but dad's a great dad's didn't care. That's what they did. That was their way of seeing who was growing taller. And that was it was a conversation thing for families.

00:18:15:04 - 00:18:22:10
Nate Carver
Yeah, yeah. Yeah. We you know we had that. And then the new owners, they made it their home.

00:18:22:10 - 00:18:23:01
Tina Andrade
So they did.

00:18:23:01 - 00:18:54:24
Nate Carver
Oh yeah they do. So, let's let's talk about veterans. VA loans, VA purchases. They, they are a, you know, that entitlement, that veterans are earned and active, duty earned, anything stand out there that that are in your experience that you would that you wish home or homebuyers that knew going into that contract.

00:18:55:01 - 00:19:19:06
Tina Andrade
For buyers on a VA. I wish they understood a little bit better. It's like you, they're told they're getting 100% financing, which is absolutely true. You are getting 100% financing, 100%. If that house is 300,000, you're going to get a $300,000 loan. If you qualify for it. You still have to qualify like any other person. But let's say you do.

00:19:19:08 - 00:19:52:22
Tina Andrade
They still don't think about the closing expenses that would come out of pocket, you know, because they've been they've been trained their whole life to hear a VA loan is 100%, 100%, 100%. But they don't think of the closing expenses, you know, and even the funding, the fee can be, you know, rolled into the loan. But when it comes to closing costs, earnest money inspections, you know, and yeah, we're in Tennessee and Mississippi, so we might have, well, inspections, not just a house and a termite may have have to have well inspections.

00:19:52:22 - 00:19:53:15
Nate Carver
And septic.

00:19:53:18 - 00:19:55:03
Tina Andrade
Septic inspection.

00:19:55:03 - 00:19:56:00
Nate Carver
Inspections.

00:19:56:00 - 00:20:21:05
Tina Andrade
So you know, this starts adding up and I've see them get deflated sometimes. Yeah. When, you know, all of a sudden even if I can talk to the seller and get them to pay the closing cost, there's still upfront expenses. And so I do see some of my veterans get deflated when I say, hey, even if I can get them to pay everything else, I need you to have $2,000.

00:20:21:07 - 00:20:31:03
Tina Andrade
And they're like, nobody told me that. Now here's the thing. Somebody has probably told them that, especially if they've talked to the lender before me.

00:20:31:05 - 00:20:32:01
Nate Carver
Yeah.

00:20:32:03 - 00:20:36:22
Tina Andrade
But in the.

00:20:36:24 - 00:21:01:11
Tina Andrade
World that they're in, they're here 100% financing. And, you know, if you're a home buyer that doesn't work in our industry, and you told me I'm getting 100% financing, I would have thought the same thing. Well, who I'm not going to have to be to do dime, but in all actuality, it's 100% plus a little bit. You've got to you've got to have a little skin in the game.

00:21:01:13 - 00:21:02:14
Nate Carver
Yeah.

00:21:02:16 - 00:21:02:23
Tina Andrade
You know.

00:21:02:23 - 00:21:13:01
Nate Carver
If only there was a loan officer that would sit down and do an actual loan consultation and walk a veteran through through that process.

00:21:13:03 - 00:21:24:03
Tina Andrade
Nathan, I wonder who he could be, because, you know, I would love to meet him if he could just sit them down and give them all the details. That would be fantastic. Do you know somebody.

00:21:24:05 - 00:21:27:08
Nate Carver
Did this just so happen? I do, just.

00:21:27:08 - 00:21:28:06
Tina Andrade
So I hope you do.

00:21:28:12 - 00:21:53:22
Nate Carver
Yeah. You know, as a as a veteran, as a loan officer and a veteran, I care deeply about all of my clients. Customers. And, and and the VA loan is, you know, it it's a wonderful product. I think it's the best loan out there, and.

00:21:53:22 - 00:21:55:17
Tina Andrade
I do, too. I agree.

00:21:55:19 - 00:22:22:01
Nate Carver
Setting up a veteran in their family, for success, by doing that loan consultation with them. And, and, you know, I in my industry, I know loan officers that don't have a clue about VA loans because they don't write very many, if any. And that's, you know, that's okay. They they probably grade it. Right. And conventional or some other fancy loan, I don't know.

00:22:22:03 - 00:22:55:06
Nate Carver
Well and then giving the tools back to the realtor to negotiate from a strong position all the different, you know, I, I tell homeowners, I tell your buyers, I'm like, look, you never you never. I don't get into the real estate side of it, but I do do the numbers. Right. So I was like, you never know what the sellers needs are, because I and I'm like, you know, don't assume that they're not going to do a concession because they may they may be they've got a number.

00:22:55:06 - 00:22:58:03
Nate Carver
They know that their their break even or their profit.

00:22:58:06 - 00:23:20:24
Tina Andrade
And, and that's where the realtor comes in. Don't know how this market is right now. Yeah. And it is where I feel like if you have a good lender and a good realtor that communicate, that's right. That's the thing that's the key is communication. If I can call Nathan and say, hey, Jim, Bob just reached out to me and he's approved for 250,000 with a VA loan.

00:23:21:03 - 00:23:42:05
Tina Andrade
Can you tell me how much is he gonna need in closing cost? This is about what the taxes run in our area where he's looking. And this is about what the insurance is going to run that I've seen before. You've got the interest, right? We're having a conversation. I now know he needs $10,000. That $250,000 house and closing expenses to ask to the seller.

00:23:42:07 - 00:24:03:22
Tina Andrade
Yeah. So now I know how to talk to Jim Bob about. Hey, and you've already told him he needs about that $2,000. And I'm going to tell him again, you know, that we're going to need 500 in earnest money, and we're going to go over it again so that when we put in that offer and he knows his deadlines and timelines in that contract, we know what we've asked that seller for.

00:24:03:22 - 00:24:30:10
Tina Andrade
Because you and I have had a conversation, we've been able to communicate to pre-work that deal prior to having to go to that list agent and present it. So we're given a solid offer with solid numbers, and we're not going to have to negotiate back and forth too many times, because on this end, after I've talked to you, I've probably talked to that agent and I've said, hey, I'm going to be bringing you an offer.

00:24:30:12 - 00:24:52:00
Tina Andrade
This is what it's going to look like. We need this. How does that seem to you? I can tell by the tone of the voice whether we're about to have a deal or we're about to get a counter, but I know we're about to work something out. But the biggest, the biggest thing to me with being a realtor is working with that lender upfront before you start making offers.

00:24:52:02 - 00:24:59:11
Tina Andrade
And no one what's the best route we as a team can do for that client? I'm living with you or whatever.

00:24:59:11 - 00:25:01:00
Nate Carver
That's true.

00:25:01:02 - 00:25:01:15
Tina Andrade
I mean, that's true.

00:25:01:21 - 00:25:18:03
Nate Carver
I would tell every buyer, every home buyer out there, if you're a realtor, well, your realtor and your lender are your team. They're on your side. They're your advocates. And if they aren't communicating lower.

00:25:18:05 - 00:25:46:14
Tina Andrade
Oh, it's I mean, I will tell you, I have had one of my lenders call me and say, hey, I got an offer from this other agent. I thought this was your client. And I'm like, well, I already told that client that I can't get them a $300,000 house for $1,000 a month payment. I said, you and I have already discussed it, so therefore I'm not going to show them $350,000 houses that they don't qualify for one because they're only qualified for 250.

00:25:46:16 - 00:26:06:22
Tina Andrade
But even at 250, they're not going to get a $1,000 payment. I'm not going to set them up for failure or disappointment. Yeah. So they went out and found an agent that would go set them up for failure. Disappointment, who wrote a $200,000 offer this last week in then called the lender and said, hey, I've got this offer.

00:26:06:24 - 00:26:31:16
Tina Andrade
And he goes, well, who are you? Because it's not me. And that she said, well, I you know, they called me and they wanted to see this, and I'm sure they did because their agent's not giving them what they want. Okay. Yeah. I'm not a miracle worker. I can't give with no money down. I cannot with any lender that I know anywhere in the country give you $1,000 payment on a $200,000 house.

00:26:31:18 - 00:26:32:21
Nate Carver
Yeah.

00:26:32:23 - 00:26:57:19
Tina Andrade
I don't know where I'm going to find that. So for me, it's very important when I, I mean, I don't know what agents are going to go out and just write a house on, write an offer on a house, that these people can't that won't buy. They can't, they won't. So I really think I love a three way conversation with my lenders and my clients and myself to where we're all on the same team.

00:26:57:21 - 00:27:12:16
Tina Andrade
I do text messages where we're all in the same text message. I do joint emails. I keep us in tuned to each other so that if anything comes up along the way, your team's right there to fix it. Yeah. You know.

00:27:12:18 - 00:27:13:15
Nate Carver
Yeah.

00:27:13:17 - 00:27:20:10
Tina Andrade
I mean, I think that's just important in any real estate transaction, you and I have to be on the same team.

00:27:20:13 - 00:27:37:05
Nate Carver
That's right, that's right. Communications is key. So you you brought up team. So let's talk about your team. Usually you lead a team of three dynamic women. What roles do they play?

00:27:37:07 - 00:28:00:03
Tina Andrade
Well, I am the team lead. And, of course, you know, I've been around for almost 26 years, and business has been good to me, and I just, I had a young lady who was working as my transaction coordinator, but she's a licensed agent. Got her broker's license, and just never really joined a team. Has worked in our office at, FastTrack Realty for a few years.

00:28:00:03 - 00:28:30:13
Tina Andrade
And, you know, up front and, she's been, what, the opportunity to be a part of a team. So we actually are breaking out and announcing that team in January of 2026. We've been putting it together for about four months behind the scenes, websites and videos and all the things. But Samantha Ward is a Tennessee licensed broker, and she will travel about probably all 18 of those counties in Tennessee without a problem.

00:28:30:13 - 00:28:56:08
Tina Andrade
She's like me. She will be a road warrior. She lives in the Cordova, Tennessee area. But, she is just outstanding. Great personality. The young lady is just it's phenomenal what all she can do. What? She's great at marketing. And then Amber McLeod joined us in May as a brand new agent. And I'll tell you a little bit about her.

00:28:56:08 - 00:29:23:23
Tina Andrade
She is my daughter. And it took me 26 years almost to convince her to join. She has worked in the capacity of working for the title companies. She's worked as a transaction coordinator. She has done and real estate admin work all that over the years. But I finally convinced her to join the family business and become a realtor.

00:29:23:23 - 00:29:59:08
Tina Andrade
And she said it's definitely different than working on the back end. She's closed about eight deals this year. Her first year, and that's not bad considering it's been less than six months. So yeah, pretty proud of her start. She lives in Tipton County, out in Mumford and she tends to work a lot of that side of the state, like, from Memphis to Dyersburg and then the circle around Jackson and back, and not as much in the Savannah, Tennessee, which would be your, south side of Tennessee.

00:29:59:08 - 00:30:20:19
Tina Andrade
She's not doing as much there, but that's coming. You got to build. Samantha's been in it a little longer, and she's got a little bit, you know, more experience. But Ambers definitely got experience by fire from working in it in the family realm, too. So, pretty proud of those girls. I think they've both done really good this year, and I can't wait to see what they do next year.

00:30:20:21 - 00:30:38:10
Nate Carver
Nice. It's generational. Now, for you, so as a as a lender, as a loan officer, I promise. Clear and smooth, smooth and flawless closings. Tell me what a smooth transaction looks like from Realtors perspective.

00:30:38:12 - 00:31:02:18
Tina Andrade
Oh, a smooth transaction of which we don't get many of, but a smooth one is when the lenders got everything worked out. The buyer knows exactly what they're getting. They're no surprises. We put an offer in, we get it accepted. The inspection goes smooth, very few to no repairs. Seller agrees to everything. Appraisal comes back great and we all close on time.

00:31:02:20 - 00:31:16:05
Tina Andrade
That is a smooth transaction. They don't happen often, but they do happen because there's going to be a hiccup. Yeah, we're working with people. We're working with homes, so there's going to be a hiccup. But you know, there's nothing we can't work out.

00:31:16:07 - 00:31:31:01
Nate Carver
What are you seeing any trends there that might, we might could mitigate either as a, as a lender, are you seeing some trends that lenders might, could mitigate? Some of those bump the bumpy ride. Or in the.

00:31:31:01 - 00:31:42:00
Tina Andrade
Listing. I'm not seeing I'm not seeing it on the lender side. I mean, you know, y'all can't help it. If somebody decided to go buy furniture for days before clothes and then it comes up on their credit report.

00:31:42:02 - 00:31:46:05
Nate Carver
I do have that conversation in my consultation.

00:31:46:07 - 00:32:09:04
Tina Andrade
We all do. But I think it all started because, you know, and we're right there at it, you know, in all honesty, most of the things that come up on on our end as realtors is going to be during the inspection period. Yeah. Termites inspections, doing repairs. That's usually our biggest hiccup. I've noticed that the appraisals have aligned pretty much toward the end of the year.

00:32:09:04 - 00:32:29:00
Tina Andrade
In the beginning of the year, we were hitting a lot of Tidewater, but not really having that so much after the spring was over. By the time we hit summer, that seems to have died down. So I'm not really seeing a lot of lender hiccups. Most of it is going to be just trying to get that buyer and seller to negotiate everything through the process.

00:32:29:02 - 00:32:45:16
Nate Carver
Yeah, yeah. I know on the lending side, if I, when I put a loan together correctly on the front end, that mitigates all the well, that's half the equation. And then the rest is the property itself.

00:32:45:16 - 00:33:00:24
Tina Andrade
So yeah. Yeah, it's usually property itself. Yeah. And the crazy thing I tell people because they always say, oh well you're sales person, you're out there selling houses. I have never sold a house in my life.

00:33:01:01 - 00:33:02:24
Nate Carver
Corralling maybe.

00:33:03:01 - 00:33:25:03
Tina Andrade
I don't I don't sell houses. I told them, I said, you don't understand what I do for a living. I said, a lot of mine. A lot of mine is coordinating coordinate for everybody to do their job to get this right to the closing table. It's a lot of negotiation and coordinating, I said, but my job is to bring people home and build build generational wealth with investors.

00:33:25:05 - 00:33:52:12
Tina Andrade
Yeah, that's my job. My job is to bring people home, which means I open a lot of doors until they find the right home. And it's to help investors build generational wealth. Yeah, that's the two things that I do, I said, but to do that, there's a whole lot of back end work that nobody sees because, you know, we just so houses we open doors to pretty houses and we sell them and and, and in the beginning I might have thought that too.

00:33:52:12 - 00:33:55:14
Tina Andrade
But 26 years later, that is so far from the truth.

00:33:55:16 - 00:34:15:21
Nate Carver
Yeah. Like right now I want to say from your initial hello, with the potential buyer to the keys in hand, here's your new home. It's 46 or 47 individuals and different agencies that will touch that whole loan process. And, absolutely.

00:34:16:00 - 00:34:34:07
Tina Andrade
I tell them all the time, I said, yeah, you don't know the amount of people behind the scenes that are working for you. And my job is to make sure as your representative, that's what I am. I represent you is to negotiate all that, to handle any issues that I can before it comes to you.

00:34:34:09 - 00:34:34:20
Nate Carver
Yeah.

00:34:34:20 - 00:34:41:19
Tina Andrade
Because anything I can clear up that does not upset my client. I'm going to cleared up before it gets to them.

00:34:41:21 - 00:34:42:09
Nate Carver
Yeah.

00:34:42:14 - 00:35:02:19
Tina Andrade
You know, you it's what a lot of people don't understand is that our job is to make this as smooth for our client as possible. Does it mean we're not hitting bumps on the back end? But we're definitely not going to have them go over them with us if we can keep from it, because we want it to be a good experience for that buyer.

00:35:02:21 - 00:35:09:08
Tina Andrade
We don't want them upset. So our job is to fix it so that they don't get upset.

00:35:09:10 - 00:35:23:21
Nate Carver
I love it. All right. So someone someone listening from afar and they're like I move in there. What would you tell them about the areas you serve? Some of the key highlights that you love. And yeah, let's.

00:35:23:23 - 00:35:43:04
Tina Andrade
Well, of course, a lot of people come to Tennessee because it doesn't have a state tax. And so that's a big one. And it's according to what you're looking for. I mean, are you wanting to be in downtown in the condos and have that nightlife where you can walk to restaurants and stuff? Because the great thing about Tennessee is we can take you from condos to the country.

00:35:43:06 - 00:36:04:15
Tina Andrade
You can, you know, have your condo work, you know, away from town, get on the airplane 20 minutes away and not worry about your property. Or if you're the type that wants a mini farm with your donkey and your pig and your chickens and your, you know, garden, we've got that too. So the thing I love about Tennessee is it's diverse.

00:36:04:17 - 00:36:35:18
Tina Andrade
We have lakes. We have, you know, parks where people can go hiking. We've got shopping, you know. So it's really Tennessee to me is you get the best of everything, and you're within a day's drive of so many adventures, you know, location is everything. Within eight hours, you can be so many places. You can be in Chicago, you can be in Orange Beach, you can be in, you know, you can go to Branson, Missouri and go to the, there's a lot of shopping there.

00:36:35:18 - 00:36:55:08
Tina Andrade
Plus they have, you know, one of the little I mean, Silver Dollar City, you can be in Nashville Shores from Memphis in three hours and go. You can be in Gatlinburg in five and a half to six and be in the mountains. So where can you in a day be from the mountains or the beach? You can go either way.

00:36:55:10 - 00:37:17:10
Tina Andrade
In, you know, day's trip. You can go either way. I mean, I just think that's amazing. You know, you can hit every either. So, what do we got? I'm trying to think I said silver dollar City. There's Dollywood. There's just so many things that you can do. Six flags. You can hit two different six flags going to which direction you want to go.

00:37:17:12 - 00:37:17:20
Nate Carver
Wow.

00:37:17:22 - 00:37:32:00
Tina Andrade
In a day. Yeah. So I mean, I just think that this location of being in Tennessee is just amazing, especially in the central west, West Tennessee area. Yeah, because you are a day drive for anything you want to do.

00:37:32:02 - 00:37:32:19
Nate Carver
Yeah.

00:37:32:21 - 00:37:35:24
Tina Andrade
It's crazy. I think it's just the best thing.

00:37:36:01 - 00:38:01:09
Nate Carver
Yeah. It's, you you are in a fantastic location, I can tell you. So years ago, I was an Uber driver a long time ago. And, I would meet so many people from Tennessee, from Memphis area, from Millington area. And, so I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm familiar from their stories and, but on a weekend trip, not even necessarily a long weekend, there's.

00:38:01:09 - 00:38:22:01
Nate Carver
Oh, we're just down for the weekend. Like they drove in Friday evening. You know, they're going to play Friday night, Sunday or Saturday and head back home on Sunday and. You head back to Sunday League, get an extra day at the beach and so that's fantastic. And it's tax free. Your state that is such I'm.

00:38:22:01 - 00:38:44:21
Tina Andrade
Telling you we do not. I told you we like to travel. My family does it all the time. Yeah I mean it's like cut out on Friday. You know in 6 to 8 hours you're going to be somewhere. Come back Sunday night. You can still make it to work on Monday. I mean, it's the greatest thing. And if you just need a weekend break, I mean, spring River is only not even three hours from here.

00:38:45:02 - 00:39:10:22
Tina Andrade
Yeah. So you can go floating down spur. I own a place up in Hardy. So, I mean, you know, spring rivers like nothing to get to when you're floating down the river from the day, you know? And I mean, it's just hot Springs, Arkansas. We're there in 3.5 hours now, you know? So I'm just saying there is not a whole lot you can't get to in a day's drive from right here that you could enjoy, which is insane.

00:39:10:24 - 00:39:31:07
Nate Carver
All right. So I'm a foodie, and you mentioned cooking early on, in our conversation. So if I'm inviting you and you're, you know, not me, because I'm going to say yes to whatever you bring, but let your friends invite you to dinner. What is the signature dish that they hope you're bringing?

00:39:31:09 - 00:39:39:19
Tina Andrade
Well, I can tell you, this going to sound crazy because it's a dessert, but I make a from scratch banana pudding.

00:39:39:21 - 00:39:52:01
Tina Andrade
And I get asked every holiday and everything to make that, so. Gotta have that banana pudding. But if it's a food dish, feel fresh.

00:39:52:03 - 00:39:53:10
Nate Carver
Nelson.

00:39:53:12 - 00:40:07:12
Tina Andrade
The banana pudding is like the number one. But if it's a food dish, it's probably going to be a prime rib with roasted vegetables. What it's going to be.

00:40:07:14 - 00:40:16:17
Nate Carver
You're speaking my love language, I love it. So prime rib roast, roast vegetables and a pudding for dessert. Yeah.

00:40:16:18 - 00:40:20:03
Tina Andrade
And we'll be having that on Christmas.

00:40:20:05 - 00:40:28:12
Nate Carver
I love it. Good for y'all. I mean, I'm thinking about doing a prime rib for Christmas. I did a big 30 pound turkey for Thanksgiving.

00:40:28:18 - 00:40:31:21
Tina Andrade
We did all that. Yeah, but for Christmas, we do prime rib.

00:40:31:21 - 00:40:44:01
Nate Carver
Yeah, yeah, this is a good. That's a great, tradition. Wow. All right, Tina, is there anything I should asked you that I didn't.

00:40:44:03 - 00:41:07:16
Tina Andrade
Not that I can think of. Just that. You know, when you work with me, just know you're treated like family and, I want to make sure that everybody that works with me or my team knows that they come first. And, our schedules, theirs and their timeline is ours. There's no rush on our end. And our job is to work at your pace.

00:41:07:16 - 00:41:16:10
Tina Andrade
And, you know, if you're fast, we're fast. If you're slower, slow. Because this is your journey and we're here just to guide you through it.

00:41:16:12 - 00:41:29:06
Nate Carver
Nice. All right. How can, anybody if someone is looking for a real estate agent to help them with buying or selling a home or investing or in, how could they best get Ahold of you?

00:41:29:08 - 00:41:43:19
Tina Andrade
Well, they can reach me on my cell phone at (901) 502-0762. Or they can go to our website at Midsouth Dream homes.com, and they'll be able to read about all three of us.

00:41:43:21 - 00:42:07:21
Nate Carver
All right. Perfect. That's gonna wrap it up for us. Anybody moving to Tennessee, Mississippi, the Millington area. Reach out to Tina. You've got a fantastic team. Y'all are growing. Y'all had a fantastic past year. And, looking forward to seeing what more you'll do in 2026. And we'll do this again.

00:42:07:22 - 00:42:19:02
Tina Andrade
We're excited to thank you, Nathan. And I'm excited to work with you. And I'm just looking forward to a very great start to the 2026, and I hope you all have a great holiday. Until then.

00:42:19:04 - 00:42:20:19
Nate Carver
All right. Thank you Tina.

00:42:20:21 - 00:42:30:01
Tina Andrade
Thank you.

00:42:30:03 - 00:42:32:02
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