Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike Erskine.
Mike, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Several years back I was in the oil and gas industry working for my father. I grew up as an oil patch baby as we transferred around between Louisiana and Houston frequently as my father moved up the ranks but I was blessed as he always made sure we landed back in the Sugar Land and Missouri City area so that I would be enrolled in the same schools again and social circles. I am so thankful for this as I believe success in real estate starts and ends with the relationships you have built over time and of course the relationships we will create in the future.
After years of running corporate companies, my father struck out on his own and started a succession of his own companies which enabled me to effectively always have a job in the industry despite having no formal training or educational background in the industry. It was always a fly by the seat of your pants training for each position.
Once Oil and Gas prices plummeted during my last tenure in the industry I got the dreaded “shut the door” behind you call into my Dad’s office and was told my hours were going to be cut. You would think I would of taken this as bad news but the truth is it was a weight off of my shoulders. I knew I would not continue in the industry once he retired and truth be told I was never meant to sit behind a desk all day, something I had always known in my heart.
Enter in Glory Crafts whom had assisted me in the sale and purchase of three homes and well over ten for my mother and father. Once you have sold that many homes for a family you are pretty much considered family. Glory had always told me that I would make a good realtor.
So the day I was told my hours were to be cut, I had not even made it out of the parking lot yet when I called Glory to ask if she would be interested in having a new team member. I was enrolled at Champions School of Real Estate by 10 am the next day and the rest is history as they say.
It was the best decision of my life. I am a people person by nature and the fact that no two days in real estate are the same was a welcome change from dats bases and railroad report filing.
But for me, it is the satisfaction of working with and for people that I get the most gratification from. There is no feeling like seeing your clients grinning ear to ear at the closing table. I love people and being in the real estate industry has allowed me to make some great lifelong relationships with my clients.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Real estate is never ever always smooth. But that’s part of what I love about it. Every day brings a new challenge which keeps you on your toes. But this definitely helps to ensure that my job is never boring. Lol
But on a serious note, my mentor Glory Crafts is amazing. There were definitely bumps along the road when I was learning, but no matter what time of day or night I called needing advice or assistance she answered with a fantastic and patient attitude. You are not a top producer for 35-plus years if you are not doing something right. I also strongly feel success is bred by a good work atmosphere which I have definitely enjoyed with Remax Fine Properties. My Broker Nimesh Patel has definitely created a family-like atmosphere at the firm and has an open-door policy for all the agents. Both my team and Broker have given me the confidence to know that there is always a solution. You just have to think out of the box sometimes to find it.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
To me, gaining success in real estate is one hundred percent based on the ability to build and cultivate relationships. I have always been told that I’ve never met a stranger and I generally love meeting people. For me, it starts there. But building the relationships are just part of the equation. Maintaining and cultivating them is the real key. In fact, my slogan on the back of my business cards is “service after the sale”. I try and keep up with most of my clients several times a year and offer them things such as comping their homes during tax season for property tax disputes and emailing them about new business openings or info relative to their community. I also send them emails periodically to see how they are to maintain a relationship with them. I am so proud to say that about 80 % of my clients I can honestly call good friends. I say all this because the fact that 75 % of my business this year has come from repeat clients or referrals.
I am also very accessible. My clients know they can call me at 8pm or 11pm. This goes a long way as clients know they are my priority. I talk to agents who say they won’t accept work calls after 9pm, I say they are in the wrong business.
Of course, working with a Rock Star agent like Glory Crafts doesn’t hurt at all. Our team is on the Remax top producer list just about every quarter and we just got the coveted Remax Top 500 award again. I’m proud to be on the team, my mother use to tell me that you are only as good as the company you keep when it comes to running a business.
What do I think makes me different than a lot of other agents? That’s easy. Compassion. I care about my clients, their situation, I take extreme pride in making sure at the end of the day there is no doubt in my client’s minds that they made the right decision in choosing me to represent them.
I have been told by peers on separate occasions that I take work to personal, but in my experience, this is what buyers and sellers want out of someone they are entrusting with something as important as buying or selling a home.
I am recently particularly proud of a new project I am working on to help out veterans looking to buy or sell a home. In brainstorming on what I could do to give back to veterans I happen to have a conversation with Outlaw Dave the longtime Houston radio personality and icon who now is broadcast on KRPC.
He has a segment on his show called “Veterans Corner”. I am currently teaming up with Dave to do radio segments and events for Veterans Corner to educate our great vets on VA benefits and the real estate market. I wanted to do something to give back to vets for their service so I am offering my Veteran clients some relief by contributing to their closing costs.
It is taking off and I could not be more proud of it!
How do you define success?
Success is loving what you do for a living. It’s getting to a point in your life where you actually look forward to getting up and tackling the day. To be able to provide a comfortable life while absolutely loving what you do is priceless.
I once saw my father do a tv interview when I was kid on a segment about the oil and gas sector. I was young but I will never forget him saying the words. “ I love what I do for a living, to be honest I can not believe I get paid to do it”’.
That to me is success!!!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.har.com/mike-erskine/agent_Merskine
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/mike_erskine_remax_?r=nametag
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063487962490
Image Credits
1) Proud to have served my clients the Riahi’s Dr Ryan and Dr Colette Riahi. Both Drs. in Sugar Land 2) on the radio discussing “veterans corner” with Radio personalities David Andrew’s aka Outlaw Dave and “the Rock Goddess” Taylor Munnerlyn. 3) Enjoying some play time with my go to and preferred title team company Old RepublicTitle is In Sugar Land. I work closely with this team to make sure my clients are taken care of and have piece of mind. Featured from left to right the Jessica Clymer, Kelli Quijada, Mike Erskine, Francesca Rose Upton. 4) closing day with my first time buyers Braeden and Liv Conrad. It’s always so exciting working with clients to get their first home. 5)home I sold in Sienna 6) my broker at Remax Fine Properties Nimesh Patel and I
