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Egypt Sherrod is not someone who can easily be caught sitting still.
The real estate broker and investor always seems to have something new going on. This fall, the star of HGTV’s Married to Real Estate launched her Indigo Road home furnishings line through a partnership with furniture and home decor brand East at Main.
The partnership will include the launch party of a new 80-piece furniture collection for Indigo Road to take place on Oct. 14 at the International Home Furnishings Center in High Point, North Carolina. The furniture line will also be featured on Season 3 of Married to Real Estate, which will premiere in early 2024.
Back in January, Sherrod and her husband and Married to Real Estate co-star Mike Jackson also launched a podcast called Marriage and Money Podcast with Egypt & Mike. On the podcast, the couple discusses all the messy dilemmas that can come up in a marriage and pairs those issues with tips on how to build wealth and a legacy for one’s family.
The broker told Inman she considers herself a serial entrepreneur, and if by some strange twist of fate she hadn’t become a real estate professional, she would not have been able to avoid her entrepreneurial spirit.
As an Inman Influencer, Sherrod has also been recognized as one of the industry’s most influential thought leaders. Sherrod recently shared with Inman her thoughts on a wide range of topics, from real estate to personal interests and more. Here’s what she said.
1. Fill in the blank: In 2024, the housing market will …
Continue to climb in price and continue to decrease in affordability. There is still a national shortage in housing inventory which has been exacerbated by the hike in interest rates causing more potential home sellers to stay put.
2. What’s the strangest thing you’ve witnessed at a listing or open house?
Years ago, I once had a seller client send me a video clip where her in-home cameras caught a buyer and her agent sitting at the basement bar talking about the house while indulging in the seller’s liquor stash. Both she and I were in shock at the impropriety and audacity. I always recommend that sellers put away anything of value, as well as their liquor.
3. Name one book you’ve read multiple times
There are several books I read over and over. One is The Laws of Human Nature by Robert Greene, and I also like his 48 Laws of Power. On a spiritual level, I enjoy The Prayer of Jabez.
4. If I wasn’t in real estate, I would be …
A serial entrepreneur. I recognize that I was not designed to work for other people, only for myself.
5. Describe your biggest setback in real estate, and how you recovered
Contrary to what people may believe, my TV career actually hurt my real estate career for a while. When I first began with HGTV, I hosted Property Virgins for eight seasons. During Seasons one through three, I was overwhelmed and fully unprepared for the response.
My film schedule and brand new baby didn’t leave time or flexibility for me to build the proper infrastructure to support the new influx of business. I was literally turning business down, which is not a good feeling to see money flying out of the door.
By Season 4, I got smart and spent my entire off-season dedicated to building a larger support team, a better client concierge and beefing my referral network. Now, four TV shows later, I have built beyond myself and found ways to monetize all aspects of the real estate business.
6. Name the single biggest problem artificial intelligence will solve in real estate
Artificial intelligence, when used properly and effectively, will solve many challenges real estate professionals face. One of them is lead gen and task automation.
7. The home design trend you hope never returns …
Shag carpets. I literally just worked on a home with red shag carpets that extended into the bathroom and up the tub wall. I don’t know when that style was ever really in, but I hope it never returns.
8. This summer, my vacation plans included …
Huh? What vacation?
9. As an influencer, what social media tip would you offer a new agent?
Social media allows you to create, nurture and accelerate your brand. Think about the two or three things you want to convey about yourself or your business, then ensure that every post aligns with that messaging in some fashion.
My personal brand is Real Estate, Design, Family and Inspiration. Therefore on my @Egyptsherrod pages you will find that every post ties into this brand narrative in some fashion. I post consistently and on a timed schedule based on my audience’s peak hours.
For my business pages, I decided to separate them so that the messaging resonates and I can target my audience better. For all things solely real estate, I created @EgyptSherrodRealEstate, meanwhile for my Indigo Road Home Furnishings and Design Company, I have created @IndigoRoad.
On each different page, I super-serve the audience with exactly what they came for. So don’t be afraid to even separate your business page and personal page either. Just remember to synergize between both.
10. What’s the greatest compliment you’ve received from a client?
As the CEO-principal of Indigo Road Realty, I am honored when they call me or one of my associates their “family Realtors” or state that I am locked for life with them. That means I/we have earned their trust and resonated a deeper connection that transcends a one-time transaction. We should all aim to create lifetime clients.