Meet Preston Richardson | Realtor & Hiking Influencer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Preston Richardson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Preston, how do you think about risk?
I see myself as a “Risk Optimist.” I explore the value of the risk, opportunity of the risk, and believe the risk is worth taking a chance. When I had decided I wanted to get my real estate license, I didn’t even have enough money in my bank account to cover the cost of going to real estate school even though I had a full-time job in education. I knew my options were limited but I found a 0% interest credit card up to $1,000 for 12 months and decided to take the risk. I enrolled in school and felt the pressure to succeed because I knew if I didn’t I would have financial consequences. After the 6 week course, I passed my school exam and immediately signed up for the state/national exam. The fees were piling up and I knew I needed to pass my school exam on the first try or else I would have to wait a couple weeks for my next paycheck. Thankfully I passed on my first attempt and was able to join an incredible brokerage. I was still working full time in education and spent my time before and after work trying to create my own business in real estate. My weekends were reserved solely for open houses and client acquisition. After almost 6 months of passing my state exam, I closed two transactions in 1 week. So how do I think about risk? If it’s a risk, it means there’s a chance to fail or succeed. I see my mindset and effort as variables that decide the outcome.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I think what sets me apart from other real estate agents are two things. First, I genuinely care about my clients and throughout their experience of purchasing or selling a home, I like to learn about them and see them as becoming part of my family & friends. I have seen my clients change jobs, start families, have highs and lows, etc. and I’ve enjoyed being there with them for all of it. Second, I back all of my advice, strategies, and recommendations with data and experience. Buying and selling your home can be a very passionate experience, and as someone’s agent, it is important to be able to advise responsibly and professionally to produce the best possible outcomes. From my experience in education, teaching from 8th graders to seniors in college, I’ve had an opportunity to hone my skills in teaching and counseling all kinds of different ways. Working with clients is a lot like teaching and being able to effectively communicate in a diverse environment has absolutely set my business apart from others.

When I first started as a real estate agent, I chose to operate solo and blaze my own path. It was extremely difficult, but it was the perfect choice for me. I did not want to have any outside influence on how I intended to change real estate and help clients the way I thought they wanted and needed to be helped. It wasn’t easy but I read books, listened to podcasts, watched “gurus” online, and grinded every weekend deploying every strategy I could until I figured out what worked. Today, I have my own real estate team and mentor agents towards reaching their goals. All of the agents on my team have helped clients buy and sell multiple homes and as a team we have sold millions of dollars in volume.

One major lesson I have learned along the way is that, for the most part, people have the same wants and needs. People want to succeed, be recognized by others, and be cared for. I saw this in students when I was a teacher but now as a leader of my real estate team, it has become more apparent than ever. So many agents come from different backgrounds and have a lot riding on succeeding in real estate, and real estate is one of the toughest, if not the toughest, professions to succeed in. I make sure to always recognize, care for, and help my agents succeed while helping them feel empowered with everything they have learned.

If I had one thing I wanted people to know about my story, its that I never gave up. I took a risk on myself by getting a credit card to fund getting my real estate license. I worked every weekend until I could resign from my job in education. So many people thought I was crazy and could not possibly switch careers and succeed in real estate, and I remained deaf to their negativity. I never gave up.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friend were to visit the area I would have too much to show them in just one week but I’ll do my best to hit the highlights. I am going to assume they are visiting when it’s NOT summertime. The first place I would want to take them is to Sedona, AZ for a hike to take in the views and then for a nice sunset dinner at Mesa Grill. After a fantastic day in Sedona, we would make our way to Flagstaff to show off Arizona’s highest point, Humphreys Peak. Next, we would make the short drive over to Grand Canyon National Park to see one of the natural wonders of the world. Then, We would make our way over to Page, and stop at Horseshoe Bend and the dramatic views of Glen Canyon/Lake Powell. Afterward, we would make the long trek back to Phoenix to spend a couple days. Depending on the time of year, I would want to show them a spring training baseball game, watch the Suns, Cardinals, or Coyotes play. We have so much to do here in the city but I really enjoy chasing down a nice discrete “speakeasy” or tavern to go to. A personal favorite is Honor Amongst Thieves. At this point, we would likely run out of time and I would have to plan on their next 3 visits, showing them to the east/west/south side of the state for their next visits. People underestimate how large Arizona is. It would be impossible to show all the amazing places we have in just 1 week.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are so many people that deserve recognition for contributing to my success and by no means do I intentionally want to leave anyone out, but there is one person who believed in me making a transition to real estate that I can never forget. I was a staff member at a large university in Arizona where I managed student employees. I had an international student, Rohith Undralla, who from the day I met him inspired me. When he was on shift he would make conversation with me and ask me questions about what my goals were etc. I remember my fiance had just purchased our house and we had a large scale remodel to do. Rohith jumped at the opportunity to help us paint our interior. While we were painting he told me to “go for it” and take a chance to become a real estate agent. His words echoed in my head even after he had taken a job at a tech company in Texas. When he came back for graduation, I had passed my school and state exam but had not been able to pay my dues/fees to join my brokerage and activate my license. It was going to cost more money than I could save in 6-9 months from my job in education. Rohith asked me what was holding me back while we had lunch together before he left to go back to Texas. I told him. When he landed in Texas, he sent me the money I needed to start in real estate and said, “Now quit that job and do what you were meant to do!” He believed in me when no one else did. I’ll never forget that.

Website: https://sites.google.com/view/prestonrichardsonrealtor

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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PrestonRichardsonRealtor/

Other: Google Business Page: https://g.page/r/CdzugNLj8Od7EAE