Meet the Team - An Introduction to Ashley Austian

Happy Monday morning, Southwest Florida, and Facebook Live. I don't know about you, Ashley, but when I— in the morning when I get the music going, it makes me want to just kind of bob here.

There you go.

Nothing like after a beautiful weekend in Southwest Florida Right. Coming on live first thing in the morning. But you, but you are looking awesome as ever. So everyone, real quick, Renee Han with William Ravis Real Estate, but I'm not the important one today because today I'm really excited about the guest I have. Ashley is the most recent addition to the Renee Han Group, and I am both honored and privileged not only to get to talk to her today, but to have her on my team. And I wanted to do this as an opportunity to really showcase Ashley, because Ashley, if you have not had the opportunity to work with her in a real estate standpoint, is, um, is a rock star. So Ashley, with that as the introduction, I'd like you to tell the audience a little bit about yourself. Um, so share away, please.

Thank you. Uh, thank you for having me here. Uh, Just from Oklahoma. I've got 3 boys, 24, 13, and 9. Got amazing husband and just loving it here in Naples.

Fantastic. I actually have the opportunity. It's funny because they always say, what's the— actually, what's the— how many degrees apart are our people? There's a— there was a book about it. I can't remember the degrees, but Ashley and I have a couple intersections. In life. One, we had the opportunity to serve the community in a similar capacity when I was the treasurer of the PTO, and Ashley was putting her skills to use in support of our students and our teachers and our schools. So we got to meet that way. And then through just work connections and personal connections, have the opportunity to know, you know, one another through those relationships as well. So I, you know, Ashley is, as you're going to hopefully get a glimpse of today, is not only, um, outstanding professionally but is truly a salt-of-the-earth, genuine, wonderful person. And because I had the opportunity to know her outside of just a pure professional capacity, I feel like I'm an expert to be able to attest to that. So tell us a little bit, Ashley, about how long you've been in Naples and, and what brought you here.

Uh, my husband's a corporate pilot. Uh, back in 2014, he had a job offer here, so We just jumped and moved.

So that's— you're a long way from home.

I am.

That must have been a transition, as we have people watching, Ashley. This was not part of our, our prep, but coming from Oklahoma to Naples, two different places.

Absolutely.

Yep. Go ahead.

I said, but we love it. It's, it's a beautiful place.

Yes, and I'm sure Oklahoma was beautiful too. I always want to break into— there's a musical song about Oklahoma, When the Wind Comes Sweeping Down the Plains, right? Right. Excuse me. So Ashley, this is— you did not start your professional pursuits in real estate. You've been through some other experiences prior to declaring your, your, your real estate as the place you want to invest your talents. Tell us a little bit about what invest— you know, what interested you in the real estate space.

You know, I feel like it's just always somehow surrounded me and been a passion of mine, um, a little bit. But when I was younger, I got to see my family do this, got to see them just networking with clients and, and the passion that they had in helping them. And again, that was when I was younger. When my husband and I decided to start building and flipping homes together That was, you know, another opportunity that I got kind of in the real estate industry. And then I noticed when we decided to make the move here that I was constantly researching the area, the market, just everything so that I just, I just like to be very prepared and understand. And so I felt like all of these tied together that would help me bring you know, just being a, a great asset to clients and, and helping them find the perfect home.

Well, you're right. And, and as Ashley shared, she, when she commits to something, she jumps into the details, she becomes an expert. And having gone through that yourself a number of years back as you were exploring Naples is, is truly a great segue, um, because you, you understood from a consumer standpoint what was important to people when they're considering, because there's different stages in the, in the consideration process, right? And Ashley, I find that even more in Naples because we have a blend of people who don't have to move here but choose to for a variety of reasons, either because they're at that season in their life where they're retiring, or as we know, we've had a lot of people recently who, um, have learned that even though their job might be in location B, they now can work from anywhere. And so when you're considering Naples, it's not like other places where somebody comes in, they're just buying a home. We, we really have to inform people about the area so that they can truly pick if this is the place for them. And right through that in the most thorough way. Exactly. Well, tell us a little bit about, as, as this chapter of your life, um, builds up in the real estate space, What do you think are those strengths that are going to help you serve the customers that have the fortune of working with you?

Basically, I just feel, again, I go back to the research because I feel like that is such an important detail. I know that I'm very diligent, dedicated with that research. I'm always giving 120%, making sure that I'm an active listener for my clients so I can focus on the needs that they have. Um, and meeting new people is just a huge passion of mine and making just long-lasting relationships with them.

Now, I need to hit one on the head, which is listening to them. Um, you know, I unfortunately, I think sometimes people get into these situations where, um, you know, they're, they're working with a customer in this real estate space, right? And, um, when they don't do that, either because they're working towards a quick transaction or any number of things that can create bias, and we all have bias, that listening skill is so, so important. And not just listening to what they say, but also reading between the lines and getting a grasp on what they're looking for, because sometimes they may not know and they may not be able to articulate that fully. So Ashley, I think that skill will come in very handy in combination with with all of those other things you've noted. What, as, as people work with you and come into the capacity of either the buying or the selling side, Ashley, what can they expect that experience to look and feel like, um, from your services?

Honestly, I just want my clients to know that, um, that this is the largest financial transaction that they're going to make. It's a very big deal. I want them to know that as my client, that I'm going to represent them, making sure I'm protecting them each step of the way. My goal is to ensure that they have their home, their dream home, for years to come.

Well, and we all know how important that is, and it doesn't matter if this is your 5th home, your 1st home, your 10th home. Um, these are big commitments. They are, um, you know, longer-term commitments, and getting it right is, is so very important. So, Ashley, I Um, again, I think that those that have the opportunity to work with you are going to be so tickled. Um, you know, when I think about customers and the different needs they have or different personalities they have, um, that match is so important. And I think the kind of people that would be attracted to your services are those that, you know, don't just want to have someone go on MLS and just pick a few things to show, but somebody that's going to dig into both their needs as well as their knowledge of the area and make that, that really important connection that, you know, I see very much that being a strength of yours to offer that, um, the patience and understanding but the, the bias towards action are a great cross-section. So I think people, um, those that you work with now and in the future are going to be very blessed by all those attributes about you. So let me shift a little bit to the personal side, Ashley, because even though in real estate people know we work all the time, there actually are some free hours in each week or day. Ashley, how do you like to spend your free time?

I feel like lately it's, uh, I'm constantly cheering on my boys. I'm at one of their basketball games or baseball games, which I love cheering them on, watching them Other than that, I love going out with my family, being outdoors, whether we're kayaking or hanging out at the beach. But I'm also drawn to volunteering. I love volunteering in so many different parts, being involved with— again, where you and I had met and being part of the PTO together, meeting new people. And then another area of mine, a great passion, is event planning.

Well, and just a little plug because Ashley is really, really good at that. She's really good at real estate, but she's also good at event planning. And we can all think of a lot of different examples where those two strengths can come together beautifully as we often put on much broader hats than people even realize in our capacity because we are oftentimes that first relationship that people may have, particularly if they're coming from outside, and, and becoming a confidant and a wealth of information for how to get them started in their new place. Well, Ashley, again, I can't say enough about how thrilled I am to have the opportunity to work with you in this capacity, and, uh, I know great things are ahead of you. Um, you know, I, I oftentimes say I remember getting started in real estate and people said, well, how much real estate experience experience do you have? And, you know, I, I always want to tell people, regardless of where you're at in your real estate career, and as you're, as you're assessing agents, it's so important to look at their broad experience base. Because I can tell you, coming in as a new agent myself, um, the, the experiences those of us that, that come from outside the real estate space coming in, right, bring I think in many cases actually make us an even better real estate agent because we, we, we become experts in real estate. But because of those experiences, whether they are in sales capacities, marketing capacities, event planning capacities, life capacities, um, you know, all make us well-rounded agents. And so again, I am just thrilled to see you applying your talents in the real estate space. But I know those experiences, the knowledge, and just the personal attributes you bring to, to your role are going to serve others in, in the best possible capacity. So anything you'd like to say in parting as we wrap up this Meet Ashley segment this morning?

I know that's it. I'm awesome, glad to be here. It feels awesome, and I look forward to jumping in and helping everybody.

Well, Ashley, if people see this and they're like, oh, Ashley is my girl, I want to sell my home, I want to purchase a new home, how do they get a hold of you?

Um, my cell phone is 239-233-6877, and we have a website as well at yournaplesexpert.com.

Fantastic. Well, again, William Ravis Real Estate and Renee Han Group are thrilled to have Ashley as a part of our family. If you're looking for someone to help you get acquainted with the area. And, and I will say, it doesn't matter if you're 2, 3 years out. We recognize— Ashley and I both very much value the relationship, and it is never too early to engage a real estate agent. I will sometimes, when I get people that are earlier in their search, I can sense the hesitation, and, and the words are, you know, I don't want to bother you, or I'm still figuring out if I want to go to Naples or Sarasota or whatever the case may be. And my answer is, bother us. We are not those agents that say you need to have your pre-approval in your hand ready to make an offer in 5 minutes. We want to be a part of your exploration. Um, we trust and know that you're not going to waste our time, that you are, you know, obviously considering this area or you wouldn't have contacted us. So don't hesitate to reach out to Ashley even if you're in those early stages. Or on the seller side, if you have just started thinking about it, you see what the market is doing right now, you know that you're hearing that people are getting great prices on their home but you haven't made that decision, give— have her come out, do a home valuation, talk to you about ways to optimize your house. Again, this is about a long-term relationship, and I think Ashley would be a great agent for you to, to explore working with. So, uh, we hope everyone has a wonderful week in beautiful Southwest Florida. And if you're not here, I bet Ashley can help you figure out how to get here.

Absolutely, love to.

Well, great. Ashley, thank you so much for your time today, and everyone have a wonderful, wonderful week. We'll catch you next time on Real Estate with Renee.