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The Dallas Dirt podcast with Candy Evans takes you inside the real estate news stories you’ll find daily on CandysDirt.com and beyond, giving you more insight, juicier details, and the inside scoop from one of Dallas’ most well-connected real estate personalities.
Speaker: Hi, I'm Candy Evans,
and this is Dallas Dirt.
Today, I have an amazing guest
here and you are going to love her.
I feel like Ebby Halliday is in
the room with us or in the studio,
I should say, with us today.
You're going to love Carolyn Rosson.
She is the president and CEO of the
Ebby Halliday Companies, and she's a
wonderful person and a dear friend who
I've known for Oh, quite a few years.
Welcome, Carolyn.
Thank you, Candy.
It's an honor to be here.
Now tell us, you're now the CEO,
the leader of this wonderful, large,
which is the largest brokerage
in the state of Texas, correct?
Yes.
Ebby has grown phenomenally and
you guys just do everything right.
You are now the president.
You kind of stair stepped up to
that, but you were in Southlake
Speaker 2: For about 15 years, we built
a new office and grew that office.
It's a fabulous location
with great people.
Speaker: I went to the opening, of course.
Of course you did.
I had my pink hard hat.
So tell me, before we get into all the
wonderful things y'all are doing, I find
it so interesting to know how and why
people got into the fields they did.
And you got into real estate
in Las Colinas as an agent.
Speaker 2: Yes.
Speaker: It lasted.
Speaker 2: Well, for a very short
period of time, because I learned
very quickly, Candy, that my joy came
from helping people be successful
and helping them build careers.
And so I transitioned into the support
role and had several different,
opportunities in the support role.
And then at a very young age,
in my twenties, became a sales
leader of the Las Colinas office.
Wow.
Wow.
Unbelievable.
So you mentor people.
I do.
Yes, I do.
And, you know, I was taught by
the very best, Ebby herself.
Yes.
How did you get to know Ebby?
You know, Ebby, I think back on those
days when I was in my 20s, and Ebby
was 69 when I joined the company.
A spring chicken.
And she was really in her prime, if
you think about it, at that time.
She knew what every office was
doing, who was leading each
office, she knew the agents.
She just, taught me so many things,
but probably the most valuable
lesson that I learned from Ebby is
that when you are with someone, be
with them, be present and listen and
learn and listen more than you speak.
She did make you feel like
you were a million dollars.
And you were the only person.
In the room, although you could
have been in a ballroom with 3000
people, but you were the only one.
Speaker: And no matter how, you know,
I remember like running into one of her
birthday parties once and I was like
exercising and I think I was kind of
a sweaty mess, but she still made me
feel welcome, comfortable and special.
Always.
Yes.
And that's what you do, too.
Always.
Yeah.
Thank you.
You do.
Thank you.
Well, you are just going
great guns here with Ebby.
I was so impressed with Summit,
which was what, a week ago, Monday?
Yes.
I'm still floating.
It was your first time to do this.
Yes.
Yes.
So let me explain.
So Summit was an all company,
like a retreat almost, right?
In Dallas.
Correct.
Like a retreat.
Yes.
At the Winspear, which.
Winspear.
Winspear.
It was beautiful and it was
huge and was so well attended.
I mean, it was like a concert,
but it was all helping, educate.
agents within the companies and
they came from Fort Worth and
from everywhere, didn't they?
Speaker 2: Just under a
thousand agents in one space.
And you know, as we've done, we've
had summit each year, but during the
COVID years, it was a virtual event.
And one of the things the agents said
to us is, please, can we get together?
We just want to hug each other
and learn from each other
and network with one another.
Speaker: Oh, it was such a home
run and what a beautiful venue.
It was so gorgeous, so easy to get to.
The parking was great, you
know, so you got the idea.
You listen to your agents, right?
Which I think Ebby does a lot of.
You listen to the agents.
It's a very reciprocal type
of experience to work there.
What else do you think that
Summit did for the agents?
Speaker 2: Loved about
Speaker: it?
Speaker 2: I think the various
speakers that we had, I think there
was a really good balance of new
ideas and things for agents to know.
And then things that you already
knew, how important connection
is, how quickly someone makes a
determination, whether they like you
and are going to do business with you.
So Sylvie, spoke about seven seconds.
That's all we have to make
a good first impression.
Seven.
Speaker: Seven seconds.
That's pretty quick.
What did she say?
There were like 80 or something
different things your brain does in
those seven seconds to decide what
they like about someone or don't like.
Absolutely.
Fascinating.
Speaker 2: How did you know her?
Did you know her?
I heard her speak for the first time
at Leading Real Estate Companies of
the World in Las Vegas last year.
And when we began planning the summit,
I said, I know exactly who we need.
To come and be our keynote and
several were interviewed, but
she hit it out of the park.
Speaker: She's so lively
and real up on stage.
You just felt like you were
right there in a small room.
Summit was really helpful because it
educated the agents, which they need now.
I mean, agents need a little help and
I feel like you guys are really doing
Speaker 2: that for your agents.
You know, it's so important.
And again, listening to the
agents, what their needs are,
what their challenges are.
What our job is, is to help them
and elevate their business to the
best of our ability as the leader.
And so the only way you can do
that is to listen to the agents.
What are your challenges?
What are the obstacles?
If you remember, we had
Rajiv, Saja, talk about A.
I.
How important is A.
I.
in our business today?
And so, I think, you know,
Candy, I've always said our
job is to serve our agents.
They are the lifeblood of our business.
We don't have a company without
our great agents who are
outlisting and selling real estate.
And so, as we talked about and
planned the summit, we listened to
what some of their challenges were.
And we planned.
The speakers based on what some
of those challenges were right
Speaker: to meet that because agents
are in sort of a transition today.
I mean, our whole life is in basically
transition with the technology.
And as you said, the big question out
there is, you know, especially for
journalists, is a I going to Journalism,
is it going to write stories for us?
And yeah, it kind of is
writing some stories.
I don't know how accurate they are,
but it's definitely writing them.
And I'm sure the agents have some
questions about this too, don't they?
Speaker 2: You know, it's interesting
because one thing that will never be
replaced is the human connection and.
AI may be able to write a script for
you, but they can't smile and they can't
give the emotion that you do or that
I do when we're speaking with people.
The other thing I think is there's so
much to be said about the knowledge
and the skill that you've taken years
to build your knowledge and skill.
to what you've become today, which is an
iconic person in Dallas, Texas and beyond.
And an agent does the same thing.
They work for years to sharpen
their skills on negotiating.
So important to have transparency
in what we do and how we
represent our client today.
And so that is something that is of
paramount importance to the Abbey
Halliday companies is making sure we
provide the education, the tools, the
resources, our incredible marketing team.
Yes, you have a good market.
We really do.
There's
Speaker: not one better.
And that's important for agents
because, real estate agents
are independent contractors.
They're small businesses.
So when we talk about small businesses as
help for small, that's what a realtor is.
They are their own business that they
affiliate with a broker, correct?
That is correct.
And, but you don't pay their salary.
No.
Correct.
You actually take a little bit of
their salary to kind of keep them.
You know, the lights on that shot, but
you also give back to them the support
and services, education, uplifting.
I mean, if they come in and they're
just, everyone has said, I hate every
house I've looked at or something.
I mean, you help them
deal with that, correct?
Speaker 2: Absolutely.
And you know, it's the sales associates.
are the CEO of their own business.
Yeah, there's no expense reports.
They have no one to turn an
expense report into their mileage,
all of their professional fees,
how they represent a client.
If you list a home, there are photographs
to be taken, brochures to be ordered,
all types of publicity to be had.
So an agent.
Is an independent contractor.
They're in business for themselves and
they are under the umbrella of a broker.
And so that is the, that is our role.
Also, you know, we help them with
legal things that may come up.
We have a broker of record.
Within our company.
And then we also have an in house council.
So we're there to serve the agent
and meet them where they are.
And that varies depending on their
level of experience, a new agent.
There's all types of education.
Speaker: That's wonderful.
And so summit was really another.
form of education.
That's right.
For agents and they, they loved it.
They lapped it up.
Now you're going to do it again.
Yes.
Speaker 2: We've decided it
has to be a yearly event.
Oh, that's wonderful.
And next year's going to be really
important because it's our 80th year.
Wow.
So we might have to have a little.
Oh, fun.
How about attached to that?
Cake maybe,
Speaker: or bubbles.
Speaker 2: I mean,
Speaker: you know, love, who knows
cake and bubbles, cake and bubbles.
I mean, I'll never forget
Ebby's birthday cake.
That was the little train.
Oh my gosh.
I will have to find a picture of that so
we spoke a little bit about Ebby, but.
You worked with Ebby directly, didn't you?
I did.
Speaker 2: I did work with her directly.
She was the person that when I knew I
wanted to nail an agent for securing
them, whether they be experienced or
a brand new agent, I would always get
in the car and drive over to the home
office and introduce them to Ebby.
If I had them 80 percent of the
way, Ebby would bring them home.
And so she was just, someone that everyone
looked up to, wanted her autograph.
I mean, anything.
She was our own little rock star.
Speaker: Oh, yes.
I mean, she's an icon.
Totally.
But real estate is such a
local, local, local business.
No matter how hard companies have tried
to nationalize it, it's still, why do
you think it's such a local business?
Speaker 2: Well, I think that you've
got to know the communities you serve.
And our agents do that so, so well.
And as you know, Ebby did.
You don't drive around in
Dallas and not see one.
thing or a community involvement
or a philanthropic entity that she
didn't touch everywhere, everything.
And she taught that to all of us
and all of our agents, our agents
serve their community so well.
So talking about local, I always
say real estate is like the weather.
It's local.
People want.
An agent to serve them that knows
the community, the arts, the
cultural, the political arenas.
And that's something that our agents do.
They live and work and
breathe in those communities.
And so it's, it's incredibly important.
Speaker: And that's where I always found
this interesting, kind of almost like a.
An overlap, like the old Venn diagram,
you know, the little area in the middle
with journalism because journalism
is the same way in many respects.
You've got your national news, but what
people really care about is the high
school football team and the crime in
my neighborhood or my grocery store.
They want to know about their local life.
And so it kind of goes hand in
hand and that's why I feel like,
local real estate companies.
Just can't be wiped away.
By the big boys, I completely agree.
Speaker 2: I completely agree with that.
And you know, a lot of times the
people who are relocating here,
migrating to Texas, the realtors,
their first friend, let's face it.
Speaker: And their conduit to everything,
Speaker 2: everything, doctors,
Speaker: dentists,
Right.
Exactly.
Speaker 2: What about the nail salon?
Speaker: Yeah,
Speaker 2: very important.
And that's why realtors make.
Friends for life.
I mean, we have agents who have
sold families and their children
and their children and that's what
we strive to do is be that type of
realtor for our consumer, our client.
Speaker: Now, you have watched Ebby grow
over the last few years to from, I mean,
can you imagine when Ebby was here?
There were.
You know, there was South Lake and
there was Frisco and there was Plano
and there of course was Dallas,
but now you're up in Sherman.
Yes.
Speaker 2: Oklahoma.
East Texas.
Tyler and Jacksonville.
West to stephenville.
And then into Oklahoma.
So yes, it has grown.
We've grown.
And we've tried to meet the
consumers where the need was.
And so our Kandi, is really
developing and building those
offices that we have to serve.
Acquired and those that we have
that are already doing such
a great amount of business.
So that's really our focus right
now is really focusing on what we
have, which is a gift and a blessing.
We have, 18, 1900 agents.
And so that is, that's our focus is
really serving them and serving them well,
Speaker: Hence you had, this
wonderful connect and you probably
will be doing some other things or
ongoing things to help your agents.
Absolutely.
You know all the EBBY agents have to
take like a school, go to EBBY school?
Speaker 2: Yes.
I was talking about EBBY school.
So it's not called EBBY school
anymore, but it was called EBBY school.
Now it's called EDGE and so our,
that's our foundational courses
that our new agents go through.
Our next level of training is our
coaching program and That has just
been a phenomenal for our newer agents
to help them get up and running.
And what we've seen is a significant
increase in their success.
The first year, 18 months by going
through that coaching program.
Speaker: Because you know,
being a real estate realtor or
an agent is again, it's lonely.
I mean, you could, just have
your home office and not see
anyone and sometimes you get a
big sale and sometimes you don't.
So it's really wonderful that a company.
Invests in its agents, helps them,
coaches them, makes them feel good
Speaker 2: about what they're doing.
Right.
And to your point, it's important
for them to have a network.
You know, I always say, go into the
office, go to the sales meetings
that our sales leaders run at
least twice a month, usually.
Go in because that's when you
learn and grow and connect.
And that's our word this year is connect.
That's why Summit was called Connect.
Speaker: Yes.
Speaker 2: So, it's really
important for agents today.
To have that connection, not only with
their community and the clients and their
sphere of influence, but the agents that
they work with, they're the cheerleaders.
They'll cry with you when you've
had a bad day and they'll celebrate
with you when you've had a great
day, have those bubbles with
Speaker: you.
That's right.
I am so excited about the masterminds
group also that you have the top
top people meeting quarterly.
Now that's within the company.
Yes, that is correct.
Speaker 2: Brands.
All three brands.
Speaker: Yeah, you will.
Williams true Fort Worth.
Speaker 2: in Dallas.
We have in town and Lake
Highlands, yes, exactly,
Speaker: and Preston Center, Park
City, yeah, what about Frisco, no,
they're a Big Abbey office, Big
Abbey, very large Abbey office, yes,
okay, so you've got them, and you are
offering these different levels now.
Speaker 2: Yes.
So, what we determined, Candy, is
that that top level of agent needed
some connection and an ability, a
platform, if you will, to share.
What are you doing?
What's working?
How did you build your group?
How did you build a team?
I'm an individual agent.
Do you have an assistant?
Do you have a transaction coordinator?
And so we determined it
was really important.
We tried it before COVID, right before
COVID, we started the mastermind groups.
Well, what we found out Real
tours are very social people
candy kind of like you and I are.
And so they don't like
to meet on the screen.
They want to meet in person.
And so it really didn't do well when
we were working towards the virtual.
So we launched it.
We're about to have our
second group meeting.
There's about 50 on the invitation list.
And it's top agents across all three
brands, both individual, group, and team.
So it is a dynamic group.
I've got to tell you.
Speaker: My heels are turning about.
You know, maybe covering
one of the meeting.
Speaker 2: Oh, please do.
Speaker: Wouldn't
Speaker 2: that be
Speaker: awesome?
Speaker 2: I feel like I'm in a room of
celebrities when I walk in that room.
Because they are so smart.
Speaker: The top
Speaker 2: people who are selling
Speaker: and
Speaker 2: rubbing shoulders.
Speaker: Celebrities.
Speaker 2: And they take time.
Out of their busy schedules
to come and be together.
It was so powerful, the sharing
and the networking that took place.
So we're really excited about that.
Speaker: I
Speaker 2: What
Speaker: about the baby agents who are
just coming in and, you know, just Kind
of green and that I want to be an agent.
I really want to sell real estate.
25 years old, 20 years
old, right out of school.
How are the best way to get into this?
And I mean, obviously through the
training and through things like connect,
but tell me how you, how do you train?
Speaker 2: Not only do we have
the education that we just talked
about, impact and coaching, but the
other thing we have in each of the
offices, we assign them a mentor.
So this mentor could be 20 years in
the business, longer than that, could
be 10 years, someone who's successful.
But the mentors have to be in the office.
Have made the decision that they
want to give back and they want to
share and help someone else grow
and be successful in the business.
So we have amazing mentors in each of the
offices that will allow a baby agent to go
with them on a listing appointment, maybe
hop in the car where they're going to show
a house, hear them talk, just shadow them.
And, it has been very successful.
We believe in that so much that
we, the company pay for the mentor.
We don't ask our agents to pay the
mentor because, you know, as a new
agent, You have expenses and it's
important that they be able to
capture the income that's coming in.
It may take a little while for them
to get that first paycheck candy.
And so we pay for the mentor
based on a closed transaction.
We will pay the mentor.
Speaker: That's pretty amazing because
again, I, I'm never surprised by how
much people don't know about the real
estate industry, but it is what they say.
Eat what you kill.
In other words, you do not get a salary
every month with the taxes taken out.
You get a check when you sell a property.
That's right.
And up until that point, you're
paying for the marketing and you have
to pay your own taxes and your own.
Expenses, unless you come into the
office and, do some stuff there.
But basically you don't
earn anything until you're
Speaker 2: That is correct.
That's why we always say to an
agent, listen, don't be an Island.
Don't be at home by yourself.
Get up, get dressed, come
into the office every day.
I always encourage new agents go on tour.
You need to learn the market.
You need to drive to the new
construction, the new home
sites, go in, introduce yourself.
Do something every single day.
It's so, so important.
And the other thing I tell them is be
a part of a club or a community event
or community, entity that you can meet
people and grow your sphere of influence.
Sit on open house every weekend.
So there are so many things a new
agent can do, but you know what?
They need counsel our sales leaders
in each of our branch offices are so
good to counsel a new agent and help
them to build and grow their business.
Speaker: Oh,
Speaker 2: that's so
Speaker: important.
Speaker 2: So important.
Speaker: Because again, they,
there's not really schooling.
I mean, you can get, take a class
to learn to pass your, you know,
get your license and kind of know
that, but then that changes too.
So, what do you think, or what
did you hear that the agents
love the most about Summit?
Speaker 2: I think Sylvie's
talk was probably the home run.
The other thing we've heard great
feedback about was the agent panel.
So we had an agent from Companies in
Austin, Houston and San Antonio, and
they sat down with Betsy Cameron,
who is our moderator and just talked
about their business today and what
they're doing and how they're growing
their business and their community
connection and how they're dealing
with transparency in the market today.
Buyer agency, which is so important,
and you know in Texas, we're
so fortunate because we've been
practicing buyer agency for years.
Speaker: Exactly.
Speaker 2: But some of our other
states in the United States have not.
So, I think that was the other powerful
piece of the summit, was the agent panel.
Agents like to hear from others who are
doing the same line of work that they are.
They want to hear from people.
Who are successful and encountering the
same challenges every day that they are,
Speaker: which is why I think
it's so important that you do.
You bring the experience agent in
because no one really wants to go here.
The theoretical.
And then it's even more, I think,
criticized in mainstream education
everywhere, you know, and it works like
physician, they go, they go into the
hospital, they do surgery with another
doctor watching, absolute saying, Hey,
you know, move that liver over there.
Right.
Speaker 2: I've always said to an agent
who's getting ready to sit for the real
estate exam, listen, Everything you
learned is probably not anything you're
going to take boots on the ground.
It's what you've learned to
get your real estate license.
When you actually get in the
field, it's all about the people.
You've got to connect with the people
and you've got to connect on their level
and serve them and serve them well.
Exactly.
Speaker: And, you know, that's
where the unknowns pop up.
Yes.
Indeed.
And so that's where this, all
the experience that these other,
agents have had in their lifetime.
And it's so wonderful that
they're willing to share.
And I have found that really good
agents, they're not cloistered.
They're really happy to share.
What they've done that's been successful.
Absolutely.
Speaker 2: You know, I'm always
so overjoyed when you see an agent
who says to a new agent, I'll share
my home marketing plan with you.
I'll share my listing
presentation with you.
I'll share my buyer consultation with you.
And you know, that's rare candy
because real estate is a very
competitive industry, and that is.
A differentiator in our company is that
our agents are willing to share with
others and new agents and experienced
agents coming from other companies.
So we are very blessed.
We have a culture that is just such
a synergistic, helpful, thoughtful
group of agents that love to work
together and help one another.
Speaker: It's a great atmosphere.
So what's next?
You guys are.
Pretty well centered in North Texas now.
I mean, you're in Fort Worth, you're
going west of Fort Worth a little bit.
Yes.
To Stephenville.
Stephenville, which is a very hot area.
You've got to go.
I know.
I actually have a couple of developers
who contacted me about that.
How hot it is, because I guess the
homes there are tremendous, the
values are very strong there for
what these young folks can afford.
It's a little bit of a drive, but
then now some people, they can
work from home half the week, so.
It's great and it's kind of the start
Speaker 2: of the hill country, right?
It kind of is.
Yeah.
And there's something about driving
over the hills and seeing the horse
properties and seeing the properties that
have acreage two or three or five acres.
The stress just kind of melts away
a little bit, you know, from the
bumper to bumper traffic People
zooming around you on the freeways.
Speaker: Or, or even on Preston Road.
Oh, yes, absolutely.
Or down South Lake Boulevard.
Exactly.
Or on the tollway.
It doesn't matter, right?
People are in a hurry.
What I loved about South Lake too, is to
me it was just a little more spread out.
There's just a little bit more I'm going
to be doing a little bit of a, uh, hob
moment, you know, when you're home and
you can put your feet up in the backyard.
I love that.
But I'm, so I'm just thinking you're
there, you're East, you're Tyler.
Are you going to Austin,
San Antonio next week?
Speaker 2: Great question.
We are focused on the great offices
that we have and the great teams that we
have in the building grow those areas.
That's our focus.
It really is.
Speaker: And when you acquire
these other companies, they're very
much entrenched in the community.
Yes.
Speaker 2: Absolutely.
It's that community involvement.
We want people who have like
minded cultures like we do.
Great professionalism, ethics, great
agents, and, just that level that is
important to the Ebby Halliday companies.
Speaker: Yes.
It's so wonderful.
Well, tell us what is in
store next year for Connect,
Speaker 2: But we're starting already.
I think our first meeting is next
week to begin planning for 2025.
Speaker: And I think it was very smart
that you had the AI there because
technology is coming to all of us
no matter whether we like it or not.
Yeah.
We better get ready.
You got to get ready.
We got to adapt to it.
Exactly.
I'll never forget being at, what
I think it was, the Amazon, I
can't think of his name, but you
know, the guy who started Amazon.
Yes.
And, he, was giving a wonderful speech
at SMU, part of the Tate Lecture Series.
And an agent sat next to me
and said to me, what's AI?
Oh.
And I said, artificial intelligence.
Okay.
And, and she was younger than me,
which made me feel young, you know,
but I mean, again, to be an agent
now, you have got to be in the know.
Speaker 2: You've got to be in the know
because your consumer is in the know.
Right.
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
And, so, you know, and there
are fun ways you can use AI.
An agent can plug in a, property
description and the, chat GPT or
whatever platform you use can really help
Speaker: with some great words.
I love it too.
So let's just use that and use my
creative brain for the important part.
So that's great.
So that's definitely where AI can help.
I think in the writing of that.
Also, I mean, look at Excel.
That's the best AI in the
world because it adds for you.
There's nothing for me, like
anything that could add for me.
Speaker 2: So I have a funny
story about AI and Sylvie,
cause you love Sylvie on stage.
So seven seconds was her topic.
And we had dinner the night
before the summit and she said,
Carolyn, what is your walkout song?
And I said, I don't know.
And she said, let's figure it out.
So she got her phone and she spoke
into her phone under chat GPT or AI
and said such precious things about me.
Well, out popped 10 walkout songs.
And so I chose mine candy.
You want to know what it is?
What was it?
Ain't no mountain high in the house.
I love that.
I love that song.
Speaker: So, we need to find
what your walkout song is.
Oh, my walkout song?
Yeah.
Boy, we should do that.
But I love that.
So, she walked into her phone to do that.
Yes.
Yes.
In five seconds.
Five seconds.
And you heard it.
Speaker 2: And she taught me.
She said, don't type into ChatGPT.
You need to speak into it.
Speak into it.
It's your voice.
Speaker: Fascinating.
We have learned something
today, very important.
We speak to ChatGPT.
Okay.
Well, thank you for sharing that tip
and thank you for coming on the show
and let's come back and talk about.
Another six months and we'll
start to talk about what your
plans are for the next connect
because it was It was quite a show.
I said inman which is like the
real estate You know national
and some international too.
That's like the biggest Conference really
it really is they do two a year but they
better watch out because you guys put on
a show that I thought was It was better.
It was more personable.
I could relate to it and all the
agents I spoke to related to it too.
So I'm telling you, you've
got a real winner there.
Thank you so much, Carolyn.
We'll talk soon.
Thank you, Candy.
Thank you.
And thank you for joining
us for Dallas Dirt.
We will have more, so always stay tuned.