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What if you could get more of what you want in life? But not through pushing, forcing, or pressure.
You can.
When it comes to money, time, and energy, no one’s gonna turn away more.
And Kate Northrup, Bestselling Author of Money: A Love Story and Do Less and host of Plenty, is here to help you expand your capacity to receive all of the best.
As a Money Empowerment OG who’s been at it for nearly 2 decades, Kate’s the abundance-oriented best friend you may not even know you’ve always needed.
Pull up a chair every week with top thought leaders, luminaries, and adventurers to learn how to have more abundance with ease.
It's the thing.
Maya Vander:It's it's like, okay. I I prospect anyway. I do other things to generate new business. And, also, like, if I lose business, I'd like you lose a listing. You lose a buyer.
Maya Vander:It happens. My I used to take it very personal when I first started, and then my mindset changed. And, yeah, it stinks for a little bit. But I always once I put my mindset, like, you know what? You lose some, you win some Yeah.
Maya Vander:And it always happened because I lose something, and I get something else.
Kate Northrup:Hi. Welcome to Plenty. I'm so excited for you to listen to this episode with Maya Vander, who is well known from being on several seasons of the top show, Selling Sunset. So Maya is a real estate professional. She is very straightforward, and in this episode, we talk about sales, and we talk about the power of being strategic and yet also relational in any business to get more leads and grow your business.
Kate Northrup:We also talk about manifesting. You are going to love the story of how she manifested her husband, and we go so many beautiful places. Certainly, if you are a real estate professional, or if you are looking to grow your business in any way in real estate or otherwise, this is an episode for you. You're gonna get some great tips. Brief content warning, we very briefly touch on pregnancy loss.
Kate Northrup:Enjoy the episode with Maya. Welcome to Plenty. I'm your host, Kate Northrup, and together, we are going on a journey to help you have an incredible relationship with money, time, and energy, and to have abundance on every possible level. Every week, we're gonna dive in with experts and insights to help you unlock a life of plenty. Let's go fill our cups.
[voiceover]:Please note that the opinions and perspectives of the guests on the Plenty podcast are not necessarily reflective of the opinions and perspectives of Kate Northrop or anyone who works within the Kate Northrop brand. Welcome.
Kate Northrup:Thanks for
Maya Vander:being here, Maya. Thanks for having me.
Kate Northrup:Oh my
Maya Vander:god. I'm feeling the pink. I love it. It's so pretty.
Kate Northrup:I'm so glad you're here. It's so fun. So okay. So before we started recording, we were talking about manifesting and manifesting coaches, which was just sort of funny. But, I wanna know.
Kate Northrup:You said you manifest things, and maybe you should maybe you should talk about
Maya Vander:that more. I should. I mean,
Kate Northrup:I'm a What are your manifesting practices? What have you manifested?
Maya Vander:So I, I was single in LA, you know, just out and about, but I wanted to have a relationship. And, anyway, I did a vision board, which I mentioned briefly on Sally in Sunset because I cut pictures. Right? Like, wedding, vacation, and I wrote a description I want my guy to be in finance or real estate, either from Chicago or Boston. Don't ask me why.
Maya Vander:Specific. I know. At least 6.1, bra brown hair. Yeah. And the that's literally my husband.
Maya Vander:Where's he from? Chicago, and he's in finance, and he's 6 point,
Kate Northrup:I think, 1a half, 6.2, and then he's Brown hair.
Maya Vander:You know, brown hair. I mean, I did kinda, like, see Tom Brady in my vision, but So
Kate Northrup:you didn't marry Tom Brady?
Maya Vander:I did not marry Tom Brady, but, I mean,
Kate Northrup:I love my husband. Like Giselle.
Maya Vander:Yeah. Well Yeah. It's like
Kate Northrup:a little bit of a
Maya Vander:I'll take that. I'll take that. Like Giselle.
Kate Northrup:Oh, yes. She's great. You know she's newly pregnant.
Maya Vander:I saw that.
Kate Northrup:Isn't that amazing?
Maya Vander:You know what?
Kate Northrup:45. She's she's gonna Yeah. Deliver at 45. So you have 3 kids? Yes.
Kate Northrup:3 kids, 1a half, 4a half, 5a half.
Maya Vander:Yeah. Back to back. And I by the way, I planned them all. It was all on purpose, so people think it's, like, was it an accident? No.
Maya Vander:I I was Have
Kate Northrup:you always been like that with planning your life? Yes. You ordered your husband. I You planned the kids. Did you plan to
Maya Vander:By the way, I've been
Kate Northrup:with sales reality
Maya Vander:show. Let's talk about manifestation. Yeah. A true story. $1,000,000 Listing, whatever, 12 years ago came out, right, or maybe even more at this point.
Maya Vander:And I was watching it because I was just starting to do real estate 12 years ago, yeah, in LA. I messaged the producer for Bravo on Facebook. I'm like, You should do the same show just with women. And he replied, That's a cute idea, but nothing happened. So, if I was smart enough, I should have pursued that because then I would
Kate Northrup:be in a, you know And you'd be an executive producer.
Maya Vander:Executive producer. Exactly. But that's I'm talking about manifestation. Wow. That's crazy.
Maya Vander:Even when I joined the old group, I was the first lady. And I told my husband at the time, I'm like, I think that could be a cool reality show. The office is sexy. Look you know, location is perfect. So you know what?
Maya Vander:It just shows you. Maybe it sounds cliche, but I I do believe believe in mindset and and and really train your brain to to achieve those things that maybe looks impossible because I didn't came to LA to be an actress. I mean, I was working in a clothing store. I got my real estate license license. I wasn't thinking about it, but, yeah, you kinda like yeah.
Maya Vander:I mean, manifest things. So
Kate Northrup:I love that. How did you end up on Selling Sunset?
Maya Vander:Yeah. So I joined the off okay. I used to Dornoch. I used to be with a different office. I used to door knock up in the heels, and I used to see Jason's material in those doorsteps, and it was so sleek and sexy and perfect.
Maya Vander:And I'm like, how am I gonna compete with this guy? He has, like, the tracker I call, the office down the street. And then oddly enough, he actually approached me on Facebook and asked and told me that, hey, I'm opening an office. So I joined the office. I was the first lady.
Maya Vander:Then, you know, other girls joined little by little. We did a photo shoot. The photo shoot went to a billboard on Sunset Plaza and on Hollywood Reporter, I believe, on or one of those magazines. The producer saw it and approached Jason and boom, we had a I mean, it took months, right? It's not like all I just Yeah.
Maya Vander:Yeah. Yeah. Film. They took months and we shot a demo and, I will say, I don't know if I should say it, but E and Bravo did decline. So boo you because Netflix picked it up and it became even successful and everybody want now wants to be in a reality show, including other agents from different cities, but Selling Sunset is number 1.
Maya Vander:So
Kate Northrup:Selling Sunset is number 1. How many seasons did you do? I did 5.
Maya Vander:Five seasons.
Kate Northrup:8 8 total. Wow. Okay. You did 5 seasons. And how did being on that show change your personal life?
Maya Vander:You know, I don't think it changed much much because I am who I am. I was always like that. And in my mind, I'm still a real estate agent, but it's it does it is funny to see the reactions of people because they look at you more as a celebrity. And I think it's kinda, like, funny because it's like, oh my god. I saw Maya, but I'm not Kim Kardashian at the end.
Maya Vander:And I do real estate. That's really my full time job. And, yeah. So it didn't really change much. It just gave me the exposure.
Maya Vander:Like Yeah. And I guess maybe more credibility. Yeah. Because it's a tough business.
Kate Northrup:Oh, yeah. I know it looks easy on the show, but believe me, it's tough. I mean, I have shows after, and then I'm gonna do some cold calling, and, we're doing door knocking and everything to get business. Okay. We're gonna circle back to that because I love sales, and I wanna hear about your text.
Maya Vander:Oh my god.
Kate Northrup:Because I think we can learn a lot from you to sell anything, whether it's real estate or not. But coming back to the show, how much, like, you know, when we watch these shows, of course, Selling Sunset is not, like, the most cutthroat, you know, reality show, of course. But how much are they just, like Well, I
Maya Vander:don't know. Did you watch season 8?
Kate Northrup:How much are they messing with things behind the scenes to, like, add drama, and was that ever hard for you? So the drama is real, but I will say if,
Maya Vander:let's say, there is a little argument, something little, you can shoot 5 scenes around that argument to look it, to make it look more, oh my God, what's going on? Yeah. But, unfortunately, the drama is real. Things happen. We've been filming, for months and, you know, organically, you have a situation that happens.
Maya Vander:So it look. It's Saxx for maybe someone's personal life. It's great for TV. Can have it all. When we sign a reality show, the contracts are very like, hey.
Maya Vander:We can do whatever we want with your character or whatever, and best of luck.
Kate Northrup:That's what you say. You just are signing away. We'll we're gonna make you look however we're gonna make you look.
Maya Vander:That's just the way. Control over editing. Whoo. I know. Wow.
Maya Vander:I know. And, you know, so the the pros and the cons. Right? I got lucky with Selene Sunset. I think my character character, which is me Yeah.
Maya Vander:It's it's pretty much me. But, you know, even I I got some hate and it's part of it. What can you do? You know, people will hate
Kate Northrup:no matter what. Of course, they will. Absolutely. And that's been a lifelong journey for me to, like, over time, care less and less about it. Yes.
Kate Northrup:Yeah. Because, you know, at the end of the day, people don't actually know you. So whatever they say By
Maya Vander:the way, even with the election, I remember I said something vain, middle middle of the it was, like, when, Biden won. I said, thanks, Trump. Good luck, Biden. Cannot get more Switzerland than that. I got so much hate on both sides.
Maya Vander:I'm like so I've never mentioned any politics, in well, you know, other situation I do mention, but that's anyways. Yes. But, yeah, you get hate no matter what. You can't please everybody. But setting sunset, yeah, the drama is real, and that's just life.
Kate Northrup:That's just life. Did it help you on the business side? You said it didn't really change your personal life much. How did it change your business life? Yes and no.
Kate Northrup:Yes. I got clients who approached me to help them, and I'm glad and very thankful for that because people will assume that either
Maya Vander:I'm in LA still doing the show or traveling back and forth, or they will think that I'm too busy, that I don't wanna deal with that. And they forget that real estate is my business. It's my bread and butter. So for all the people who approached me and wanted me to help them, thank you so much. Because it is my business and this is my passion.
Maya Vander:But people are intimidated as well. So it helps, but they do have that, oh, she's too famous. She's a celebrity. She's not gonna help me find a $1,000,000 condo in Brickell, which I sell all day long. Obviously, I sell higher stuff too.
Maya Vander:I have price point, but I do it all. And we do rentals. Like, why not? Business is business and you never know what can lead to the next sales. So, it's very hard for me to decline business.
Kate Northrup:Uh-huh. Because I know that in some I am not a real estate expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I do know that some real estate experts say, no. You should niche down where it's like you only do luxury, or you only do starter homes, or you only do x y z. So it sounds like you haven't taken that approach, and I would love to know Only on locations. Yeah.
Maya Vander:Only on like, today, actually, I did decline a listing that was could could be good, but it's a little bit far. Yeah. Like, an hour north, and I'm not too familiar with the area, so I can't be everywhere. If someone wants my, advice on and people, I don't know if they know Miami, but let's say Boca Raton or or Palm Beach, it's an hour and a half. I don't know these schools.
Maya Vander:I cannot tell you where you go, where your Whole Foods is. You know what I mean? Yeah. Like, so so there is certain areas that I will not touch. So I will niche on an area.
Maya Vander:Now, yeah, I help first time home buyers. I help, investors. So I don't have the niche of the buyers and and the but but the location, definitely, I will I will scale down. I can't be everywhere in neither I don't wanna be everywhere. Yeah.
Maya Vander:I don't think I think it's, like, not good for the client.
Kate Northrup:Yeah. Also the traffic. Exactly. I mean, just practically.
Maya Vander:In Miami, you know?
Kate Northrup:Like, if you're doing all that driving, it's just impractical.
Maya Vander:Listen. When I moved to LA to to LA, to Miami, like, 7 years ago, traffic wasn't bad. I don't think it's that bad either now compared to LA, but it became worse Yeah. Because people moved down here. So, yeah, I I don't wanna spend 2 hours on the road to to do a showing all the way Unless, someone will give me, like, a $10,000,000 listing in Palm Beach.
Maya Vander:I'll do it. But but, you know, it's it's just hard. And, you know, I have the kids. It's I can't I have to pick them up from school at, like, 3 30, 4 o'clock. So my time is very limited on Yeah.
Maya Vander:From the moment I drop them off to the moment I pick them up. Like, I gotta, like, be focused and prioritize what I need to get done today. Some you to ask you about your order or your plan, everything. Yeah. I have I'm very good with scheduling.
Maya Vander:What I need to get down today? Do I am I gonna cold cold for an hour and a half? Am I I'm gonna am I gonna, like, respond to Instagram messages for an hour? Like, what am I gonna do
Kate Northrup:Yes. To prioritize? So what are your best tips for first of all, I'm gonna ask several questions about this. I wanna know first, what are the boundaries that you set to protect your work hours given that you do have 3 small children and, like, obviously, other things going on in your life?
Maya Vander:Yeah. I mean, look, real estate to us, like, we always work on weekends. I try to at least have one day of the weekend off. What if I usually, I try Saturday, but, like, this weekend, I had clients in town from New York, and it was great. I showed them, like, 8 places.
Maya Vander:It was very productive. Yeah. And I am not spending time with my kids, so it's not ideal, but it is the business that I chose. That said, you know, I'm lucky that I can drop my kids off at school. I can pick them up at 3:30, 4 o'clock, spend time with them, and I don't have to come home at, like, 6 PM.
Maya Vander:And then, they, you know, they go to bed. So, you know, you I have the flexibility in that sense. But, yeah, like, to a point, like, I'm I won't work, like, an hour or 2 hours away. I won't take listings there. I I wouldn't it just doesn't make sense for me because I just don't have the time.
Maya Vander:Yeah. I have a team which is help helping me. Like, I have a team. I have, 6 ladies on my team. They're all great professionals.
Maya Vander:So if I cannot handle, you know, certain situation, I will split it with my You delegate. Delegate. Delegate. Delegate. Delegate.
Maya Vander:Delegate. Delegate.
Kate Northrup:So that's one of the things that I think a lot of people in our community struggle with because of this idea that we've been conditioned to believe that we are more valuable the more we personally are doing things, and that somehow it's a sign of, weakness or that we failed if we need to delegate something. So can you give an example of the sort of thing that would come across your plate that you would then delegate? And how do you handle that? Like, some more details there.
Maya Vander:Yeah. So for instance, like, transaction I have a transaction coordinator. She helped me with the contracts. She helped me to do in DocuSign, electronic signature. That takes time.
Maya Vander:Like, I can drive. If my client is, like, hey. Where is the offer? I just have to review, make sure everything is okay, and she can takes time Yeah. That my marketing, I'm really bad with marketing when it comes to, like, design.
Maya Vander:Like, I'm not that person who will go on Canva and just clearly amazing. So I do have a marketing person and she designed my my all all my stuff, my mailers, my billboard, whatever I need to do and that helps. So that's the you know, I delegate that. And with my team, if I see, for instance, we're supposed to get a listing, with North Miami. I cannot bid her all the time.
Maya Vander:So I put someone on my team to it and we can split it or, you know, maybe I'll take a referral fee, whichever the deal Mhmm. Would whatever the numb you know, the amount of the deal is. And this way they can handle everything. Now I'm always cc'd on the email. I'm always involved in a sense that I oversee the transaction because I'm not, like, just passing clients along.
Maya Vander:Like, I make sure I'm still involved, but I can do every showing and every inspection. And I'm very involved. I'm very control freak in that sense, but I can't, you know, I I want the client to get the best. Yes. So they'll yeah.
Maya Vander:Definitely giving it to someone on my on my team will be helpful, and it will be better for the client as well. A 100%.
Kate Northrup:Yeah. Well, as someone who is a client of, you know, of course, many many places and many things, like, I like it actually when there are several people caring for me. Makes me feel good.
Maya Vander:Makes me
Kate Northrup:feel like queen. I know. Exactly.
Maya Vander:And and I'm very involved, by the way. Don't get me wrong. It's just Of course. And it but it just depends on the deal. If I cannot help someone rent $5,000 or whatever unit in Rickel, then one of my associate will do it, and they will give them a 100%.
Maya Vander:Yeah. Just And if there is any issue, like, I'm always there. But
Kate Northrup:yeah. Okay. You said you're going to go do cold calling this afternoon and then knocking on doors. So I know. I think there are many people And
Maya Vander:knock on doors.
Kate Northrup:Who could benefit from some of those more direct marketing, techniques. I wanna know what are you doing when you're cold calling? Who are you calling? What are you saying? Tell me about the door knocking.
Kate Northrup:I wanna know the whole thing.
Maya Vander:So cold calling, we have couple of strategies. Either, like obviously, like, real estate people will watch that, and we're like, yeah. Of course, we do that too. Cancel listing, expire listing. Now I don't call the listing.
Maya Vander:It just expire this morning because they're gonna get 25 other calls. I call people that their listing expire, like, 6 months ago, 4 months ago that And
Kate Northrup:that's in MLS? Like, you know what?
Maya Vander:MLS, the data. I have white pages. I have an other, like, 3 other website that can pull their number or potentially emails.
Kate Northrup:Okay.
Maya Vander:If I have a so that's one example of cold calling. And I'm like, hey. Like, your listing was in the market. Are you still interested on selling? Yeah.
Maya Vander:Would you be open on meeting? And and, honestly, like, at this point, I'm just drawing my name and my brand because selling sunset have such huge huge exposure to clients, and I can give them the best marketing more than any other agent. So why not? So I do mention that if if I have the chance. If I have a client who is looking for something specific, I will circle around the area and cold cold houses around the area.
Maya Vander:Maybe people who bought 7 years ago, they sit on a lot of equity. So that's another thing that I'll do. Door knocking, I do like to door knock houses. It looks kinda like they're about to fall apart. Oh, really?
Maya Vander:Because, yeah. They they sit on a lot of equity. There are a lot of investors, a developer out there. And then if I can sell to a developer and a developer will flip it and maybe buy it to me, maybe I'll get the listing on the exit Smart. Like the brand new construction.
Maya Vander:So there are a couple of strategies, like, where do I want to tackle? Uh-huh. So that's kinda like what I'm doing. But I'm gonna start doing more, like, just call, like, people who I know, and I don't wanna expose all my secrets here. But, another, like, targeting audience that I'm thinking about.
Kate Northrup:Yeah. You're being very strategic. I'm strategic. Yeah. So you're like, who's my ideal customer?
Kate Northrup:Yeah. What are the ways that I that they would be identified? So your ideal customer is someone who wants to sell a property, obviously. Right? So you're gonna call expired listings.
Kate Northrup:You're gonna go knock on doors of houses that are falling apart because those people are gonna wanna sell it, and then get yourself Oh, you
Maya Vander:get those people who say, I'm gonna die here, and they're like, oh, come on. Just sell, buy a nice condo on the beach, exit, get, like, $3,000,000 on your house. I know you have to pay the taxes. Sucks, but hey. Right.
Maya Vander:You know? So
Kate Northrup:You're hilarious.
Maya Vander:Everybody has to pay taxes.
Kate Northrup:Yeah. No. It's super smart, and I think anybody listening who has a business or who's in sales of any kind can really be thinking through, how can I more strategically go upstream and get myself in the in the realms, in the circle, in the mind of my ideal customer before or at the moment when they're searching for a solution? So anyone can take your strategy and apply it. And I do wanna encourage people listening, like, is there a strategy where cold calling would actually make sense for you?
Kate Northrup:Like, back in the day, I used to have a vitamin business. So I was in direct sales, and that's actually how I met my husband, Mike, and we sold vitamins. And so I had a strategy where I would connect with holistic health practitioners and wellness centers. So I would go to events to network with them. I would I would I would call them.
Kate Northrup:Like, we had a whole way we did it because I was like, okay. Those people are reaching a broader audience. So I was far more strategic rather than, like, doing what everyone else did, which was just, like, constantly hounding your family and friends. Right? Like, that's not ultimately a good business strategy.
Maya Vander:And you know what? It's interesting you mentioned it because, I mean, I by the way, I'm a great network. I mean, I I don't have a lot of time to do happy hours and all that because of the kids, but I do like to bring people together. So I try to do events for, you know, the moms from the school and all that. But just because I like Of course.
Maya Vander:To have people together. But I will say that most of my business, interestingly enough, it's with people that I never met in my life. Stranger. Like, not necessarily well, my family. I don't have big family.
Maya Vander:They're overseas. Family and friends, like, it's interesting. So So people find you And I know you never met them
Kate Northrup:in your life. And they're your clients.
Maya Vander:I think it is something weird with friends too that they might not be open to, expose their financial or whatever. It's like, they don't understand it. For me, I see that all day long. Like, it doesn't matter. I don't care if you have 1,000,000 in the bank or 5 or 10.
Maya Vander:Like, it doesn't matter to me. Like, to me, it's like, let me find you the house or let me move you to the next you know house that I don't care what you have. I keep things very confidential with my clients. I don't go and gossip. Oh, this guy has personal.
Maya Vander:But but but, yeah, people maybe feel a bit awkward. But, yeah, like, a lot of, like, I had online leads. I mean, I build a great business with online leads back then. I mean, Zillow was a great social business for me. I love that.
Kate Northrup:That's great. Well and and to the your point about, like, people get scared about reveal revealing their financial details. You know, money is such a taboo topic in our culture. Right? And you are dealing with big transactions every single day.
Kate Northrup:You're dealing with the behind the scenes of people's money every day. So what might you have to share that you've gathered over the years of being a real estate professional?
Maya Vander:Ask people how what's your budget? Because that's the first thing that I wanna know. What's your budget based on that? I'm gonna narrow the search.
Kate Northrup:Right.
Maya Vander:But people sometimes don't wanna tell me what's their budget because they feel like I'm gonna, like, they they bid in against themself, but I'm like, no. If it's
Kate Northrup:They're making it mean something. They have a story going about what their budget is, but you don't. You're neutral.
Maya Vander:Yeah. So it's like, for me, it's like, okay. If you're looking up to a1000000, then I then I know I'm gonna look up to 1.2 because we can probably negotiate. If you give me, like, 1.5, then I can even go 17. So it's a big difference for me, like, to know.
Maya Vander:But, yeah. I mean, people are some people are weird like that with the budget, especially when you're buying. I'm like, you wanna be honest with your agent. So hello. Yeah.
Maya Vander:But yeah. Like and then you but and also I find out that actually the people who buy more, like, looks like higher end price point, they're less picky than the people who buy Yeah. A $500,000 condo.
Kate Northrup:Yes. There's so there's
Maya Vander:transaction is all it's almost easier.
Kate Northrup:That's something that I find in my industry too. So there's a funny meme that kinda goes around in my industry, which is, like, $500 client is, like, I don't know. Can you tell me more about how this is gonna fit my needs and this? And I have 35 more questions, and then a $50,000 client client is like, great. I wired the money.
Kate Northrup:Yeah. Awesome. And that is really interesting, and it's funny because I heard you say the same thing on on on the Financial Feminist podcast, and I wanted to unpack it a little bit more. What do you think that is about the size of the transaction? Right?
Kate Northrup:Because we might assume, oh, the bigger the transaction, the more questions people would have. The bigger the transaction, the more reservations people would have. And both of us have experienced that that's not the case at all. What do you what do you mean by that?
Maya Vander:Just maybe more savvy. Maybe it's the 3rd transaction, 4th transaction. They probably own couple. In my case, they own couple of, properties. So for them, it's like, okay.
Maya Vander:It's another one. Yeah. They're less, maybe less emotional about it. I mean, look. Residential real estate is very emotional, and I am a therapist in that sense.
Maya Vander:And I totally I'm totally fine because
Kate Northrup:real estate therapist?
Maya Vander:I can be actually a very good therapist. I'm a listener. I like to listen, and I like to ask questions about people because I'm, generally, I'm curious. Now my people might think it's noisy, but I'm like, no. How are you doing today?
Maya Vander:Are you okay? Like, what happened? Like, I'm curious. Not because I'm I just I don't know. That's just my natural, like, personality.
Maya Vander:But, yeah, like, the in the smaller price points, maybe it's the first time purchase and I'll call, gosh. You know, I barely put the 20% down, and I understand that too. So I understand both both sides. It just it's nice to have that easier one sometimes because For you.
Kate Northrup:For sure. It's yeah.
Maya Vander:I know. For the energy, you know, you spend, and it's like, just make a decision. All of your 3 kids. You still even buy something. You even bought something.
Maya Vander:Really? I have a client like that, actually. It's like, I just opened a search for him. Like, okay. When you're ready, just you tell you let me know because I'm tired of following up.
Maya Vander:And that's the thing. It's like, you follow-up, you follow-up in sales, but it's like, at some point, when do you stop following up?
Kate Northrup:I don't know. When do you? Do you have a system for that?
Maya Vander:We have a we have a client who's been looking for, like, 2 years now, and we see him looking and we see him active, and I'm like, I mean, I I send email blast. Maybe I'll send a message in the, hey. What's going on? At some point, I'm like, it's either you wanna buy or you don't. Like, I already, like, I moved to a from LA.
Maya Vander:I, you know, I moved to places. I met the, you know, kids, and I'm like, you still haven't bought anything? Like, so at some point, I I I'm I I do give up sometimes. I'm like, I
Kate Northrup:know I shouldn't, but it's like, come on. Well, but for every client who is taking years to buy, there's also a client who's ready to buy who you haven't met yet. So I think it's actually a smart, energy conservation
Maya Vander:practice Exactly.
Kate Northrup:To, you know we used to say in my sales business, it's easier to give birth than to resurrect the dead. So in terms of, like, constant follow-up, we we we would just say, like, eventually, you need to just find a new client. Exactly.
Maya Vander:Yeah. And and that's the thing. It's it's like, okay. I I prospect anyway. I do other things to generate new business.
Maya Vander:And also, like, if I lose business, I'd like you lose a listing, you lose a buyer, it happens. My I used to take it very personal when I first started, and then my mindset changed. And, yeah, it stinks for a little bit, but then, by the way, sting, not stings, just in case,
Kate Northrup:like stings, like the bee. You know, both ways. It stings and it stings.
Maya Vander:But then I'm like, but I always once I put my mindset, like, you know what? You lose some, you win some. Yeah. And it always happen because I lose something and I get something else. Because I put my energy and my effort out there.
Maya Vander:So I can cold call. I can do the door knock. Maybe something nothing will happen with that. But I don't understand it with the energy. Will someone can send me all of a sudden an email, and he they will look maybe to buy or sell.
Maya Vander:So I totally believe in all that, you know Yeah. Energy.
Kate Northrup:I'm glad you said that because there is something desperate energy, that sense of, like, clinging and holding on, like, oh my god, I lost this client and is repulsive. Like, it just is. It's it's like, when when people sense desperation or that, like, clinginess, they they don't wanna work with you versus when they sense, like, you know, Maya, it has this this sense of abundance and trust, and, like, there's enough to go around. It's a much more relaxing interaction from a sales perspective for a customer when you have that open palm kind of energy and really trust your flow.
Maya Vander:And, you know, like, I'm also very honest with the clients. Like, I just did a presentation with another client of mine yesterday for preconstruction project. I was very honest with her, what I think for each project, why yes, why no? Let let her decide, but obviously try to guide as much as I can, but I'm not like that pushy.
Kate Northrup:Right.
Maya Vander:And, with your open palms, it's actually interesting because the care if you take sand and you close it in your palm, it's gonna, like, drip all the way. And if you let the sand just sit, it's gonna sit. So and, you know, even when I started real estate, because I was in LA, I you know, like, LA is expensive and real estate is obviously take took me 9 months to sell my first property. I had, like, 4 other jobs until I because I didn't wanna be desperate for money when I first started. I wanted to make sure I have the income.
Maya Vander:And once I sell and I have a good sell that can hold, you know, that I can be stable for a few months and not be stressed about the next transaction, that's when I quit all my other jobs, and that's when I could shift my focus only on real estate. I love that.
Kate Northrup:Do you did you
Maya Vander:I don't wanna be desperate.
Kate Northrup:No. You don't wanna be desperate. Did you ever read the book, Eat, Pray, Love, the Elizabeth Gilbert book?
Maya Vander:No, buddy.
Kate Northrup:It's a great memoir. So she one of the things that she talks about is that she had other jobs until that book was already a New York Times bestseller.
Maya Vander:So it's the same thing I have.
Kate Northrup:Yeah. Because she didn't want the pressure of her art to have to support her because that can
Maya Vander:Yeah.
Kate Northrup:Really squelch, I think, the creative flow, but it can also squelch the flow of abundance in terms of clients. I think it's, like, the same thing. Okay. So I know you have a course for people who wanna get into real estate or who wanna improve. Yeah.
Kate Northrup:What made you decide to start an online course given that you also have a lot of other things going on?
Maya Vander:Right. So selling sunset came out, and I got so many messages and emails. What do I need to do? How do I do real estate? Where do I start?
Maya Vander:So it's in the course. So then I'm like, you know, I can't take my time and answer every email because I just don't have the time. So I'm like, let me create this course. It's very basic, but it gives you it gives you the guidance to new agents, maybe an agent that's been in the industry for 1 year. What else can you do?
Maya Vander:So I credited about 3 years ago. I haven't really promoted a ton. I probably should, and it's at Kajabi. You can purchase it and watch it at your leisure, and it just give you, like, a guidance on what you need to do as a real estate agent. Because, honestly, what we see on Selling Sunset, it's not realistic in that sense.
Maya Vander:It's, it's amazing if it was, but it's, it's a hard business and it takes time and it's a process. And I learned it doing it for 12 years and I moved to Miami and I had to start new business here in Miami. And I know I have the show, but it's not and it helps, but it's not enough. Mhmm. It's not enough.
Maya Vander:I still wanna get those at 20, $30,000,000 listings right here in Miami. And I have to compete with all these agents who've been doing it here for 15, 20 years. So that's my competition, and it takes time.
Kate Northrup:Yeah. No. It's really smart. I think also it's such a savvy way to have a body of knowledge, which you already do, to then package it in a way that people can consume it, organized, linear, you know, all in one place and such a smart way to field all the requests. So just thinking about leverage, like, as you're listening, what do you have a body of knowledge about that you could gather it all up in one place so that people can access it?
Kate Northrup:I I just think it's, like, a very wise move Yeah. That you did that. I know it's not like a huge part of your business, but just for people listening, like, we all have a course in us.
Maya Vander:I know. Exactly. I'm gonna pull more of your day today after the post got uploaded on my social media.
Kate Northrup:You should post it on your social
Maya Vander:media. In
Kate Northrup:the show notes. So for anybody who's in real estate. Okay. So I wanna know, and I also okay. Circling back.
Kate Northrup:You just said, like, being on Selling Sunset is not enough, and people have an assumption that once they become well known right? Like, you have over a 1000000 followers on Instagram. Right? It's like we have this assumption that more eyeballs means more money. Okay?
Kate Northrup:Why is that not necessarily true in your experience? Because you have made it very clear that you are out here being a real estate professional and, like, being on a huge reality show did not suddenly set you up for the rest of your life. Right? And that's the illusion that people have. So they chase being well known as opposed to well skilled.
Kate Northrup:What have you found around that?
Maya Vander:Setting sunset is a great exposure on, obviously, every reality show because, yeah, you get the I call it the 5 minutes of fame. But in order to stay relevant, you have to do TV all the time, like the Kardashians. I mean, they've been doing it for years, and they're still relevant and they're a bunch of drama and all that. But but and they they make it, like, you know, that's their business. But for me, like, I do real estate and that's that's what it's not it's not reality TV.
Maya Vander:So, yeah, I have a lot of followers, but not necessarily all of them are buyers or sellers. Now they they may, and I get eyeballs on my social media, but it's not it's not like I can and I get endorsement. I get paid and and so on, but it's not as consistent. Right? Because today you are relevant.
Maya Vander:Tomorrow, it's the new reality person. And so so it's great to be part of it, but long term, I'm like, okay, what's next? Yeah. Right? And to me, like, I've been doing real estate for 12 years.
Maya Vander:So that's that's what I do. And and obviously, if I can be full time influencer and and do that and make a living out of it, I'll do it. But then that means to me, I have to give up on real estate because I mean, yeah, I wanna talk about my struggle to lose body weight and my do I need to do, you know, whatever, nip and tuck. And but then I'm like, am I gonna have a client to look at that and, like, oh, she's, like, doing, you know, influencer stuff on Instagram? Like, should I hire her to sell my $10,000,000 listing or whatever or even $3,000,000 listing?
Kate Northrup:Right.
Maya Vander:So it's it's a decision I have to make, which is tough a little bit because I love real estate. That's my job. But I have 1,000,000 follower over Instagram that I, not necessarily, to your point, monetize as much as I could. Because if I do more mom stuff and whatever diet and losing weight, which we all can relate to, maybe I will get more brand endorsement and all that, but maybe I can lose my real estate clients. So
Kate Northrup:Yes.
Maya Vander:I'm not ready to do that yet. But,
Kate Northrup:No. Totally. Because as you said, that's a completely different business. And I think anyone listening And I need
Maya Vander:to focus. Yeah.
Kate Northrup:On social media in any capacity to grow their brand, grow their business, really needs to be thinking about what you just said and asking, is what I'm posting relevant for my ideal customer to increase the likelihood that they are going to buy from me? Because I could do all kinds of things on social media that would get a lot of views that would go viral. I mean, there's a lot of things I don't do that I could that would grow my following. Yeah. But will they grow my revenue?
Kate Northrup:And those are 2 very different things. Like
Maya Vander:Right.
Kate Northrup:Visibility is different than money. And sometimes they come together, but sometimes they don't. And there's a lot of people who make the assumption. Right? So they're starting out on social, and they're trying to grow their followers, which is great, like you said, if you're doing sponsorships and brand deals.
Kate Northrup:Like, if that's your business model Yeah.
Maya Vander:Amazing. Do do whatever you need to do.
Kate Northrup:That's not my business model. It's not your primary business model. So asking those questions, like, what does my ideal customer need to know and receive and experience and understand before making a buying decision? That's the content we wanna be posting.
Maya Vander:Right? Exactly. And I know it's sad because if I do real estate content on my big my Maya Vanda will will the middle followers are gets less engagement.
Kate Northrup:Sure.
Maya Vander:But maybe I'll get that one client.
Kate Northrup:Well, see, that's the thing. Right? So sometimes when we do more specific content that is, like, more, organized around creating a conversion for our ideal customer, it will get less engagement. However, the engagement that it does get converts into customers, and at the end of the day, I'm not here to be famous. I'm here to help people and make money.
Kate Northrup:And so I'd rather do that content than I mean, a a mix because you want you want both, but I think it's just important. We can get so diluted in thinking that, like, more eyeballs is the goal. More eyeballs is not the goal necessarily Yeah. Unless you're a professional influencer
Maya Vander:Right.
Kate Northrup:In which case, carry on. Exactly. Okay. I wanna switch gears and talk about real estate investing. So do you personally do any real estate investing?
Kate Northrup:Is that something is, like, an area that you know about?
Maya Vander:No. You know why? Like, my husband is in finance also. He's in private equity. So invest in the companies that they buy, and the return is frankly much higher.
Maya Vander:Amazing.
Kate Northrup:So you're covering your investing. He he
Maya Vander:he found me out with him. So my investing, I just I'm a boring, person when it comes to that because I put the money in, like, money market accounts Yes. Great. For, like, decent interest, and I don't play too much. Smart.
Maya Vander:I'm I I you know, like, can I maybe I should to be more because because it's gonna be more lucrative in the long term? I do wanna own real estate, obviously. I just the the return didn't make sense. Like and I obviously, the right the right time everything is so expensive, and I kinda missed the boat from, like, 5 years ago. That was the time to make money.
Maya Vander:Yeah.
Kate Northrup:Now it's like Yeah. We should have all bought in Miami in 2018.
Maya Vander:I know. And we bought in 2019, but now we're not moving anywhere because we can't move anywhere.
Kate Northrup:Sell your house, then you have to buy another house.
Maya Vander:And pay 6% plus interest. That's for no thanks.
Kate Northrup:Yeah. No thanks. I I'm so glad you said that because my financial adviser, we were looking at buying an investment property in Maine in this summer community that we go to because I was like, we spend so much renting in the summer. Maybe we should buy a property and be able to rent it on the shoulder season Yeah. Yeah.
Kate Northrup:Throughout the year, and maybe we could, like, at least pay for our summer.
Maya Vander:That's what my friend does in North Carolina.
Kate Northrup:Okay. I love that. So we were thinking about that, but then I was talking to my financial adviser, and she was like, honestly, like, what I would do is just put aside the money to rent for the summer and just, like, not deal with the headache of owning market very similarly to how you do, like, she was like, the returns sending the bank. Are gonna be better. You
Maya Vander:she was like, the returns percent in the bank.
Kate Northrup:The returns are gonna be better. You know? And I thought that that was just really helpful for me because I have always I don't know. For me, real estate, is, like, very appealing. Like, I'm just I'm really into houses.
Kate Northrup:I look at real
Maya Vander:estate instead of social media. Places in even, like, Portugal or whatever. Right. Because my but I'm like, when am I gonna fly there? When am I gonna use it?
Maya Vander:Exactly. But the thing is also, you know, like, in the with real estate, you have, like, so many people make so much money with real estate, but it depends, like, you have the income property, you have the shopping center, you have multi families and all that. But, yeah, buying a house and let's say rent it off season or do your I have so many clients. Oh, I want to do Airbnb. But, you know, in Miami, really, if you think about it, the prices are not that low anymore.
Maya Vander:Yeah. You have HOA fees with which went you know, they are higher these days. You have your, property taxes that you have to pay every year to, you know, the government. So if you really deduct everything, you have to really, like and you have vacancy and all that. So you have to run all these numbers to really see if it makes sense.
Maya Vander:And if you come to, like, 4% return, I might as well just put it in, like, you know, Vanguard account or whatever, JPMorgan or whatever and get, like, 4% and I don't have to deal with anything.
Kate Northrup:Even my high yield savings account gets any more than that. But, yeah,
Maya Vander:my my Amex actually is, like, 4 point something.
Kate Northrup:Yeah. We're getting over we're getting 5%. So, like yes.
Maya Vander:So that's why. So so I always sell it for real estate. It's good if you wanna really spend time there and that's your home. And then if, you know, you wanna sell in 3 or 4 years and it appreciated, amazing. But even now, like, I sold a nice condo to my client.
Maya Vander:He bought it pretty well, you know, like a condo below sold already 400,000 more. And he wants to sell it now. I was like, oh, I didn't make any money. I'm like, yeah. In tools, you're not gonna make money in real estate because you have closing costs.
Maya Vander:When you buy, you have to pay the title and an escrow. When you sell, you have to pay the agent. Now when you buy also potentially the agent after the now lawsuits. But anyway
Kate Northrup:Mhmm.
Maya Vander:So it's like you have closing costs too. You have to call count all of them to consideration because that could be 100,000 in closing costs. So if you buy today and sell, like, next next year, even if you'd appreciate by 100,000 and you have closing cost so I I tell people, don't buy real estate and sell it expect to sell it in 3 years and make a killing. The COVID days were, like, honestly, unicorns. It doesn't really happen.
Maya Vander:Real estate doesn't appreciate, like, that much so quickly. Yeah. And depends also on the market. Miami obviously boom because everybody left California and New York.
Kate Northrup:Switching gears, I know that you have done you have some causes that are really close to your heart because of your personal experience. Yes.
Maya Vander:Do you
Kate Northrup:mind sharing about that? I know we have a majority female audience, and I know that your experience may be helpful for somebody.
Maya Vander:Of course. So I did, I had, like, poor pregnancy losses, 3 were miscarriages, 6 weeks, 7 weeks, and then 10 weeks, which was sucks anyways. But, you know, and then I had a stillbirth, like 2 weeks before my due date. I was 9 months pregnant, felt less movement, went to the, you know, do a launch for sun, everything looks normal. And then a few days later, no heartbeat, Very rare, like, happened, bad luck, and it was very bad time in my life.
Maya Vander:It almost it was almost 3 years ago. Obviously, I think about my son every day. But going through this, it's something terrible. And I when I post about it at the time, I didn't think too much of it. I was in the hospital still in shock at what just happened.
Maya Vander:We filmed selling sunset. I was pregnant. And now I have to announce that, hey, I lost the baby. And I passed about it and I got so many responses in messages. Like, my literally, my direct messages on Instagram just went through the roof for women who experienced very similar situation or maybe lost 30 weeks or to lost twins, 20 weeks, and, so many pregnancy losses and stillbirths, frankly.
Maya Vander:So, I try to help as much as I can because I know how it feels. And I I, you know, I had the organization that helped me. Aliyah in action was one of them. Push for pregnancy was one of them. And and and what is it?
Maya Vander:A grief in care. All these, actually October is the stillbirth month was I think October 17. I usually try to do, like, some guest appearance in those, organizations, but this this year I didn't. But anyway, I try to, help as much as I can and at least share a list of, resources, you know, group therapy, private grief therapy, and also on. So anyway, everybody, like everyone who experienced that, I'm I'm there to to help.
Kate Northrup:Yeah. And what what so you had support through those organizations. Obviously, you know, you think about your son every day. Yeah. Do you feel, like, connected to him in terms of, like, communication in any way?
Kate Northrup:I mean, I know it's sort of a strange
Maya Vander:question to ask. It's like it's I know. It's like, I'm I'm trying, and I'm, like, always, like, wonder, is there, like, kinda, like, life after death, and that's so we can you know, we're talking about that book, Signs. Right? And then
Kate Northrup:Yes. I remember
Maya Vander:we talked about that. I I I have that book, Signs. Yeah. Especially because I've lost my daddy later, but
Kate Northrup:Oh, I'm so sorry
Maya Vander:for that. It sucks. It's just, you know, when it rains, it pours. Yeah. But, but, you know, so I think about it, thinking about my son every day, but I did have my baby Emma after and it really helped me.
Maya Vander:So, like, you know, she's my rainbow baby and it's always, like, weird thinking, like, if my son was here, she wouldn't he be here. And it's just, like, weird. So it's, like, going back and forth. Wow. But then why my why did I lost my son?
Maya Vander:And and people will tell you, oh, it happens for a reason. Oh, but it's not making you feel better. Right? But so my daughter but my daughter really brought me that joy, my rainbow baby. But it doesn't meant meant I stop, you know, thinking all loving my son, Mason, and he's always gonna be in my heart in our family.
Maya Vander:We have picture of him in, you know, in the house and so on. And I don't talk about him as much with the little one because Yeah. You know, they don't understand too much debt. Like Yeah. But but I do understand how other women can feel about losses like that.
Maya Vander:And so I'm here to help. Thank you
Kate Northrup:for sharing that. Yeah. If there's someone who has recently experienced a loss or someone who has a friend who has, is there anything that you would pass along in terms of wisdom or something that was helpful
Maya Vander:for you? I would say, yeah, avoid saying, oh, it happens for a reason. You'll get pregnant again, and you don't wanna hear those type of, like, advices. I just say, sorry. Anything I can do or take one day at a time, maybe buy a book that can comfort, or maybe send the list of resources or something to know that they're not alone.
Maya Vander:Yes. Yeah.
Kate Northrup:I think that no matter what any of us are going through, knowing that we're not alone is so powerful. I remember, Yeah. A friend of mine lost her husband very unexpectedly, and, she's Jewish, and I had never been to
Maya Vander:Oh, Jewish people. Before. Oh, does she
Kate Northrup:And I went, and, it was so heartbreaking. And, also, I was so struck because my culture is not so good about this, like, where
Maya Vander:The community is The the just
Kate Northrup:the fact that she could sit and be surrounded by love, and it didn't make the grief go away, but at least she didn't have to be alone. Yeah. And I think that it was it just really struck me. It was one of the most beautiful things I had experienced. So, you know, I know, obviously, that's your culture as well.
Kate Northrup:And it was it was really beautiful.
Maya Vander:Yeah. And, you know, like, also, when I lost my son, like, our house was filled with flowers and food. And it just like you, you just see the love of the community, but going through grief sucks and it's terrible. So every time, like one of my friend, let's say they lose some, you know, a a dad. I have a a book.
Maya Vander:It's called grief one day at a time. It's mostly for someone we already knew versus, like, a newborn that I didn't really know, but it's a very good book. You beside, anyway, I always send it to people and give it to people because it helped me, and, you know, that's my way to try to help others. Thank you for that.
Kate Northrup:That's really helpful. We'll link it in the show notes as well, and also these organizations that you had mentioned. Amazing. Maya, this has been such a wonderful conversation. I've loved getting to know you better.
Kate Northrup:Thank you.
Maya Vander:You just absolutely loved
Kate Northrup:it, and I think that you have so much wisdom to share about building relationships, strategic sales, but in a way that is very trusting and abundant. Yes. So Fine. I think you're rocking it. I think you're just doing an amazing job.
Kate Northrup:So if people wanna connect with you, learn more, where should they do that? Obviously, if anyone's listening and they're in Miami and they're a home buyer or a home lister, Maya's your girl. But for anybody else around the world, where should they connect?
Maya Vander:Yeah. So Instagram, it's Maya Vander. I have my website, but, yeah, emails are always good because the DM sometimes they go to spam, and it's very hard to Yes. To catch those. So maya@mayavander.com.
Kate Northrup:Amazing.
Maya Vander:Thank you. You know, I'm everywhere.
Kate Northrup:All the places.
Maya Vander:All the places.
Kate Northrup:For being here. We'll put all of that in the show notes. I really appreciate it.
Maya Vander:Thank you so much for having me. Thank you.
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Kate Northrup:Enjoy.