Above: Steven Fase II
Steven Fase II
President
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Michigan Real Estate
Grand Rapids, Michigan
https://www.bhhsmichiganrealestate.com
Region served: Michigan and Northern Indiana
Years in real estate: 24 (12 in management)
Number of offices: 40
Number of agents: 900
Favorite part of your job: Working together to solve issues and help people achieve their goals
Given how much the industry has evolved in recent years, what do you see as the biggest challenge facing your brokerage?
We’re seeing a lot of new agents, which I think is good, but the influx is creating challenges among some of the industry’s long-term agents. It’s also impacting brokerages as they determine how to get agents up and running to begin making a living in a market with fewer units for sale. Millions of agents didn’t sell a house this past year, so how do we help those just getting started make this a career? How do we help them achieve their goals so that they can be successful?
How does your company make its agents’ jobs easier?
My role, which is the same as everyone else on my team, is to listen to what the frontline agent is dealing with and determine what they need to succeed. From there, it’s all about focusing our energy on getting those tools—from the support to the training—into the agents’ hands.
I’m a huge goal-setter and development guy, as I believe you always need to be learning and growing, so I’m constantly thinking about how I can help our agents do just that. Not only are we big on training and development, but we’re also passionate about teaching. And we invest heavily in our training and coaching for agents in all phases of their career. We designed our brokerage to be a service to the agent, and I’m proud to say that we’re a true servant leadership company.
What is the best advice you’d give agents who want to succeed and grow into leadership roles like yours?
I always say that you must be present to win. If your company has an office and hosts masterminds, conducts sales meetings or provides training, you have to be part of that. If you want to win in this game, you must be engaged. Whether it’s joining your board or setting aside time to spend with clients, do whatever you can to be present.
Another piece of advice that I’d offer is to write down what you want then try to plan your life around those goals so that you can achieve them. I keep a master goal list in my planner and aim to write down 100 goals for the year.
I’m old-school in that I believe in hard work, but you have to try to balance that with the wheel of life. In the end, it all comes down to being present and putting in the work while being honest and speaking your mind clearly.
What attracted you to the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices network?
While we originally switched over when Prudential was acquired by HomeServices of America, Inc., after being part of the network, I’ve come to recognize that it’s all about the leaders and broker/owners I associate with—some of whom have become friends over the years. If I need help with something, I can pick up the phone and call 50 or so owners or CEOs, and there’s never any hesitation from the person on the other end of the line. There’s an abundance of positive attitude that comes along with the firm. They’re truly great people.
For more information, please visit https://www.BerkshireHathawayhs.com.
