Community Highlights: Meet Bryce O’Brien of The O’Brien Home Team

Today we’d like to introduce you to Bryce O’Brien.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
The beginning was quite a while ago, almost 14 years to be exact. My husband was preparing for deployment. He had a home he owned and was leasing out in Clarksville, TN, and it was rented, but the renter was leaving, and we were going to need to do some repairs and have it re-rented. I told my husband, “I don’t want to deal with this from across the country while you are deployed, so it’s really time to sell.” Well, being a previous teacher from Florida, I had no idea where to begin. I had never even owned a home, had no idea how the real estate process worked. So I talked to the realtor in Clarksville, Lisa Boyd, and told her we wanted to sell and I didn’t know what I was doing. She walked me through it all. She held my hand, walked us through the process, took care of the repairs, made me feel like this wasn’t such an insurmountable task and in the end, we were able to put $18,000 in the bank. She did all this while I was dealing with my first Special Forces deployment as an Army wife at 36 years old. That was the beginning… Lisa made such an impact on my life and was the reason I got into real estate.

I was an executive director for a non-profit (Rebuilding Together) in Dallas, TX at the time and would commute two weeks out of the month. I loved my career and giving back to others however I was newly married and relocated to Fountain, CO and I knew the going back and forth couldn’t last. I was going to need to find a new job and possibly a new career when my husband returned. As much as I tried to find a job in the Non-Profit sector or teaching, I was struggling. I thought, well, we are going to buy a home and set down roots when he returns, so maybe I should go to school to learn about Real Estate. I spoke to Lisa, asked a ton of questions and while I was up ALL NIGHT waiting for video chats from my husband in Iraq away fighting for our country, I would research real estate schools. Six months later, I signed up. I used $1,000 from the sale of the Tennessee home and decided this would be my new career path. I knew no one, had no family, didn’t have any idea how to drive in the snow, and was terrified to, but I was going to make this happen, and in October of 2007, I signed up for an expedited class that would take me four weeks. Just in time for my husband’s return from Iraq.

I did it, I finished school, passed my test, and got my license. This was going to be a big financial shift as I was used to a very nice Salary and had always worked on salary, or salary plus commission and this was going to take some getting used to. 100% commission… all on me to perform. Hard pill to swallow. My stress levels were through the roof. Luckily my husband had a good reliable income with the government and we had sold the other home to relieve some stress. I didn’t have a car payment because I had paid mine off. So here we go, I signed up with Century 21. That’s where Lisa worked back in Clarksville and we had a family friend in Florida who had been with them for years. It was the only name I knew in Real Estate, so I jumped in and hung my license. Remember, I knew no one here. We had been in Colorado 1 ½ years, but with both of us traveling for work and going home to Florida to be with family for support and to cure my homesickness, my relationships in Colorado were very limited. Colorado was a means to an end. We had careers here and when that ended, we would obviously run right back to Florida, where I always called home. Colorado was temporary, just a means to an end. I began my real estate career by working on our own purchase (a new build that would take until May of 2008 to close).

I had a few deals, our neighbors’ purchase (my only friend in Colorado) along with her parent’s new build and another friend of my husband’s who was also building a home. So three contracts… all new builds… waiting on them to close, and then the other shoe dropped in 2009. After one year in the industry, the market had already tanked and my husband came home and said we had a decision to make. It was time for him to re-sign indefinitely with the Army after 14 years. This would keep him moving upward and away… Other places… we were new in our home. Only a year and ½ into it. There was no way we could sell it or even rent in with the market we were in. The Army told us we would be relocated to the East Coast within 30 days of signing. How would that work? We had a brand new home that we had no way to leave financially and we were looking to start a family. The first of many hard decisions to come.

Together we decided Army life was coming to an end. I was barely performing in Real Estate, he had a friend who helped him get a Government Civilian job as his exit strategy from the Army, and I just kept thinking, we were going to be ok. We didn’t prepare for the 4-month gap with no paychecks. From the Army and from Real Estate. Nothing… so, we had to close out the small 401k we had started, the stress of it all made us put a pause on things and sadly, we had really been struggling in our path to starting our family. At 39, I wasn’t getting any younger and was told by the Specialists that having a family just may not happen naturally and we would need to use other options to start our family. It all was too much. It felt like we were starting over. The news was devastating and compounded by the fact that my husband and I would be losing our healthcare until his new job started, which placed our family dreams on hold. We couldn’t afford to utilize modern medicine to start our family and I was looking to turn 40 in only a few short months.

So many life changes all at once and at the same time placing our dreams of children on the back burner and, in the end, placing them on indefinite hold and re-envisioning our life without the children we both dreamt of for so long. So I began to work harder… longer hours… more determined to get on my feet in Real Estate. I worked floor time every day. It got me out of the house where I would only get caught up in my own head of thinking about all of the mistakes I felt we were making and wondering when my husband’s new job would begin and we would finally have a paycheck and health insurance. While working floor time, I caught the attention of an agent. She was drowning in business while I was struggling to close these couple of new builds, with nothing more on the horizon except one buyer who was a friend of a friend. She still doesn’t know this, but she saved me… during those hard days separating from the Army life and trying to figure out our family’s future all alone. She gave me hope. She saw that I was there every day trying, asking questions, learning, motivated, ambitious. She would talk to me and finally, I asked if I could shadow her. She showed me the ropes, introduced me to clients and with her, I wasn’t afraid to ask questions. She freely taught me everything she knew.

Then after a few short months, she told me she was going out on her own. Starting her own business and she wanted me to come work for her. She was the only one who had ever reached out, tried to walk me through real estate in a city I didn’t know and in a business I knew nothing about. She had become a friend and a colleague. Of COURSE, I will come work with you… no questions asked. Julie Watson was the agent here that gave me my start and taught me everything when no one else would give me a chance. She gave me my first investor and said go to work. By then, the market had crashed (one year after getting my license). She walked me through everything, never letting me fail. We became best friends, partners and business skyrocketed. I worked with multiple investors running comps, viewing so many dilapidated homes, but seeing a vision, predicting the future sale, working hard, burning the candle at every end, building relationships within my neighborhood. Never taking a day off. Networking, networking networking… In the five years that followed with Julie, our investors, and other clients as well, I was doing 40-50 closings a year. Never resting. At almost 40 years old, on my way to launching a new career path, you take what you can get, work hard, run hard and making new friends, meeting people, becoming comfortable in my position. I had gotten into a flow and comfort zone.

It was great, but I never fell complacent, always wondered where the next deal would come from always fearful of losing all I had gained. Always living a moderate lifestyle, never wanting to put myself once again in a financial deficit. So it went for the first five years. After that time, one of our investors I worked with decided to open their own brokerage. I looked at where I had been and where I was going and they really wanted me on board. I decided after five years with my mentor that it was time to strike out on my own and I took a chance with Tony and Esme Delange and transferred to their brokerage, working with them for five more great years. Business stayed steady. I had a great reputation and my mid 40’s were creeping up on me. I had been doing Real Estate for seven years and started thinking of my next steps. If you don’t grow in your career, you die there. I was always envisioning the next thing…

I was working for years now in the top 10% of agents each year. Doing well, but what was next? Would I open my own brokerage, would I start being an investor, would I leave real estate all together? Would I leave real estate? Well, I was a great teacher once, I also was a great leader in non-profit. Would I go back. I mean wasn’t real estate always temporary? I never really jumped in with both feet. I always waded at the edge for business. So what were my next steps? I struggled with this for a couple of years. I applied for a few teaching jobs, always searched the want ads, envisioned going “home” to Florida and picking up where I left off. All the while, nothing ever felt like the right thing, the right time, the right fit. I just kept plugging along in real estate. I was bored, I was complacent, I wasn’t challenged, I always worried about our future, if I would keep getting clients. When would the well dry up? Well the day came. I got word from my brokerage owners that they decided to sell the company and move to a new area of Colorado. An area too far for me to go with them. Where would I go? The brokerage wouldn’t be the same without them.

At the same time, I was working on a deal with another agent Wanda Plott, she swindled me into what I thought was breakfast one day. I’m friendly, but when an agent asks you for coffee, you know they are just recruiting you and I was fine where I was. No need to go anywhere else. I was happy and successful, that was enough. But breakfast… that’s just someone being friendly and wanting to get together. Right? NO… I was so unprepared for what came next. I had never thought of going to a large brokerage, so what came next was a pure shock. I showed up to breakfast and there was Wanda, and two other women. I’m usually pretty predictive and questioning of others. She caught me at a vulnerable time. I missed the signals. What’s happening here? So as I sat down I was introduced to the team leader and owner of one of our Keller Williams offices here in Colorado Springs.

I continued for the next hour to listen closely to all they had to say, things like business, profit share, teams, caps, not understanding it too very much and asking a lot of questions. It didn’t sound like a bad option, I was going to need a new brokerage soon. Then they said education. It stopped me in my tracks. Wait, I can do something in Real Estate other than be a realtor? This was the beginning of my Aha moment. We went from breakfast to lunch at their office, where I would sign-on. I also called my husband at that very moment and told him, you will never guess what I just did and as I explained, he sounded more and more shocked but what came next put him in a tailspin. Hold on to your britches honey, “you need to get your license too”. We are going to build a business and a team, and we are jumping in to real estate with both feet into the deep end of the pool. We are going to own a business. We are not just realtors. There’s so much more. I just didn’t know what I didn’t know. So we did. He got his license, we became a team, Keller Williams opened our current Fountain office and we started our business journey with Keller Williams Freedom. I have never been happier.

We are almost 4 years in with Keller Williams, have licenses in two states and our business is thriving in both Colorado and Florida. We have grown at Keller Williams Freedom, from starting our first year earning a Silver Production award to last year Double Gold in Production and this year, earning Triple Gold in Production and performing in the Top 5 at Keller Williams Freedom and the Top 100 Teams in Florida. We work with some of the best people in the industry and appreciate all we have learned over the years. I’m a few months in to my 14th year in Real Estate in Colorado and love that I now have the ability to lead others, teach others, give back to others the same way so many gave to me. My coach Courtney Taft, taught me how to protect my time, how to leverage my business and let others help me (something I wasn’t good at doing). Giving up control was a challenge. But now, today, I can take a vacation with little concern, we have been able to more than double our company income, we have hired agents, and leveraged assistants and transaction coordinators, expanded into two states, hired marketing specialists and the most important thing we’ve been able to do is that we are able to educate others on this journey. My passion in my life is to educate and stay educated. Educating clients on the process and agents on the job. This has been the most rewarding part of growing from a realtor into a business owner.

The other thing I can say after 15 years in Colorado is that I have made it my home. When I go to Florida, I go to visit family, and I come home to Colorado. We are so grateful to have built a life and a business where I finally feel like I don’t have to fear the unknown because I have a business plan and have made this job into a career. It’s very important to understand what that means. When it’s a job, it’s something you go do every day but a career you have passion for and develop over a lifetime.

How did you get where you are today?
Spent a lot of years burning the candle at every end. Hard work and dedication to life-long learning in an industry of constant change. Forward-thinking and studying our markets every day, week, month and year for upcoming changes and making shifts as warranted before they happen. It’s about working in your business. Sometimes as Realtors, our value is undermined. However, a great Realtor is constantly staying on top of their trade. I’ve worked many long hours, taking all the calls when everyone else was on vacation when I started building my career.

I couldn’t have gotten where I am today without first my teacher, Lisa Boyd, who taught me that Real Estate was an option, then through my mentor Julie Watson and the start that she gave me for which I will always be grateful to her for. She saw a light in me that I would work hard for her, with her to make us as successful as possible, and I won’t allow myself to fail. That I would do anything to learn and succeed in this path. Next, my Sponsor Wanda Plott at Keller Williams who brought me into a company that was going to offer me a more diverse future in Real Estate and showed me that Real Estate isn’t just about being a Realtor but that I could profit through Teaching Realtors, and Profit-Sharing and Building a business in Real Estate.

Finally, while at Keller Williams Freedom, where I met my Coach Courtney Taft, who saw the teacher in me and gave me the opportunity to teach other agents through my experience. She taught me how to be more than a realtor, she taught me to be a mentor to others, taught me the systems, taught me how to be a business owner, build my business, and made me realize that there’s so much more to Real Estate than just being a Realtor. She showed me the only limit to my future would be the restraints I myself put on my business. She brought me back full circle to Teaching and to my family history of being an Entrepreneur and business owner after 11years of being just a realtor. She gave me the tools and let me grow. Now only four short years later, thanks to her for our growth, my husband and I are licensed in Colorado and Florida and have a thriving Real Estate Business together in Colorado as well as a 2nd expansion team in Clearwater, Florida and we are working on additional expansion teams in multiple other markets.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I went over some of the struggles that I had along the way in the previous paragraphs. Launching into real estate was the most challenging time for sure. The early years. The surprising part to me was how I have been successful and doing well quite a few years yet, until I began my 11th year I never felt as though I was “secure” in my career in Real Estate. Now at year 14 there’s not much that shakes me. Time and knowledge in my craft here in Colorado has really grounded me in my career. With our new Florida expansion however, the struggles of balancing contracts, and the differences in state requirements is once again feeling like my early years in Colorado and has been a true struggle. So green, not always feeling confident in what I can do. Then I remember how far I’ve come and I go to my resources and bag of tricks that have been so successful over the last years. The feelings of struggle are necessary in order to grow. If I never struggled through the tough times, I wouldn’t know all I know today. Through the struggle comes growth. I am still growing in so many ways. I hope I always will be.

Please let us know more about your business. What should we know?
My husband John and I are both Licensed realtors in Colorado and Florida and run successful businesses in both markets. We work with buyers and sellers throughout the Pikes Peak Region. I have been in real estate here for over 13 years and John has been for 4 years. We have a team in Fountain as well as a Team in Clearwater, Florida. I have been part of Educational Leadership at Keller Williams Freedom for the past two years and we are one of the top 5 teams at our office in the area of production. I also teach trainings now at our Market Center. It’s something so close to my heart and passion and am truly enjoying being a part of the learning process for other agents.

What do you do? What do you specialize in/what are you known for?, We also specialize in working with of course our VA buyers as we are a Veteran family ourselves and have done many relocations. Our business is working with Residential Purchases and Sales as well Investment Sales/Short Sales, large parcels and land and even many New Builds in El Paso County, Teller County, Pueblo County and Douglas County. We are also a part of Keller Williams Luxury Realty working with Luxury Listings and buyers on specialty properties.

What sets you apart from others?
Our client Services. I was brought up in a family business that was built on our relationships with our clients. Each one was family to us. I worked within that business from the time I was seven until I left Florida at 34 years of age. It is ingrained in me to always serve others. That the Customer is always right, and to be grateful for all we have and can give to others.

So today, as was taught to me by my parents through their company, my husband and I have a strong relationship-based business. We build relationships with our clients and with our vendor partners and referral partners and genuinely love them and their families. We strive to give a menu of services to our clients. Some clients need more direction and some less. Our client care is second to none. As I have a degree in Education and was previously a teacher, we first and foremost believe that Education is key with our clients so that that they understand the steps throughout the process. We are very thorough in our explanation of the home buying and selling process. We also focus on our clients’ safety and security so we provide all of our buyers a 14-month warranty on their purchase on every transaction. This ensures they have some security when purchasing a new home that they won’t out of pocket for major home repairs within the first year. We also are very competitive, or shall I say I am. My coach finds it funny and loves my personal quote, “I don’t have to be first but I always have to win.” People find it funny, but it’s who I am. I always have been one to fight for others.

Being a winner and being first are completely different. I strive to provide the win for my clients in every aspect of my business. Always putting them FIRST is a WIN to us. They are our priority every step of the way. If they need a floor swept, we sweep it. If they need a dumpster dropped. We schedule it. If they need us to help pack the last load onto the truck, we will do it. If they need a smoke detector installed, we run over and install it. If they only can view homes and night, on the weekends, by video, in-state, out of state, we make the arrangements and show them. To us, always putting the customer first is our primary objective.

What are you most proud brand-wise?
Our clients know that we will be there when the deal is over. We stay in close communication with our clients over the years and make sure to always be their best resource when it comes to home repairs, modifications and assistance with lending, buying and selling throughout their lifetime. We watch families grow, change and even when our military families PCS or families leave the Colorado or Florida areas, we have vast referral network of agents that we work with to assist with their transition with the same level of client care that we personally provide. We know we will always be the ones they reach out to when they have a question because we are there for them on the day of closing and every day after.

Where do you see your industry going over the next 5-10 years? Any big shifts, changes, trends, etc?
I do see some shifting. Currently our market is very saturated with buyers trying to purchase while they can do so at such low-interest rates. This is a great opportunity for buyers right now, however many sellers aren’t selling and are refinancing and pulling out their equity. So we have a historically low inventory available. We also have to consider that many homeowners utilized the forbearance option that was offered due to Covid-19 in 2020. This will need to be paid at some point coming up soon. At the same time, foreclosures have been halted by the government and therefore when they resume, I can foresee that a flood of homes will come on market in foreclosure, which will shift our supply/demand of homes and change the current situation in regards to low inventory. It’s difficult to predict when exactly this should occur as many of the factors are based on our current leadership in government as well as our current status with Covid-19. I do think the long term five-year market will be more of a stable market overall..

Contact Info:

• Email: realtorbryceo@gmail.com
• Phone: 719-433-5168
• Website: https://theobrienhometeam.kw.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realtorbryceo/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theobrienhometeam

Image Credits
The O’Brien Home Team, John O’Brien