Today we’d like to introduce you to Nathaniel Lester Jr..
Hi Nathaniel, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am Nathaniel Lester Jr., a native Floridian from the beautiful city of Miami. I attended Florida A&M University, where I received my bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. My real estate journey began in the early years of my marriage (2013). During that time, my wife and I watched HGTV religiously – Flip or Flop, Love It or List It, House Hunters, you name it and we watched it. While we watched these shows, I found myself wondering what it would be like to buy/sell/flip houses, but that’s as far as the aspiration went. When my wife and I went through the process to build our first home (2015), it was clear to me that I could not sleep on my real estate dream any longer; I HAD to get into the real estate industry.
At that time, there were two major factors that made it difficult for me to pursue my real estate goals right away – I was working 60+ hours each week as a retail manager and I had a very young one at home that I wanted to spend all my time with when I wasn’t working. After considering these things, I made a career switch into the world of IT and landed a job with GolfNow. Anyone who knows me, knows that I’m a HUGE fan of golf so this was the perfect job for me on so many levels. It gave me a more flexible schedule, the ability to spend more time with my family, and the opportunity to pursue other personal goals.
Fast forward a few years (2019), I obtained my realtor license in the state of Florida. With this license, I was on my way to accomplishing my real estate goals – being a resource that clients, friends, and family could rely on and helping make homeownership a reality for as many people as I can assist. From a young age, my parents showed me how important homeownership is to creating generational wealth and that’s something I want to help my clients achieve, especially for those who think the buying/selling process is too difficult to pursue on their own.
Today, I’m very happy with the decision I made to become a realtor. I’ve helped several families attain homeownership; it has been a joy to watch them transform their new house into a home. I look forward to helping countless more people successfully navigate their real estate journeys.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I had a great start getting into the real estate industry. (With the guidance of my mentor paired with my extroverted personality, I was able to successfully help a buyer close on their home within the first 3 months of becoming a realtor.) However, the road hasn’t always been this smooth. I am glad that I had a mentor at my brokerage who helped me through my journey thus far.
Here are few lessons that I’ve learned along the way:
1. Client engagement is more impactful than meets the eye.
I’ve seen several agents get excited that someone is interested in purchasing a home with them, so they immediately take them out to look at homes. I quickly learned that people like the idea of homeownership, but don’t always take the necessary steps to put them in a position to purchase. To prevent you from wasting everyone’s time, you must have a buyer consultation and learn about the buyer’s needs/wants and likes/dislikes. By engaging with the client in this way, I can get all the information I need to best assist my client, which leads to a much better interaction.
2. Fully acquaint yourself with the process to perform a transaction.
Several tasks simultaneously happen during the process of buying and selling a home. Every transaction is unique, which is why it’s important for you to be familiar with the process. At a moment’s notice, you may need to pivot to meet your client’s needs; you can’t successfully do that if you aren’t familiar with the entire process. The flow of a transaction is something that I had to get used to and I’m so glad that I did.
3. Go the extra mile to find potential clients and to create content that will attract them.
Once you get your realtor license, you’ll receive a lot of phone calls and emails from companies that want to help you grow your business by providing possible clients…for a fee. These results are not guaranteed to convert into actual clients and sales. Don’t underestimate the power of social media; it’s a great way to let people know you’re in the industry. There are different ways content can be created to market your services/skills, so I strongly advise you to do your research to find what works best for you.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a realtor with Preferred Real Estate Brokers in Orlando, FL, with a concentration in the Central Florida area. I specialize in helping my clients navigate the process of buying and selling homes because it can be a daunting process without the right people in your corner.
After selling several homes, I’m most proud of helping my clients accomplish their homeownership goals with as little stress as possible. I would much rather bear the real estate burdens and field the unexpected twists and turns than put that unnecessary stress on my clients. Seeing the joy on my client’s faces once they close on their homes is the true definition of success.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
As a child (and even now), I’ve always been an extrovert. I enjoy meeting new people, engaging in meaningful conversations, and being among people I can be myself with. I am convinced that this is the “secret sauce” to my real estate success so far – connecting with my clients so they know they have a “friend” working on their behalf and not just a random realtor who’s more concerned about the transaction than the person.
Anyone who knows me, knows there are 3 things that I cannot do without in my life – my family, golf, and cooking. If I’m not with my wife and daughter exploring Orlando, you can find me on the golf course playing 18 holes. Any chance I get, I’m looking for new recipes to try (my daughter approves of several of them so that’s a success in my book).
Contact Info:
- Email: soldbynathaniel@gmail.com
- Website: https://nathaniel.viewhousesinflorida.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sold_by_nathaniel/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/N.Lester.Realtor
Image Credits
Shay Walker Photography
