Balance during a pandemic is not an easy state to maintain. For Relentless Award Winner Amber Castles – it’s all about working on her business, supporting her community in the big (and small!) ways and taking advantage of these current circumstances to spend quality time with her family. We connected with Amber recently to learn about the ways she’s inspired to push through this pandemic in meaningful ways.

Are you doing anything differently to push forward with your day-to-day work in helping your clients during this time? How would you describe your new “normal”?

I love being able to reach out to see how I can assist families in my sphere of influence. I’ve found fun pop by’s that I’ll leave on their doorstep – the most recent was a “mom-mosa” for Mother’s Day! And for the seniors that did not get a chance to celebrate with their families, I have placed yard signs that say “Congratulations, a Senior lives here, 2020!”.

I recently went to visit a client and we chatted through their front screen door. I kept my distance and just played a little catch up, when they told me they had built a raised garden bed but couldn’t get to the store to get any seeds. A couple days later I showed up with a bag of the plants they wanted to grow. They were overjoyed! Also, a sweet family that recently brought home and a newborn needed some maternal supplies, and I was able to drop off same day! The lower amount of exposure for them the better. Even without seeing their faces, I know they were so appreciative. I’m grateful to help any way I can, whether it’s in big or small ways.

Is there anything that you’re doing now to work on your business that maybe you haven’t done before?

This has been a great opportunity for us to work on our team foundation, putting together marketing, and submitting necessary paperwork for it to be official. It has also given us an opportunity to write personal notes to all of our distant clients/friends.

What is something that you’ve learned during this unique time that you’ll incorporate into your life moving forward? 

Relationships are the foundation of our community. Our everyday life often disrupts the daily conversations we get to have with our closest neighbors. This season has given everyone a chance to slow down and enjoy the precious part of life, time. Going forward we will still have family time, but with more presence and no phones. Our family has started a morning yoga routine and I plan to keep that going!

What new concerns are you hearing from your clients right now? How are you helping address them? 

“We are waiting to put our house on the market until after the restrictions lift.” My advice to them is we are in a fast-changing market, COVID-19 has made our inventory even more scarce and with that comes a strong selling market. I cannot predict how the market will look in 2-6 months, but I can tell you now it is moving, and the need to buy and sell is still there!

What is your top tip for being relentless during this time? 

Go the extra mile. What does that mean for me? It means making the trip to see the clients you don’t get to see every day, check in on their families and see how you can help. I never show up without a small gift, hand soap, donuts, lemonade… something! People won’t always remember what you say, but they will ALWAYS remember how you made them feel.

BONUS: What is the first thing you’re going to do once the local shelter in place orders have been lifted? 

We will go have dinner at a local mom and pop restaurant followed by ice cream at our famous local ice cream eatery!

The Relentless Agent Awards celebrate all of the ways that C21 Agents deliver extraordinary experiences to their clients and make the home buying or selling process a memorable one. Are you a client who recently has an amazing experience with a CENTURY 21 Agent? We want to know! Click here to submit a nomination for a deserving Agent today.

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Sam Medvene, of CENTURY 21 Redwood Realty, is a native of the Washington, D.C. area. With an entrepreneurial upbringing and a passion to help others, he’s already accomplished some remarkable things in his career. 

He’s in the top 1% of agents in the Washington DC area and he was named 2019 Rookie of the Year by the Greater Capital Area Association of Realtors. Sam has also been recognized as a Top 500 Realtor by the Real Producers publication.

This year, Sam has been nominated for the Top 30 Under 30, by Realtor Magazine. He received this nomination for his outreach endeavors overseas, his service in educating his clients, serving on REALTOR® committees, and how he continues to #AlwaysElevate in his business and his community. 

We recently had an opportunity to speak with Sam to learn a bit more about his business and the Top 30 Under 30 nomination.

How long have you been in real estate?
Since august of 2017, so about 2 ½ years.

How has being the son of an entrepreneur impacted your career?
It’s given me the opportunity to see what’s possible. It’s been the backbone. My older brother, father and mother were entrepreneurs so, I always knew I was going to do something as my own boss.  

You’ve traveled to Haiti for non-profit work. Can you talk about your role there and how volunteering in Haiti may have shaped the way you think?
The opportunity came through my youth pastor. I’ve been over 10 times. I’ve worked with a team to create a water purification system, we’ve done solar panel grid work with orphanages and schools, and we also went down with an elite medical team to facilitate surgery after surgery.  

Going has helped me keep everything in perspective for things that are worth-while. It’s been a constant motivator to do bigger things. It’s kind of given me a “take it a one step at a time” mentality, to look back after one or three, or five years to see the path you’ve traveled. I try to be 1% better every day.

I am also passionate about helping people and that’s why I do it. I keep my head down and I keep grinding while just trying to be a decent person. It’s my bigger why and I hope to leave a lasting impression.

With such an amazing start to your career (for the top 30 under 30 nomination), how do you continue elevating your goals, for the year ahead?
The biggest thing, I think, is intention. Doing everything with intent. I’m super competitive. Once I accomplish one thing, I don’t ever want to have a year where I don’t accomplish more than the year before. I’m constantly improving on the year before. It’s a constant push of everything. It’s a snowball effect that keeps things rolling and is the direct result of things you did years before.

I ask myself: How many people did I help this year? How many people do I need to help to accomplish this consistent road? How do I leave a lasting impact on those I have already helped? That is how I measure my goals. I don’t focus on the money.

What are some things you implement that help you give your clients 121%?
I tell my clients, upfront, that I will become friends and family with them. What can you do to help your clients? See things through their lens. That’s a powerful thing. I do this to help them accomplish their goals. 

Your bio mentions that you implement cutting edge technologies and advertising techniques. Can you share a little about what some of those technologies are and why they are important?
Social media is a huge aspect of it and helps me provide education and information. I use Facebook and Google Ads, and advertisements on all the social platforms. I add check-ins with my posts, and I like being present with the people to line those things up. Finding core systems that fully integrate with themselves to make sure things run as fluidly for you as possible, really helps. 

What are the top 3 things you love about Washington DC?
It’s the melting pot of the population, between age and culture, so you get the social life and the culture. It’s a big city but has a small-town feel. There’s opportunity here for investors, people, and people wanting to buy. It’s my hometown, so it’s familiar to me. My family is here, and I get to help my clients with my knowledge of living here my entire life. 

If you had a theme song, what would it be?
Where’s the Love by The Black-Eyed Peas. It’s about social talks, love, and about just being human. 

What would winning the 30 under 30 do for you/your career?
Honestly, it would be an accolade for people I work with. A lot of my business is referral-based. Winning would show the impact I’ve had and the impact, those I’ve worked with, have had on me. I feel lucky to be that vehicle to help people on the path to homeownership.

Voting for Realtor Magazine’s Top 30 Under 30 begins Friday, March 13^th at noon CST, and ends Friday, March 20^th, at noon CST. Be sure to cast your vote for Sam Medvene! You can vote once per day throughout the voting time period. 

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Emily Beutler, of CENTURY 21 Beutler & Associates, takes pride in serving the community she loves in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. When she’s not traveling the world, she’s helping to impact the community she and her family call home.

She’s been named the #1 producing Realtor for CENTURY 21 Beutler & Associates from 2016-2018 and she’s also the #3 agent for the Northwest Region. To top that off, she’s been awarded the Double Centurion award, which is our highest-ranking award.

Because of her rating of excellent service with her clients, she’s recently been nominated by Realtor Magazine for their Top 30 Under 30.

We had the opportunity to speak with Emily to learn more about her passion for helping and serving her clients and how this nomination has impacted her goals for her business.

How long have you been in real estate? 
About 8 years.

Are you involved with any volunteering in your community/community involvement? 
I support a handful of the local charities and at one community event or fundraiser at least every other week.  If I’m being honest, I do feel guilty about not being more hands-on, but time has gotten stretched really thin for me over the past couple of years.   

With such an amazing start to your career, how do you continue elevating your business goals for the year ahead? 
My only goal every year is to do better than the last year and every year I have grown my business substantially.  I just do the best I can every day.  Being well educated in the market and industry is of the utmost importance.  I listen to podcasts, attend our weekly sales meetings, read up on the news and have attended summits and conferences but honestly, I learn the most just being in the field every day.

You have an excellent rating in serving your clients. What are some best practices that help you provide 121%? 
I try to set realistic expectations and follow through on them. I’m always available to my clients 24/7 and I believe they know I’m working in their best interest. I never shy away from chipping in to make the transaction go smoothly. Providing excellent customer service is THE MOST IMPORTANT thing we can do as a real estate agent.  People want to know they are heard, taken care of, and that they can trust you.  

What relentless mindset do you carry in your business and your everyday life? 
When there is a will, there is a way! 

You were featured on HGTV back in 2017. What was the biggest takeaway you learned from that experience? 
TV is hard work!  I always thought it would be way cool to be on TV but after filming I knew I better stick to real estate. It took 3 full days of shooting to get 20-ish minutes of film. That’s a lot of work and time!

If you could summarize “life in Idaho” up in 5 words, what would you say? 
Beautiful, fun, adventurous, charming and home. 

What celebrity actress would play you in a movie about your life? 
Reese Witherspoon. She’s a small feisty and ambitious blonde. 

What would winning the 30 under 30 do for you/your career? 
It’s been a personal goal of mine for the last 7 years. I always enjoy reading about all the honorees each year and have taken away a lot of great tips and insight from those bios. Just getting the award would be a huge accomplishment for me.  I would also love to be a part of a sphere of like-minded people.

Voting for Realtor Magazine’s Top 30 Under 30 begins Friday, March 13^th at noon CST, and ends Friday, March 20^th, at noon CST. Be sure to cast your vote for Emily Buetler! You can vote once per day throughout the voting time period. 

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