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Meet Brett and Charli Drefs of AZ House Man in Valley Wide

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Brett Drefs and Charli Drefs.

Brett and Charli, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
AZ House Man started out as an idea in college. Brett’s parents had been realtors in the West Valley for years and had been very successful. While Brett was in business school at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs studying business marketing and management, he couldn’t help but relate the marketing topics to the business he knew best… real estate. That is when Brett realized he wanted to run his own real estate business. It was in one of these classes that Brett sketched out the logo now used by AZ House Man. After graduating, Brett immediately joined his parent’s real estate team to learn from the best. In his first year at age 23, he earned the Rookie of the Year award from Keller Williams Realty. After two successful years under his parent’s management, Brett decided it was time to take the leap of faith and start his own business, AZ House Man. With the help of Brett’s beautiful wife Charli (at the time girlfriend) AZ House Man was able to take shape after tons of deliberations about logo’s, websites, social media, etc. AZ House Man officially launched in January of 2017. After a few months of being in business, Brett somehow convinced his wife Charli to join the team. Charli had years of real estate experience in agent management and transaction coordinating, so becoming an agent herself was the last step to becoming a real estate master.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Like any new business, AZ House Man has faced its share of challenges. Being a realtor can be a tricky business since your income is 100% commission based. No sales, no money. AZ House Man started off strong with some sales right away and a few in the pipeline but just like the Arizona desert, we hit a drought! A few months of no income for a 26 and 25-year old who had recently purchased a home was a very, very stressful time. AZ House Man kept hustling and grinding away until we finally saw the light at the end of a long and dark tunnel. We are very proud of that struggle because many people would have thrown in the towel. AZ House Man persevered thru hard work and dedication, and as of this month, we have over ten houses under contract, a new team record!

AZ House Man – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We help people buy and sell houses! What we are most proud of are our programs for Military, First Responders, and Teachers. Brett is a part-time firefighter himself and knows first hand how hard our first responders work to protect our communities while providing for their families. Charli comes from a military family and knows the sacrifices they make to serve our country. Brett and Charli recognized how some of the most important jobs for our country and communities are underpaid, so we wanted to do our part to give back. We created these programs that can save home buyers or sellers thousands of dollars in the process! We have organized everyone involved in the real estate transaction from our affiliated lender, title company, home inspector, and of course us, the realtor. Everyone involved has agreed to contribute savings, so when they are all added together, it can save our countries, heroes, thousands of dollars when they buy or sell a home! We are extremely proud to give back to those who serve others.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
One trend we are seeing now are the big business home buyers. The businesses that give you an offer for your home now while selling the convenience of not having to show your house to strangers. These businesses have already taken a good amount of market share. Unfortunately, the convenience of these companies cost homeowners a lot of hard-earned equity. Selling to these convenience buyers can cost 10-12% of the purchase price in fees and repairs. Compare that to the traditional realtor fees of 6%. There is a reason these businesses buy houses and immediately turn around and sell them. It is because they are making a lot of money off the homeowner. These businesses will continue to operate and will take some market share, but the traditional realtor will prevail because at the end of the day, clients need a personal relationship with someone they can trust. Clients need a friend they can call to guide them thru the biggest transaction of their life!

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