RE: Real Estate Podcast

Clint C. Galliano, REALTOR® (00:00)
Most people think that real estate's just about signs and yards and open houses. But today, I'm digging into the brain of one of the top players in the game. I'm sitting down with my co-host, Ben Harang, to find out how he's winning in this market, the one deal that almost broke him, and what he does that most agents don't. Let's get into it.

Ben Harang (00:35)
Good afternoon everybody and welcome to another episode of the RE Real Estate Podcast. I'm Ben Harang here with my co-host Clint Galliano. Good afternoon Clint, how you doing?

Clint C. Galliano, REALTOR® (00:47)
I'm doing wonderful Ben, how you doing?

Ben Harang (00:49)
I'm doing terrific. Getting rid of this head cold, I probably sound a little different today, but we're going to plow through it. A little chilly on this February afternoon, I guess. ⁓ The skies are clear, the sun is out, is what I'm trying to say. So, it's a good day. So, what are we talking about today, Clint?

Clint C. Galliano, REALTOR® (01:00)
Yep.

All right. Well, we've been doing this podcast for over a year now. And while we've let our audiences know a little bit about ourselves along the way, I figured now's a good time for us to maybe get a little deeper into that and interview each other. So this is going to be the first of two episodes. This first one, we're going to focus on me interviewing you, Ben.

Ben Harang (01:37)
⁓ okay, surprise, surprise. We can give away all kind of trade secrets.

Clint C. Galliano, REALTOR® (01:37)
Are you ready?

All right, so we're start out and go over why we're here. We're gonna get a little bit insight on how you see the local market. And then we'll go over agent life and what you get to do or how you handle being an agent. And we'll wrap things up with a this or that rapid fire.

based on real estate topics.

Ben Harang (02:12)
That ought be interesting.

Clint C. Galliano, REALTOR® (02:14)
it's definitely interesting to us and hopefully it's interesting to our audience. All right. So since we both run our own independent businesses, why don't you tell us what made us decide, you know, from your perspective, what made us decide that collaborating on a podcast was better than just looking at each other across the street while we're competing?

Ben Harang (02:38)
Well, back in the, I guess the middle of 2024, I had a wild idea, kind of wanted to reinvent myself. The interest rates were tough. The market had slowed down some, so it was time to do something a little different. And I made two phone calls. I thought about doing a podcast. I didn't know anything about it. I'm a tech geek.

Clint knows a little more about technology than I do. And I called Clint. Clint didn't answer his phone. Well, when I have something on my mind, I need to keep going. So I called another fellow agent. I don't know if I ever told you this story, Clint. I called another fellow agent that I thought would be a good fit. Well, she didn't answer her phone either. And about the time I got off, Clint called me back.

Clint C. Galliano, REALTOR® (03:21)
I think you may have at least alluded to it.

Ben Harang (03:33)
So I told Clint what my thought was and he thought, I guess he thought it was a pretty good idea because he bought into it. I asked him how long he thought it'd take us to get the first one out. And much to my surprise, it was about three or four months later. I said, why so long? didn't understand the podcast world, I guess.

But we did it and we got the first one out January 3rd of 2025. And I think we missed one Friday since. And not long after Clinton and I had the conversation and we decided that we were gonna move forward with this. I got that return phone call and I never wanted to get back. I was hoping that voicemail left, got lost. But she called me back and I told her what happened and we talked about her being a guest host if we needed one.

Her schedule really didn't allow for a commitment. So she couldn't do it. But anyway, that's how Clint and I got here. Clint and I started at KW within a month of each other in 2020 in the midst And while I'm a little older than Clint, we are of the same era than most other people. We both have faces for radio. So here we are in the RE Real Estate Podcast was born.

Clint C. Galliano, REALTOR® (04:31)
Alright. That,

Ben Harang (04:52)
That almost not happened, Clint.

Clint C. Galliano, REALTOR® (04:55)
that's pretty close to recollections. When we turn the tables and turn the mic on me, you'll get my perspective on.

Ben Harang (05:03)
Uh-huh. Uh-huh.

Clint C. Galliano, REALTOR® (05:05)
All right, so how is our podcast friendship actually changed the way you handle individual deals or clients?

Ben Harang (05:17)
Well, I think I've been doing this for 30 plus years, going on 32 years, I think. And I don't know it all. And the more I can collaborate with people that know what they're doing, the better off I am. And Clint has a real world knowledge. So I think I take a lot from Clint. Clint and I bounce a lot of stuff off of each other. So it just a good relationship before. I think

the relationship has gotten stronger since we started the podcast. And the iron sharpening, iron kind of thing, I just like the back and forth and sharing ideas.

Clint C. Galliano, REALTOR® (05:47)
it. And a little sneak peek for the next episode, kind of feel the same way.

So if we both happen to show up on the same listing appointment tomorrow.

Ben Harang (06:02)
it's game on. It's game on. yeah.

Clint C. Galliano, REALTOR® (06:02)
And may the best man win. ⁓

What's the one thing that you do better than me?

Ben Harang (06:10)
That's a tough one. always felt not necessarily better than you, but I can negotiate with the best of them. When I have a deal going on, I'm on. I tell people, it's like Patin's duck, don't let them see you sweat. You're working hard under the water, that duck's paddling for all get out.

But on surface, he's cool, calm, and collected. Don't let them see you sweat when you're When you think you're behind the curve or in front of the curve, it doesn't matter. It is what it is. Give it to them and let them respond.

Clint C. Galliano, REALTOR® (06:45)
I like that.

All right, so let's move on and talk a little bit about the local market.

So when you're driving through town, what's the one up and coming pocket that you think everyone is currently sleeping on? In other words, they're ignoring it or missing out on?

Ben Harang (07:07)
That's a tough one. I ride around and I see vacant property and I envision development. There's a lot of property, there's actually some property for sale outside of my office in Thibodaux that I think has phenomenal potential. The seller is not realistic on the price or how to sell it. They're trying to do it themselves and it's just not working. It's been on the market.

for a couple of years now. And I actually had a client that tried to buy it and I thought he offered top dollar and it's probably half of what the people that own it wanted for. something like that can really help the city of Thibodaux. It's right outside the city limits. Might need to be incorporated. But it's just a pocket that I think has some potential long-term.

Clint C. Galliano, REALTOR® (07:58)
Interesting. All right. So we kind of joke around a lot and talk about things that we think are BS that is being purported as either common wisdom or drops of knowledge distributed from a guru type of wisdom through social media. You know, we like to apply our BS meter to that.

What's the one piece of real estate wisdom that you see people posting on social media right now that you think is terrible advice specifically for our market?

Ben Harang (08:38)
That's a tough one.

thought about that and really don't have a good answer for that one. That everybody, the way I see it is you do you, I do me, and I say you, the other agents. And I'm sure some agents think some of the things I do doesn't work, no, don't work, and I'm sure I've seen agents do some things that I didn't think worked, but I don't, I don't.

I don't dwell on that. They do what they do, I do what I do, and may the best man or woman win, is the way I see it.

Not a good answer, that's probably because I don't pay attention to it a whole lot. It doesn't stick with me.

Clint C. Galliano, REALTOR® (09:17)
Okay, that makes sense. So we both have a little bit of an investor background. so besides your primary residence, what does your investing background look like? How are you personally invested in real estate besides obviously being a real estate agent?

Ben Harang (09:39)
Well, I've been involved in a subdivision development as a developer, just developing residential lots. Been in new construction development, building some six contiguous town homes, which was an adventure. And I have a little business development where my office is.

on Plantation Road in Thibodaux with a couple of vacant lots in the property that I bought and subdivided. So that's kind of what my investment background is in the real estate business.

Clint C. Galliano, REALTOR® (10:06)
We like to, well, I don't think we like it. We see a lot of people promoting, you know, hustling as a real estate agent. And we see memes on social media about getting our meals at the gas station and things like that. So we'll kind of go over a couple of different parts of the agent life. And for you.

What does hour one of your day look like? How do you set the tone before the phones start ringing?

Ben Harang (10:37)
most people don't like this. I know you kind of do it too, but the morning routine, when I wake up in the morning, I'm up between 4 4.30. And that's the only quiet time I have. And that's kind of when I organize my day.

It is crazy how you have all these thoughts about what needs to be done. And I can plan my whole day out, by 8.30 the day's blown up because the phone starts ringing and people want to talk and have questions and want to go see this and do that. But I at least have my list of what needs to be done that day so I can pick and choose when it gets done. that morning hour or so.

before the world wakes up is the best hour I have to get my day organized.

Clint C. Galliano, REALTOR® (11:29)
Yeah, I can definitely relate.

Alright, why don't you fill us in on a time where you actually walked away from a client or a listing because it wasn't a good fit. And why was that important for you as an independent agent?

Ben Harang (11:47)
Well, I have a saying and people laugh at me within my real estate family. We need to fire clients on occasion just for our own mental health. We have clients and I'm thinking of one in particular several years ago. A buyer client that calling all hours of the day and night demanding. It it wasn't a good fit and we were in a house.

And I'd give it away if I said too much, but when we left the house, I had to cut them loose. And the crazy part is we were in a house I knew they were going to buy. And I made the decision, I didn't want to go through the drama of the inspections and everything that was going to happen on this house with this client.

I just cut my losses and left. And people were dumbfounded that I did that. And another agent called me that picked it up and said, Ben, what's going on? I said, it just wasn't a good fit. But for our own mental health, we can't let the clients dictate our life.

So and every now and then there's somebody I may be on the verge of firing right now. It's just, it doesn't work. It's not worth spending my time on. So we do control our own business and we can make a decision whether or not we're gonna deal with a client.

Clint C. Galliano, REALTOR® (13:00)
Yep, because they definitely do.

Ben Harang (13:03)
Well, it's the same thing. They interview us, we interview them. And it's not a good fit, the best time to cut your losses is on the front end.

Clint C. Galliano, REALTOR® (13:10)
Alright, why you tell us a little bit about your tech stack. So what's the one tool or app in your business that you can't live without? That is so helpful to your business that if you didn't have it, you'd be back in the stone ages.

Ben Harang (13:20)
Well.

I be showing my age, but the emails and texts change the industry. But recently, I've started using an E Ink tablet, they called it, rather than a paper notebook. And it's always been a challenge to track what we need to do, who we talk to.

Remind us to go talk to somebody to follow up and just it's a it's a crazy business and I've always had a notebook where I things down and It just wrote it down chronologically and Obviously some things would fall through the cracks And one of our fellow agents I'm gonna give her a shout out Angelle Duplantis talked about a five-subject notebook

And I said, you know, she might be onto something, being she's probably in the top three in our brokerage. I said, you know, I've been struggling with organization all my life. Let me try that. Well, I bought the notebook. And I saw her a couple of weeks later. I said, Angèle, that notebook is wearing me out. She said, what do mean? I said, I don't forget anything anymore.

It's there. I can't forget it. So I alluded to the fact I'm a little tech geek. I like the notebook idea, but I didn't. You get 10 buyers and 10 listings. It's tough to go to where those listings are in a notebook. Even though they were organized, you're still flipping pages to get to it. So I bought a Remarkable II E Ink notebook.

And I like it. It works similar to a notebook, but I can go from one to the other without flipping pages. So that right now is at the top of my tech list.

Clint C. Galliano, REALTOR® (15:11)
Nice.

Alright, now we're going to move on to Real Estate This or That I'm going to throw out some topics rapid fire and tell me which one you choose. You ready?

Ben Harang (15:19)
All right.

All right,

let's do it.

Clint C. Galliano, REALTOR® (15:29)
Alright, old world charm or modern minimalist?

Ben Harang (15:32)
old world show on.

Clint C. Galliano, REALTOR® (15:35)
charm. Alright, pocket listings are MLS for everyone.

Ben Harang (15:40)
MLS for everyone.

Clint C. Galliano, REALTOR® (15:44)
Alright, what's your negotiation style? Are you the hammer or are you the diplomat?

Ben Harang (15:52)
diplomat all the way.

Clint C. Galliano, REALTOR® (15:55)
Alright, closing gifts. You lean towards top shelf liquor or functional home tech.

Ben Harang (16:01)
functional home tech.

Clint C. Galliano, REALTOR® (16:05)
and open houses. Is it a gold mine or a waste of a sundae?

Ben Harang (16:10)
How about both? Waste of a Sunday

Clint C. Galliano, REALTOR® (16:13)
Well, and then that actually corresponds with your lifestyle work-life balance approach.

Ben Harang (16:26)
Yeah, I tell people that open houses, and that's great debate, that open houses have a purpose. But I have a background in law enforcement and safety and security is always at the top of my mind. And if you do an open house and a house that's occupied, there's things of value in there. It exposes, in my mind, the homeowner.

to too much by inviting the public into the house. If we invite the public into the house, it exposes them. But if they're one-on-one, it's not a big deal because we walk around the house together. But if you're in there by yourself and two or three couples or people come in and they're walking all around the house, you don't know where they're going, what they're doing.

There's reports of people that came in open houses and unlocked the back door or unlocked the window to come back later to do some nefarious things. So I'm not a fan of open houses from a safety standpoint. With the internet, all the information's out there. I tell people when we do an open house, we're using your house to find buyers for us to go sell them another house.

And it's a marketing strategy, I get it. And some sellers insist on it, and that's fine. And some sellers understand what it is, because in my mind, the internet replaced the open houses, other than the one-on-one feedback. So other than getting a buyer to maybe buy the house we're in, but it's probably to add it to my buyer's list to go sell them another house.

It's not really a waste of a Sunday if you look at it like that, but that's what open houses are.

Clint C. Galliano, REALTOR® (17:59)
Okay, all right, well, that wraps up our interview. That wasn't bad.

Ben Harang (18:04)
That wasn't too bad.

No, it was fun.

Clint C. Galliano, REALTOR® (18:10)
All right. So I want everybody to remember to like, share, subscribe and comment. Make sure you share it with your friends and your mom and them and all the fun stuff. You can go to re real estate podcasts dot com and you'll find episode pages, show notes linked to our YouTube channels. So if you want to watch us instead of just listen to us, you can do that there. You can also subscribe.

directly from there with the whatever podcast app you're using. And you can also find links to Ben and I's individual agent sites if you want to reach out to one of us. And just a reminder, if you do want to reach out to one of us, our contact info is always in the show notes.

Ben Harang (18:57)
Alright, Clint, I think I heard you say the website to go to is rerealestatepodcast.com.

Clint C. Galliano, REALTOR® (19:04)
That is correct. rerealestatepodcast.com.

Ben Harang (19:07)
All right, that's what I thought. All right, another one's in the can, Clint. Thank you.

Clint C. Galliano, REALTOR® (19:13)
All right, bye y'all