Meet Eric Martig | Real Estate Agent

We had the good fortune of connecting with Eric Martig and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Eric, what do you attribute your success to?
I think there is a lot of different approaches to the way an agent can conduct their business in real estate. There’s isn’t a right or wrong way but I do like to think that I work with a different mindset than a lot of agents out there. The power of relationships is what I like to focus on when I conduct business. Every client of mine is treated with the same level of importance regardless of your price point, whether you are looking to buy or lease. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t do something in regards to my clients. I truly do think of my clients every day and make a point to actively do something for them, whether its researching, touching base with other agents to see if anything new is hitting the market, going to open houses that might fit their needs, or simply checking in to see how things are going on their end. My business foundation is built on kindness and empathy. This goes beyond my clients but also with any agent that I do business with. At the end of the day we all should be working as a team because the end goal is to satisfy our clients and make sure we can close escrow and make both sides happy. I don’t understand when I run into agents that yell, or get angry at you while you are negotiating. No one wants to work with someone that treats people that way and it’s extremely unprofessional. People want to work with someone they don’t mind talking to on the phone and someone that isn’t a carbon cut out of the stereotypical real estate agent. Every agent that I’ve done business with or even just had simple conversations with knows that in the future we can work together and have a smooth escrow without the ego, and without the unnecessary drama that some agents bring to the table. Now that doesn’t mean my team and I don’t approach our deals with a level of professionalism and vigor to make sure that everything is done on time and people are held accountable for their end of the deal. There needs to be a healthy balance between the two. There isn’t an escrow that doesn’t run into speed bumps, its going to happen, and you need to be prepared to problem solve on the fly with the other agent, so your clients don’t need to panic on their end. We should be more than just an agent that fills out paperwork, We need to be our clients “therapists’ at times and protectors, especially for first time home buyers. Buying your first home can be extremely stressful, it’s most likely the biggest purchase of your life, so you definitely want to make sure you team up with the right agent that is going to understand what you’re going through and do everything they can to make the process easier on you. It should never be about the sale and commission, as agents we will have thousands of sales throughout our careers, it needs to be about the client and making them happy. I love what I do because I get to help people, and that sounds so cliche and I hate saying it but it really makes me feel great when my clients close on a home and I see that joy and love on their faces.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Starting out in real estate is a very scary thing for people that aren’t from a real estate background. When I first started I was terrified, to be honest, I was entering a world that I knew really nothing about outside of words on a test. You’ll learn very quickly that after you pass your exam, you have just begun, and everything you learned isn’t going to get you ready for the physical aspects of being a real estate agent. I was lucky that I was coming from an acting background and hospitality. I had confidence when I walked into a room and I was great at building relationships with others naturally. There’s isn’t a lot of “fakeness” with me, I am as genuine as it gets, and I pride myself on that. You need to take the jump though. If you’re going to succeed in this business, as with any business, you need to be all in. This isn’t a work when you have time for it business like many believe. Every day you will be working in some aspect and you really need to push yourself and self motivate. This is your business and you need to treat it as such. Also it is so incredibly important to find a Mentor. You need help and support in the beginning because you’ll learn that you don’t know was much as you think. I was lucky enough to have a good friend in the business that guided me through my early days and today I’m with a great brokerage that gives me all the support and expertise to make me a better agent every day. So find yourself a great brokerage to start with and learn from. Every brokerage I’ve been at I’ve learned so much from. Trust in the work that you are putting out into the world, your ROI (Return on Investment) will come back to you at some point, but you need to put the work in and do it the right way. There was a time in the beginning that I wasn’t sure if all the time that I was putting into real estate was going to be worth it, we work for free the majority of the time, but I didn’t stop and sure enough all my hard work paid off. I couldn’t be happier today at where my business is at and everything I’ve been able to accomplish. I’ve got a lot more work to do but I am excited to continue building what I started for my family and for my clients.

My life has been a series of extreme ups and downs and I think it allows me to have a level of understanding and love that others might not have. I truly care about my clients, I don’t spread myself too thin, so the clients that I have get my full attention and support. You also need patience in this business, I have clients that find homes within a month and others that it takes years to find the right home, so you need to have patience and never be in a situation where you are pressuring your clients to make a decision because YOU want to be done with the deal. I hate the idea of that happening to a buyer, and would never put them in that position. A lot of agents don’t make it through their first year because its a lot of hard work. The ones that get through are grinding out there and putting in the work. So it’s so important to make sure you have the right agent that is going to actually put in the work for you. I like to think that I’m one of those agents.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
For any first timers here in LA I would suggest the following spots. Go get the fried oyster sandwich at Little Dom’s in Los Feliz, The truffle pasta at Terroni’s on Beverly, head to Malibu for a sunset walk on the beach, or check out the observatory and hike at Griffith Park. Get your martini on at Musso and Frank, Hit up the Short Stop and Little Joy in Echo Park for late night good times! See a movie at The Vista Theater, Get a bowl of noodles in Little Tokyo at Marugame Monzo. There is so much more to do, but these are just a few of my favorites.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
2020 was a year of love and devastating heartbreak. The pandemic had just hit, I had just proposed to my wife, and my best friend tragically passed away. My wife and I had to cancel our wedding we were planning, my industries had all shut down, and I was feeling more lost than I have ever felt before. The one thing I had was the love of my wife. I knew there was something else out there for me that would feed the need to help people and also allow me an opportunity to support my family some day. It was my wife that suggested real estate. It made so much sense for someone like me, but without her support and care I wouldn’t of been able to take the time that was needed to get my license and get the ball rolling afterwards. She believed in me before I had any clients, and kept pushing me when things were slow. Today I have no regrets on taking that leap with her, and now I have a career/business that I am proud of, and a client list of people I care for and work my butt off for. As always, thank you to every professional I have met so far that has taught me how to be a better agent. Without a proper support system and a desire to learn from mentors that have been around a lot longer than I have, I wouldn’t be where I am today. The real estate market is constantly changing so there is always more to learn and ways to continue heading in the right direction so you can get better and better with each and every day.

Website: ericmartig.sites.erarealestate.com

Instagram: @ericmartigrealestate

Youtube: @ericmartigrealestate

Other: Zillow-zillow.com/profile/EricMartig TikTok-@ericmartigrealestate

Image Credits
Kat Hanegraaf