Steve Ellerbrake is a RE/MAX Preferred Realtor in O’Fallon, Illinois. He answers a few questions about himself, and shares why he has attended the Illinois REALTORS® Conference & Expo every year since he became a licensed REALTOR®. Register by April 20, 2018.

Q. How long have you been in the real estate business?

A. Thirty years. Right out of college I went into the building business and worked fora number of contracting companies. Then my wife started our team in 1994, and for those years, she was the REALTOR® and I was the builder. In 2010, I became licensed and I have been doing this exclusively ever since. 

Q. What do you like about being a REALTOR®?

A. It’s a very rewarding business and I’ll say that my perception of the business has completely changed. I have a whole new respect for people in my profession and the good they do for other people. A lot of your joy in what you do is just a choice. Sometimes I get a phonecall that’s painful to sit through but other times it’s tears at the closing table. 

Q. What advice would you give a new REALTOR®?

A. It’s not for the faint of heart. The difference between being successful in this business and just sort of plodding along or not really getting anywhere is a lot about attitude, and I tell people to remove themselves emotionally from the situationand stay consistent. Keep doing the things that will bring success. Be honest. Admit it when you make a mistake. What burns people out in this business is the same thing that burns them out in anything it’s just not detaching emotionally from it and it eats them alive, some of them. 

Q. Why do you attend the Illinois REALTORS® Conference & Expo? 

A. I think the speakers are excellent. They’re funny, people laugh a lot, and it’s entertaining. I’m particularly looking forward to seeing Katie Lance this time. She’s spot on, she’s so deep in knowledge, and her social media savvy is second-to-none really nationally. This is a huge score for you guys to get her. I don’t think people really understand that. What Katie’s doing and what Karel is doing, those are impactful things, and I think the timing of what you put out there is important. Lynn Madison always gives a great entertaining CE session, too. In general, I’d say about the conference: it’s not boring, it’s to the point, and the speakers are good. 

Q. What would you tell people about the conference?

A. If you’re an Illinois REALTOR®and you’re in the area, come get your CE, come have some fun. If you’re a young professional especially, go for the networking.  I do a lot of the things I do in real estate for the social aspect with other REALTORS® because I just think it’s so fun to talk about transactions and say, “Here’s what happened to me today.” It’s interesting and challenging, and it’s always something new. 

Aside from the networking and the CE, the Business Expo is great for seeing the vendors that are available to you, talking to people and sharing new ideas, and seeing things that are the cutting edge. We get exposed to that so rarely in person. I like that aspect of it. It’s a nice complete package. 

Q. If you were to lead a Conference & Expo Session, what would its title be?

A.  How to set expectations with your clients: effective communication from beginning to end of a transaction. I’m not as concerned about how you win a listing. It’s about building trust. I think that effective communication is probably the number one complaint about real estate professionals, so effective ways of communication and setting expectations up front would be really helpful. If you want a session that’s entertaining, though, it’s “Real estate horror stories.” 

Q.  What’s the craziest thing that’s happened at a showing? 

A.  We went to a ranch house where the crawlspace had probably a thousand snake skins. And a thousand may be an underestimate. It’s like they came out of the forest, into the crawlspace to shed their skins, and then left. Hanging from every possible place were snakeskins. It blew the deal up. 

Q. What’s something you always carry in your car?

A.  Pencil and paper 

Q. What do you listen to in the car on the way to meeting with clients?

A. Podcasts or rock. I like the Extreme History podcast and TEDx science and technology talks. 

Q. How would you explain your job to a five–year–old?

A.  I help people find a home they want to move to and I help people sell the home that they’re in so that they can do that. It’s about helping people. 

Q. If you could create a dream app for REALTORS®, what would it be?

A.  It would be a reliable method of connecting potential sellers with me. It would involve predictive analytics that actually worked. It would drive people to me who wanted to sell their home. 

Q. Do you have any hidden talents?

A.  Most people wouldn’t know that I was a jazz musician and got through college playing jazz music on scholarship. 

Q. What do you do for fun?

A.  Camping. We travel and camp a lot. We try to eat dinner together as much as we can, we cook together as much as we can, and there’s no social medial no phone calls at the dinner table. 

Q. What would your dog say if we asked it for a recommendation of you?

A.  “He’s Da Best.” 

Want to learn more about the Illinois REALTORS® Conference & Expo? Go to our Conference & Expo Events page and register!

If you register by April 12, you’ll get the Early Bird Rate of $139. This rate includes conference, lunch both days, access to the expo vendors, and sessions that provide up to 6 hours of CE with NO EXAMS: 3 hours Core B and 3 hours Elective.