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Announcer:
Advisors Mortgage Group is proud to present in these real estate gurus hosted by Rick Ripma and Ian Arnold, the hard working mortgage guys, please contact Rick and Ian for all of your mortgage needs at HardWorkingMortgageGuys.com That'sHardWorkingMortgageGuys.com Now here's the hard working mortgage guys, Rick Ripma and Ian Arnold.
Rick Ripma:
Welcome to Indy's real estate gurus. We're recording today from the advisors Mortgage Group studios right here in downtown or near downtown Carmel, Indiana. And I'm Rick Ripma, the hardworking mortgage guy I've been in real estate in the more in the mortgage industry for over 34 years helping over 5200 folks finance their homes, my team than I believe in custom tailored loans, not the one size fits all approach. We believe there is the best mortgage for you. And we are the team to deliver it.
Ian Arnold:
And I'm Ian Arnold part of Rick's hard working mortgage team. I've been in the financial industry for 15 years helping customers find the best possible financing. I'm an expert on working on people's credit and helping them build their overall wealth. My passion is helping you build your financial goal and your security and your wealth.
Rick Ripma:
And as we get started, I just want to remind you for the most up to date information on mortgages or the India's real estate market, go to hardworking mortgage guys.com. That's hardworking mortgage guys.com or 317-672-1938. That's 317-672-1938. And we are really excited today to be talking with real estate guru Becky Cronin with FC Tucker. Hello, thanks for joining us.
Becki Cronin:
Good to be here.
Rick Ripma:
We appreciate it very much. You have a you have a very interesting background to me anyway, I think I thought you know, talking to you in the background. So how did you get you know, what did you do before real estate, what kind of give us an idea of
Unknown:
hard work your mortgage guys.comyour background and my,
Ian Arnold:
be here for a little while. Yeah, my past lives, several careers, I'm old enough to have more than two. So before real estate, I had my own I was an entrepreneur, I started my own company cleaning company. And that ran for about 12 years, but my husband is in real estate in another capacity. And he's always said you'd be really great at real estate, you'll be really good at it. And I was like, What are you talking about? I haven't had no idea. In
Becki Cronin:
that's true. But anyway, so I had no concept of fact, I thought it was like somebody with a bunch of Frou Frou hair and tiger stripe and high heels and a lot of jewelry and something out of Dallas or Dynasty, which you won't relate to at all, but what a real estate agent really did. And so I just kind of told him now No, no, and my daughter, my youngest graduated high school. And we went down to visit my husband's folks in Florida and just kind of took spring break right before graduation and kind of trying to figure out what she's gonna do, she's gonna go to school. So I took the book with me, the pre license, instinct, but it doesn't make it on spring break and read through it. And I thought, well, if I can do that, and still manage my cleaning company, I will see I'll go through the class. So I go through the three week all day class, and I could still manage it because I was managing the companies from you know, somebody else who's doing all the day to day stuff. So okay, well, I'll take the next step and, you know, interviewed with a whole bunch of brokers and talk to them and I still had no idea what this was. One of them said to me, now you're going to bring all your cleaning companies, you know, clients on his clients, and I was like, what you don't give me clients. So but that's how, and he was right. I should have should have done it a long time ago. But I did have a great experience. Being an entrepreneur and starting my own company. So are you are one of us.
Rick Ripma:
Absolutely are. Now, back farther you. You, you pick cherries. I did job you had
Becki Cronin:
a few more years ago. Okay. Yeah, that was my very first job. Okay. It was I remember that pay stub went my diary. Oh, it was about 11 and it's probably still in there somewhere. 11 or 12. I was and my uncle was a fruit farmer, Southwest Michigan. Cherry Capital of the World. I don't know if it is anymore, but he was a farmer and the whole family went for the summer and everybody was doing something different. And the youngest and I my youngest brother were sent up a sweet cherry trees in the sweet cherry orchard and we were picking sweet cherries by the lug. And when you're 11 and you pick sweet cherries, you eat a lot of sweet. Oh, yeah. So we were just kind of bluish purple when we got home and my grandma, she knew this. And she had cherry pie for dessert. And we were like, no. But it was like, they were lugs. You put them in lugs and it was like, 250 $2.50 Oh, lug and you just sit there all day and pick cherries. Yeah, I would have been it was like daycare badly.
Rick Ripma:
Yeah, but I need him today. And then and then you you were in radio in Colorado?
Becki Cronin:
Yes. Yeah. Yeah, I did. Right out of college I was in. I went to Central Michigan University. And I was working at the station there for nothing, you know, just doing it because that's how you do it. And my dad was a program director. He has a long history in racing or not racing in radio. He started out of college and was, you know, so he was out in Colorado, and he said, we'll come to work. Yeah, but pay someone go to college, get paid, go do the same thing. I left college and went out to Colorado and worked on a radio station out there as an on air personality. I had my own T shirts and the whole thing.
Rick Ripma:
That's awesome. And then, and then you were in racing. And then I was racing near and dear to my heart. I have. No I haven't get to that.
Becki Cronin:
I can tell. And this is the city for it. Yes. It is a greatest city for racing. Yeah, my family is all very was all I don't I there's a couple of them still doing things very involved in IndyCar racing open wheel racing here in Indy. So after I got a, I was in the Air Force, that's a whole nother story. After I got out of the Air Force, I came back and worked with a championship Association and mechanics. Okay, so this was their nonprofit member organization. They had a school and all all kinds of fun stuff. So we've worked, worked with the mechanics on all the race teams. Awesome. And that was marketing. Yeah, I ran the office. I just kind of took care of the newsletter and the membership and the dues, and the books and kind of everything. Yeah. And then
Rick Ripma:
and then you were rural electric cooperative. Marketing.
Becki Cronin:
Your Mini is that oh, no, that's I mean, I don't I don't really count the cherry picking as a career. Okay.
Ian Arnold:
I haven't heard McDonald's. You didn't work at McDonald's.
Becki Cronin:
I didn't. I never worked at McDonald's. My brother did. Right. Stop real. Go work for McDonald's. That's a rite of passage for a lot of people. Yeah, so the rural electric cooperatives I was I came on just as an admin assistant, and that was the Indiana State Association started up this organization for a marketing group because there was talk back in the 90, no. Oh, oh, 20304. No, I can't remember when that was somewhere around there. There was talk about deregulating real or electric, okay, it never happened. But it scared a lot of the rural electric cooperatives across the country. And so they started marketing. So they started giving their clients, US compact fluorescent light bulbs and long distance. Telephone cards, remember those, we had to punch in all the numbers to get a discount on long distance and all that kind of stuff that's foreign to a lot of people. But we did
Rick Ripma:
that sale would know about that when
Becki Cronin:
we sold all those kinds of things that they could add to the membership. And so I traveled across the country, there's, you know, like 5000, rural electric cooperatives across the country. So that's what I did there. Ended up national accounts manager there. And then just decide to pivot.
Rick Ripma:
Do you think all those things help help you in your real estate career? Oh, yeah.
Becki Cronin:
Oh, yeah. How does that even the cherry picking? That's just hard work, though. It is. It's just hard. You just got to stay up in that tree. Yeah. cherries and get the cherries. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Every single one of them. The jobs. I take something from that, even if it's relational learning how to just work with other people well, to being patient, and calm, and you know, so much. Yes, yeah. Yep.
Ian Arnold:
So I do like to make a good point, because Rick and I talked when I first started a while, yeah, not often. I don't think he could talk to Rick that long, let's be honest. But so when I first started, he's like, You know what? I got told, I should have collected all emails and business cards from everybody from high school on and just held on to him. Okay for that and you're done. Talking about going back and your husband's or your they were like hey go back to your cleaning people. Yeah so that made me think about that I'm like oh that's that's same thing right Rick was you should always collected those
Becki Cronin:
we had those super cool PDAs you know little pen I would love to my little PDA.
Ian Arnold:
So let's get into so what's your family like
Becki Cronin:
when my family I am an empty nester. I am officially an empty nester. My youngest went to IEP why her plan was two years there, the rest of it at Purdue, get her degree at Purdue. She loved it so much downtown. So she got her degree from IUPUI. But she stayed home the whole time, no debt, she worked for jobs. She worked at the Tucker office on the weekends and, you know, took care of dogs and things like that all kinds of different and she worked on campus with oncology radiology right there. at IUP. Hard worker, She's a hard worker, that's awesome. When she got her first job. It was like, not traumatic for her. But it was definitely an adjustment from working for jobs and studying a very in depth. Major. She went to work and then she was like texting me all the time. Not all the time. But like I never heard from her before. But so my youngest and she's getting married in September graduations, that's her college sweetheart. And my oldest is on my team with me. And we're trying to figure out what fits her best as she comes into real estate. She spent a year now but and she's expecting our second grand child.
Rick Ripma:
Congratulations. That's exciting. Yeah, it is.
Becki Cronin:
Yeah. Wonderful. So those are my two kids. And they're both still pretty close by within 40 minutes.
Ian Arnold:
All right, so I hate to cut your short, but we are coming up on the break. How would somebody get a hold of you?
Becki Cronin:
My phone number probably is the best way 31762 to 8339. And again, what is that number? 63176228339?
Rick Ripma:
You should remember that it's 317-622-3838. Well, what is it? What
Becki Cronin:
is it? I just say come on tongue slips up. All right,
Ian Arnold:
Rick, and how? And how would people get a hold of the vest, Rick?
Rick Ripma:
Well, that's harder. It's HardWorkingMortgageGuys.com That's HardWorkingMortgageGuys.com 431767 To 1938 31767 to 1938.
Ian Arnold:
And reminder. After the break, we will go into what is super soon after the break.
Unknown:
Advisors mortgage brokers licensed by Indiana Department of Financial Institution equal housing opportunity. NMLS 33041 Rick Ripma NMLS 664589
Rick Ripma:
Hi, I'm Rick Ripma. With the hard work and mortgage guys and advisors Mortgage Group where we believe delivering the best mortgage for you is why we exist and it's how we all succeed.
Unknown:
We believe honesty, kindness and hard work are how we honor each client
Ian Arnold:
at hardworking mortgage guys, we believe in custom tailored loans, not the one size fits all approach. We believe
Unknown:
in always presenting you with all your options. So you get the loan you want the way you want it. We believe in continually monitoring the rules, rates and market trends. So you don't have to we believe in working hard to meet your closing date so that your entire plan isn't upended. We believe in offering the same quick online process that the bookstore mortgage companies brag about whether you're refinancing or buying your first home,
Rick Ripma:
we believe there is the best mortgage for you and we believe we are the team to deliver it find us online at hardworking mortgage guys.com.
Announcer:
Brought to you by advisors Mortgage Group where we believe the more you know about financing a home the less stressful buying and refinancing will be
Ian Arnold:
welcome back from the break and thank you for tuning in. And guess what? We still have Becky here she stayed after the break is well I was kind of shocked. I thought she was gonna run for the door. But so before we get into what is Becky's superpower, it is time for question or the week. Now it's time for questions with the gurus good news is the question that week is sponsored by Rick and I Okay. Yeah. Okay. Where, where we believe in helping and supporting you in your realtor by sending you constant updates on your loan process. And trust me, that is so huge for a lot of people. But so for the question of the week though, is what was your first car?
Becki Cronin:
It was you a used 1992 Chevy S And that's a good one. No, that's a lie. It was not an ID to wind. It was an 82 Chevy S 10 pickup. Still. Yeah, I was like, wait 92 I had my first kid. No, this was way before that. And it was it was I out west, the Bureau of Land Management is like an organization, governmental organization. Everything's tan. And it was that tan awesome was the ugliest car there. But I lived in Colorado at the time and you know pickup truck comes in handy you get put your dog in the back. Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah, that was it.
Rick Ripma:
Yeah. As you know, I love car so I love hearing what people had. And most people no matter what even if you didn't like the color and all that it holds a special place in your heart is the
Becki Cronin:
first side to pay for Yeah.
Ian Arnold:
Yeah, I mean, I think it's just your first independence really from your parents and able to go somewhere without mom or dad right on your side. Yeah. So I think that's what holds such a value to people.
Becki Cronin:
Yeah. What was your was your favorite car so far?
Rick Ripma:
My favorite car I had a 69 427 Corvette convertible and nitrous oxide on it. Five speed and that was fine. I'm lucky to be alive. But that's my favorite car. i Yeah, I'm driving a BMW now. I've never had a BMW never really thought I would but I once I got in one. I can't believe how great it dropped
Becki Cronin:
BMW seven series seven. thing. Yeah, it's
Rick Ripma:
put it's comfortable. It's got everything. I want another Corvette. I probably get as a 2019. Okay, I liked cars, but I prefer I just liked the look of a a front engine car over a mid engine car.
Becki Cronin:
Okay. New Corvettes look like supercars. And they look like I think it's really clear that they stepped it up like that. Yeah,
Rick Ripma:
I do, too. They you know, I don't know. I'm a huge Corvette fan. So I don't know how long they've talked about. Having a mid engine Corvette, it took a long time ever for that to come out. But it is you when you see it coming down the road. It looks like cool robbery or Lambo or any of those. It's sounds good. Yeah. And the motors. I don't know what those cars weigh. But I know it's not very much. Yeah. And when you take one of those, and you put 700 horsepower in it, or even 500 horsepower in it, it's got to be scary. I know. It is scary fast.
Becki Cronin:
Yeah. And you don't even know how to do that. Right? We had Do you remember the movie was still Sylvester Stallone in the driven driven? Oh, yeah. Those cars are mechanics. In the school at the time that the candidate was called cam championship Association mechanics, they put those together and they put motorcycle engines in those cars, okay for them because otherwise they couldn't drive them. Right. Because a regular IndyCar I mean, I mean it just the skill level is so right. They they would just flip them around and run them right in a wall. You just couldn't drive them so they put little motors you know, where you
Rick Ripma:
degress you do not want to get in a car and not be a professional and but 130 miles an hour at
Unknown:
least I doubt
Becki Cronin:
I bought my husband. I don't know if they're even doing it anymore. But they used to have cars with those same with the motorcycle engines in them that you could get in and go around the speedway. Okay, and I bought him one of those I don't think they do it anymore. They just do the two seater but he said that was a thrill and he knew he was going half the speed they were and he had to follow somebody couldn't just go wheeling it right out there but that was really exciting to see the from a car I mean it was the chassis was the IndyCar but the engine was the motor. So
Rick Ripma:
if anybody hasn't been in a vehicle that's sitting on the ground, they don't realize what that what that does to the perception of the speed that you're going
Becki Cronin:
and the feel yes, you're just feels like you're on there.
Rick Ripma:
Yes. And it feels like you might be going 50 miles an hour but you you think you're going 200 miles an hour because you are right on the ground. It is a total different Yeah,
Ian Arnold:
well not only that is especially when you're on the track and I've done a lot of the mini marathons and stuff like that where you actually run on the track and you don't realize you Danks and stuff and actually and then think about driving a car on that it's nothing like you're normally draw so I'm glad that people are like they did do the two cedars and I actually bought my dad tickets to do the two cedars.
Becki Cronin:
Okay, cool birthday one year. Well, that would be fun. I would like to do that. Try
Ian Arnold:
But it's just one of those things that I was like, Yeah, once I ran on that track, and like I did not realize how much of a bank and stuff that's those turns are flat track.
Becki Cronin:
Yeah, yeah. Many of the people in my family have been on race teams. So mechanics and all sorts. And when they would get in a car with one of the drivers and go around a track, it would scare. I don't know what you can say. It would scare them. Unbelievably, and they're around it all the time. But when you get in the car, and you're not in control, it's really very frightening. Yes, this is crazy.
Ian Arnold:
So when you're showing houses and somebody's riding with you, you drive safe or you drive like an IndyCar guy.
Becki Cronin:
I am not known for driving slowly. Let's see how we put it. Luckily, most people don't go in the car with me. They drive themselves in this day and age everybody just GPS isn't does their own thing. When someone is in the car with me. I do try to drive slower, but I have seen a few of the I'm like, Oh, I gotta just relax a little because I love to drive fast. Yeah, it is my I just love to it's fato it is.
Rick Ripma:
It's fun. Especially accelerating. The acceleration is fun. Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah. So we're gonna have to get off cars and actually talk about okay, I know. So, I would like to know, though, what would you say your superpower superpowers are?
Becki Cronin:
Not a peck sing very well. Had to say that cars, you know, I actually didn't know. Until I started working with people and started getting feedback, they would say You're so calm. You make us feel like everything's under control. Even though we just got bad news, we feel. And like, several times in one weeks, you know, clients were telling me this, and I thought, huh, that must be my superpower. And it must be because I don't feel that way inside. I'm like, Oh, I gotta deal with this. But I guess I project, calm confidence on the outside. So which you've been in this industry, you know how volatile and emotional it can get. And it just, it you've got professionals, real estate and lenders, you've got to stay calm and be the voice of reason.
Rick Ripma:
Yes. Because when you aren't? Well, first, your customer is always going through tons of emotion throughout the entire process. Right? Yeah, all the time. I saw new car, new new cars, new houses for 11 years. And I mean, we had six months of the emotions that people would go through, right? Excitement, depression, the whole thing, things happening in the house, all that. And you if you as a real estate agent have to be the one if you don't keep
Becki Cronin:
calm, nobody's going to be good, not going
Rick Ripma:
to be calm. And it's going to be 10 times worse. Yeah. As opposed to just being in your OB, it's obvious that you're a very level, consistent
Becki Cronin:
person. And that is important, not just with our clients, but our the other professionals that we work with. Absolutely. I have had, I've held the phone out arm's length with agent or you know, person yelling. Because they're upset about something that's out of everyone's control. And we just we have to be professional and deal with each other the same way as well. Yeah. So I pride myself on having very good relationships with most other agents.
Rick Ripma:
And that's, that's important. It's important in the deal there. But it's also important when you're going to when you make an offer on a house that the agent knows who you are they feel comfortable with you they know what kind of person you are, that helps your client get the deal.
Becki Cronin:
Yes, you know, we'd say it really does some
Rick Ripma:
difference. Yeah. Yeah. If everything else is equal, yeah. And you know, okay, this, this real estate agent causes problems, and they want to negotiate everything, and they want to fight everything. And this one is really easy to work with. And great. Even if it's not an equal deal, I think for the client needs to know. But for me, I would rather have somebody that I know it's not going to go through smoothly, and there's not going to be any issues over if there's any issues. This one's going to be hard to deal with. And they're going to want everything and it's it's just hard. Yeah. And so I think that makes a difference, like being known as in the real estate industry makes a huge difference.
Becki Cronin:
Yeah, definitely. Yeah. Yeah. I had to work on that.
Rick Ripma:
Thank you. I think you're way down the road. Way down the road. So
Ian Arnold:
So what does your team look like? I know you mentioned you got and laws are roughly in there. So what does your team look like?
Becki Cronin:
Um, My official team started a year ago when my daughter joined. And we're trying to just kind of figure out where she is. And I heard someone couched the Term Care Bear. And I think that's kind of where she's going to head not doing showings and listings and things like that, but kind of taken care of the back end, making sure everybody's feels good. And it's taken care of. So she sends flowers, she, you know, does the gets my pot buys ready and things like that. She just those those touches. And she's also organizing the, you know, the events that we only do like the Indians game, things like that. So. So we're shifting, and I've got, I've got another gal that's looking to come on in late, maybe later this month, she has to go through school. So and then we're actively recruiting a couple more people right now. So look to by early June, having two more agents on board. So it's a very small team. And I want to keep it small. As far as my goal. I've had employee 11 employees before and things like that, I really want to mentor, lead someone who's new, I don't care what age they are. But I want to lead someone who's new, and kind of help them through this. I wasn't new so long ago, and think I have some value to add there. And so that's kind of how how my team is structured. When someone comes on and they're new, there'll be like a showing agent or a buyer's agent and help with all those things. And I'll teach them the craft as they go along.
Ian Arnold:
So what main characters that when you're looking at getting somebody Are you looking for,
Becki Cronin:
you know, I was just meeting with our, one of our recruiters at Tucker this morning. And we were talking about that. And I said, Honestly, I want the openness and willingness to learn to be an open book and learn. Everything else is just practice, practice, practice, you know, I mean, so someone that is eager and interested, they'll do well on the team. Now, I'm also bringing on a more seasoned agent that maybe doesn't need, but they need to be willing to mentor, right? Because every seasoned agent is going to always have someone there mentoring and bringing up then they'll replicate and replicate. And that's kind of how the team will run.
Ian Arnold:
So I know we're coming up on the brighter the end of the radio part. So how would somebody get a hold of you?
Becki Cronin:
Best is my phone number 317-622-8339. And I also have indeed, real estate as the website and the dot realestate dot real estate. Yeah,
Ian Arnold:
yeah, that one wasn't taken.
Becki Cronin:
Taken. It's mine. Yeah, that's mine. nd dot
Rick Ripma:
real estate.
Becki Cronin:
Is it? That's it? It's indie dot real estate? HTTPS slash semicolon. Indeed, dot real estate real estate
Rick Ripma:
is a is a new.com. Yeah. I didn't know so there's
Becki Cronin:
dot realtor which can only be for someone that's in the National Association of Realtors can get their name dot realtor, okay, or something to that effect? And then they have got real estate. So yeah, I've got quite a few of them. But indie is the main one. Yeah, when you want
Rick Ripma:
something people can remember that. Yes. Act on what you do. Yeah, so that's awesome. That's really good. Oh, and Rick, how would somebody get ahold of us? Go to HardWorkingMortgageGuys.com That's HardWorkingMortgageGuys.comor call 317-672-1938? That's 317-672-1938 I don't know why but I'm always worried I'm gonna say the phone number incorrectly but call there 767672
Ian Arnold:
And if you want to finish this up on the podcast, go to indies real estate gurus on any local podcast you will you'll find us on any of the major ones. Thank you will see if
Announcer:
you're listening to me these real estate gurus with Rick Ripma and and Arnold to hear the conclusion of this interview. Go to hardworking mortgage guys.com and hit the podcast have. Branch NMLS number 33041. Recruitment NMLS number 664589. Ian Arnold's NMLS number is 1995469 equal housing opportunity. Some restrictions apply?
Unknown:
Well first off thank you for joining us, Danielle. I appreciate it. And I just was curious how did you come to find out about Rick Ripma and advisors mortgage Oh, I was looking for a mortgage for myself for a brand new home that I was building and I wasn't sure the direction to go. I didn't have anybody in mind. So I kind of just spoke to whoever I could too, I got their number and everything seemed to be exactly what I was looking for. So I went with them. The thing I liked the most about Rick and his advisors mortgage is that I could go and upload things online. And I didn't have to always be on the phone with them or sending them documents or trying to look for certain things that I needed to get the process going, which was really great for me, I had a processor named Mark Coleman, who really helped me out in making sure I had everything I needed. Because I, I didn't know the first thing about having a mortgage. So it was awesome to have so much help. I think probably what I've benefited from the most is really just the understanding that sometimes I would get busy. And maybe I forgot to upload a document or I forgot to do a certain part of the process in a timely manner. And they would get right back with me. And it wasn't like a, hey, we really need this right now. It was always, Hey, just wanted to make sure you still remember that we need this. Well, you don't get that too much. In this day and age, it seems like most people are either, you know, very demanding of something they need from you. And they need it right now. And, and I agree. I've seen that in Rick's attitude with us over the last 10 years that he's very patient, but also helpful to get the right things he needs. So, exactly. In conclusion is Rick Ripma and advisors mortgage, somebody that you would use in the future and or tell your friends and family about? Absolutely. And I just want to thank them for all the effort they put in to help me find my dream home.
Announcer:
Ranch NMLS number 33041 Recruitment NMLS number 664589 equal housing opportunity, some restrictions apply.
Rick Ripma:
I'm Rick Ripma, you can go to HardWorkingMortgageGuys.com
Ian Arnold:
Hey, welcome back. And if you chose for the podcast from the this chapter, you chose the rights. Right one. So we still have Becky and she still has not ran out on us. I'm still surprised. But so I have a really good question. Okay, what do you think your most memorable deal was?
Becki Cronin:
You know, they're all memorable. I, I really like to help women, especially single women, obtain real estate, have own their own home. But the one that really was memorable. Just last year, in Carmel, I had a lady that was buying a place out in Phoenix, her husband had passed away, she's retiring from her job, and just had a house full 6000 square feet, oh of life, raising children work retirement of the whole thing. And it was just a pleasure to help her navigate all of that. And her her daughter's really didn't most of the heavy lifting. But just having people come in, get rid of things for them, prepare the house for them, because she couldn't do all of that. And then the other one that's really probably my favorite just because that's my daughter came on. And she loves to organize and stage and we had a house where someone had just basically left everything and moved away. And they said, just how much do I pay you. We said y'all have to pay us if we can sell all that. So we basically cleaned out three floors. Wow, had a full basement, walkout basement and into upper levels. And my daughter handled all that. And that was a lot of fun actually to go through, and then sell the house and just help people with that. Because I was noticing that coming up as as neighbors would you know from the listing that I had the neighbors would end up selling with someone else that puts a sign up that says We Buy Houses kind of thing. And I asked the question on one of them, how much did they sell the house for and it was a low price house and the for you know, it was under 200. But they sold it for 40 grand less than market value to this other. But they got to walk away. They took the stuff they wanted and left everything else. And I told my daughter I said we can do that. And we did and that was a great accomplishment. And we offer that as service now is to be able to for those people that just want to it's too much. It's a big elephant, they can't take a bite out of you. So that's very satisfying.
Ian Arnold:
You do not realize how much stuff you have until you start to move. So I used to back in the apartment days when you go from apartment to apartment every other year. It's shocking how much stuff you own. Yes. Accumulated Yeah, imagine 2030 years living in a house and how much stuff you accumulated.
Becki Cronin:
My kids are terrified. We've got we've got a lot lot of garage space and we've got two addicts and we've got 16 closets I think any when each kid moved out, I like to go for those closets and they're full again, they're not empty. So yeah, there's a lot of stuff.
Rick Ripma:
How is it that when the space is empty, it always has to get filled up? I don't know. But it's how it worked. I did that I did the same thing. What works? Yeah. What is something you're really proud of within your business?
Becki Cronin:
Well, I think that I think helping people, when it seems insurmountable, it brings me the most satisfaction, and then helping women be able to have own a home. And I had several last year that were, you know, they're, they just they were fed up, their rent had increased a lot, it was not even attainable anymore, that was not worth it for them. And so now they're homeowners, and one is her forever home. And she's excited to be there. And she's in the neighborhood she wants to be. The other one said, we'll be setting this up as a rental says, I get back on my feet. And you know, so I love to see that. Anybody really, but just I believe so much in owning real estate. I just, I am always talking about it. Night and day. So you're just get used to that if you're hanging around me. I talked about real estate way to build wealth, right? Yeah, it is. It is the easiest way. And I saw some clients over the last couple of years that made a lot of because of timing. I think those days are gone. But they've made a lot of money.
Rick Ripma:
Yeah. But even then, even if they're gone, those people who are you know, are like still stayed in their homes. They they got that appreciate.
Becki Cronin:
Oh, yeah. The people that are still have Yes, I these folks, I was thinking about bought, they bought in 2019 and sold last year, and they made a cool 100 grand on, you know, under $300,000.
Rick Ripma:
That's incredible. That's yeah, that's
Ian Arnold:
a pretty good investment. Yeah, very good.
Becki Cronin:
I said, I don't think you could have done that on the stock market.
Rick Ripma:
The problem is, they probably had to go buy another house. And
Becki Cronin:
they luckily didn't. And that was why that was such a sweet. It was a it was a work. It was in the pandemic, most people you know, they, they basically were told that he could go remote, he didn't have to come into town anymore. And so he got to get rid of that place. It still had their home back home. Okay. And so it was like one of those work.
Rick Ripma:
I noticed a lot of works, though, are are not letting that happen anymore. They're saying, like, my, my sister in law works at a place in Carmel that they went away from working in the building, and slowly but surely they've had them come back. You gotta come back two days. And if you don't live here, you either gotta come back or, you know, yeah, you don't have a job anymore. You know, I mean, that's what's happened.
Becki Cronin:
Yeah. And I think the millennials definitely are driving some of that. wanting their work life to be different. You remember, when we used to when we first started studying generations, that was like a thing, like in the late 90s. And I mean, people probably always have porn, but it was it started. Yeah. And they talked about how the baby boomers, how doctors were a baby boomers thing. They never pants were like that before, you know, comfortable. And, you know, they were always slacks and suits. And I think millennials is going to be the work space. Like that's their thing. I don't know if they want to be identified that way or not. But yeah, we're seeing that translate to, you know, people wanting the open space. But we also need some doors that close because I have to do zoom meetings or what you know, or I need to just work and not have the noise and the distractions. So yeah, absolutely. In some businesses are making everybody come back. So it's kind of mixed. Yeah,
Rick Ripma:
it isn't very mixed. Yeah.
Ian Arnold:
I think you miss out on some of the like, my wife works from home downtime. And it's just like, who do you talk to, I get home and she's chatting my ear off. And I'm like,
Becki Cronin:
20,000 words to get out.
Ian Arnold:
But it just one of those things is I think sometimes you miss and especially in our job, it's a learning thing, like my wife's an accountant. So her job is basically the same at most days. But with us is we have obstacles that we have to go through. And sometimes it's nice to hear. Oh, well, that's how that person just overcame that. I'll keep that in the back of my mind.
Becki Cronin:
Yeah, yeah. I'm a lottery.
Rick Ripma:
I'm gonna come in the office person. All right. Yeah, yeah. So I I never through the pandemic. I never worked out of my house.
Becki Cronin:
Interesting. I always came in. And with having the company before the cleaning company, I it was out of my house and so they had their own space and everything but I for years have been working from home so you
Rick Ripma:
I think my problem As I am very, very easily distracted.
Becki Cronin:
It's a discipline. It's you have to be
Rick Ripma:
disciplined enough to work out of my house because I would always find something. I'm pretty good. I do do it on Saturday and Sunday if I need to do something, and I'm pretty good at that. Yeah, but I just, I'm way too easily distracted. Yeah,
Becki Cronin:
I tell people like that, that they have that issue, get up and get like, you're going to the office, get dressed? Oh, I do do everything like you normally would, and then go sit at your desk, you know, I mean, yeah,
Rick Ripma:
I do. You have easily distracted here. Yeah,
Becki Cronin:
yeah. I get that I resemble that remark a little bit. Just how I am I am like
Rick Ripma:
that. So somebody is looking to hire a real estate agent, what characteristics should they look for?
Becki Cronin:
You know, that's going to vary depending on their personality, how they vibe with somebody. But obviously, you want to make sure they have the professional level of professionalism, that, you know, you can see it through their memberships, or their associations or their designations after their name, or whatever it is. But you just you want somebody that has a lot of meaning go on Google and look at their reviews and things like that. But integrity is important in this I feel like in this industry, and as an any you've got to have a lot of integrity and be professional.
Rick Ripma:
Yeah, I would I obviously all that is important. And it's it's, but it's hard sometimes for people when they're when they're, you have somebody come in, let's say you're listing your house here, they come in, and it's from what I hear many people just the first person they interview, that's it, they just canceled the other appointments. And it's like, that's good. But you really should talk to you know, as long as you get to know him, you know, this is the right person, because there's a long relationship that you have with somebody, you either are helping them buy a house or sell a house. I mean, that relationship lasts a long time.
Becki Cronin:
I'm not in the ground yet. So mine all are continuing. Yeah, I don't I mean, I stay in touch with all of my clients as best I can. I mean, if they've moved away, and they, you know, are doing something different, but I do tend to stay in touch. And I tell them that when they pick a lender, I say, you can call a few people. And just make sure you feel really comfortable with them. They're handling big asset for you. Right. So yeah, yeah. Because you really have to be comfortable.
Rick Ripma:
Yes, absolutely. And like you said, they have to have integrity, you have to trust them, you have to feel really good about
Becki Cronin:
no fiduciary. I mean, that has a mean something. Yes. And people don't think of that word we don't talk about throw that word around. But there's some responsibility on your part on my part in a transaction to be doing what's best in the best interest of our clients. So
Rick Ripma:
now, what do you find yourself spending your time on as a real estate agent? Your most most time?
Becki Cronin:
What I like to do I love to dig in and stats and you know, go Yeah, yeah, I'm kind of a nerd that way is that's not appropriate to say I don't know, I love I love figuring it out, figuring it out and looking at you know, I want I try and keep a pulse on the main areas that I work throughout the city and love that I love. I you know, honestly, like every part of it, except for the hard parts. But they're all I love working with buyers. I really enjoy working with buyers and first time homebuyers, just make me smile, you know, because usually they're ready and open and willing, and it's a lot of fun. Yep. I like listings, too. They are a lot less time consuming. And it's a lot of fun to stage and do all those things and help somebody get on to the next step. You know, I mean, it's, it's their journey. So
Ian Arnold:
so what what do you want interesting fact that you would want like to give somebody?
Becki Cronin:
Oh, about well, don't listen to national media. It's not a secret, though. But I mean, how that I mean, every single day, I'm with somebody and they say How's the market I've been hearing? And I'm like, okay, yeah, whatever you've been hearing that's for Boston, or LA or Seattle or Phoenix or, you know, worse. It's such a conservative area here.
Ian Arnold:
Well, not to mention that we are our market in general is just completely different. Rick and I have talked about this several times is you'd watch and they're like, oh house depreciation is hidden. And yet we're our depreciation skyrocket.
Becki Cronin:
ever happened to you? Yeah, the upside of that is, you know, we're a lot more consistent. And we don't see the highs and lows. It's very steady, which I haven't done like study. So that's, you know, a lot of times I just want to tell people, that's not our market.
Rick Ripma:
Yeah, I quit watching the news. Now, I don't even call it news anymore. But I quit watching any of that several years ago. So my wife will say, Well, I, you know, you have to watch. How do you keep up? It's like, well, since I don't believe most of what they say, because the things I know about when they report them, they're wrong. Right. Right. So they report. And it's all about scare tactics. Right? It's all all that they want to do is scare us mate
Becki Cronin:
is not it's, yeah, yes. Yeah, it's,
Rick Ripma:
that's, and so I don't I don't listen. And I know. And so my response to her is, so you listen to the news. Yeah. Well, how do you know what's going on? Because you can't believe what they say no, how do you know what's
Becki Cronin:
going on? Right? Who does know what's going on? Not sure anybody
Rick Ripma:
does anymore? Because you don't? It's so hard? Because you don't really know? I mean, you can't?
Becki Cronin:
I don't know. There's so much bias on every every different direction. Exactly. Even the ones that say we're on biased. They're biased.
Rick Ripma:
Yeah. And they are. And it shows
Becki Cronin:
how you filter that. And I think of my grandson's coming up there, they have to learn how to filter through everything they get and figure out where someone's coming from, because how else are they going to navigate in this world? And there's
Rick Ripma:
a ton of information coming at him now. Yeah, yeah. I mean, information overload can happen very, very quickly. Yeah. So
Ian Arnold:
looking towards the future, what do you see, like in the next year, or five years for you and your company, slash, even the housing market?
Becki Cronin:
You guys probably have more of a pulse on interest rates. And what we expect, I kind of think this year is going to be up and down. And up and down, is my guess. And so I'm going to tell clients, if you got to move, move, let's do it, let's make it happen. If that's what you need to do, if you're doing it because you think you're going to make money, you better make sure you have a place to go and that you're not going to lose money there. The company, our team, and we're an FC Tucker team. So we have the resources of FC Tucker behind us. And I love that company. And they're growing and expanding my team, we expect to be probably a half a dozen or so by this time next year. And just helping people get this done, and not having the stress that we usually associate with, you know, buying or selling a house. So, I mean, this is real simple, but that's the truth.
Rick Ripma:
Well, we see in the market, I think that rates are going to come down this year. Okay. Okay. I think that non talking mortgage rates, yeah, right. The problem is, and this is back to the media, when the Feds raise the federal funds rate, they report that the interest rates went up, which isn't, it isn't totally inaccurate. But when they raise the federal funds rate, the what it affects, that's an overnight rate rate, member banks pay for money overnight, right. And it's prime is 3%. above that. So if you have a prime, like a home equity line of credit or credit card, anything short term, that's going to be very affected. But as they raise the federal funds rate, it's actually good for inflation, it's going to bring inflation down because it increases the cost of money. Inflation is the arch enemy of mortgage rates, because rent mortgages are a bond traded on the market right there mortgage bonds. So so what happens is, is as this is all going on, mortgage rates are going to come down bad economies, give us better mortgage rates that happens every time. And I with the inflation, we're in it, we're we're in a bad economy, right? It's it's in the employment numbers are starting to come out. It's really weird. But if you look back at history, when we have a when we have a really a big downturn, okay, in the in, in our economy, and we're in a recession, recessions tend to start when employment is at its highest. Yeah. And then it turns it comes down. The feds are sitting there go well employments too high that we can't be in a recession. We'll look at history because it happens every time this way. Everything else is slowed down. So I think that's what's going to happen. My belief is that as I think this is a Very, very good time to buy a house. I think it's probably the best time we've had over the last few years. And it's going to be the best time we're going to have over the next two years. Because as as rates go down, those people who got out of the market because rates were went up, have stayed in their apartments or their rentals for a year, they now are ready. And all those people are going to come back on the market. I think we're going to get another boom. And I think that is going to put pressure it's going to work. We're still in a would you say we're still in somewhat of a sell seller's market? Absolutely. 100%. And I think it's gonna go way farther into the seller's market. I don't know if it'll get to where it was. But I think that's what's going to happen. That's why I think I think if somebody's looking to buy homes, they should be buying today.
Becki Cronin:
You think third quarter, when we'll see.
Rick Ripma:
I think for starters, seeing it, the rates starting to make that move in May.
Becki Cronin:
Really okay. That's earlier, I've heard the other some pundits saying I call them pundants. I don't know if that's the right word. Last quarter, okay. That's really exciting. is a
Rick Ripma:
is a date when you know, nobody knows. And nobody can tell you for sure. Right? The one wildcard and I probably shouldn't say this is the I won't say it, the way I was going to is the way that the feds do things that mess everything up. Okay. But if you look at what the reports that are going to come out on May 10. And one of the big things for inflation is rent. Okay? It's the housing, and that's 43% of your inflation. And if you look at, so it's a it's a lagging indicator. So because you signed a lease for a year, when you signed your lease, if the lease rents were way up, that's for a year. Well, May 10, is when that new number comes out when we when it was really high, and we think that's going to be much lower, and it's going to show inflation down, and that should start to move our rates down. I think we'll bounce around like us. I think we'll bounce around and tell them. Okay, but I think I think that's it's not like may 10 is gonna come and the rates are gonna drop 3%. Right. It's not gonna happen. That doesn't happen. No, it does not. It is I think it is going to come down.
Ian Arnold:
Would you agree? Yeah, no, I fully agree. And just like you guys have both said, it's not going to go like, Oh, now we're here. No, now we're down to 2%. Again, all right. Come on. It's just like, let's, let's take gas prices. I mean, you look at gas prices, guess what they shoot up? But then what happens? We'll drop 10 cents here. Yeah, we'll drop 20 cents. Oh, now we're gonna go back up. 10 It's the same thing. Look at it as that way it'll come down. But it's gonna be a slow gradual decline. Yeah.
Rick Ripma:
And the other part of that is, where's inventory right now?
Becki Cronin:
The Indiana i You see me slump in my chair. Indiana Association of Realtors put out their report for this year, and they estimate the state to be I think 30 or 40,000. Homes short? Yes, there are that many people in the state of Indiana that are not going to find the home they want.
Rick Ripma:
Okay, so if, if there's literally short on that kind of inventory, and rates come back down to add even more people into the market, it's gonna be what what I mean, it's like, what do you think's gonna happen? It's gonna go tack very close to what we were. Yeah, it's great for the seller. It's tough for the buyer. And that's why I think right now, if somebody's looking, this is a great time to go look, again, nobody can tell you exactly what's going to happen happen in the market. Nobody has a crystal ball that can say this is what's going to happen. But that is the expectations. And this isn't we listen to a company we have I have a couple of them that tell me what they believe is going on and this is a consistency and the people that I actually believe that I've actually listened to for like 18 years. Yeah, a long time. They know what they're talking about. And
Becki Cronin:
the market has definitely I think it turned into February Yes. started turning to multiple offers full price. Yes, contingencies removed things like that we're seeing happen not in all price points at all times. But we're definitely seeing that already. And it's early we're not I mean springs technically right. Maybe this weekend, right? Yeah.
Ian Arnold:
But the other nice thing to always think about if you already own a home you're in a different sort of situation. So you got the choice. Alright, do I want to move Do I not that turns? Now, if you're renting you should definitely be looking at buying a home. Remember you can you marry the house you date the rate the rate can change. So but to find a house that's where you start making your wealth. You start getting the appreciation, stuff like that. Stop giving somebody else your money.
Becki Cronin:
Yeah, my my husband did a just did an inspection for someone that had lived in the home rented the home. They're now buying for the last 15 years. They rent To the house, and now they're buying it. And I was like, they'd be almost halfway through. We're done with their mortgage by now. Yeah, that's a tough lesson. And we don't always know people's circumstances, but it's like that just irks me. I want people to own and not rent, which I know investors don't like me to preach that but I want people to have owner homeownership. That's one of the pieces of the American there's a time and place for everybody that and fast cars are the American dream, right? Yes. That's right. We are
Rick Ripma:
running out of time. We're actually over time. If somebody need to get a hold of you. What number or how should they get ahold of
Becki Cronin:
you? My phone number? Yeah, for Becky? Yeah. 31762 to 8339 is my phone number. Okay. What was that again? 317-622-8339. Okay, oh, well leave me a message. And I'll always call you back.
Ian Arnold:
What's that wonderful. web address? Ah,
Becki Cronin:
indie dot real estate. That's our web address. Yeah, indeed, at real estate. I also have Becky cronin.com. But that's a whole different website. Yeah. Indie dot real estate. Yeah,
Rick Ripma:
that real estate. Would you send us like, how did they get you there? Yeah.
Becki Cronin:
I jumped on early on that bandwagon. I thought that always had his.com. Yeah, and I did that early. And I thought, and I've got Whitestone real estate and Brownsburg real estate and quite a few of them. And I think it'll take it'll catch on. Everybody wants to put a.com on the end and it doesn't go there. But eventually we'll get there.
Rick Ripma:
Yep, yep. Well, and if you need to get a hold of ena i It's HardWorkingMortgageGuys.com. That's HardWorkingMortgageGuys.com or 317-672-1938. That's 31767 to 1938. And make sure you
Ian Arnold:
follow us in these real estate gurus.
Rick Ripma:
Thanks for joining us. We appreciate it. Have a great weekend. And reminder, if
Ian Arnold:
you have any friends, family or coworkers looking to buy sell or refinance, contact Rick or I and we'll be more than happy to take care of you.
Rick Ripma:
Thanks again.
If nothing else, age gives us wisdom and strength! My first job with a paystub came from picking cherries the summer of my 11th birthday. After college, I thought my dream job was radio and off I went and worked in radio in Colorado. That dream ran it's course and I joined the US Air Force, then worked in racing for the Championship Association of Mechanics, Inc. (CAM), and served the rural electric cooperatives of the nation in a marketing support role.
That brings us to the entrepreneur phase. I started and ran a local cleaning service which brings me recent. My youngest daughter and I decided to adventure together and she went to college and I took the real estate class. That was April of 2017. I joined F.C. Tucker immediately and have loved this job! I interviewed with several brokerages but ultimately, I believed that my goals, ethics, and the way I do business matched up perfectly with the Tucker management team.
My history isn't as simple as these few paragraphs but it has prepared me for real estate in ways I couldn't have imagined.
From climbing a ladder up into a tree and picking cherries all day (discipline) to talking for a living (communication). Then working with multiple federal agencies throughout Washington D.C. while at my time in the USAF (integrity, tenacity, and humility), working with great mentors at Service Concepts (flexibility and openness) to the rigors and ups and downs of owning and operating a small business (calm and patience) I have gained more than a paycheck and real estate is truly where I weav… Read More
Call 317-672-1938
Rick Ripma's NMLS# 664589 Ian Arnolds NNMLS# 1995469
Advisors Mortgage Group LLC NMLS# 33041
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