Guru Rick Ripma with Advisors Mortgage Group

Hey, welcome to Indy's Real Estate Gurus. We're gonna change this up just a little bit. And let's talk to Rick and find out a lot about Rick that you may not know, even though he talks quite a bit on the show, sometimes more than other guests, I think sometimes. All right, Rick. So before you got into the business, and I know that was a long time ago,

what it was a long time ago.

What did you do before? Where do you go to school? Because, I mean, I know we both went to North Central, but what else right?

Yeah, I grew up here in Indiana, and Indianapolis on the on the north east side, went to Washington Township schools. North Central was the high school went to Eastwood junior high and Fall Creek Elementary, they tore down Fall Creek Elementary, it's actually where the Colts came. The first the first place, they had their practice sessions, and whether it was in was in my old elementary school, I took a job with Western Electric working on a line. And I was never meant to work on a line. So I did that for three years. But while I was doing that, I went to IUPUI. And, and then, I was never made also for school. I was never at school was never my thing. And somebody had forgot to tell me that you actually had to go to class to graduate. So I decided rather than keep paying and not going to class, I just not go anymore. And I ended up bartending for a few years, five years. And then I then I got into that got married. And then I got into the car business. And that's where I really you know, where I really started. You know, my sales career. I did even before that, in a sense that it's so long ago, it's hard to remember all that you did. Before that I actually bought some real estate, I had three rental properties with two other guys. We bought real estate, we were going to the rental properties, we had a triplex a double and a single, and we rented them out, and we were fixing them up. And that's what we were going to do. Well I quickly learned that's not my thing. I'm not I've shouldn't own rental real x, I can own rental real estate, I shouldn't be the landlord, I shouldn't be the person collecting rent, I shouldn't be the person doing that, which was what I was going to do because I'm not handy. So I did that I got into new or car sales. I actually loved car sales for a while. It's a fun job. There's a lot of camaraderie. I learned a tremendous amount. And it was it was a good it was a good learning experience. And one day a builder came in a homebuilder came in and he was shopping us. And he's actually shopping one of my salespeople because at that time I was the manager of the store. And he wanted to interview him after he after he came in and and saw how he worked as a salesperson. He said he wanted to hire him. So he had him come up for an interview. And they told me about it, the salesperson. And so then I told them about it. So they called me and I went up and interviewed and I ended up moving to the Estridge companies. As a salesperson I worked there for 11 years, I was in New home sales. And then I was in and I was the vice president sales when I left. The thing about New Home Sales is it's a it's a seven day a week job. You can have some weekdays off which actually was great weekdays off because my kids were little but as my kids got older, then I couldn't you know then I then it was night it would be nice to have weekends free as you well know because you've done the same thing. So I you know, after 11 years, I switched in really quite by accident. I switched because I really wasn't. I left the Astros companies went to another builder. And it just wasn't the culture wasn't my thing. And so the person that I use for all my mortgage is my loan officer. He's I told him and he goes out don't take another job. I got this. I got this great deal coming. What is it? I can't tell you. What is it? I can't tell you. Okay, so I'm waited around and a bank was coming into town. It was brand new. I went to work for the bank as a loan officer. I was still looking for for a job, okay for being a new home sales. But I actually found out this is exactly what I love to do. I enjoyed it. It was phenomenal. I did extremely well and so it was like didn't take long and I was no longer looking for another job. I just loved what I was doing. And I have the whole time I just financing is one of those things that I really, I happen to really enjoy and I liked them more Good. And then after you've been in it, as long as I have, it took about eight years. And I remember I remember reading something. Name was Malcolm, I can't remember his last name, or maybe that is his last name. But he said it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert. Yep. Right. And I remember it, it was like, I must have hit that 10,000 hours, because I thought I knew a lot. And all of a sudden one day is like, wait a minute, I get it all now. And it was, it was amazing. Not that you still don't learn. There's plenty of things to learn, but

always learn. Yeah, I mean, the market fully changes. I mean, yes. You either you got some loans here, you got some loans that you do at this time. And, and then what is it? We had some loans that during COVID got shut off? So and everything changes? I mean, look, you went through the Oh, eight through 2010, where our whole industry changed? Yeah. And we got more regulated, we can only do certain things only count certain things. So yeah, you had to keep learning. Yeah.

Well, and then there were lots of products that that like you said, Go away, you know, you have a product and it's going along and and that goes away and you got something else. And that's just the way it is. And we've seen that over and over. It's why this as the markets change. I'm used to it. And I know I it's not something that I you have to adjust to him, but I've adjusted to him before so it's not that difficult. Yep. No, it's,

it's always nice when I ask you certain questions like, Is this normal? You be like, Well, it used to be but not too we don't see it as often as we used to shorter deals. Yep. So what would you consider how as your your question, your superpower?

Yeah, well, you know, I don't tell everybody but I fly. Yeah, normally my car

you fly downtown Carmel. I'll let those cops No, no,

don't tell them. They're all friends of mine are all friends. Now I you know, it's one of those things where, number one, I think that probably my biggest superpower is I have a very, very high sense of urgency. And I think that most things that you really, like your superpower can also be your kryptonite. Okay. In the right times, it's it's a superpower. And in sometimes it's your kryptonite. And but everything has to be done has to be done right now. I can't wait for anything, everything has to be done. And sometimes that gets that gets me in trouble. But the vast majority of the time, it really helps. Because I I communicate quickly back with people, I can't let time go by and not get back with somebody if I miss something that just drives me crazy. So I think I think that's probably the number one. I think communication is another one because I've done sales for so long. You know, everybody says it's sales. And most people get the idea that sales is like we see in the in the movies, or like we see on TV, but it's really not. Sales is about relationships, and it's about building relationships, and it's about communicating with people. And I really try desperately to listen to what they want. Listen to even what they don't say, right? Read in and then give them as you and I do because we've talked about it we work on it is give options. Because sometimes the options you give give, people don't know what they don't know, they don't know what's available. So my job is to make sure I show them the options that work in the areas that they're looking to accomplish. Right. And sometimes it can be a little different than they told me, but I could hear you know, by what they said I knew there might be some some interest there. Other times they end up exactly with what what they want. So I think I think that is something that I do really, you know, really well I'd consider that a superpower. I think another one would be that I I'm able to figure most things out. I can't figure everything out. But I'm able to figure most things out. So if I have a if I have a difficult file or somebody has a difficult file, I've the vast majority of time I can figure out how to make it work, whether it might take some time may have to do some you know, and it's not that I do anything wrong. It's just that I know the rules. I understand the rules. I know who to talk to if I don't know the rule to get the right answer, and then figure out how to make it work and usually show like usually it's an underwriter so you show the underwriter why my thought on how we can make it work is actually a legitimate reason to make it work in a legitimate way to make it work. I know you asked for one I gave you three but I could give you more if you want.

This is Rick a nutshell people. All right. So what would you for most people out there that some people have worked with you before some people don't? Well Would something that you people would not know about you that you've don't do here at work, but you own your free time.

And by free time. Well, they all know I love cars, if you can't tell by all the signs that are out behind me, okay? Because I've collected sides. I just love I love cars. And I, so that that isn't something most people don't know. But I'm an I kind of feel like I'm pretty open book on most things. I, you know, my kids are all grown. My youngest is 30. My oldest is 38. So they're not around, they're not home. So it's just my wife and I, my wife really doesn't like to travel. So we don't do traveling. We stay at home, we enjoy. You know, we remodeled the house the last couple of years. And so it's really nice to just be at home. We love being at home, we have a huge screened in porch now, which is, you know, where we spent our time when it's nice weather. We have a huge front porch. When there's no bugs, we can sit out there. But really once we put on the screen ports, that's that's where we sit. And then and then I, I like to work. Okay, so my free time you out, you always ask the question. So if we took your phone away from you, we did this okay, well, first of all I'd be I'd be looking for my phone. And most of the time on a Saturday, you'll find me at least in the morning 99% of time sitting at a desk and at my house working because I but I'm doing the things that I really enjoy, like editing videos, or podcast or something that I really enjoy doing. So that's that's what I like to do. And then I also really, I bought an electric bike a couple years ago, I absolutely love going riding on my electric bike.

So what you're telling me as you give people the best possible deal, so they don't hit you while you're riding your electrical bike.

Most people won't hit me because I'm usually not Well, I'm usually on the bike paths. But I really prefer to ride on the road. So I usually go out in the country and I ride on the roads. Or even in the city, I like to ride through some of the neighborhoods I like to you know, you ride through you see the houses, you see houses come up on the market. You know, a lot of times I'll see people I know, I'll see people I financed. Or maybe I you know, sometimes I ride through the neighborhoods I sold when I was at the builder. And so you see, even some of those people years ago, from years ago are still in the houses, and I financed them now it's you know, so I just like to go out and do that. And then you know, twice a week I do work out I have a personal trainer I work out. And that's been a unbelievable. One of the things that I've learned is that when you're getting older, I watched my dad as he got older, and he just lost mobility. And he couldn't, you know, he couldn't really lean down and touch the floor. If you drop something that was difficult yet, my dad loved cowboy boots, and he had to quit wearing cowboy boots because he couldn't get them on and off really couldn't get them on anymore, you get them off because he had a boot pole but and what I found is if you're getting older, and you think that it's just because of age, it's not. It's just from lack of use, not that you get everything back, but it's from lack of use. So I encourage everybody get out there and work out. I have a bad knee. Like I said I was injured in the military. And I had I have a huge scar on my knee, they took out my my cartilage, they sewed up my ligaments. And so I've always thought it was my injury. It's not less Some of it's my injury and my my left leg, which is the injured one is still not as good, but it's just one of those things. So that is that's something that you know, I just encourage people get out there and getting old is not is not meaning that you can't move and get around. I you know, I ride my bike, I'll ride. It's an electric bike, but I ride sometimes 3040 miles in a day.

Yeah, but it's still the motion of still moving and like you and I've talked about this. I mean, let's be honest, our job is a lot of sitting on a desk. Yes it is. So if you're not using your your muscles and everything and then what let's be honest. All right, you go home, you get up you get in your car, you drive home, you sit at home, I mean, I got kids I might run around a little bit for but then you're sitting on the couch or eight because it's that night it's so Alright, you got to move you got to you got to you don't realize the muscles you stop using when you just have a sit down office job. Now if you're a construction worker, good job, you're getting tons of exercise. But you know,

the other thing is, is when you work out, you can't sit very long. No. You have to get are getting restless and yeah, and your legs start to hurt and you tighten up. So yeah, it's really important that you get out you move.

Absolutely. So Rick, thanks for joining me on my several questions I wanted to ask Yeah, and You're well and people get to know you and how would they get ahold of you though?

I best the best way is hard working mortgage guide.com That's hard working mortgage guy.com All of my contact information is there. Or you can give me a call at 317218 9800 That's 317218 9800. And if you get a hold of me, I'll do my best to get back with you as quick as possible and answer all the questions or at least if I can't answer them, which is unlikely. I will definitely find out the right answers for you.

All right, and continue to follow us on Indy's Real Estate Gurus

branch NMLS number 33041 NMLS number 6645898. You know Arnold NMLS number is 195469 equal housing opportunity some restrictions apply