Rising Guru James Tillett with Blu Print Real Estate Group

James Tillett: 0:00

Rick James, tell that it's hard, but the two L's but phenomenal guests. You can see why he's a rising guru.

Rick Ripma: 0:09

Yeah, you can't. He has a lot of knowledge. What's so interesting is he has such a big career. He's the he's a, he's a rising guru. And he's new to real estate. But he has a tremendous amount of experience military experience. And he just he just a world experience. He has so much to offer. And he really understands, I believe, how to work with people and how to how to help people get what they want.

James Tillett: 0:36

Yep. And that's the key thing, especially with him is communication, making sure he's able to break down no matter what scenario he can break it down easily for, for a customer to understand.

Rick Ripma: 0:48

Yeah, he can and he's, he's got a great team that he's with this. It's blueprint Realty. Yep. And they there from what he's telling us. They're just a phenomenal place. And he's got great mentors, which is what it takes. It takes somebody who's got a lot of knowledge, a lot of experience, a lot of, you know, works hard, and yet he has a good team behind him to make sure he does the right things and helps his customers.

James Tillett: 1:10

So definitely tune in for James's show and you'll you will not be disappointed. I will tell you that.

Rick Ripma: 1:16

Welcome to India's real estate gurus, your ultimate guide to the dynamic world of real estate in Indiana, and I'm recruited by your hard working mortgage guy and I've been in real estate and mortgages for over 24 years.

James Tillett: 1:29

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Rick Ripma: 1:43

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James Tillett: 1:48

market. Now get ready to unlock the doors of success, one episode at a time.

Rick Ripma: 1:56

Well, today we have James tell it and James is with blueprint, real estate Real Estate Group. And you have an a very, very interesting background. Because you're fairly new to real estate, but you've done your what you've done is very interesting. And you've been in the military. We really want to hear your story. You know, what, what was life like before real estate? Where'd you grow up? You know, What all did you do?

James Tillett: 2:21

So I grew up in Missouri, in an orange and a town about 100 miles north of Kansas City near the Iowa state line up there, and went to high school there and college there at Northwest Missouri State University, got married, right before I left college, and went directly into the military, as a second lieutenant went down to Fort Benning, for my schooling, and then we deployed to Germany for my first I want to do station, and you were in the army or the army. Okay, so we really enjoyed Germany, and we came back and then was Fort Benning, again for schooling and then to Fort Drum, New York, part of the 10th Mountain Division. And I left active duty after that, decided to do some other things. And so worked with manufacturing, mostly automotive, and those type of things in the management side of the house, okay, and also does some logistics and those type of things throughout my career, but also was in the Army Reserve, and was mobilized again after 911. and spent the next seven and half years mobilized most of the time during that timeframe, before I retired in 2012. Spent time teaching and helping staffs at the brigade and battalion and division level, know how to function inside the war zone. So when Afghanistan and Iraq, so we taught them wasted to handle all the incoming processes and all the situations that might occur, and built that in spent two weeks with them at the mobilization station, going through that, to teach them how to do that. After that, like I said, spent a lot of time in manufacturing, and those type of things. I had the opportunity, a friend of mine, decided to tell me to come and say, Hey, we think about real estate, I said, Well, you know, I'm not sure you know, I've always thought about something like that. I've always been interested in in real estate, investing in those type of things. And I said, Well, maybe let me let me think about it. And so I talked to my wife and she said, Well, let's think about it. She comes to me a few days later says James, I think we need to do this. And so I thought about it another day and I said I think you're right. And so I started getting my essence and, and jumped in and I've really enjoyed being in real estate, it's really been something that I didn't think it would be as fun as it is. But it really is I helping people is really what I really enjoyed doing. So

Rick Ripma: 5:15

I gotta go back to to your military past, and probably not where you think I'm going because I want to know what it's like to drive on the Autobahn in Germany.

James Tillett: 5:24

Oh, it's a lot of fun that I, at the time I shipped my car. Well, it was a Pontiac Grand Am and okay. And there were times that we got on the autobahn and I would put the pedal down to the floor and go and the speedometer goes 240 miles an hour, it would go beyond that. And while I was on the Autobahn on occasion, so it's a lot of fun, you have to be very careful at that speed. Because everything comes so much quicker. You have to really pay attention to what's going on in the road. But it's it is a lot of fun to ride a little

Rick Ripma: 6:05

bit faster. Yeah, when you're driving that fast. Like you said, things come up a lot faster. And it's little things can turn into big disaster. Yes, absolutely. Yeah. So you got to be really careful. But but it's got to be fun.

James Tillett: 6:17

Yes, if the roads pretty clear, it really is a nice drive. And you don't think about the speed as much if there's not a lot of traffic. But if there's some traffic, and there's cars that are in the one lane and you're coming up pretty quickly, you got to make sure that either you slow down or able to get out into that other lane, so that you can pass without any incident. So I enjoyed that part. I I tend to drive, you know, fast I have to start putting the cruise control on now. So I don't need to. Because I don't need to be going that fast anymore. Here in the United States. Yeah. So.

Rick Ripma: 6:57

So did you ever have a time when you're cruising at 140 miles an hour? And somebody just comes flying past you much, much faster? Yes. The Germans, they have it down pretty well. And they fly by pretty quickly. They're used to Yes, they are. Yeah. And they got fast cars? Oh, yes. Yeah, a lot faster than I had time. Well, if you're living there, and you have the autobahn, you're gonna buy a car that can really

James Tillett: 7:23

the the Mercedes and the BMW in those type of things, had the extra power in there and no regulators. And so they were able to do that. Yeah, well, I

Rick Ripma: 7:31

know, I've heard of where there's not many accidents. But man, when there's an accident on it, it's not pretty, it is not pretty. There

James Tillett: 7:39

was a time we were on our way to an event that we ran into some fog. And the fog was very, very thick. And so I was always worried that as we're traveling a little bit slower because of the fog, that someone was still going to be crazy enough to drive fast and cut through the fog. And luckily, we didn't have any issues. But once in a while you would hear of accidents like that. Yeah, that happened on the autobahn.

Rick Ripma: 8:06

You can't go fast and snow fog any of that stuff. You got to be careful. Yeah. Are

James Tillett: 8:12

you sure because people in Indiana some reason is that first snow, they still being go 70 miles an hour. And they do a lot of out there. And I don't know whether it is about current drivers, whether they think that there's just no no problem with that. But it can be a big yes.

Rick Ripma: 8:35

And so so I'm gonna get back as much as I love to talk about cars, I'm gonna highlight cars, I need to, I want to, let's get back to your your starting real estate. So because real estate is not the easiest thing to get going in? No. So what what is what is your process? Or what has been your process? What do you do? What are you focusing on to get that business off the ground.

James Tillett: 9:03

So it comes to personal relationships and building those with the clients that come to you. Whether it's via leads, or whether it's through your sphere of influence, all those people have to trust you to be able to really work with you and trust you in that process because you're working with them on something that is a one of the biggest purchases in their lives, right? And they sometimes are very scared or or worried that they're going to make the wrong decision. And you have to reassure them that hey, this is okay, we'll go as slow as you need to go. And I will walk through with you every step of the way to make sure that you understand what's going on. And once you do that people tend to kind of relax a little bit and say, Okay, let's let's go and we'll do that. So, that's the thing. Building those relationships is an important finding To leads and going out and talking to people, wherever you're at sitting down for, you know, much at a restaurant, having that conversation as you can with the waitress, or whoever is there, and saying, Hey, this is who I am, and it is a referral business. So right have to make that contact.

Rick Ripma: 10:22

Yep. And you never know who kind of who can buy a house or what their situation is, no matter who it is.

James Tillett: 10:28

Exactly. There are there are some people that you will start to work with, and you go, I haven't figured in, they're going to be in the 150 price range, and you find out that they're in the 400,000 price range, and you would never know. Yeah,

Rick Ripma: 10:44

yeah. So you can't judge a book by its cover for sure, we all tend to want to do that, but you really can't do it. It's, that's, that's a bad thing to do.

James Tillett: 10:53

So you did mention that you didn't realize it was as much fun. So define your fun. And being a real estate agent, I think the fun comes from, from helping others along the way to get what they are dreaming about. I think that's the biggest thing. And building those relationships. That's the the fun part with me is building those relationships and, and understanding people and who they are. I don't have a lot of close friends. But as I've become more and more involved with real estate, I'm getting to have more of those relationships. And that's then been the fun part. Now, before

Rick Ripma: 11:35

you got into real estate, how long did you live here in Indiana a

James Tillett: 11:39

long time. Okay. So we moved here? Oh, gosh, 20 some years ago, then I spent time when I was mobilized in Colorado, and then in Chicago before I retired and then came back home. Okay.

Rick Ripma: 11:59

So I was wondering, because that may, that would make it even harder, but you have you have a sphere of influence here.

James Tillett: 12:06

It is a small one. And that makes that's what makes it a little more difficult for me, and I rely on leads a little bit more than than I do the sphere of influence. Most of my sphere is outside the state of Indiana, because of my military contacts and the people that I've met along the way. So that makes it a little bit more difficult for me. But I have been very lucky, I guess in the the leads that I've been able to generate and, and doing okay,

Rick Ripma: 12:37

where do you get your leads through lead

James Tillett: 12:39

sources, such as a realtor.com, and those type of things. But those are the kinds that you have to to basically cultivate, because some of them that you get, aren't ready right away. And so you have to put it 90 days or so down the road. And you have to work with those individuals to get them pre qualified and get them to make sure they understand what they want. And then you can go look and show some houses and say, Okay, this is this is kind of where you're where you're at, does this make sense to you, because you like what you see. And then from there, refine that process, so that you're showing them what really they're interested in and what will fit for their their lifestyle, it's got to be satisfying. It is it's kind of like a puzzle. And once you have all the pieces together, it's a beautiful picture. But when you don't have all the pieces, you have to go and try to find out that information. So when you first get into it, what was your expectation? And then what when? What was the reality check? When I first got into it, I expected that I would have leads generating and I would have somebody coming to me and saying, hey, I want you to sell my house or I want to buy a house with you. And and the answer was no, not really. So that was an awakening saying, well, I need to go do some work. And so I had to figure out how to do the work. And that was the great thing when I came to blueprint is they had a mentorship program that helped me in that process to really catapult me to to be able to do well. So I know we briefly talked about it before, but I think it's kind of nice to mention it on air is Blueprint was not your first company, but it's where you found a home. Yes, tell us a little bit you don't have to don't tell him bad things. But I mean, it's just about finding your own place. No, I think the the assignment was was great to get me into the business and I think that was what was really appealing. Once I got there with this other agency There just wasn't the support that I needed. And, and there, they weren't able to provide me with that training that I really needed to be able to, to be successful. And so when I found blueprint, I was able to then thrive because they, they basically pulled me in and said, Okay, here's how we do this. Here's all the, the processes, all the forms that you need. And we will go through each of them with you as you do them as and as we go forward. And if there was any questions, I was able to call somebody and say, Hey, what about this? What about that, and that's what's been so great. And it's been more like a family, and really a good team to work with. Yeah, I think that's incredible that you were able to find it, because we've heard from some people that you as they go to the first places, they may not have expected. All right, well, wait, you're not going to walk me through all this? Well, then there's other companies that will, but let's be honest, every team is going to be different. And no matter even if it's personalities, it's finding that right team, and it's great that you found one. I think I'm pretty lucky in a lot of cases, in that instance, because I found it early enough that I could really actually still survive that first year, where a lot of agents don't. Right. So it's

Rick Ripma: 16:26

amazing how many don't make it. I remember, years and years ago, when I was in the car business, I read a I read something where they said the first three sales that a new car salesperson misses, is because they're afraid of the paperwork. You know, because they don't know. And it's just, it's very

James Tillett: 16:45

true with a real estate business, that paperwork is, is daunting. A purchase agreement, eight pages long, you know, you're going okay, well, it's all on this, uh, this document, you gotta learn. And when you do, you got to be able to share that with your clients. Because I remember still one of the sales that I had, I spent two hours with these clients going line by line over the purchase agreement. So they would understand when we put an offer and what that was, because there were new buyers. And I was happy to do that. Because that made that relationship much better. Right?

Rick Ripma: 17:23

Then you help them they understand probably helps you to because you want to explain it that had the expert teacher always learns more than the student. Right? That's so true. That's so true. So if somebody is out there, they're going man, I want to work with James, how do they get a hold of you? What's the best

James Tillett: 17:40

way? Best way is a call or text? And my number is kind of a strange one. Because when I got my cell phone, it was a as in Colorado, I just kept it because most people that I know still know that number, right? So my number is 720-891-6223. Again, 720-891-6223 call or text anytime? And I'll answer.

Rick Ripma: 18:06

And you know, it's it's a it's amazing how, cuz you and I are I'm older than you. But you and I have

James Tillett: 18:14

not sure that about that. A little more experience.

Rick Ripma: 18:18

So but I'm sure you remember when I mean, it was long distance, you could never do that. Oh, no. 30 years ago, nobody would call you because they're not going to spend the money for longest Oh,

James Tillett: 18:28

no, I remember, when I was in high school, trying to date and my girlfriend lived 40 miles away. It was a long distance call. My dad actually brought me the phone bill and said, James, you're gonna pay this because all of the calls are yours. And I looked at the bill, and it was$400. And I was a little taken aback. And so we didn't call as

Rick Ripma: 18:51

bet not $400 or$100. Who, and we think we think

James Tillett: 18:51

right, so we're gonna take a side detour, we're often I'll our bills are high now. Exactly. And to get a hold of her I go to gonna get to know you a little bit more. Okay. So, if you're HardWorkingMortgageGuys.com That's not when you're not working, what are you doing for fun? HardWorkingMortgageGuys.com You can find all our information there. You can give us a call at 317-672-1938. That's 317-672-1938. All Well, my wife and I love love to travel when we can, and before I got into real estate, we we would go weekend trips and that kind of stuff and do a lot of those things. And we really enjoy that. The other passion I have is cars. I have a 1975 MG Midget that's running. It needs some work on the inside and some paint on the outside but it's a fun car to drive. And I really enjoy that and eventually I'll get the rest of it done. But it's taken me almost a year to get the engine and work done where it will run. So

Rick Ripma: 19:58

it's it's a great deal already. If you've got a run, and that's, that's huge it is.

James Tillett: 20:03

I'd had some work done on it early on, I've had the this midget since I was a a captain. And when I went back to the bass course and at Fort Benning, and I've kept it all this time and had some work done out of it over the years. And last time I had engine work done on it. Somehow they didn't get the the cam in there correctly. And so it would not run at the higher speeds Oh, very well, because it was trying to it was just trying to get that synchronization between the the fuel in the air and stuff. And so finally, it took us a long time to get that figured out that that was the problem. And once we got that done, it runs really well. And I'm really happy about it. I will say this, the I used to run a server shop and everything. So we had an MG come in and they were one couple of the fuses went and what you don't realize is there's only four fuses in that car. Oh, yes. And they're all the old glass ones. And we were talking about the price. And he was like, oh, that's gonna get really expensive. Really? What are you talking about? I can buy these fuses for like two bucks online. Yeah, I can have them in a couple of days later, like, what? And then even my tech was jumped in. And he's like, I love this car. Because watch, I can stand inside the engine bay. So, I mean, those are so simple to fix that, especially nowadays, where everything's like Tronic, everything has safety guards. And so are they the only issue that that is with the midgets is, they have a dashpot on them, for the carburetor. And you have to have them. There's a little reservoir that has some oil in there to keep it lubricated, so that it runs properly. And that's really the issue that I've had most of the time when I've had this thing is making sure that that's done so that it runs well. Would

Rick Ripma: 21:56

you like to sometimes talk to the engineers who came up with some of this crazy things that they?

James Tillett: 22:02

Yeah, I would like to include the way the midgets are wired. They're actually wired opposite of most other cars. So they're, instead of negative ground, they're positive ground. Oh, really? Yes. Oh,

Rick Ripma: 22:16

that's interesting. Yeah. So

James Tillett: 22:18

it's a little bit different.

Rick Ripma: 22:19

Yeah. Does that change anything? Like if you had to jump in or anything? Or? No,

James Tillett: 22:23

they'll still jump? Norway normal, but because you'll connect both on both sides. So it still

Rick Ripma: 22:30

works? What's the benefit of having the opposite? Is there any? Not that I know, okay, you know, me know,

James Tillett: 22:37

electrical engineer, I'm

Rick Ripma: 22:38

still seems weird to me, just seems it just seems weird to me. So, in your business, what are you most confident in?

James Tillett: 22:51

I think I'm most confident in and the ability to wade through the many things that happen, and get that done in a timely manner, so that my clients feel comfortable with the process. I'm very detailed when it comes to timelines and everything else, probably because of my military background. Timelines are important. And hitting those deadlines are important so that you get things done. And the process flows properly.

Rick Ripma: 23:20

And we're pretty, our industry is pretty deadline, you know, organized, yeah, you got to get your appraisal, by this time, you gotta get your inspection. By this time, you got to do an inspection response. It's very detail oriented. So along with that, my probably my favorite question is, you know, what are your what would you say your superpower or superpowers are? And then how do they benefit your client?

James Tillett: 23:44

You know, I asked my wife about that, because I wasn't sure what I should say there. And she said, You should just tell him that you are outside outstanding, and customer service. I'm going whoa, exactly that that mean, and she says you're good with people and you know how to, to talk to them and how to really help them understand the process. And I think that's a the best thing that you have going for you. Yeah,

Rick Ripma: 24:12

so your strength is your you're good at explaining complex. Yes, situations and making them understandable. Yes, that's a huge strike.

James Tillett: 24:21

It is and I and I'm, I'm glad for that. I think part of that becomes from, from my obsession of learning the process and understanding each of those things, so that when people ask a question, I can have an answer that's confident, and they can see that.

Rick Ripma: 24:38

And it seems like another superpower yours. I'm just going out on a limb because I'm not 100% Sure, but I think I'm right. Is that you're a learner.

James Tillett: 24:45

Oh, yes, absolutely. That was what was really lacking initially when I first got into real estate and that's when I found blueprint. It makes things so much better because I had a chance to learn and I still do and they they are very good at having found a classes and those type of things on a regular basis so that I can go and learn by do a lot of that on my own as well. looking things up on the internet or listen to the podcast or something of that nature that helped me in my business, yeah,

Rick Ripma: 25:15

I think it makes a world of difference. I'm the same way I am on podcast. Audiobooks, I'm reading a book, always doing something because you gotta you always got to benefit yourself, you do become more knowledgeable. It's not just benefiting you, it's benefiting your client, it makes you better?

James Tillett: 25:32

Oh, absolutely. You know, through the process, through the mentoring process and stuff. My mentor really had to joke with me, because most of the transactions that I had initially, were very difficult transactions, a lot of different paperwork, that's not normal for a normal transaction. And she keeps telling me that I've probably done almost all the the types of transactions and paperwork that goes with that, that in the first three or four or five months, then most agency in three or four or five years. So it's kind of fun. That means that I a little more knowledgeable than some of the other agents that are just starting new, and even some of the more experienced agents that have not experienced some of the things that I've experienced. So it's funny little story is we've had some gurus on and they go through, they were like, Oh, the most memorable one was my first deal. And I'm like, Well, why is that? And then they'll go, everything flows smoothly? Nothing, no hiccups, nothing. And then I get back and just like, hey, you talked about your mentors, and they be talking to theirs. And they'd be like, yeah, don't get used to this. This doesn't happen very often. But then you're going through all the rough times. And you're like, can I just get one good one, just one quick, easy one. And I've had those, there have been a couple of them. That has been fairly simple. But the first three or four were were stretches and lock cases. I mean, I had a client that when my first clients wanted to buy a piece of property outside of Indianapolis, you know, and so we were traveling an hour, an hour and 15 minutes to go look at some properties. And then realizing that we had to work with other agents that maybe were not as familiar with some of the things that we were wanting to do. He was a veteran. And so we were looking at VA loans and those type of things. And some of the agents have not ever seen some of those things, at least not a long time. And so had to educate some of those long away and, and filled out. I don't know, all the different kinds of paperwork to include referrals for other agents, because he decided we wanted to look at property in Illinois, didn't work out, which is fine, but did all those things and summer says you know, you've done just about everything that there is to do so. who's who? Summer summer Thomas, he's, she's one of the mentoring brokers are managing brokers. Blueprint and she is the person that really does the mentoring

Rick Ripma: 28:18

for for the broker. It sounds like she's meant a lot to you in your career.

James Tillett: 28:22

She She has been a wonderful asset to me in that process.

Rick Ripma: 28:26

That's awesome. She's been in the business a while I'm

James Tillett: 28:29

guessing. Yes, yes. Only three months?

Rick Ripma: 28:33

No, you know, you don't have to have. I think time matters. But I think experience in that time matters a lot more. I would agree. And so I've seen people you probably have to that they have 30 years, but that's one year experience 30 times as opposed to 30 years of your that's why I think one of your superpowers was learning because you're a learner. And so when you have 30 years experience, you have 30 years experience, maybe even more because you can if you put enough effort in you can even get more experience in that timeframe, right. Yes, absolutely. So I think that's that's an important It sounds like one of your other superpowers is attracting difficult deals.

James Tillett: 29:15

It seems that way. Sounded

Rick Ripma: 29:17

like it I don't know.

James Tillett: 29:19

No, but I am happy for all of those because it is a learning process. And as I take those deals and work with those clients, even though there may be some difficulty in the process or with with the client, that still is learning process for me and I gained something from it, as well as the client.

Rick Ripma: 29:39

I think it's one of the most satisfying I actually don't have I actually enjoy most of the the non vanilla not that I don't enjoy the vanilla alright, but it makes you think it makes you work. It makes you learn it makes you just better. So for me I don't I don't really mind those, as long as you can figure it out, make it work for him, right? Make it make everything happen?

James Tillett: 30:06

Well, I think that's, that's what's maybe different about me is is I do like those, because I can then say, hey, I can figure this out. And I am the one type of person that says, hey, if there's a problem, I can solve it, if I can't solve it, I'll go find someone that can help me solve it right? To get this done. And that's more satisfying than than going through the process and saying, Okay, this is going to be real simple. And we're going to go from A to B in 30 days, and, and I'm not going to have to do a very much at all, I would rather have something that I had to take care of little more often, just because it keeps me sharp as well as learning. Yep. All right. So if somebody wants to give you some more knowledge, so you can pack it all in, what's the best way they can get in touch with you? You can call or text me at my on my cell phone? 720-891-6223? Again, 720-891-6223? Or I suppose you can send me an email. But it's a really long one. It's James Tillet realtor@gmail.com until it has to t's on the tails TC on

Rick Ripma: 31:22

the end, right? It's probably easier to call your text. Yes, absolutely. That'd be and I know for me, I I'll just like text, my email. Sometimes it's just easier because emails get a little difficult. Sometimes they

James Tillett: 31:33

do. And I do that a lot. Yeah, so they'll call me or text me and and then I'll just say, hey, send some information, send it to them by email. Here's my email. Yep. I mean, it's just the easiest way, because you'll have like, you have two L's and two T's and somebody just miss writes one. You never hear from them. You're like waiting for that email. It's just easier. Hey, text me really quick. I'll send you a quick email. And I have everything on there. And he just makes it so much easier. Yeah.

Rick Ripma: 31:59

It's good at making things simple. Yes, he's very, he's very attuned to that. Yes,

James Tillett: 32:04

I like simple. And that's why I think I try to, to understand the process as much as I do. Because when you understand the process, it makes things more simple. Yeah, you can streamline it to however it fits you. And it makes it nice and easy. And

Rick Ripma: 32:22

to get a hold of enter, I go to HardWorkingMortgageGuys.com. That's HardWorkingMortgageGuys.com. Or you can give us a call at 317-672-1938. That's 317-672-1938. All

James Tillett: 32:34

right. So I'm kind of curious if we've already heard about this car, or we're going to hear about a different one. But what was your first car? My first car was a 1970. Pontiac Phoenix with the Landau top. I didn't know if you're about to say Pontiac Grand dam again, when you shipped over so no, actually, I had that until we shipped a German I sold it right before we left for Germany, and we'd already bought the other car, but it was it was an older card. So we're talking seven or eight years old when I bought it.

Rick Ripma: 33:17

So 70 Phoenix 70 Phoenix and I for some reason can't place a Phoenix for I'm in a kind of camp but I think it was a later version. I can't it was it was what was it? Was it a two or four door?

James Tillett: 33:30

It was a two door. Okay. I think they did make four doors but the one I had was a two door and it had the leather drive on half of the Okay, yeah, top up there and what size motor? It was probably a 305. Okay,

Rick Ripma: 33:47

so decent size. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. So it was a smaller bigger than a Grand Prix. Those type of your Grand Prix is probably

James Tillett: 33:57

about probably just a little bit smaller because a two seater Okay, well, two door but had the seat in the back but there was not much room in the back for for a lot so okay.

Rick Ripma: 34:10

It was a great car to have as your

James Tillett: 34:12

it was really was. The reason why Rick always asked about the engine sizes because his first one had the 12 inch foot pedal. You just had to use your feet like Fred Flintstone.

Rick Ripma: 34:23

No I didn't. Is that darn near did my parents had a gremlin?

James Tillett: 34:29

Yeah, so yeah, he opened the door and started pretty

Rick Ripma: 34:33

much in a rat rusted out pretty quickly too. And then they got rid of that and they got a pace Acer's. Oh, yeah. What else were even worse. Yeah, that's exactly what I thought it actually was. A nice car. A comfortable car. Yes. The patient was very comfortable. Long as it wasn't Sunny. Because it get really hot in there. And and but it was wide and it had a good track that that was but it was ugly. Yes. But my dad liked it. Well, he owned up bunch of AMC stock. So we had to only could buy AMC cars. I couldn't they wouldn't get me an am max or a javelin. No. So it was kind of unfortunate for me. Well, I

James Tillett: 35:13

actually just after we were I was married, we actually owned a a gremlin is you? Yeah, hatchback. So

Rick Ripma: 35:23

they're kind of coming back. People are starting to, I see him. I go to a lot of car auctions. The first one I saw was probably 10 years ago. And it was in the parking lot wasn't even in the auction or anything. I just somebody drove it there. Now you're starting to see them. People wanting them. It's

James Tillett: 35:41

the nostalgia I think AMC made some good cars at the time. But Gremlin was not really one of those the great cars.

Rick Ripma: 35:51

I'm not sure which one was a good one. Well, javelin Amex for nice cars. Play when you compare him to like a Mustang or Camaro or charger or challenger. I

James Tillett: 36:06

mean, it's kind of hard to the muscle cars are really where it's at. Yeah. So since you're a car guy, what do you drive now? Well, I drive a Nissan Maxima. Okay. So let's go a little bit, get a go and start. And I love the new body style with a two tone paint where the roof is you'll usually get a different color than the sides. It depends on the color combination. Yeah, I can't recall because I would. Some of that is great. If it's the right combination, and it's done. Well, I love it. But I'm kind of a plain guy. And so we're playing color across the board. I'm okay with that, too.

Rick Ripma: 36:48

You can't really go wrong with that unless it's a really bad color. Right? Like I bought a car one time it was a blazer. And I wanted a white one because I like white cars and they didn't have one and I needed a car and I bought that and it was purple. I could not wait to get rid of it. I didn't keep it but a year. I just hated that car. And it wasn't my wife loved it. She and I should just give it to her and drove something that whatever she was driving to I did not I just it wasn't a bad car. It's just I'd never felt comfortable in it because it was purposeful.

James Tillett: 37:20

I had I had a boss one time that had a purple pickup truck. And it was it was a nice purple. It was a deeper purple. Yeah, but

Rick Ripma: 37:29

this was a nice purple.

James Tillett: 37:31

I just don't I'm not a purple person. Yes. Yeah, I

Rick Ripma: 37:33

like purple. But I don't like a purple. I like a white car black car. You know, I like just the pretty plain plain. Like like either, although I do like like the new blazers and things I do like where they if it's what I think it's the white with the black on top or vice versa. One of the one of the ways I like it one of the ways I don't like it, yeah, just personally,

James Tillett: 37:55

oh, my midget is electric blue, which is a kind of a rare color for the midgets that just you see around. Most of them are red or, or green, but mine's electric blue. Which you're

Rick Ripma: 38:04

gonna keep it that way. Yeah. You're gonna is it original pain? Are

James Tillett: 38:09

you it is original paint. Wow. It's a 7575. Wow. But it's got some some rough spots going through. So I will have to get it repainted. Yeah. Before too long. But

Rick Ripma: 38:21

yeah, it's original paint. And you didn't buy it new but you bought you've had it a long, long time. Yeah, that's awesome. 30 years

James Tillett: 38:28

almost. Yeah, that's, that's awesome. That car is nine years older. And I am. See. And I'm probably 90 years older than you know, probably pretty close between you and Rick. That car

Rick Ripma: 38:40

cars. I was born well, before that car was made.

James Tillett: 38:44

Well, I was born well before that car was made to. So alright, well, I want to hurt anybody's feelings, mainly yours. I don't care about race. Alright, so we've all had new jobs. And we've all had to learn from doing things the wrong way. Is there any lesson you learned? Boy, that's a good question. I think the lesson is, is to be meticulous about the paperwork, especially if you miss something in that paperwork. It can be bad for your clients. And so as you go through that, and and there's one of the deals that we almost made a mistake. But thankfully, through the mentorship program I called said, Hey, can you check this over before I send it? And they caught it? And I said, Great, thank you. So that's the important part is being meticulous about how you set that thing up and what your client really wants and needs. In that paperwork. And I think it's important. Yeah, it's huge. I mean, we had a guy on the other day and he was talking that he did was not after the inspection came back they wanted to I'm a certified mold guy, and he just said certified guide. Well, guess what? You anybody can be certified,

Rick Ripma: 40:08

certified contractor.

James Tillett: 40:10

Yeah. So yeah, it's great that you had that mentorship that hey, look, can you just double check my work? And just make sure I'm not missing anything? Because you are correct is this stuff is very legal, legal as so to speak? Yes,

Rick Ripma: 40:24

it is. But it's not because you have the men or ship, it's also good that you have the you feel comfortable asking for the help to make sure it's okay. Because a lot of people won't do that.

James Tillett: 40:38

That's true. And I think that's what's nice about blueprint is because we truly are a team and a family. It, I can call any of the three managing brokers, and they will stop what they're doing, if the if it's possible, or they'll call me back as quickly as possible. And they will answer a question for me, either via text or call, or whatever, I need to make sure that they are good. That's

Rick Ripma: 41:03

awesome. That's awesome. So what has become clear to you, as you've aged?

James Tillett: 41:10

That I'm getting old. Yeah, well,

Rick Ripma: 41:13

we all are. Even Ian's getting old. He's just a guy who doesn't know it yet.

James Tillett: 41:20

I think as I've gotten older, I've learned that everything doesn't have to be fast. It can take time. And sometimes taking the time really is to your advantage as well as better for for you and whoever you're working with. Whoa, whoa, that's different from the whole norm of the United States of America. Everything has to be done now, sir. Well, I think in a lot of cases, people think that yeah, and in reality, it doesn't have to be it can be, you can decide how quickly or how slowly, you move through a process, as well as things that are happening in your personal life, how quickly or fastly fast things need to happen for you, and what you're comfortable with. So that's, that's what's nice about working with clients is you take their timeline, whether it means that they're ready to go, and they're a cash buyer, and they can close in 10 days, or whether it's a first time homebuyer and it's going to take 30 to 45 days to figure out what they want and get pre qualified and all those things, and then looking for houses another 30 days, and then closing another day, so it's gonna be 90 days. So that's the difference. There's a timeline for everything. And every person and individual has their own timeline. Yep. I I've had the same conversation with clients and I've always been like this. So there's think about it as getting a steak. If I go to Logan Steakhouse. I usually have it out and about 1012 minutes. I go to Ruth's Chris, I might have it out in about 45 minutes, but you know which one tastes better? Ruth, Chris.

Rick Ripma: 43:16

So I'm kind of surprised. Have you ever actually been to Ruth's Chris, you're not.

James Tillett: 43:20

I mean, wow. How old do you think I am? I can't afford that. Not not.

Rick Ripma: 43:25

No, because I know how. Oh, you and your wife?

James Tillett: 43:29

Yes. But sometimes, you must splurge every once in awhile. Okay, that's it. I'm glad you you know that. Yes. But there's nothing wrong with being frugal. No, there's

Rick Ripma: 43:38

no I'm not saying that. I just, you're just very frugal. So I'm impressed. I'm very

James Tillett: 43:45

frugal with my customers money too. So I don't want them to spend any more than they have to. I know

Rick Ripma: 43:49

you're frugal. He's, he's as frugal as well. I've met a lot of very frugal people that he's up there in the in the top tier of frugality. Well, that's good. Yes. Yeah, I'm frugal, but not not.

James Tillett: 44:03

My wife is very frugal, and I'm happy to have her on my team. Yes. That makes me be a little more frugal. Yeah. Yeah. And my wife and I've always joked, like, when we first got together, and we went grocery shopping, she'd stare at butter, and it'd be like five cents difference at this point. I'm like, I don't care. Just choose one. She's like, Well, no, this one or this one. So she frugal too, which actually cuts out a lot of arguments that we watch other couples have. So I'm like, Hey, Lisa married the right one. Exactly. That's the important thing. Yep. So when you're looking towards the future, and let's just say your ultimate goal. I mean, so not saying it's going to happen, but the thing if you're gonna say, hey, look, this is my dream. What would be your dream in the next 10 years? Oh, my gosh. That's a good question. I love real estate. Enough now that I think I'm going to be doing this for long term. And I'm getting pretty old. I'm probably as older older than Rick. But we'll have that. But I think just being able to, to grow the business enough that my wife or as you said, Ruth, frugal people, do we have enough that we are able to do what we want to do, and that's travel and do other things. Visit grandchildren and those type of things. All those things are, are important. And to have the time and the means to do that is really what I'm looking forward to.

Rick Ripma: 45:41

It's one of the beauties, I think of real estate, same as mortgage is that we don't have a retirement age and we don't have to retire. There are so many agents who I work with that have been in the business for 3040 50 years. I was just talking to one she's in her 70s. And still doing great, you know, and has a team and you're able to slow down. Yeah, right? And go do your travel and all that. But you're still able to make a good income and because it's so fun. It's enjoyable to do.

James Tillett: 46:16

Yeah, I think, I don't know who said it, but they said if you love what you're doing, you'll never work a day in your life. Right. And I think that's true. I don't think this is as as much work as I do. Just getting to know people and building the relationships, right?

Rick Ripma: 46:35

Yeah, cuz that's really what we talked about. It's really about the relationships. That's what it's all about. All right,

James Tillett: 46:40

so I gotta ask you this one last time. If somebody wants to get a hold of you talk real estate where they're buying selling, or they just have questions. What's best way to get ahold of you? Caller text 72089162237208916223 Call

Rick Ripma: 47:00

or text that number. If you have any real estate needs James has weighed in on your caller text.

James Tillett: 47:05

Absolutely. Buy Sell, investments, whatever you need. I'm here to take care of you. Perfect. Rick's been listening to me infomercials, did you hear that tagline?

Rick Ripma: 47:17

I think I got that from him probably. And if you have any real mortgage needs not real estate, he's called James for real real estate needs for any mortgage needs. Give Ian or I a call 317-672-1938 31767 to 1938. Or you can look us up online at HardWorkingMortgageGuys.com. That's HardWorkingMortgageGuys.com. And please follow us for more indies real estate gurus.

James Tillett: 47:42

And reminder. If you have any friends, family, coworkers looking to buy sell refinance, let us know more than happy. James, thank you for joining us on our show. It's been a pleasure having you on. Thank you. One of the things that you mentioned before is what? We

Rick Ripma: 47:56

need to talk about that Yes, before we end. So

James Tillett: 48:00

we we discussed before we started the show that I'm actually the Vice Chair for the state of Indiana for ESGR, which is Employer Support of the garden reserve. We're basically a DOD volunteer organization that educates and helps both employers and service members understand their rights and responsibilities under the uniform. You, you, Sarah, you uniformed services, Employment and Reemployment Rights Act. So I spent a lot of time doing that. And I really enjoy it. We work with veterans a lot in that process. And it's really been rewarding. Yeah.

Rick Ripma: 48:46

Well, thanks for doing that. That's really important. I think that's a very important I think we missed treat our veterans I don't think I really like this mystery. Maybe that is, but we certainly don't treat them the way they should be treated. When somebody gives up what they gave to to protect us.

James Tillett: 49:04

I think that's a true statement. We neglect them a lot. And I think that in sometimes the veteran themselves thinks well, that's okay. Because I'm not there to get the accolades. But I am there to serve the country and and really is that patriotic, patriotic duty towards the country, and I think we need to make sure that we take good care of them.

Rick Ripma: 49:29

Yeah, we do and support I agree. Rent NMLS

Announcer: 49:32

number 33041 Recruitment NMLS number 664589 You know, Arnold NMLS number is 195469 equal housing opportunity, some restrictions apply.