Roh: I Want Everyone to Win
Roh's thoughts on thinking outside of the box and finding the balance between work and family life.
Bravotv.com: It seemed like your business partner, Joel was not pleased with the Bootie Party you threw for listing. Were you surprised he didn't like your strategy? Would you ever throw another bootie party?
Roh Habibi: That was a sticky situation to be in. I was doing my best to think outside of the box and change the demographic of a neighborhood by pumping in some young energy. Real estate takes creativity and a little bit of risk. In the end, my method worked as the buyers for the home came from my Bootie Party. Joel has been doing this for nearly 25 years and has sold $700,000,000 in real estate. After that amount of time and proven success some may get stuck in their ways. It's like elderly people learning technology; it is difficult for them. I just started teaming up with Joel on different projects since October of 2014. We have a good dynamic as I am 31 and Joel is 61 and we are always learning from each other. I will definitely throw more bootie parties!
Bravotv.com: In the episode you explain how depending on the demographic you highlight different aspects of the listing. Can you explain your strategy behind that?
RH: It is very important to be aware of who your audience is, that is why we have two ears and one mouth, so we listen more. After you have learned the lifestyle of your prospective buyer you can really highlight and push the "hot buttons" for them. Is it accessible to transportation, silence, privacy, walkability, etc.? Different age groups look for different aspects of a property as well. One notable instance is families with children enjoy all of the bedrooms to be on the same level whereas singles, gay couples, empty nesters may not pay too much attention to it.
Bravotv.com: We catch a glimpse of you managing both dad life and work life when your wife, Shugufa tries to get you to bottle train your daughter and at the same time you receive a work call. Can you discuss how you find the balance between those two worlds?
RH: I am still working on it and it's a big deal in my life. I am currently reading a great book called "First Things First" by Stephen Covey. It talks about paying the most attention to the things that matter the most in your life. At the end of the day money comes and goes, jobs come and go, experiences come and go, but family and raising a child is of utmost importance. Zahra is a cutie and I adore her and her mother.
Bravotv.com: When Brenda told you that the $6.2M offer wasn't good enough and told you to go back to your potential buyer and ask for more money, did you think they would really come up by $100,000? Or did you think you would have to start from square one?
RH: The $6.2 offer was a fantastic offer! I told Brenda that home was worth $6 million from the get go; sellers have their own idea on what their home is worth. If a buyer has that much money in the game $100,000 more will not make or break them. At the same time a seller should not get greedy and let $100,000 kill the deal. Ego plays a huge factor in our business and everyone needs to feel like they came out on top and "won." I am an intermediary in this process. I want everyone to win.
Bravotv.com: Have you ever gone back to a potential buyer and asked for more money when they said this was their final offer?
RH: My fiduciary duty is to my clients. I work for them and I am a soldier in the front lines for them. I professionally consult and advise them, but if they want me to jump head long into a negotiation that's what I'll do. It usually ends up very positive having me go to bat for them.
