Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Young.
Hi Emily, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
About 5 years ago now I took a huge leap of faith and moved across the country solo to start a new life in Austin. I’m originally from Sunapee, New Hampshire, a tiny 3,000 person population town where everyone knows everyone, and there were only like 40 kids in the public school graduating class. So it was a big change! My first few years here, I had the time of my life but I struggled a lot financially. I had a degree in Journalism from the University of New Hampshire, but quickly realized that entry level writing jobs wouldn’t quite cut it to fully support myself, especially being totally on my own over 2000 miles away from home, and picked up a serving job at a local family-run Italian restaurant. In September 2019, I was part of an accident caused by a drunk driver and sustained injuries including a concussion, burns on my arms, and later found out through X-rays that my back had been knocked askew and I had a pelvic tilt, meaning one of my hips sat higher than the other. Working in restaurants involves a lot of being on your feet (pretty much 100% of the time) and I could no longer physically do the job for long hours without being in intense discomfort. I knew I had to rethink my future again, and started applying for office jobs.
During all this time, I was also actively pursuing an interest in social media and content curation in my free time. One thing that always stuck with me from my years as a journalism major, was that social media following has become as good as currency. When I first arrived in Austin, I think I had maybe 600 followers. I met up with as many local photographers as I could to collaborate on photoshoots, started to build more of a following, and eventually reached my big goal of exceeding 10k followers on Instagram. But I still wasn’t making any money from it.
In late 2019, all my job applications finally presented an opportunity to work as an Operations Director for a new tech and food catering start-up that was establishing an office in Austin. I started my new role in February 2020, about 3 weeks before Covid hit and the whole world went on lockdown. Pivoting the company’s business plan to stay afloat, we started participating in government-funded disaster relief programs, delivering meals to local non-profit organizations and schools. Over the course of April 2020-June 2021, I had personally organized the logistics of delivering over half a million meals to those in need in the Austin area. While I was beyond proud of myself and my company for what we were able to achieve, my position came with a lot of responsibility and stress that started to negatively impact my mental health. So yet again, I went back to the career drawing board and signed up for real estate classes.
When I finally got my license, I accepted a job at an apartment-locating brokerage that has over 100k followers on Instagram, and which funny enough, was the same company that helped me find my first apartment in Austin. That’s when my life changed in the most positive way that I never thought would be possible. I started using my social media presence for my business, posting videos of the coolest apartments in the city, and things haven’t slowed down since. Today, I’ve helped over 100 people find their new homes in Austin.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has definitely not been a smooth road at all! I was raised by a single mom who taught me how to work hard and never give up, so I truly think nothing really worth having is easy. Other than the struggles I talked about in my previous answer, I also experienced homesickness (especially throughout the pandemic when I couldn’t visit my family), worked through some mental health issues, and went through a break-up. I racked up some credit card debt my first year here since I wasn’t making enough at first to afford rent AND all the new furniture I needed – so I lived in a totally empty apartment for a while except for a mattress on the floor. I made a lot of mistakes, some of which I’m still working on mending. But I don’t have any regrets, since everything that happened has led me to where I’m at now.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I pretty much eat, sleep, and breathe apartments! My service is totally free to my clients, as I earn a living entirely through commissions from the properties I refer my clients to. When I accept a new client, I’ll talk to them about their criteria and then run a personalized search and put together a curated list of options that will match what they’re looking for. From there, they pick out favorites and I also handle scheduling tours for them. Once we find an apartment they want to apply for, all they have to do is list me as their referral source on their application, and that’s how I’m compensated for my work! So it’s super straight forward but can save my clients tons of time and stress from looking on their own. I specialize in luxury leasing in the central area and downtown, but I can also help with locating apartments anywhere in the general Austin metro area and its surrounding cities. I’ve become known for my social media content, regularly posting reels on Instagram of apartment walk-throughs, which has really helped me with lead generation and expanding my personal network. I think people come to me not just because they like the deals I’m posting, but also because I make an effort to share my real personality with all my followers/clients, and people can see my passion and know they’re going to be in good hands with me. Other than apartment videos, I also have a passion for festival fashion and dance music, so I love making posts that showcase my fun side so people can see I’m not just all business.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
Risk-taking might as well be on the cover of my autobiography at this point if moving across the country alone fresh out of college without any real savings is any indication of what type of person I am! Beyond that obvious risk, getting started in real estate was also a huge gamble. I left a comfortable corporate job where I had health, dental and vision insurance, shares in the company, a retirement plan, and a reliable bi-weekly salary for a commission-based job with no insurance or other benefits, and no guarantee what-so-ever of regular income. I think for a lot of people, Covid really changed the way we think about the path to success and it’s no longer the traditional idea of climbing the corporate ladder. I wanted to take my future into my own hands and the only way I could do that was with a huge risk. During my first few months as an agent, I questioned my decision multiple times and often doubted the feasibility of real estate as a long-term career. Getting started in real estate is an uphill battle since it can take months to start seeing any income from it as you work on building a pipeline and gaining knowledge about the rental market. Most new agents end up quitting after their first year. In order to be successful, you really have to hustle.
Now, I make my own hours and work from home, and have the flexible lifestyle I’ve always dreamed of where I can take care of business, but also take care of myself. I try to build relationships with all my clients so I get to meet some pretty amazing people, and it’s so rewarding getting to be a positive part of someone else’s new journey. It’s been a long road with lots of bumps, but I definitely feel like I finally found my calling and I’m so excited to wake up every day and do what I’m doing now. I think risks are always worth taking if they’re going to positively benefit your life in the long run, but you have to be willing to fully commit and see something through.
Pricing:
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