There’s no better way to hold yourself accountable for achieving your goals than telling other people what you’re planning to do.  With that in mind, I sat down with Envision Advisors agent Leah Keeling to find out how well she hit last year’s goals and what she plans to do in 2022. 

About Leah

Before real estate, Leah worked in hospitality at a 5-star resort in Colorado Springs.  This experience helped fine-tune her people skills, in addition to honing her ability to multitask and be quick on her feet.  She worked in that industry for eight years before deciding it was time to scale up.  She’d reached the ceiling of what she could accomplish there, so she pivoted to real estate.

This turned out to be a great move: last year, she won Rookie of the Year with Your Castle Real Estate!

Evaluating Last Year’s Goals

Last year, Leah focused on establishing herself in her new career and increasing her financial stability. 

Find a Local Brokerage

When Leah started as an agent, she worked with a big-name brokerage the first six months.  She realized that she wasn’t getting the support she needed as a brand-new agent, so she wanted to make a switch.  She got a call from Tijae Stevens with Shorewood Real Estate, had a meeting that went well, and joined them.  She loved being part of a local Colorado company. 

Thanks to Shorewood’s affiliation with Your Castle, we were able to bring her into Envision Advisors.

Double 2020 Sales

Not only did Leah double her 2020 sales, she quadrupled them.  Her original goal was to close 12 properties, but with the momentum she had going, she upped her goal to 20.  By the end of the year, her total closed properties was 22. 

Pay off All Credit Cards and Put Six Months of Living Expenses into Reserves

Before real estate, Leah’s main goal was pay her bills and keep a roof over her daughter’s head.  She relied on credit card debt just to survive.  Thanks to her success as an agent, she was able to adjust that goal to becoming debt free. 

Last year, she paid off all of her debt, and her credit score is shooting through the roof.  It was scary going from a W2 job to 1099, so being able to have reserves was the most important thing for her.  Achieving this goal makes her feel much better and is a huge milestone. 

Making Goals for 2022

Leah’s goals for this year are already shaping up to be a success.

Agent goals

Although she’s hesitant to put it on paper, Leah would love to double her sales from last year.  While rising interest rates and low inventory will make it more difficult, this goal is still achievable. 

Her main focus is on learning and growing as an agent.  Every transaction is different, so there’s a lot to take in and absorb.  She’s constantly learning and growing, which is helping her improve as an agent.

Another goal for our whole team is to expand down to Pueblo.  We want do 15 transactions down there, as well as create more content focused on this area.  We’re all excited for what this market has to offer our clients.

Investing Goals

Leah is excited to start investing in real estate.  Her goal for this year is to build up her reserves so she can hit the ground running in 2023.  She wants to buy two properties: one primary residence that she intends on Nomading and a pure investment property in Pueblo. 

In order to achieve this goal, she wants to build up six months of reserves, enough for down payments, and personal reserves.  I love that Leah is focusing on reserves, since that’s an aspect of investing that I think is really important.

Personal Goals

Leah already achieved her first personal goal for the year: take her mom on a trip to Hawaii.  This was the biggest dream of her adult life, and I’m glad she was able to spend time as a family in a great location. 

The second goal she has is finding a better work life balance.  As Leah’s clients know, she works tirelessly for them.  It’s hard for her to balance her personal and business time when she loves what she does.  But she also catches herself pulling out her laptop at night when she’s supposed to be unwinding. 

This year, she wants to find the healthy medium between working all the time and finding the best deals for her clients. 

Connect with Leah

I’m excited to see Leah work toward her goals this year, and I know she’ll equip herself with everything she needs to achieve them. 

If you have any questions for Leah or want her to help you find a property, reach out to her at [email protected]. 

YouTube Video

2022 Goal Setting with Leah Keeling with Envision Advisors

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