Behind the Scenes at Noll Team Real Estate With David Hodgman
Real Estate Careers · From Moving Fort Wayne
Behind the Scenes at Noll Team Real Estate With David Hodgman
Most episodes of Moving Fort Wayne feature Realtors talking about the market. This one is different. Host Brad Noll brings on David Hodgman, office manager at Noll Team Real Estate, to show listeners how the team really works behind the scenes.
Brad explains why that matters. There are more than 1,500 Realtors in Allen County and about 1.5 million across the country, so anyone going through a lifestyle change has plenty of choices when deciding who to hire. Seeing how a team is built, he says, helps people understand what they are actually getting.
David describes his job simply: making sure everything behind the scenes goes smoothly, from day to day operations to supporting the team, so clients can win and feel confident. "My number one goal is just to serve others well," he says.
From Client to Team Member
David first came to Noll Team as a client. One of the team's agents helped him and his wife buy their first home while he was working at a bank. When the team posted an opening for a transaction coordinator, his wife told him it was a perfect fit. David read the description and was not so sure. "I don't know what any of this is," he remembers thinking. He trusted her instincts and applied.
Brad says that opening drew more applicants than any position in the team's 20 year history. During interviews, every candidate was asked which of the team's five core values they connected with most: serve others, earn everything, grow constantly, win together, and always represent. Out of about 12 applicants, David was the only one to say serve others, which is the team's number one value. He connects it to his faith, and Brad connects it to the heart of any service business.
“I'm cool, calm, collected on top. And underneath, man, I'm just paddling like crazy, just trying to keep it going.”
David Hodgman
Why the Team Is Built for Capacity
Noll Team Realtors have four jobs: build relationships, list homes, show homes, and negotiate deals. Brad knows what it is like to do everything alone. For his first four years in real estate he had no staff and worked 60 to 70 hours a week, sometimes waking up at 11 at night worried that a piece of paperwork was due by midnight. "I can't imagine going at this business alone," he says, with hundreds of thousands of dollars of negotiation on the line.
Capacity, Brad says, is something every consumer should look for, whether hiring a Realtor or a contractor. He cites National Association of Realtors figures that about 60 to 65 percent of a typical agent's business comes from repeat clients and referrals. For Noll Team, that number has long been in the 90 percent range. That means agents spend most of their time serving clients instead of chasing the next lead to pay the bills.
David's role makes that possible. He calls himself an air traffic controller, keeping transactions, marketing, and the office all moving in the right direction. Brad builds on the picture: the Realtors are the pilots, the clients are the passengers, and everyone flies to the destination the client chooses. He adds one more comparison, calling David the head chef in a high-end restaurant who makes sure every dish goes out just right.
A Proven Process That Keeps Improving
Over the last several years, Brad says the team has grown from about 130 transactions a year to more than 225 families served this year. David has been part of that growth since his days as transaction coordinator, and Brad gave him the freedom to make the process his own. "Grow constantly is one of our core values," David says.
That means the process is never finished. If clients keep asking for something, it gets added. If a step is redundant, it gets cut. "Just because we have a proven process, it's a great framework, but it doesn't mean that, hey, this is what we're going to be doing for the next 20 years," David says. Today a support staff of virtual assistants and interns helps keep transactions smooth from contract to close.
David compares himself to a duck on the water: calm on top, paddling hard underneath. "We're happy to take on that stress so that our clients don't have to," he says.
One-on-Ones, Team Meetings, and Trusted Partners
Every week David meets one-on-one with each Realtor along with the team's client care assistant. They review every transaction so updates from lenders and clients reach the back office, and they talk about each agent's goals and how they are doing. He holds weekly meetings with interns and virtual assistants, too. Brad calls those meetings the secret sauce behind the team's advice. He also shares a perspective that might surprise people: the team's number one client is its own team members, because if they are not supported, they cannot serve clients well.
David also organizes team meetings with outside guests. After hearing from many lenders, the team asked for more variety, so David began bringing in title companies, contractors, roofers, and other trusted partners. Here is why that matters for clients:
- Agents can confidently introduce clients to vendors they have met, from roofers to furnace and pool professionals.
- Homeowners get help keeping their homes in great shape for the day they sell.
- Agents learn current trends, like the lighting, audio, and home automation features an audio video partner presented this summer.
- Clients get advice that helps them save time, reduce stress, and keep more money in their pocket.
What Should You Look for When Choosing a Realtor?
Brad's answer is character and competence. Character asks, can I trust you? Competence asks, are you good at what you do? He is gracious about people who hire a friend or family member who just got their license. "I was new at one point and people trusted me," he says. But for most people's largest financial decision, both questions matter.
Brad notes that an average transaction involves about 26 people and roughly 100 tasks, and the team is working to bring that down to 80. David keeps all of it organized so agents can stay focused on clients. He does not need the spotlight. At client events he sometimes meets people for the first time whose addresses he already knows by heart. Brad points to a quote from his basketball days: it is amazing how much a team can accomplish when no one cares who gets the credit.
The feedback David loves most is when clients say the move was easy. When asked to thank someone, he names his wife for encouraging him to take the leap and his parents for teaching him work ethic. Brad closes with a line attributed to Pablo Picasso: the meaning of life is to find your gift, and the purpose of life is to give it away.
▶ Listen to the full episode
Meet the Air Traffic Controller of Real Estate: David Hodgman, on Moving Fort Wayne.
Work with the Noll Team
Ready to make your move?
Since 2003, Noll Team Real Estate has been helping people in the Fort Wayne area find the freedom to live the lifestyle they want. Tell us where you are headed and we will build the plan around your life.