From Single Mom and Teacher to 74 Homes in Year One

Matt Brady, the Carolina Mortgage Coach, welcomed Pressly Ramey of EXP Realty to Behind the Closing Table for a candid conversation about launching a real estate career from scratch, pricing homes in today’s market, and why investing looks very different than it did a year ago.

Pressly had her first daughter at nineteen as a single mom in college and studied early childhood education, which led to five years teaching in public school. Her father is a tax and financial planner who invested in commercial, raw land, residential, and multifamily real estate, so she grew up watching the business. In 2020, while pregnant with her youngest daughter, she planned to take six months off from teaching and decided to get her real estate license, figuring even one flip a year could match a teacher’s salary. She finished her online course while up every night with a newborn, and sold 74 homes her first year with no team, no mentor, and no paid leads. She never returned to the classroom, but still gives back to teachers through Scholastic books and stuffed animal drives.

What Set Her Apart

Pressly credits fearlessness, hustle, and discipline. She says no room intimidates her, from a table with billionaires to a foreclosure auction, and that confidence, even when you are faking it until you make it, is how you survive. She grew her business entirely through sphere of influence and social media, has never paid for a real estate lead, and says social media produces roughly a million dollars a year in business for free. Another edge was a strong eye for design and for after repair value, which helped clients see immediate equity.

She has little faith in paid online lead generation, noting that agents often give up 50 to 70 percent of their split to portals. Her view is that your cell phone and consistent effort deliver the best return.

A Listing-Focused Team

Pressly intentionally moved to a listing-focused model so she could scale her other businesses, and her team now handles most buyer work. She leans on packages that bring her construction team in before listing: neutral paint, updated lighting, an accent wall, staging, deep cleaning, and landscaping, with the work floated to closing. She tells clients that once they hire her, it is her opinion of what sells, not theirs, and she is willing to carry the risk. She also cautions agents to be careful about liability and insurance when offering these services.

Her team is capped at a few agents, each with a defined role such as property management, broker in charge, or showings. She no longer puts her license on anything she has a financial interest in. Under the EXP organization she can bring agents in without the pressure of managing a large production team, and she wants them to build passive income and invest.

Pricing and the Current Market

Pressly says the data is out the window right now. She has personally invested in properties where the numbers show 50 to 70 thousand dollars of equity, and the market says otherwise. Her advice to sellers is to be transparent, patient, and realistic, since the market determines value. She is still seeing full price offers after 80 days on market, so a long time on market does not automatically mean a home is overpriced. New builders buying rates down to around 4 percent also compete with remodeled ranches. Matt adds that sellers who bought three to five years ago and did nothing to the house should not expect big appreciation, because the 20 percent annual jumps of the COVID era are gone.

Investing Right Now

Her first investment was a remodel in Bessemer City funded by private money at 12 percent interest, which also produced a free lot she used to partner with a builder. She says she would structure that deal very differently today, bringing the land to the table and splitting profits.

For beginners, she says the deals have never been better for those with capital, since people cannot sell. After five years of buying and selling 30 to 50 homes a year, she is currently finding success only with buy and hold. She is also using two-year leases with an option to purchase, giving tenants a portion of their rent toward equity, which tends to attract better tenants. Her biggest mistakes for new investors are being unprepared and overimproving a property for the neighborhood. Her father’s advice is to deduct 20 percent from your projected ARV and see if the deal still works. She also suggests looking beyond hot areas like Fort Mill and Charlotte, since outskirts such as Gaston County offer more margin and less risk, and always having three exit strategies.

Rapid Fire and Closing Thoughts

In a quick round, Pressly said the highest offer is not always the best, most realtors have a follow-up problem, you make your money when you buy, and a seller should consider a cash offer. Her advice to her nineteen-year-old self is simply to keep going. At the closing table she wants clients to feel peace, education, and no pressure.

Connect With Pressly Ramey

Pressly’s social links are in the comments of the video and blog. Reach out for buying, selling, or investment deals.

Matt Brady is the Carolina Mortgage Coach, helping buyers and investors across the Carolinas with financing. Reach out to Matt to talk through your next purchase.

Sources

CarolinaRealtors.com
NAR.realtor
Realtor.com
FreddieMac.com
ConsumerFinancialProtectionBureau.gov