local storiesApril 27, 2022

Hidden Gems: Meet Ernie Stone

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ernie Stone.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?

I got started in real estate in 2017 when my wife suggested I get my license.

At the time, I was working at the local newspaper and college as a sports writer, and moonlighting as a comedian by driving 35 miles into Hollywood for open mics and shows after work. We actually met at an open mic I was doing, and ten months later we were married.

I never even considered a real estate career until we moved into our first apartment together within a few blocks of Hancock Park.

On my morning runs I drew a lot of inspiration from the amazing architecture and historical charm of the Larchmont area, and I started my pre-licensing to become a real estate agent.

Around the same time, I began my certification for coaching tennis. I used it as a way to build my network, and to make friends while my real estate career became more consistent. That’s basically how everything has materialized so far.

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.

I had to drive Uber to pay bills for a solid year, I’ve had injuries from tennis, I thought about quitting real estate a lot, and probably would have if not for my business partner holding me accountable and keeping me motivated.

The biggest struggle in becoming a listing agent specifically is walking away from deals knowing that you need the money.

Becoming a prolific listing agent takes years of contacts, and follow-ups, it is much more comprehensive to set up the fundamentals and establish a real cash flow, it requires almost delusional confidence that the process will pay off. Real estate especially is about being patient and trusting that the inputs of today will equal outputs tomorrow.

There’s also no real roadmap in real estate, you have to figure out from trial and error what the best use of your time is. I would say that the reason I didn’t make any progress in the business until recently was that I wasted too much time on tasks that I thought were important but turned out to be completely irrelevant.

Unfortunately, the only way to know a prospect “isn’t real” or that an activity “doesn’t lead to sales” is to engage in it and be broke and realize things have to be done differently.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
First and foremost, my job as an agent is representing the best interest of the real estate investors and clients that I’m working with. It’s my duty to simplify the process of buying and selling real estate, and to earn clients top dollar by creating win-win scenarios.

I would say what sets me apart is the business model that I’ve been able to create because of my wide range of skills. My writing, comedy, and tennis have given me a psychotic work ethic, a nuanced understanding of how communication works between people, and an appreciation for helping people at a high level.

I don’t have any fake friends. I build deep and thoughtful connections with people, and only insert myself in situations when I know I can bring value to the table for that person, or I feel like I need to be honest or direct to accomplish a critical task.

I think the work it took to build our team and the personal journey I’ve had to go through to get here are also what have refined me to be a high level salesperson.

My business partner and I also do a great job of representing the sentiments of luxury real estate well, without being pretentious or hard to approach.

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I think I definitely got lucky with meeting my wife, Lana.

Centering my life around our relationship has led me to pursue the career opportunities that have made me who I am. So my entire trajectory would have been different if we never met.

The odds are so low you find someone truly perfect for you. So we have been together for six years now with almost no issues at all… that’s lucky. It’s hard to pin down just how huge of an impact it is living a life with a stable and happy spouse, it changes your mood, your actions and your life. So for that, I’m lucky I am batting 1.000 on who I married.

Contact Info:

Email: ernie.stone@compass.com
Website: louisdelaura.com
Instagram: @ernieserves_la
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ernherschel91
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOhrt3qWUYUwQr1HP7BZ7fw

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