Today we’d like to introduce you to Madison Hildebrand
Hi Madison, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Real Estate has been my career for the past 17 years, since I was 26 years of age. I had recently graduated from Pepperdine University and was still living in Malibu, CA with no plans on leaving this beautiful beachside town. As I thought about my degree, a B.A. in Advertising, the long hours and low pay that were infamous for that career path, I started looking into other options and passions of mine. One of those passions was real estate, which still incorporated advertising/marketing. In addition, my family moved us across 5 states and 7 different cities, all before I was 18, which I felt gave me some real estate exposure and experience.
It was shortly after obtaining my real estate license that I sold my first $3 million home, and before the first year of my career ended, I had $17 million in sales under my belt. I hustled, all day, every day! That same year, Bravo TV’s “Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles” show was starting their first season and asked me to be a part of it. That first season aired in my second year of the business and so began my double career, as I continued filming for 13 years completing 99 episodes over 10 seasons. I retired from the show about 5 years ago and focus solely on real estate.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Is life ever smooth all the time? Not at all. Between health issues, difficult clients, jealous colleagues and market shifts the highs were high and the lows were difficult indeed. However, as I have grown to learn over the years, the ebbs and flows of this business are extreme at times, and to be successful I had to be prepared for either case – whether that meant keeping 6 months worth of funds for those rainy days (figuratively and literally as the last two winters in SoCal have been wetter than ever), or staff trained and ready to join the team for those busier times.
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?
My business name is something I trademarked and incorporated almost from day one, The Malibu Life. I chose to make this my company name, instead of using my personal name, for two reasons: firstly, because I knew I wanted to have other agents working on my team, and using my name would have made that harder for everyone, and secondly, because as independent contractors agents would often change brokerages throughout their careers (for a multitude of reasons) and in order to insulate myself from this potential hassle of rebranding I decided that The Malibu Life could always stand alone as its own brand regardless of which brokerage I worked for. If it were just my name, then I would be more obligated to have to follow the branding of whatever brokerage I worked for.
It hindsight, it was the best move as I started my career at Coldwell Banker, then left to join Partners Trust as a Founding Partner of the Malibu Office, which was then purchased by Pacific Union and just eight months after that acquisition Compass bought Pacific Union. Meanwhile, The Malibu Life was consistent and present throughout these times.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
If you are a new or aspiring agent I can tell you that it is not as easy as these reality shows make it look. You have to realize that you don’t get paid unless you are closing deals, so you need to have a minimum of 6-12 months of living expense in the bank as well as money to invest into your business.
Also, I think it is best to start with whichever brokerage offers the most intensive, free training program as that gives you the foundation you need to start “walking the walk and talking the talk”. In addition, when interviewing the different agencies to hang your license with, make a list of them prioritizing them in the order you desire, then begin to set up your interviews starting with the brokerage at the bottom of the list until you work your way to the top. I suggest this because each interview and experience will give you more insight, prepare you for the types of questions and answers that matter most, and ultimately land you the company you want to work, and hopefully at the best split possible since you know what the others were offering and can use that to secure your position and pay at the top choice.
Best of luck!
Pricing:
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Contact Info:
- Website: https://themalibulife.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madisonmalibu
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themalibulife
- Twitter: https://x.com/MadisonMalibu
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMalibuLifeTeam
