616 REALTY’s Agent Matt Mouser — Hockey-Lover, Problem-Solver, and Relationship-Builder
Hockey-Lover
Serendipity
Because of Matt Mouser’s love for hockey, he left warm and sunny California at 16 years of age for cold, hockey-loving Marquette, Michigan. His parents sent him to live with sponsors so he could participate in the game he loved. After graduation, he stayed and attended Northern Michigan University. While there, his parents contacted an agent and purchased a rental place for Matt and his friends. In that moment–serendipity; Matt Mouser’s real estate career began.
It never hurts to ask
“I kind of befriended my parent’s agent and told him, ‘Hey, if you ever need help, I would be interested in interning.’ He reached out to me 6-8 months later and said he needed an assistant. He was a very successful agent up there. One of his biggest customers was the largest private landowner this side of the Mississippi. The agent was listing and dividing entire subdivisions, selling out whole lots, houses, and commercial buildings. I got a ton of experience with a ton of transactions very quickly at 21 years of age.” Seizing the opportunity and not being afraid to ask, opened the “real estate” door for Matt. Although he went on to earn the sports science degree he had planned on, he decided that instead of continuing on the physical therapy path, he would continue the real estate journey.
Problem-Solver
Into the Fire
Matt was thrown into the fire from day one. “The average realtor does five or six transactions a year. The agent I was working for was doing 50 or 60 a year, so I was getting a ton of experience. I remember the first day I started, he dropped off 30-something vacant lots, entire subdivisions to input and handle. I had to sit there and learn. He taught me to read surveys, how to read a legal description and what it meant… the dimensions, easements, a lot of technical stuff. It was a lot more technical than what I deal with now, but it was good because it gave me a lot of experience very quickly. And now, transactions are easier today.”
Putting the puzzle together
Those initial experiences in real estate taught him how to see the different puzzle pieces in real estate deals and how to put them together. “There isn’t anything technical that I probably haven’t gone through. There’s not a technical issue with an easement, a problem with the title work, or anything with a house or the land that I haven’t probably gone through in a more difficult way at some point. My customers are confident that if something should come up, a problem, I will likely have a solution that can help them move forward without much pain at all.”
One real estate puzzle he pieced together was for his best friend. “I was trying to find him a place during the pandemic. He needed a specific location and a specific home. I had been searching and searching, but there wasn’t a ton out there. I live in East Grand Rapids and had seen a home being renovated eight months prior. I wondered what they were doing with it.” Using those problem-solving skills, he contacted the builder. “We talked a bit. He was originally building it for himself.” It turned out his plans had changed. “I told him about my clients. He was interested, and they were able to customize the last few finishes. It wasn’t easy. Every step was a challenge. In the end, the builder was able to unload a property he no longer wanted, and my client and friend got a great home. It was fun to go the extra mile.”
Handling today’s real estate challenges
Being a 20 plus year veteran in the business helps Matt steer his clients through the challenges facing buyers today. “There are always challenges to be had in the real estate market. Whether we are in a limited inventory or not. If you are with a newer agent who doesn’t have 20 years of past clients in their database, you won’t have access to as many resources. New agents aren’t able to reach out to past clients and see if they might be looking to sell in the near future and find a property that isn’t even on the market yet.”
Matt can also help clients navigate high-interest rates. “There are interest rates solutions and lending products, like going into a portfolio product, a jumbo loan, or seller financing that helps mitigate those high-interest rates. I have been in markets like this and been in markets where rates were really low. It’s explaining to clients that the market cycle isn’t permanent, and advising them that they can get an adjustable rate so that they can refinance later. Sometimes, they need a professional to explain the market cycles and that there are things we can do to help.”
Building relationships
Referrals Only
That early relationship with his parent’s agent also taught him the importance of putting stock and time into relationships. “I work exclusively by referral. It is important to me to provide a first-class experience from start to finish.” Working off referrals also, “causes me to think very long term through transactions. It forces me to always do what is right for the client. I don’t ever want to put someone in a house that doesn’t work for them. I have to get people in the right home. I want to build relationships.”
Other Agents
He not only puts stock in his client relationships but his relationships with other agents. “I have an amazing relationship with a lot of agents, especially ones I have done a lot of transactions in the past. When you have those relationships, it goes a lot smoother when you know you can trust them and what you can expect, and you know how they are going to behave on the other side. A lot of transactions still revolve around trust, trust between buyer and seller as well as the listing agent.”
Joining 616 REALTY
Matt came over to 616 REALTY four years ago with a group of agents leaving a brokerage that wasn’t going in the right direction, and “It’s been great. There was a big upheaval. The top 10 agents got together and talked about what we thought was the best brokerage. We met Scot. He is a great broker. It runs exactly how we would want it to if we were to start one from scratch. It gives you enough support structure, resources for branding and logos on the back end, and it gives you a lot of freedom to run your business the way you see fit.” He admits that being an agent for one of the biggest brokerages, Remax, can be a hindrance. “Everything you did had to go through red tape. It was difficult to get much done. It became a pain to try and get things done. Scot gives us a lot of trust.”
Matt’s advice for buyers
“They need to get a referral to a very good local agent in the area where you are looking to buy. Trust and lean on your agent. Get referrals from friends and family with a track record of success. There are a lot of multiple offer situations with the inventory shortage. We have a lot of first-time buyers who have never done this before. We are asking them to write really big offers over the asking price on their first home. We are asking them to waive inspections, put a lot of money down, and do a lot of crazy things…so they need an agent that will explain to them the reasons for it and help them mitigate their risks and worries.”
Matt’s advice to sellers
His advice is the same. “Find a great local agent who has a lot of success selling your home in the area.”
If you are looking for an agent with a ton of experience, who provides first class service from the beginning of your real estate transaction to the end, then 616 REALTY’s agent Matt Mouser is the agent for you. He has 20 years of diverse real estate transactions and knows to solve even the most complex problems. And, he loves the challenge. “I provide a lot of value for my clients. They (clients) don’t sell or buy houses often, now on average it is every 10 or 11 years. So they don’t do this very often and it changes; they need someone in their corner to manage the largest purchase or sale and that is what I do.”
Call Matt Mouser today with any of your real estate needs.