About Me

Happy 20th Realtor Anniversary to me!

by John Rice

This month marks my 20th year as a Realtor.

I had always wanted to be in real estate. I wanted to do it all. I wanted to be a Realtor, renovate houses, be a landlord and build houses. I have done all of those other than building a house. Guess there is still time.

When I was in high school, one of my favorite things to do was skip school and drive around neighborhoods all over town. I got to where I knew most every street. One day a friend of mine and I were talking about where something was and I started naming streets and talking about the area. He said I was quite “The LEXpert.” Thank you Bo List. I had no idea that one day I would trademark that name for my brokerage.

Many other realtors back then didn’t think I would make it. Why? I did not want to waste my time doing the old school versions of making Tiktok reels, which were mailing people stuff throughout the year like UK sports schedules, calendars and junk to remind them you are a realtor. I remember saying that if my clients didn’t remember me when it came time to buy or sell, or when their friends or family asked for a recommendation, then I didn’t deserve to be remembered. Guess it worked since I rarely have a client who hasn’t used me before or hasn’t been sent by somebody who has.

Those early years were fun. Everything was an adventure and new. I sure learned a lot about myself, others, houses, mortgages, title work and about everything else a good realtor needs to know about.

I’ve been told I should write a book someday about my adventures. Maybe I will. I could go on and on about many of them here but I’ll save you the time. I’ve been stuck in an elevator, opened doors in houses and found people asleep, I’ve chased pets that have escaped, I’ve been chased by pets, my car has been keyed while showing a house, and I once found a naked guy playing guitar in a house that was supposed to be vacant. Sound like a book you might buy?

I could not have gotten here without a whole lot of people. Clearly my parents are at the top of that list. My wife put up with me being gone many evenings over the years and always having to reply to calls/texts during every vacation we have ever been on since I got my real estate license. Many friends would watch my two sons when they were young so I could go show houses when my wife was at work….the Ponders, the Boyds, The Davises, The Jones, The Leahys, Amanda Brady. I have Kris Vanzant and the whole Vanzant family to thank for giving a loud and obnoxious guy in shorts and sandals a chance to work with them and learn from their real estate wisdom. I also have my best friend Shaun Ring to thank. He is the one who said back in about 2009 that I should do this new thing called blogging. He has also said I should have a podcast, but nah. He is a realtor who got into this about the same time I did so Happy 20th Anniversary to him as well. His first sale was my first listing. It has been a great 20 years with him. And then there is you. I reckon if you are reading this, you are a friend, client or just somebody who cares enough to get this far into this post.

I will be a very old man 20 years from now. I plan on still being here though to write a little about what the next 20 years holds for me.

Guess how long I’ve been a Realtor

by John Rice

N I N E T E E N

Y E A R S

That’s how long I’ve been a realtor. March 2005. It’s kind of hard for me to believe. One day I’m the new kid in town fresh with enthusiasm. Then all the sudden all this time passes. Now I’m the old dude with all the wisdom and experience that one only gains with time.

I was going to write about all the changes in real estate over the course of my career. I was going to say that while there have been changes in execution, pretty much everything is still the same. I even had some analogy about how whether you had a YETI or a Stanley Cup, what you put inside is the same and they both serve the same purpose.

But I will skip all that. Maybe next year.

So what am I going to say in this post? I am going to talk about how it feels having been a realtor for this long.

It’s been a great ride overall. Remember, I was the kid who was reading the real estate section of the Sunday newspaper. I would skip school once I got my driver’s license and cruise around neighborhoods looking at houses. I had no idea that one day I would be able to check out the inside of some of the houses that caught my eye.

I also had no idea the success this would bring. Pretty much everybody I told I was going into real estate said “Oh, you’ll do great at that!” I had no idea what they meant but I appreciated the encouragement. I had no idea that I would become one of the top producing realtors when at my peak. It was a lot of fun to reach that level. LOL, I don’t know if I want to do that again though. It was so much stress. I am much happier now and think I am a better realtor only being up to my shoulders with work instead of drowning in it.

Another feeling I have is gratitude. I am smart enough to realize none of this would have happened without my family, friends and clients.

My wife would keep dinner warm on the stove all those nights I had to work. Often I would have paperwork to do and she would bring a plate up to my office. I would not have been able to have gotten into real estate if she didn’t have a good job that covered all our expenses those early years.

My parents always encouraged me to do whatever I wanted to do. They also would watch my two sons when I had to rush out to show a house…..although, haha, they benefited as much from that as I did. My dad used to be an attorney. He’s probably given me a million dollars of legal advice for free.

Then there are my friends. Many of them would watch my sons too when I had to work. Many of them trusted me for their real estate needs when I was a newbie. A lot of them sent their friends, co-workers or family to me.

And my clients. Many of you have become friends. Ultimately I have you to thank because without you, none of this would have come to fruition.

I don’t think I have done anything to deserve all the wonderful things that have happened to me over my career. That’s probably what is the most humbling part of it all……that I am blessed by the goodness of others and not as a result of anything I have done.

And I am not done yet. Here’s to another 19 years!

Today is a big day for me

by John Rice

E I G H T E E N YEARS.

That’s how long I have been a Realtor as of today.

I’ve been a Realtor through the worst market in history, the best market in history and every market in between. Sometimes I miss those early days when everything was new and there was so much to learn….but most of the time I am thankful that those 18 years have provided me so much experience that I am rarely caught off guard by anything.

My most vivid memory after getting my license was joining the Lexington-Bluegrass Association of Realtors, AKA, LBAR. I went to their office on Regency Road, plunked down my membership dues, filled out some paperwork then I rushed back home as fast as I could to log into the “Realtor only” side of the MLS and see what that was all about. The office is still there. Only one person from my early days remains. LBAR is now just called Bluegrass Realtors.

I got my first listing while buying paint for the basement of my home that I was remodeling. The manager was mixing my paint and as people often do, he started talking about real estate. He said he and his family were building a new home and would be needing to sell their old home very soon. As I got in my SUV after loading the paint in the back, I thought “Wait!! I’m a realtor now!!!” So, I went back inside and talked to him. I got the listing. I remember being so amazed that somebody was going to pay me to do what I had been waiting so long to do. The Buyer’s realtor for that listing and I became best friends and still are.

My first Buyer’s Realtor experience was a townhouse that some friends bought as their first home. They knew it was my first sale ever. I will always be thankful to them for that. I remember being so anxious about the closing, as if somebody’s life depended on me getting everything perfect…..which didn’t happen. I had gotten their $500 for earnest money when they signed the contract and given it to the nice older lady at my office (who was probably the age I am now.) I guess I thought the check would just magically appear in my mailbox the day of the closing. Turns out I had needed to request it. Fortunately there was time to get the check at the main office and off I rushed to the closing. I was such a nervous wreck. The closing was at 5:PM on a Friday. Back then the market was pretty crazy and the lady doing the closing had probably done 20 others that day. I walked out of the closing about 5:45. I was so relieved. I had done it! I thanked the clients who would use me several other times in the future and started walking to my car. Wait!! Something was missing. It was MY check. In the closing attorney’s rush to end her day and in MY anxiousness over the closing, both of us had forgotten that I needed a check. I caught her as she was about to back out of her parking spot and got it. I used what was left to buy a leather couch after my broker and Uncle Sam took their share of that check. My oldest son still has that couch today.

On that day in 2005, all I had was a future. Everybody told me I would do great in real estate. I had hoped they would be right. Today I’ve got a past, present AND a future. Looking back, I can see sooooo many people who helped me along the way. These people said encouraging things, trusted me when I had little to no experience, watched my boys on short notice so I could rush out to show a client a house. My parents, The Ponders and The Boyds ALWAYS were happy to let me drop off my kids at their house and usually yelled “Go sell a house!” as I was backing out of their driveway. I’ve got a client who is about to use me for the 7th time. I’ve got many who have used me 3-6 times and regularly send me their friends. Last year was my best year ever…..and you know what? I’m not done yet.

The neighborhood that influenced 12 year old me

by John Rice

When I was a kid, I had a paper route. It was everyday after school and Sunday mornings. Other than about 3 houses in my blue collar neighborhood, my route was in a neighboring upscale neighborhood called Inverness.

It was during this time that I started noticing differences between neighborhoods, lots, houses, and everything that makes me The LEXpert today.

I got bullied a lot as a kid. I didn’t really like many of the kids in my own neighborhood. This was back in the days before the internet and cell phones so kids went outside. Even people with cable TV only had like 12 channels, 10 really since one was the weather and another just scrolled what was on the other channels. I remember always dreading delivering papers to the 3-4 houses in my neighborhood. Once I got those done and Inverness was in sight, I always felt relieved and would take a deep breath.

Inverness was a very peaceful and calm neighborhood. It had maybe 50 houses in it? All the lots were very large. There were no street lights or side walks. Most of the houses were built in the late 60s and 1970s. It is very much like Greenbrier in Lexington but it did not have a golf course. I loved this neighborhood and always wanted to live here. I eventually ended up living in a 1980s house in Greenbrier, which I now see was the fruition of this desire.

The people that lived in Inverness were mostly middle aged since you often have to work many years to be able to afford such nice houses. They were all very polite to me. I got to know several of them. Many knew I was into houses and neighborhoods and would let me see inside their homes. It wasn’t until last week that I realized the impact this neighborhood had on my whole life. I was early for a showing that wasn’t too far from this area so I thought I would drive around for old times sake.

I started to remember the people, their homes and my thoughts as I would pedal my bicycle through my route, with my bag full of newspapers getting lighter with each one I delivered.

There was one woman who wanted me to leave the paper in a small tin garbage pail by her back door. Once or twice a week, I would open the pail and there would be a bag with a few cookies in it. Another resident had a new 280ZX that I drooled over. I saw my first Audi 5000 with the then new flush windows. There was one contemporary house owned by some big-wig in his political party that I absolutely loved. I became fairly close to one older couple who wanted to move to Florida. I told them all about the community where my Grandparents lived and arranged for my Grandparents to meet them and give them a tour of the area……probably the first realtor like thing I’d ever do.

I would privately critique each house in the neighborhood. My clients will probably laugh when they hear that I would say much of the same things they have heard me say like:

“That’s going to be a difficult driveway to get out of in the winter.”

The columns on the front porch are too far apart and don’t really match the style of the house.”

“This house looks like it was designed on a napkin by somebody who just won the lottery while meeting with their builder at Waffle House.”

“This house is right by the only entrance and exit to this neighborhood and that means EVERYBODY driving in and out of here has to pass your house each time.”

I don’t recall when or why I quit doing this paper route, probably when we moved to Lexington. It sure was a special and influential part of my life.

How I lost over 130 pounds (and how you can too)

by John Rice

I get asked this a lot so I thought I would let everybody know.

I’ll start with recovering from being sick early in 2020. I lost about 10 pounds from not eating and being dehydrated. I viewed that as a head start to what I had known for a long time I needed to do.

I knew nothing about nutrition. All I knew was that I ate too much and ate the wrong things. Initially my goal was to just eat less and eat better. I’ve quit a lot of difficult things in my life. I used to smoke and drink when I was much younger. I quit both. The main difference from quitting those and losing weight is that you still need to eat. I think that is what makes it hard for most people. If you quit smoking, you never smoke again. If you want to quit overeating, you are still eating only you’re trying to eat less. I quit eating junk food and avoided sugar as much as I could. When I ate a meal, I just tried to eat less than I would have in the past. It was working.

I had no idea how many calories I was consuming in things like bread or flour tortillas. I used to have like 5-6 flour tortillas when we would have tacos because I don’t like overstuffed tacos. I would rather eat more with less in them than have fewer that are hard to hold. Those extra tortillas or bread were really adding up and I had no idea.

I also tried to avoid drinking calories. I used to drink a lot of sweet tea and Ale-8s. I limited myself to one Ale-8 a day, even though each one was 60% of the daily amount of sugar you need. Now I might have one a week and it actually is better. It feels like more of an occasion to have one. It is funny that when you do have something less often, it just seems more special.

As I just slowly kept reducing what I ate, two things started to change. One was I was learning that a human body doesn’t need as much food as I thought it did. I had never really been hungry in my whole life. I was confusing being hungry with the energy crashes from eating sugar and junk food. I would eat the wrong stuff, get some energy, crash, then do it all over again. Day in, day out. Once I quit doing that, I could go longer between meals without snacking. The other thing I realized was that counting calories was a lot like math and managing money, both of which I like.

It sort of became fun to count calories. I viewed each day like I had a budget of calories to spend and my goal was to spend them wisely. Since I had gone into “Fat Debt” by eating way too many calories in the past, I had to payoff that debt by having a calorie deficit.

Once I stated losing some weight, probably when I was about 230 pounds or so, I started thinking I should try to get in better shape. I had an old 50 pound barbell that I don’t even know where it came from. I started lifting it 10 times any time I walked by it. The first several times really hurt. I had done some damage to my shoulders while working at UPS when I was much younger. I always had a hard time any time I needed to keep my arms over my shoulders. I pushed through. Now I have built enough muscle that it doesn’t hurt at all now. I realized this the last time I trimmed bushes at my old house. That used to really hurt and be a miserable experience.

I also started doing push ups. Those really hurt, especially since I was doing them wrong at first. It used to be hard to even do a few of them. That was okay. I knew if I just stuck to it, it would become easier and I would be able to do more. I try to do about 50 a day now.

So I’m continuing to eat less and exercise a little more. All is well.

I sort of like having a routine and sticking to it. I hit a point where I was having no energy and it was hard to get through the afternoon. I started eating more calories earlier in the day and that helped. What I learned here is that things can change. I just thought I would keep up the original plan for the rest of my life.

Then I got into jogging, which I haven’t done in a long time. It was sort of a novelty. I had not run since I was a little kid. It was sort of fun to be able to do it. I mostly walk now. 10k steps a day minimum. Walking really helped me go from 185 down to about 169 quicker than you would think….or at least quicker than I thought. If you don’t do any other exercise, try walking. An hour a day can change your life. Just turn off the TV and do it because no show is more important than your health. You don’t have to go fast or far at first. It is just a really easy way to get into better shape. It takes no equipment or skill. It is something all of us have successfully been doing since we were toddlers.

Speaking of the rest of my life, I viewed this change in behavior and mindset to be something that wouldn’t end. I had seen several friends lose a lot of weight and then gain it back. I did not want to do that. To me, it always seemed like dieting was forcing yourself to do something you didn’t want to do for as long as it took to reach a target weight. Once that goal is achieved, it seemed to me to be the worst thing that could happen. Most people seem to quit their good behavior once they hit their target and then go right back to overeating. For that reason, I had no specific weight goal. I wanted to get as thin as I could. I figured my body would one day just find it’s ideal weight. There were milestones of course……hitting 250, then 225, then 200, then I got into things ending with 9 such as 199, 189, 179, 169. Still though there is no magic number for me where this ends. Also, my goal was to make this mindset a permanent change. I don’t want to ever view my journey as being over, just at some point switching from weight loss to maintaining my health.

Here I am over 18 months into this. I want you to know I haven’t starved myself. I haven’t done some fad dieting. I just did what we all know we should do which is use self discipline and common sense. There is no magic way to lose weight and keep it off. You just eat better and you eat less. It isn’t hard and it didn’t hurt. I never once felt like I was suffering. I ate pizza, I ate a few donuts, I ate way too much pasta. I just didn’t go crazy with those things and I would just eat a little less the next day or the day before. Remember, it is like budgeting. If your car needs new tires one month, you spend a little less on other things that month.

I sure hope this helps somebody with their journey. I cannot emphasize enough how past due this was. All that had stopped me from doing this sooner was myself. I was in denial. I was lazy. I was afraid of failing. I tell people the hardest thing was the decision to give 100%. After that it was easy. If you need to lose weight, just commit to the change. You don’t have to know everything to make the first step. You will learn along the way. Don’t view it as you are giving up anything, view it as you are gaining quality of life and a longer life. Don’t be afraid. You will have setbacks. You can’t beat yourself up. Just keep moving forward. How fast you go doesn’t matter, the direction is what matters.