AllAboutTRH is a blog founded and run by women, so we LOVE to see fellow ‘boss babes’ killing it in their industry. We got the exclusive opportunity to talk to one our favorite fearless females, Tracy Tutor of Million Dollar Listing LA fame to discuss everything from her new book to the upcoming season of the hit Bravo show, and everything in between.
AATRH: Congrats on your new book, Fear is Just a Four – Letter Word! Tell us about the book and how it came about:
Tracy Tutor: I decided to write it as I was really motivated by my own experience and sharing that with younger women that were coming into the business world. When you have this platform, to be on a show like MDLLA, and being the only female on it – it got me thinking. I wanted to share a little bit of what I’ve been through in the last 20 years, and if I can save some time for other women then that is that is something I thought would be really great.
Tell us a little bit about your background and how you eventually came to be a top LA luxury real estate agent:
I’ve been doing real estate for 20 years now, but I graduated from USC with a degree in theater and I intended to act. I was going out on a lot of auditions and a friend of mine had booked a really big show, and while I was happy for her, I was frustrated in my own acting career. I was asking her what it was like to have officially ‘made it’ and she responded that it was bureaucracy at it’s finest – not like the creative experience we had in theater school. It got me thinking – what the hell am I going to do? I don’t want to wake up at 40 and be auditioning for these roles that have no meaning to them. I didn’t know what I was going to do but after talking to a girlfriend we decided to try real estate and I ended up getting hired after my first interview.
You’re the only female agent on ‘Million Dollar Listing’ both LA and NYC. What’s it like to be a female in such a male dominated industry?
What’s interesting is that the business is over 60% women but the major markets in the industry are dominated by men. I realized early on that most of the agencies were ran by men and there were no female ran brokerages. When I had the the opportunity to transition to Douglas Elliman there were two women at the forefront which was amazing to me and was very inspiring to me. I wanted to get to a company where they celebrated powerful women, women that were bad-asses. I always had that grit and originally was scared to be tough, but once I let go of caring of how I was perceived, the success came to me. My book touches on letting go of that fear and just going for it.
Watching you and the team on MDL makes real estate look easy. What’s your secret to working your way up to those coveted luxury listings?
It wasn’t like it happened overnight – I struggled a lot. If anyone thinks real estate is flexible hours or just a hobby, they are sorely mistaken. Any successful broker will tell you that they are working 50+ hours a week. For me what tipped the scale in my favor is being authentic, as people resonate with that. There’s a lot of hustlers out there, and it is sales, so it can be a sleazy business and people will climb over you to get to the top. I don’t believe in that, but I do believe in being tough. The years of experience combined with grit and authenticity had people coming back to work with me, and eventually led to bigger business.
What would you say is some of the best advice you received that has contributed to your success?
I’ve always said: ‘Be authentic and let go of the perception that there is a certain way you have to be in business.’ I think that when you are authentic to who you are, you may not resonate with everyone but you will resonate with someone. Those are the types of people that you want to be around, who will be loyal to you and who will want to continue to work with you. There shouldn’t be such a separation between who you are in your personal life and your business life. My dad said that to me a long time ago and it served him really well and it’s serving me, so authenticity is a big piece.
When I signed on to do the show I made a promise not put up a persona of who I was. It was a struggle in the beginning, as there as an expectation for me to act as tough as the guys, but I break down just like anyone else. I promised myself that I would allow both the good days and bad days and wouldn’t be afraid to be myself. Fear holds you back and will potentially hold you back from your own success.
Let’s talk about the show – were coming into the twelfth season which is amazing for any show! What can we expect?
The real estate that you’ll see is just getting bigger and crazier. In terms of properties, you’re going to see some of the biggest and the best that you’ve even seen on the show.
In your limited free time what other Bravo shows are you watching? Any favorite housewives that you think are real estate savvy?
I love Below Deck, Vanderpump Rules, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Southern Charm. Since Kyle is married to Mauricio, Kyle is probably the most real estate savvy in terms of the market along with when and what to buy. She’s awesome and is also fun as hell.
Any last minute real estate advice you can give us during these crazy times we are currently living in?
If you know you have to sell your house – don’t wait. Right now there isn’t a lot of inventory so if you have a great house, now is the time to list it. I don’t think we will see the true effects in the real estate market until the end of this year, beginning of next year so if you are looking to buy, the end of the year is most likely the best time.
Special thanks to Tracy for catching up with us at AllAboutTRH! You can pre-order Tracy’s book Fear is Just a Four-Letter Word by clicking here.
Tracy’s book is set to be released on July 14 2020 and Million Dollar Listing LA premieres on June 16th at 10/9c on Bravo.
Are you excited for the upcoming season of MDLLA?
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