That's Good. Pick it Up!
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That's Good. Pick it Up!
Daniel Berger - Adventures of a Real Estate Broker: and other stories - Part 1
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In this engaging interview, Daniel Berger shares the journey of writing his first book, The Adventures of a Real Estate Broker: and other stories, blending storytelling with practical insights. Discover how his diverse jobs, family support, and passion for helping others shaped his unique approach to real estate and personal branding.
This is Part 1 of a 2-part interview.
https://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Real-Estate-Broker-stories/dp/B0FMYNJSYQ
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Hello. Welcome to another episode of That's Good Pick It Up. This is Robbie Woodard, founder of Best Ball, and producer of this podcast for my good friend Nate Oxman. This is the first of a two-part series where Nate interviews Daniel Berger about his book Adventures of a Real Estate Broker and Other Stories. Yes, there are golf stories in here. If you like this podcast, be sure to listen to the other ones on the Best Ball Network. You can find them all at Bestball.com. Now let's get to the first part of Nate's conversation with Daniel Berger. Adventures of a real estate broker and other stories.
SPEAKER_01Tell me if I'm wrong, but I remember when we played golf at Baltistral a couple years ago, you told me that you had, you know, conversations with Hank Gola about writing a book. Was that how this all started? Did you just kind of float the idea to him to see if it was something worth doing?
SPEAKER_02Um I have a funny story that that can't be repeated, but um so Hank Gola, yes, who just wrote a book about the Ryder Cup um as one of his books. I I probably first got the eye from the idea from Dave Donaldson. Dave Donaldson um does a lot of right, he he's written like 15 books. He he's um he's also very involved with the Westchester magazine. So, you know, I've worked with him and have written for him um in the Westchester magazine of Dolph stuff. So um that's actually how we you and I met because Balters Roll, that wasn't in the first day. That was like the backup, right? The first day might have rained or something, and um and then Dave couldn't make it, and that's when I was his backup. And then I, you know, you, me, and one other guy played as a threesome, which to me is a waste of one spot that we could have had someone else play with us.
SPEAKER_01But uh I know.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. So I think that so people have talked about like the idea of doing it. Um, but like, and and you, you know, from writing, I mean you I it's amazing that you were able to write a book with being a school teacher being, you know, you know, be I, you know, I get what I'm not sure at the assistant starter or whatever. You you really do more than that. But that's uh, you know, um doing that, and but like you like you know, you have to like actually take the time and and do it, right? Right. That's what a lot of people don't do. Um so I think it was something that I thought about, but it was interesting because my family the whole time was like nothing that you do is interesting, and and it's gonna not, you know, it will be horrible. So that was kind of like what I was going, that was like my my family, right? Saying there's nothing, there's nothing here, whatever. And so, so I always thought about it, but I'm like, well, I'm not really gonna write the book. And so it just I that I wouldn't have time. But things just started to align where um my son went to Washu and his girlfriend and um was also at Wash U. She's from uh Maryland, and um I knew so my son, my son and uh Bailey graduated this past May. So last summer, like going into the summer, Bailey didn't have a job. And I knew she wanted to do publishing and writing. So I kind of I was like, Zach, can I ask your girlfriend, you know, if um, hey, are you really seriously dating? So like this, you're not gonna break up before my book's done. I don't, I mean, they've been dating since like freshman year. So I didn't feel like I that was more of a joke.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Um, but but I'm like, you know, she doesn't have a job yet. I need someone to write my book. Um, you know, what do you think? And he he's like, sure, wanting to talk to her. So we basically I spoke to her, she was like, Yeah, it would be a good idea. So, you know, she was writing publications at Wash U. So I turned it into, um, well, it's funny, so I turned it into like an as told to, with you know, hands-on. So we would have phone conversations, Zooms, she would record it, and she and she kind of was writing it like in my voice, which we always laughed, was like confusing, right? My voice confuses people. They're like, what do you mean by that? And you're going back and forth. So I basically paid her to, you know, to do that. And and again, then she had her summer, but she didn't finish. So, like, she's now a senior in college, and I'm like, like, okay, what time should we meet today and this week to go over? And then I would have to, you know, she would send me the first rep. I would edit it. We would then go back and go back and forth and and all this. So, you know, it it you know took time, but we got our 14 chapters and you know, started doing it. And um, then I made a misstep. And um, from one of my from my podcast, um, I met somebody who was an editor, and I'm like, oh, I'm gonna pay this editor who's who does a bunch of books, and I'm gonna, I'm gonna give him this and there, he's gonna put it in better shape, right?
SPEAKER_03Yep.
SPEAKER_02He actually put it in worse shape. No. He actually he he and and like so I sh I was showing my um, I was probably sharing what the edits were with with with Bailey um and my son, and and I guess my mom, then they got my my wife involved, right? They're like, he just put this in through AI. So they were like, there's no way, because like, you know, they would they would choose like synonyms and and and my voice, they I'll tell you what AI does well, it takes someone's voice out of a book, yeah, out of the story.
SPEAKER_03Yep.
SPEAKER_02So what was me speaking turned into a robot speaking or somebody not me. Um, and so we were like, oh crap. And so so then I cut so then I got lucky where my wife basically said, I'm gonna be you're at, I'm gonna finish the editing. And so she actually then my wife, who's busy enough being a partner at a law firm and and all this other stuff, she's like, she basically was like, you're not publishing that, and I'm taking over from you. So then she basically, and it was funny because my the right Bailey and my son like turned me in for going to this editor and was like, we need to fix this. And so my wife, Elise, was very good at she looked at what the editor did, the AI editor, and actually, there was a few things that the AI thing that did, the guy like formatted it appropriately, but the storytelling was lost. And so she looked at what he did, she looked at what Bailey did, and then combined it, which was painstaking.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I bet.
SPEAKER_02So it was very painstaking. Um, but you know, and and I'm pushing her because I also know that like maybe that was April uh I wanted to have it before they graduated in in May. I thought it'd be kind of cool if we had it at the graduation, but that wasn't really gonna happen. But I didn't want her to like get a job and move on and you know, and then the book wouldn't be finished exactly. Um, but it ends up, it was funny. My last edits were when we this summer um in July, my my family with both of my my my son and and Bailey and my daughter and her boyfriend, we all went on a cruise to to Greece or in and around Greece. And my last read of the book was like my flight to Greece, where my wife had made, you know, they were just little edits I made or whatever. So it's pretty fascinating. Um and um what's also interesting about um about that is um uh my wife got to whitewash some parts of the book that I wanted in, right? Like funny things that like people who know me would laugh, but like when you're married to me, you're like, yeah, I don't really want that in the book. So I I she spent a lot of time doing it. So I didn't um, you know, I didn't protest. I was like, fine. And um, I guess one of the the the better things if you look at the back of the book, my 22-year-old son is so the three people are actually did comments on the book. Yeah, right. So Dave Donaldson, who's actually kind of was my inspiration that I should write it, and who also helped me when we finally got the book, he sat me down. We, you know, we we published the book on Amazon. Self-publishing Kindle and Amazon are amazing that that anybody can really write a book and they make it so simple. And he helped me with the page formatting and the editing. So he he wrote something about the book. My wife wrote something about the book, and then my 22-year-old son, who I think he one of the things that he said about my book is it was it's better than I thought it could be, which you know, you have younger kids, so but when you're you know, when your kids are graduating from college and they read this thing that they all along said was gonna suck, um, for them to say it was actually okay, and now, you know, we, you know, I have, I don't know, 15, 20 reviews on Amazon, and people are actually liking it. And people are sending me really cool messages about, you know, about the book. And um, I'm like my family's actually shocked. My family's like, well, you're so lucky that Bailey wrote it in your words and that mom was able to fix it.
SPEAKER_01They're still not giving you credit.
SPEAKER_02Um, you know, right, because it's my stories, but and and I, those are my spoken words, and and I get the edits, I know I get the first edits. Um, but that's I guess part of the that's family, right? You total credit. But that they aren't embarrassed by it. And actually, I had a my my book rollout happened to be a party of my clients and friends and family or friends um and neighbors in my backyard. We had over 150 people. We tented it. I had a I had I hired a professional um uh bartender. My wife was like, okay, we're not having 200 people come into the house to use the bathroom. So she made me like get like, you know, that professional, like um uh professional toilet.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Like they were like, I had polar toilets for my book signing.
SPEAKER_01I love it. I love it.
SPEAKER_02You know, uh and it was a book signing, but but it was like so surreal because it was packed and I was signing, and I just didn't sign my name. I wanted to do a message to everybody based off of, and so it turned into like a customer appreciation book signing, where you know, what was what was awesome about the that event was clients were going around and saying, like, oh, I'm chapter four or like chapter 12 or the ladies' rules. They're like, We're ladies' rules, and you know, someone else is like, We're I'm the five-year search, and you know, so um uh so that was kind of that was fun that people really got into. And was another interesting thing about the book is I didn't I have pictures of people and I have mostly people's real names. There's there's only a couple that I don't, yep. And I I didn't get anyone signing any waivers of anything, right? And and that's with my wife being an attorney, my daughter being an attorney, because it's not a book about it's the adventures of, right? And it's not there, it's not like saying anything negative about people, it's just really the stories, and it's not it's it's really like uplifting. It's not, you know, some of this, listen, there's things with death and pornography and skulls and guns. There's a suicide in the book, but no, we're not making light of you know those things. Um and so I didn't ask anyone for permission because I didn't say anything that's not true, and I didn't say anything that's that's making anyone look look bad. Um there there was one story of someone who's not mentally well, and so I didn't use their name, but it was more for that than it was for, you know, not really make I didn't make fun of the situation. I was just explaining the situation, but nobody needs to know who that person is. It doesn't it doesn't help the story at at all.
SPEAKER_04Gotcha.
SPEAKER_02Um but it but it's but it was uh it was crazy and um you know whether it's good or not, you know, I I I'm happy that people enjoy it and and that I I think some cool things is one of my clients is a firefighter. He he gets the book and he goes, Danny, I've probably only read four books in my life. He goes, I will try. And he goes, it might take six months, but I said, I was like, but his name's Ryan. I'm like, Ryan, I appreciate you even getting the book and trying. Thank you so much. Then, you know, like I don't know, maybe like three days later, he's like, I'm in I'm through chapter five. I really like it. So it's like those things like, you know, you know, your book is much more of a professional book with like line spacing and the words and the work, and mine's not. Um mine's more of a yours is more journalism or a book, right? And and mine's more of like a tabloid. But but it is good that people say that it's a it's a quick read. Another funny thing about the book is I don't know. I've been doing real estate for about eight years, eight or nine years. And I don't know what my mother-in-law really thinks that I'm doing, right? Right. And and now all of a sudden she's asking my opinions. She wrote, you know, she's she she's been sharing it with other people. My wife is like, my mother-in-law said like the nicest things about the book and just couldn't believe it. And I'm like, you're not listening to this, these stories are my eight-year stories, you know, that I've been there's only a snippet of it. But so it's interesting, someone like her who's, you know, she's 84 years old, and she's just like, that's incredible. And you know, clearly the story with me taking over for my 94-year-old and really helping, helping him because nobody else is there. She might have heard it, but she when you read it, it it was she's like, I can't believe we had to do this and that, the other thing. And who else would do that? So um it's certainly and it's it's nice to have that record, right? Of things that were done and and people can do it. And the joke is I can now tell people that um, well, I've I've written the book on real estate. Well, maybe not the book, but I've written a book on real estate. And I feel that so a lot, some of it is probably marketing more so than it is, you know, having this amazing book that you're gonna win prizes for. But like in a world of AI and the and and the internet, people are are gonna pick up their phone and ask the phone, right, through Chat GPT or whatever, who are the top three real estate agents I should use in Westchester, in Waibook, in White Plains.
SPEAKER_03Yep.
SPEAKER_02And when, and as they're doing those searches, I'm assuming like, you know, having a podcast, having a book, all of those things are gonna be things that they're gonna will be out in the in the you know, in the superhighway, and maybe I'll get some traction on some of those things. And what's interesting is I have had people, so when people call me up and they ask me to like go to their house to see if I should list their house, I always ask, how did you how did you hear about me? And I've had multiple people now say I've asked AI.
SPEAKER_01Wow, I never even thought about that. That's wild.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so it's like you need to do things to to set your, you know, to be out there. And so what's interesting is like even today, uh, some company tried to sell me stuff that they'll do automatic posts like every couple of days on my on my, you know, on Instagram or Facebook. But I'm like, I don't want a standard blog about like, because what they'll do is they'll write something about first-time home buying, right? And it's whatever there might, they might be good things, they might be bad, but if I don't see what they are, they're not my three things or five things about you know that. So I'm like, I don't want that. I'd rather it be like my normal post or like when I go into contract or sell something and it's very appreciative, thanking, you know, the this side, that side, thanking everyone involved and how great it is for the sellers and the buyers that everything worked out. So it's more, it's more uplifting.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, and personal.
SPEAKER_02I mean, there aren't listen, I've seen ones where they're like when someone's a listing agent, they say, We got 30% over list or 200,000 over lists. And and my thought is always like, A, you're making fun of the buyer, right? Why are you even doing that? Right. And maybe as a listing agent, you did a bad job picking the price. Yeah. Clearly, you were off by 30%. Right. So, so, you know, in the end of the day, everyone's gotta, you've got to be true to yourself, right? And you and and and and look in the mirror every day. And so I try to be, I think, I think in in in real estate and and in many things in life, right? That there you don't have to have winners and losers. You can have, you can have, you know, everyone can win, especially in real estate, right? With a buyer and a seller, it's different than maybe like a golf tournament, right? There is going to be a winner in someone else. But golf has probably taught me a lot about sportsmanship. Um, and if I and if you can take that into real estate, that's saying, yeah, there like it certainly could be somebody who sells more than me. Or, right? But like how you don't need to be the best at everything. You can be real like being a really good golfer and playing really cool places is a lot of fun. Yeah. You don't have to be the best, always win. Um, I think also if you always win, then you don't you lose how exciting winning is because winning's hard, right?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, for sure.
SPEAKER_02So you need to lose to be able to know that, you know, and to put in the effort and to always get better. And real estate's kind of a cool thing, again, because I you don't have to have winners and losers. You just have to really work hard and and care for people. That's at least that's how I've done it. And so um, so the adventures of a real estate broker are interesting, to me, it is interesting because it's it's it's anecdotal stories of 14 different types of people um putting it together. It was um so Dave Donaldson actually at the last minute was like, I want to call it confessions of a real estate broker. And I was like, I didn't really, I was like, okay, let me talk to my group, my family, because they're they're all invested. And then we were we came out and we're like, okay, that's a bad idea because like confessions is almost like they're secrets. Yes. And I'm and I'm telling things about people that they wouldn't want to know. And so that's not what maybe, maybe that will be another book, but this is really just the adventures and it's all fun, and people are happy that they're in the book. You know, people like, can I be in it? You know, I things happen now, and they're like, okay, that's a chapter of the next book. And it's like, um it's kind of like giving birth, right? Where a lot of times moms or mothers are like, I'm never doing that again, right? Like that was so painful. But then you have amnesia and you potentially do it. Um I don't know if um I don't know if there's another book in it because I I don't know if the stories are going to be all that different. Um, so you so you write, you you know, you're the world famous author of the Philly Phenops. What what's your view on writing another book?
SPEAKER_01Um, I totally agree. You know, looking back, the the writing part was actually the easy part. The hardest part for me was going back into it and chopping it up, you know, taking parts out, editing it, you know, rewriting. And I that's something I've never been comfortable doing, you know, and I've been a journalist for a long time, but I hate going back and rereading my work. But for this, I was so worried about, you know, continuity errors and little spelling mistakes and grammar mistakes that I really forced myself to go back in and read it uh, you know, a million times to make sure that it was the best product possible. But I hated going back and rereading it. So the thought of doing that again is definitely terrifying.
SPEAKER_02But but now that you're world famous, you probably can have editors that want to come and do it for you, right? So you can I guess with with money, right, we could have to do that. But yeah, but to be fair, um a couple of books that I've recently read are I I I I could tell that there were a lot of mistakes in it.
SPEAKER_03Yep. Right. Yep.
SPEAKER_02And and so, and those people had other editors looking at it, right? So I think one thing also is when it's yours, you know what you wanted it to be. Yeah. So you're like, yeah, that's not really what I meant with from that. Or it's not, you know, some of this is about my life, right? So it's so it's more like I'm like, okay, that's fact. Nobody but me would know that it's factually wrong. Like if it got edited out. I'm like, no, no, that's not what happened, or it didn't happen in that in that you know, that sequence, and I need to change that.
SPEAKER_01Um Yeah. Yeah. You did such a good job. I mean, you you knew in your gut that, you know, when that editor came in and took out the kind of, you know, your voice that that was totally wrong because after reading the book, I you know, every story that I read, I pictured myself sitting next to you and you telling me that story. So you achieved that goal, you know, a hundred percent.
SPEAKER_02I mean, I am lucky because again, my wife is a saint. We just had our thirtieth wedding anniversary. Nice. So that was good. And that we still have that. But like, you know, that's where that's her talent, right? My talent is storytelling and having these interactions and the way that I reacted, that's my special sauce. Not necessarily editing, although I've done writing or whatever, but I've always had great editors. And so um, you know, my wife really, and I do appreciate that's why like I allowed her to whitewatch and stuff because I know how much time and effort she put it. And the other thing is, what better person to write to edit is the person that's been with me for 30 plus years, right? So she knows every story, right? So she's also been like, well, that's we gotta, we're gonna say it like this, and then it was factually correct, and she's been a part of some of those. So I mean that that is why um I am so lucky because I do think that this book actually is my voice. It is the real factual stories um uh of people, you know, doing it. And it's kind of fun. Like today, I I had an inspection for a house, and I actually brought a I brought it. I I I had some hard copies, right? Because hard copies are actually the pictures of color.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_02And um, and it's a little it's more of a keepsake, right? So I also feel it's a kind of a cool thing for me to give as a gift, right? Like not the closing gift. The closing gift, I'm I'm still into booze and other nice, really cool things that people like it's you know, I always try to do the expensive booze, right? Right, like a $300, $400 bottle that most people aren't gonna buy themselves. Yeah. Because I want them to, I I want I'm I'm trying to show how much I I appreciate them and I want them to have something totally different. But this is kind of nice. And and in the end of the day, uh, you know, so let's say if I'm the party actually cost me like $15,000 or something like that. Because there was a, you know, the tent is like four things, you know, everything adds up. Um something between buying, I bought some books to give out, you know, and then whatever. So maybe it's $25,000 for the entire book. I something like that. Um, but all I have to get is one or two referrals, yeah. Yeah. And then I've just paid for and I've just paid for it. And so um me handing out the book, um, you'll like this. What I do with caddies all the time, and I did it at your course for for both of I basically so it's a little different on caddies. I'm not making a caddy that's you know, slinging clubs by the book, but I I give them the QR code, I watch them buy it there, and then I give them the money for it.
SPEAKER_01Oh, that's awesome.
SPEAKER_02So, because also I do want people to buy the book, right? Because if they buy the book, I'm hopeful that some of them will also go um and and and and um do a a recommendation um on the book. And so Amazon has, you know, if you actually buy the book, then it's it's a better, it's a it's a better referral, right? Because it's it's it's a s it's a paid, they they can tell who who buys it. So I've probably I've probably bought books for 10 of my caddies this year.
SPEAKER_01That's cool.
SPEAKER_02And so which is cool is and I and I I'm gonna be I'm gonna say uh some of the so Merion. I I got at least two caddies at Merion. I've gotten the bridge, I've gotten Sabonic, um, where else? Fenway. So I try to get really nice places that I'm I'm I'm getting the book out there. I love it. So but you know, and then it was it was funny because actually at Westchester Country Club, my caddy's like, oh, my mom, you my grandma used to be a broker, my mother was a broker. I'm the ones who brokered my family. I'm like, oh, you gotta show them this book. Yeah. So so then I did that for and he he got the um I every now and then I do if if you're giving me good touch, I'll I'll I'll surge for the for the hardcover.
SPEAKER_01That's fair. Was um you know sorry, was one of your goals to to write it for you know people thinking about entering real estate or you know, young real estate brokers? Because, you know, one of the things that I want to applaud you on too is that you didn't just you know write this book and say, here are the 10 rules of real estate. You used the stories to kind of give advice um in a way that wasn't like this is the way that you have to do it. You know, this is these are my rules, and they're the only rules you can have as a broker, right?
SPEAKER_02So yeah, that's a great, that's a great observation. Um so I, you know, I just felt that I would get a lot of I I think there were a lot of reasons why I I felt that the stories were were fun. I like telling the stories, and I wanted to memorialize the stories that we had. Um and and a book, you know, I'm in the golf writers of America. I've written stories and no books, but stories, and I'm like, it would be, I probably should write a book, right? It wouldn't be bad, you know. Uh I'm on I'm the I'm the I'm on the board of directors of the Met Golf Riders. I'm in the I'm in the golf writers of America. Yeah. So I was like, okay, this isn't exactly golf, but it but it is a book, and I wanted it's something I wanted to feel what it's like to do it. Yeah. Um, but I would say that the the goal was probably um to have it out there so that people could read, but but certainly knowing that um younger, not anybody, people that are new to real estate might read it and and because while I while I enjoy watching million-dollar listing, that's not really what real estate is. This is a little bit more, and I and I someone said, Oh, you need to have a book that says this is how you become a real estate, these are the 10 steps, or this is what you do in this case, in that case. To me, that's more boring. And and I felt like I didn't want to, I didn't want to preach, right? I didn't want to say these are the things that you have to do. And I I was hope I was hoping that through storytelling, live, you know, actual storytelling, I would be able to to show people what my thought process is, what thought process was on at least these 14 stories, um, without telling them what they should do. Because I I do think a lot of real estate is is it's hard to teach it, right? Because it has to, it's kind of like in you, right? Where you kind of have to like I am, I don't have scripts. I never sell from I've never solved anything from scripts, but a lot of real estate says here, here's the script that you do when you go to a listing. When you knock on some, I've never knocked on a door for a listing ever. That's not mine's always been through storytelling, meeting people, closing, and then getting referrals. So that's my that's how I do it because I I I wouldn't be comfortable. There are people who get a headset on their their head in the morning at 7 a.m. for an hour and a half, they make phone calls, you know, phone, you know, basically the phone book to try to get anybody that would talk to them about potential to sell in the house. That's that's not, and that's okay if that's what other people want to do. To me, that would be very boring, and I wouldn't want to do that, and and so I don't. So um, I like that if for you not being a necessarily real estate person, but a teacher, and seeing that I was trying to weave a story that it's you know, that might have given someone, you know, guidance as to is this something that they would like to do, not like to do.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Or or or so I so I I do like that um it's not preachy at all.
SPEAKER_00Well, that's it for part one of this edition of That's Good Pick It Up. This conversation, Nate's chatting with Daniel Berger about his book, Adventures of a Real Estate Broker and Other Stories. Be sure to come back next week for part two. You can find it at bestball.com or wherever you get your podcast. If you like it, please leave a review. Give some good comments that will help Nate grow this podcast. Until next time, this is Robbie. That's good. Pick it up.