Most agents worry that narrowing their focus will shrink their pipeline. Amanda Poulsen, a Christie’s International Real Estate agent in Southlake, Texas, did the opposite: she works only Southlake, Colleyville, Grapevine and Westlake, within about 15 minutes of home, and says the tighter focus has brought her more business, not less. A former D1 and pro volleyball player who spent ten years on a team with her father, she now gets most of her business from referrals and from people who already feel they know her through Instagram.
Amanda explains why move-in-ready homes in her market are still drawing multiple offers at $2 to $3 million while overpriced fixer-uppers sit, and why having disclosures, receipts and a “what if it doesn’t sell in a week” plan ready before listing matters more now. She also covers how to decide what your Instagram is actually for before you post, why consistency beats perfection, and her father’s advice for newer agents: stop chasing every new tool and remember that activity gets rewarded.
About the host:
Jeff Hamm is a real estate broker with Ivester Jackson | Christie’s International Real Estate, serving Lake Norman & Charlotte, North Carolina and Banner Elk, North Carolina. He specializes in luxury, waterfront, mountain, and investment property, with a focus on buyer representation. He is also the founder and host of The Best of LKN and Banner Elk Living.
Learn more and contact Jeff:
LKNreal.com
BannerElkLiving.com
Jeff Hamm is a North Carolina real estate broker with Ivester Jackson | Christie’s International Real Estate, serving two of the state’s most sought-after markets: Lake Norman and Banner Elk and the greater High Country. He specializes in luxury and second-home property, from Lake Norman’s waterfront, golf, and lakefront communities to High Country communities including The Lodges at Eagles Nest, Elk River Club, Farm at Banner Elk, Diamond Creek, and Echota. He also works with buyers of condominiums, homes in active adult and family-friendly neighborhoods, and short-term rental and investment properties. His focus is buyer representation, where his relationships with each region’s top listing brokers, builders, and designers give his clients a measurable edge.
Jeff is also the founder and host of two local media platforms, The Best of LKN (since 2020) and Banner Elk Living. Each includes a podcast and newsletter that spotlight the area’s most admired small businesses, nonprofits, and entrepreneurs. He publishes the annual Lake Norman Visitors Guide and Banner Elk Guide, produces regular market reports for both regions, and hosts The Best of Lake Norman Business Network and the Banner Elk Business Network.