Why Putting People Before Money Builds a Referral-Driven Real Estate Business | Shelby Morgan

Shelby Morgan (00:00)

My motto is we work for people, not money. So if you can understand that, not everyone likes that model. So I don’t expect everyone to wanna tap into that model or so work with someone like myself. But my core my company, I’m creating a culture where we work with for people, not money.

And it makes a difference. We’ll make sure we service your desire and your need. The money comes afterwards.

Scott Bursey (02:00)

Welcome back to the Real Estate Pros Podcast powered by Investor Fuel. I’m your host, Scott Bursey. Glad you’re with us. And today we’re pleased to have Shelby Morgan in the studio. Shelby is the founder of Morgan Capital Real Estate in New Jersey, and she’s doing things differently. As both a broker and a licensed mortgage loan originator, she brings a dual lens perspective that bridges the gap.

Between property transactions and financing. We’re going to dive into how she’s building a service-driven culture focused on client education and strategic investment. Listeners, you can expect to learn how to leverage that unique hybrid expertise to stand out in a competitive market. Shelby, welcome to the show.

Shelby Morgan (02:49)

Thank you. Thanks for having me.

Scott Bursey (02:52)

It is awesome having you here and I hope our listeners get up to speed. Please give us the ninety second highlight reel, if you will, of how your career ignited and where you’re pouring your fuel now.

Shelby Morgan (03:05)

For 30 seconds I could say I took my original real estate license course because I wanted to only learn how to purchase a house. And then I found my love.

So I it’s from there. Here we are almost nine years later. I’ve got a lot of happy things going on and I’m building a great entity here that hopefully will last for generations.

Scott Bursey (03:33)

That’s awesome. And Shelby, what really caught my attention about you was the way you’ve been able to weave mortgage origination directly into your brokerage model, creating a seamless one-stop shop experience for your clients that most traditional firms simply can’t touch. And I guess building off that, curious to know, with a dual perspective of a broker and lender.

How do you focus on education for first-time investors entering the New Jersey market?

Shelby Morgan (04:06)

Well I we the company that I work for to originate loans. We have an array of products for from single family, first-time home owner to investment products. So my main strategy with investors is to educate them on all of their options. And then based on any type of situation, we find a product, I find a product that fits their

Need and then I use my real estate expertise to execute it, find the product. We work, we focus on cash flow, just based on the investors goals. So we the whole thing is to find out their goals, educate them on products that could match their goals and execute.

Scott Bursey (04:56)

That’s empowering. Thank you for highlighting that. And Shelby, wondering, the New Jersey market is, very competitive. What’s the biggest hurdle you see your investors facing right now?

Shelby Morgan (05:58)

Is the prices are not like they used to be. So to find niche properties that actually meet their financial goal, whether it’s rental, flip, it just depends on what their goal is. You gotta find the right product or a property to match that goal. Not every property is going to be

Cash flow or a good flip or things like that. So the challenge is that the prices are gone up. Before you can find something dirt cheap, throw some money in it and flip it or put a tenant and get great cash flow. But now you have to be a little more strategic, find off-market properties and things like that.

Scott Bursey (06:39)

That makes complete sense. And it’s interesting to consider where do you see the greatest opportunity for growth in the current mortgage landscape for your clients?

Shelby Morgan (06:51)

Well, there’s so many different products out there now than there used to be. So they have, not

Yeah.

So yeah, we there’s a lot of investment property, investment products out there that are, you know, different from before. We have non-QM products, that don’t need the traditional financing, which makes it, a little bit more easier to get financing for depending on what type of investment investments or investors are using. So yeah, it makes it that’s

It makes it a lot easier now than before. There’s tons of products out there, tons of loan products.

Scott Bursey (07:30)

I love that proactive approach. And I gotta ask you this. With the regulatory changes and market shifts, how are you protecting Morgan Capital from potential downturns?

Shelby Morgan (07:42)

Staying optimistic. Going with the flow, changing with the time. Adding any I see that the world is moving in a technology way of things. So just going with the flow. I believe that real estate has been around long before me and my parents and grandparents and all of them. So it will last and I intend to last. You just go with the flow.

Change with the change.

Scott Bursey (08:08)

And going just a step deeper on that, how do you maintain a service-driven culture during those tough times?

Shelby Morgan (08:16)

My philosophy is that when you take care of people, take care of you. So a great 60% of my business is from referrals, repeat clients. And that is proven strategy that when you take care of people, take care of you.

And then in addition you market and stay marketed and get in new customers. But you get new customer customers, you service them well, you treat them well, you be honest, you educate, they come back.

Scott Bursey (08:52)

Appreciate you sharing that insight. And thinking about your operations. What’s the one system you’ve implemented that has had the most impact on your brokerage’s scalability?

Shelby Morgan (09:05)

Again, just service and education. And again, sixty percent of my business definitely comes from repeat clients, that trust me. And then they send their family members and their colleagues and anyone they could think of.

Scott Bursey (09:22)

And Shelby, if somebody’s listening and they’re thinking to themselves, hey, this is somebody that I really like and perhaps would like to do business with, what’s the first thing that you would like them to know about Morgan Capital Real Estate?

Shelby Morgan (09:36)

As that one my motto, one of my models, I have many. My motto is we work for people, not money. So if you can understand that, not everyone likes that model. So I don’t expect everyone to wanna tap into that model or so work with someone like myself. But my core my company, I’m creating a culture where we work with for people, not money.

And it makes a difference. We’ll make sure we service your desire and your need. The money comes afterwards.

Scott Bursey (10:48)

Service first. I love that. And Shelby, if I could ask you, what does your professional network look like right now?

Shelby Morgan (10:56)

So currently I sit on the NEXUS Board of Realtors Legislative Committee, where we talk with it monthly with local municipalities and governance, just keeping

Tabs on what’s going on in the municipalities and things like that. So that is one of the committees that I sit on now. And previously I’ve sat on different committees with the New Jersey Association of Realtors, like the Diverse and Equity Committee. Quite a few committees. I can’t think of them all. But every year I join a committee, I like to be a part of the change. So that is

That is my network. I like to, be in a knowing and be able to I feel like if I know I can service my people better.

Scott Bursey (11:46)

A solid network is everything. Thank you for sharing that. And eager to hear what is the most impactful piece of advice you’d give to a newer investor looking to build a portfolio in a high-cost area like New Jersey today?

Shelby Morgan (12:03)

Patience strategy some people wanna go in and think they’re gonna make a million dollars on their first investment if it takes experience time patience and strategy and a professional like myself

Scott Bursey (12:19)

That is pure gold, exactly the kind of strategic thinking our listeners will respond to. And let me ask you this, Shelby. You have given us a lot of great words of wisdom here today and advice within your industry, but is there any other golden nuggets or words of advice that you could leave with our listeners?

Shelby Morgan (12:42)

Everyone is not an investor. This the internet makes everyone think that they can be an investor, but it takes again education, strategy, money, time, and patience. And if you don’t carry some, if not all, of those things, being a successful investor isn’t

Not always for everyone.

Scott Bursey (13:11)

Shelby, that is powerful. Thank you for that. And for our listeners that would like to keep this conversation moving, stay in your lane or perhaps collaborate with you on future deals, what’s the best way for them to plug into your pipeline and reach you directly?

Shelby Morgan (13:29)

So I’d like to give you my direct cell phone number. That is the best way to reach me. So that would be six zero nine seven two seven five four five eight. You can also reach me on all social media, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, at Morgan Capital Real Estate. You’ll find me. Or Shelby Morgan.

I am currently working on a website. So my website would be up and running. I had another one, but I have someone working on one now. It should be up and running in the next few weeks. So I’ll have that posted on all of the social media websites that I just listed. And you can find me at any one of those sources, but text or call me. I’m very hands-on in relationship-driven. So call me.

Directly, text me directly.

Scott Bursey (14:23)

Awesome, Shelby. Thank you for joining us today on the Real Estate Pros Podcast.

Shelby Morgan (14:28)

Thank you for having me.

Scott Bursey (14:30)

It was a sincere pleasure. And to our listeners, we appreciate you. If you received value from today’s episode, please subscribe. We’ll be filling your tanks with a lineup of elite guests just like Shelby Morgan, who are accelerating and setting the pace for the rest of the industry. Until next time, keep your standards high and your vision clear. We’ll see ya on the next episode, everyone.