Chet Garner can tell a good story. As the creator, host, and executive producer of “The Daytripper” on PBS and thedaytripper.com, he explores the state seeking interesting places and the people and attractions that make it that way. Garner discussed the power of stories at the 2025 Texas REALTORS® Shaping Texas Conference in August. You can start putting stories to work in your brokerage using his advice.
Realize you’re in the storytelling business
We’re all storytellers; some of us just don’t know it yet. We tend to pigeon-hole storytelling as something you do around a campfire or on a blog post. All day long, stories are how we communicate. Stories can have a lot of power and influence in real estate. Your clients are visualizing themselves in a house or in a community. They’re telling themselves a story of what it’s like to live there.
Live your stories
The best way to get to know a place is to put boots on the ground. Where do people congregate? Where do they bring their families? Learn those stories first-hand. You can tell the story of your community by being an active part of your community. Which is more compelling: “My neighbor loves that Mexican restaurant,” or “I’m there every weekend and the cheese enchiladas are the best I’ve ever had.”
Listen to your client’s stories
The quickest way to build rapport with clients and prospects is to be genuinely curious about them. Listen. Give them an opportunity to talk.
Statistics aren’t the story
What is the story of the house? What is the story of the neighborhood? The story isn’t that the house has this many square feet or there are that many units in the subdivision. Data is important but it’s not the only thing. Spend a little time crafting the narrative of the place.
Your clients are buying into a community
People feel at home where they feel seen. The only way to do that is to go out and be with other people in the community. It’s about getting to know neighbors and local businesses. Typically, the more you know about the place, the prouder you are to live there. People who are proud of where they live know the history, the successes, and the failures. You get out what you put in. If you only ever go to and from work and never get involved in the community, you could live anywhere. You could live in the middle of a cornfield; it wouldn’t matter to you.
Your brand should reflect what you’re already doing
Your brand should be true to you. Branding should start with a self-assessment. If you love historic homes, you should specialize in them. If you’re the king or queen of the suburbs, embrace that. If I want to buy a home in Old Town Georgetown and I see you every time I’m in Old Town Georgetown, I’m likely to hire you to help me buy a home.