Welcome to THE MARTI PARTY podcast, hosted by The Rebate Guy himself: Chris Marti!
For our second episode, we had a fun chat with our friend Amanda Jones.
Hunter, Singer, Rodeo Queen, and New Home Consultant with Chesmar Homes, AMANDA JONES brings many talents to the table and we had the privilege of sitting down to chat about it all.
You can watch the video below, or scroll down for the full transcript.
Huge thanks to Amanda for coming on and sharing her stories, experiences, and knowledge with The Marti Party!
Interview transcript
Chris Marti: [00:00:00] Everybody. Welcome back to another episode of the Marty Party. Episode number two. If you watch the first episode with the amazing James Poole, a lot of great nuggets in there and we felt like we had the one up it and bring an even bigger and better. Just getting James though he’s good as well but we got one of our favorite, favorite sales counselors here, the amazing, incredible Amanda Jones So if you’re just tuning in to the Marty party, you know, this is going to be kind of just a series in a segment about who are these people, right? Who are the people that are building your new construction homes? Right. Who are the people that are in the models, the face behind the mask and and really get to know what it’s like. Right. You know, a new home sales. And just like any other sales, right. We see people as, oh, you know, they’re a car salesman. They’re an insurance salesman. Right. And no, they are. Yes. But they’re also people. And here rebate made house, of course we believe in value and working with people that have similar values to what we do. So every week we’re going to be featuring guests that have these high level of values and core experiences that we have. So without further ado, welcome, Amanda, who thinks thank you. Thank you. Thank you for coming. So it’s good. This is good. We’re learning. We’re going as we go. Right? We’re learning as we go.
Amanda Jones: [00:01:12] So impromptu.
Chris Marti: [00:01:13] Absolutely. So ultimately, you know, we would like we talked about, you know, we want to know who’s Amanda. So to give some back story, at least what I know, because I don’t know as much as I should. But Amanda works over at Cheesemaker. She’s in New Braunfels right now. But obviously, you know, that can change. So check in with her. But Amanda has a really, really cool extracurricular skill set, if you will, lifestyle. It’s neat. And so what I mean by that is, you know, of course, you you I mean, tell us about it. Right? Go ahead and tell us like, what is what are you who is Amanda? What do you do?
Amanda Jones: [00:01:46] I think I’m intentionally layered.
Chris Marti: [00:01:49] Layered?
Amanda Jones: [00:01:50] All right. I have sought out to not be stagnant in my life. So I’m always seeking new things and not wanting to be bored. And I don’t you know, you don’t want to be around boring people either, right?
Chris Marti: [00:02:02] Absolutely.
Amanda Jones: [00:02:03] So I’m very grateful for the life that I have and that I have made and that I continue to seek out. So Amanda Jones is my legal name. My married name is Coria. So I go by Amanda Jones Correa but it’s Portuguese and you don’t roll the R’s. So my husband’s from Hawaii and everybody in Texas wants to roll. They are, yes. So I go by Jones normally.
Chris Marti: [00:02:24] Keep it simple. They could sit for simple.
Amanda Jones: [00:02:26] Yeah. So at all of his rodeos they mispronounce it all the time. But that’s okay. I was born in Alabama, but my parents came back to Texas when I was like two and one half got it. And they really attribute my love for the country and animals, right? Because they used to put me on a brahma bull across from a cabin that my dad had built with two contractors. And they just keep me on that Brahma bull and I’d ride around the like the field. Yes. And then the Brahma bull would like block them so they couldn’t leave because he loved me so much. So ever since then, I just had a love for animals and livestock.
Chris Marti: [00:03:02] That’s crazy. So you grew up on a farm?
Amanda Jones: [00:03:04] Well, I said when they moved back to San Antonio and then I wasn’t on farm. However, my dad exposed us a lot to hunting and rodeos and things like that, and mainly from the aspect of my father singing the national anthem at tens of rodeos. But we went hunting not just for the love of it, but we really struggled. Growing up, there was not a lot of money, there wasn’t a lot of food sometimes. But my parents always made sure we had food right. And so we hunted to eat.
Chris Marti: [00:03:34] That’s crazy. So out of necessity.
Amanda Jones: [00:03:37] Out of necessity. So I’ve always been comfortable with that and still am. And I still like to go high school. Deer head’s all over my living room and everybody thinks it’s my husband’s, but no, they’re mine.
Chris Marti: [00:03:48] That’s crazy. You wouldn’t have known that. So. So we grow up. We’re in San Antonio. This is this is super neat. And, you know, now, when you’re when you’re getting into your, like, high school years, you’re getting into college, what were you I mean, were you majoring? Did you attend college? What was kind of going on?
Amanda Jones: [00:04:04] Well, I started out at a university and then realized my personality type needs more one on one setting. So I ended up at a community college, took me four years, got my associates and kind of quit there.
Chris Marti: [00:04:16] Yeah hey I get.
Amanda Jones: [00:04:17] It ended up getting if I fast forward some got married to my first husband and started singing more on a worldwide platform televised and ended up going through a divorce and it ended amicably. But at that point I was singing. I had already been singing for several years in front of live audiences, up to thousands of people. And then worldwide television aired in over 100 nations. So that was really an amazing experience. And then I got into this transitionary period of who who am I now, right? Who do I want to be? And let me do all the things that I’ve been wanting to do. But I. So I had this fear. It was almost like I didn’t have social fears. But then I also kind of did in a way of wanting.
Chris Marti: [00:05:07] Approval that makes sense.
Amanda Jones: [00:05:09] And I was wanting to do more singing, but I was afraid of what people were going to say.
Chris Marti: [00:05:17] That makes a lot of sense. So. Before we get to Ty, who’s amazing, let’s let’s live right there. So let’s talk about singing. You mentioned that your dad used to sing national anthems, right? I know that from my experience that you this last year, you went kind of all over the south kind of bread belt, if you will hear of just rodeos and singing a bunch of national anthems. So how did singing come about and what does it mean to you?
Amanda Jones: [00:05:39] I was able to branch out more into National Anthem type of things because I decided to get over those fears and thought, I’m not doing it for those people anyways.
Chris Marti: [00:05:49] Absolutely.
Amanda Jones: [00:05:50] If they’re going to say anything, that’s good. So I started moving into I’m singing and sharing my gifts and talents. My God, given inborn gifts and talent. Absolutely. With people. Because if you’re not utilizing those rights, you’re never going to feel fulfilled. You will have full capacity of joy. So I started putting out covers on social media and started immediately getting booked to do the national anthem at a lot of events, and that’s started to grow even more so then connecting with my now husband, Ty Correa, he was fighting bulls out of rodeo and Bernie so cool while I was singing the national anthem and he said I was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. And he better say that now. And and so moving forward, yeah, I sing the national anthem at different rodeos with him that you know where he’s fighting. Sometimes he’s fighting them, sometimes he’s not. And then a lot of fund raisers, political events, I sing, I would sing for both parties. Whoever asked me because I represent all Americans, that’s great. And in a lot of military events, a lot of military and military appreciation and fundraising type of things. And so that’s kind of got me to where I am now. Yep. And I’m comfortable with it. I love it. And like I said, I’m sharing this with people.
Chris Marti: [00:07:07] With people, and that’s good. I mean, you know, the approval thing, I think, is something that a lot of people, especially young kids, I’ve got a little girl, right? She and a little boy. But the little girl specifically chases that approval. Right. She she’s seeking that. And I think that it’s important and it’s getting harder because that milestone keeps moving. Right. You have to be comfortable, like you said, doing it for yourself first and foremost, but ultimately with people, because it’s not an ever moving goalpost where you’re always chasing something that’s unattainable and that’s it’s tough. It’s it’s tough to always be looking at that. So that’s incredible. That’s amazing. So on tie, right, if you kind of caught that guys but you didn’t Ty is a bullfighter rodeo clown. This is a guy that does a scary job, right? Like this is the guy that does the job. If you saw the new jackass, right? Like Johnny Knoxville getting mauled by the bull. By the bull, like her husband does that intentionally to not get hit by the bull. Right. But okay. So we talked about that you guys met at the rodeo. You know, he picked you up off your feet. Incredible story. So now I know obviously you all are expecting a little one, which is incredible. And what is that like as far as like just, you know, having him in a career that some people find obviously dangerous, you know, very high thrill. So what is that like for you all? I mean, what do you what is that like?
Amanda Jones: [00:08:22] You know what? It’s challenging.
Chris Marti: [00:08:25] Yeah, absolutely.
Amanda Jones: [00:08:26] It’s a mental game almost for me. Right. And and for him. But it’s not a game either. You I’m constantly having to remind myself not to create scenarios in my mind that have not even happened.
Chris Marti: [00:08:40] Right. Make sense.
Amanda Jones: [00:08:40] So don’t allow fear to control my emotions is really what it comes down to. So it’s a constant reminder. I’m really I just I’m constantly I know I keep saying that, but seriously, I’m constantly doing these things and reminding myself to give it to God and my faith in the Lord and just knowing that he’s fulfilling his purpose and some of his gifts and talents also. And he was doing that when we met. So I if I didn’t want him doing that or if I thought I was going to give him a hard time about it, then I had no business getting into a relationship, marriage and having a child with him. Absolutely. So now we’re here and I give it to God every time and the Lord’s will be done.
Chris Marti: [00:09:17] Absolutely well. And I you know, I know obviously he takes precaution and it’s a very trained sport, but it’s just it’s crazy to me because, you know, you walk into Chester, right? You’re an agent or a prospective home buyer. You have zero idea that this is going down. Right. And obviously, you walk in and you’ve got all these great talents and you guys have such a cool, like I said, extracurricular life, which is the rodeos and things like that. So that’s incredible. And I know that your family, your family, your parents, they’re actually operating a horse ranch, I believe in in Converse. Right. It’s like literally inner city. So. Okay, so tell me about this. What’s going on there and what is this?
Amanda Jones: [00:09:54] So my father’s main profession, he’s a marriage and family therapist and my sister. It runs his practice, but she also counsels. And one of my dad’s dreams has always been to have some kind of ranch or farm or property, to be able to bring people maybe out there that wouldn’t feel comfortable in the counseling office. Kind of the ultimate. And this opportunity became available where there were horses already. So they have people that come and board the horses come and ride. And then we also own at least a couple of equine therapy horses. So the main purpose for him with this Trinity Ranch and stables is the name of it. Yes. In Converse, Texas, is to counsel and. The FBI brings folks out and different children’s programs and things like that. And so there’s a lot of mental and behavioral health counseling and healing going on there. So we’re not just doing it because it’s something we love and like and enjoy and it fulfills us. But my family, it really fulfills us to see people walk through a journey of healing and seeking healing. And then when we get to see people. With their breakthroughs. Yes. Oh, that is so cool.
Chris Marti: [00:11:17] That’s incredible. That’s so cool. It’s another level and that and that’s something that again. Right. You don’t see converse if you don’t know is is a town at this point. It’s a it’s a big growing city. So to have something like this is incredible. And, you know, it sounds like it’s along the lines of the same way that people are using therapy, animals and things like that. Right. To just kind of get over some of the past traumas and things that have happened in their lives. So this is that’s an incredible take on how you all are helping people through just situations that they may have. So that that’s awesome. And I know that you you go out there, I’ve seen you doing different events and things like that. So you’re involved on top of all the other crazy stuff you’re doing. You are involved out there at the ranch and helping with them. So that’s that’s all I’ll ever do.
Amanda Jones: [00:12:03] Enough. Yeah. And I’m and I applaud the people that are able to find the time because I know it’s a time thing to be able to get out and volunteer and all that. And then there’s, there are other people that have the more time and then they just go hard all year long. And I know what that takes. Right? Absolutely. So I know that the people that are being helped are very appreciative of the folks that are getting out there and volunteering their time and helping to heal people and volunteer at shelters and things like that. I always encourage people just experience that for yourself because that’s going to bring you healing, watching other people get help, too.
Chris Marti: [00:12:37] Absolutely. And I think that it takes a special soul to to do that. So obviously props to anyone who has the time. And there’s a lot of great programs and local things that we have in the San Antonio area. Yeah, ways to get involved with the community and a lot of people, you know, need that, right? You know, they need that fulfillment. And a lot of people, kids needs foster programs and all sorts of things where people need other people to invest their time and it’s good for the soul. I mean, y’all invest a lot of time in, like you said, healing. So really incredible, incredible stuff.
Amanda Jones: [00:13:08] That’s I wouldn’t have it any other way when you when you are standing in front of somebody that you’re assisting. Yes. And it can be at different levels of emotion or depth of whatever their scenario might be. And you see their tears and you see their pain firsthand. And especially if you’re standing like in their home and you’re in like that environment that they’ve been having to live in. Yes. They’ve had no choice. That will change you.
Chris Marti: [00:13:37] Absolutely.
Amanda Jones: [00:13:38] And it will always change you for the better.
Chris Marti: [00:13:40] Absolutely. Has so powerful to be there for those core core memory moments. It’s incredible. You have a story. So okay, so I need to understand this. So we’ve got we’ve got this queen of the rodeo singing the national anthem, right. You know, your family. So giving right. Raise on farm hunting. How do you end up in a model home selling new construction homes? I need to understand, how did we how did we get to a builder?
Amanda Jones: [00:14:03] So I for years, I always thought, man, that would be such a cool job just to do something in either the building world or in real estate. Am I really qualified, though? Because this is not my background. Nobody in my family does it right. That’s yeah. So it was part of finding my journey. And about three, maybe three and a half years ago, I was working for a major corporate retailer and they started dissolving the positions of the folks nationally where I was in a corporate position out in the field. Corporate cosmetics. Yep. And it was a ton of fun. I was traveling and so it started dissolving those things. And about two years prior to that, I’m going to scoot back about two years. Part of that I kind of requested an interview. Qamar wasn’t hiring, right? Absolutely. Ken Trainor. Oh, he’s just so kind. And so he saw me anyways and I asked him to please hire me in sales or just anywhere to get started. And he said, I’ll never forget. And he said, You’d be like a caged tiger in a model home. Amanda I just don’t know if that’s the right fit.
Chris Marti: [00:15:07] You’re very outgoing. Yes.
Amanda Jones: [00:15:08] And he said, but I tell you what, come back in two years. Yeah, we’re going to be expanding and we can revisit this. And I said, okay. And so two years later, they started dissolving those positions. Right. And Will Sherman, who’s now VP of sales for San Antonio Division, he had posted a part time, $12 an hour, two days a week, maybe three. Yeah, assistant position. Yeah. And I immediately applied, went in and met him and he’s like, I can’t pay you more than $12 an hour. You have way more experience. And I said, I don’t care. I just went in. Yeah, just give me a chance.
Chris Marti: [00:15:45] Yeah, that’s.
Amanda Jones: [00:15:46] Incredible. So he hired me and then he spoke to Ken Glass, who was VP of Sales at the time, and now he’s division president for San Antonio Chamber and Ken Glass and a couple of folks that I had to interview with. Basically, they gave me a chance. That’s incredible. And I was so grateful. And so they hired me in full time. And now I’m in Bossier Ranch, which is totally crazy, because that’s where I started out as a part time assistant. Assistant and then. They gave that community to me. So I’ve been there like two years now, almost two years.
Chris Marti: [00:16:17] This is and you’re like a rare breed because the new home sales. Right. We see a lot of people with a lot of different builders. Right. We see a lot of people that, you know, one spot, one minute they’re at one builder the other minute they’re at another. And even if you’re at one builder, you know, I mean, this community, this for this period of time and in this community. So you are a one builder, one neighborhood, you know, new home sales rep, which is actually like kind of rare. Yeah. Yeah. That’s super incredible. So grateful. Super grateful. And you know, Ed, if you don’t know, chutzpah is a builder that they they’re very family oriented. Right. They pride themselves on their employees. You know, it’s a thing where they want to make sure that you all succeed as new home sales professionals give you all an opportunity to make money and not only just make money, but to help people into the homeownership journey because it is something that is is difficult. Right. It’s the biggest.
Amanda Jones: [00:17:08] Purchase a lot of.
Chris Marti: [00:17:09] People will ever make. Yeah, it’s absolutely crazy. Okay, so we’re in what’s the ranch? We’re at Chester. We got there. Right. So while this is all going on, obviously you’re getting married, right? You know, obviously having a little one and the market gets crazy. So let’s I want to talk about just like so people kind of hear the difference of like how things were for the last two years versus how it was now. Right? So for the last two years, it’s been wild, right? Yeah, it’s been it’s been just there’s been nothing to sell or everything sells, right? And it was faster than you could. So, you know, it’s in that time, right? I noticed that y’all never lost that, like, certificate of excellence, right? Like you all still gay people that service. So talk to us about like, what was it like the last two years? You know?
Amanda Jones: [00:17:54] Well, I am grateful that Chema tends to hire very like minded people. So we’re able to trust our counterparts out in the field, but also trust the folks at the office to have our back and our construction team so like minded, different personality types, different gifts and talents. So we make up a very well balanced environment, if you will. So yeah, it was kind of like what was normal, you know, I’ve only been doing this for a few years, but normal from what I had been told.
Chris Marti: [00:18:25] Yep.
Amanda Jones: [00:18:26] And then, yeah, COVID hit and it was just totally empty. I was in Cibolo, Texas, selling at the time. Four, but it was only empty for about 30 days. And then wildly enough, people just kept coming in the door. I would have like four and five families at a time. At the height of Cove, starting because they were bored in their homes and started looking for homes and were actually buying. So it’s like this interesting dynamic that nobody expected, I think. And then they were realizing, I actually don’t like my home. I’m spending time in it now. It doesn’t work for me or all my kids are home. So they started buying homes and then it started getting kind of wild a little bit in the sense that, yeah, we couldn’t start homes quick enough and then you go into all the material delays, right? And then at that point, even kind of till this day, we’re just guessing absolutely.
Chris Marti: [00:19:14] When things are going to be done.
Amanda Jones: [00:19:15] Going to come in.
Chris Marti: [00:19:16] That’s great. That blows my mind. But ultimately, I know that you all you guys frame it correctly to where people understand like, hey, it’s got to be, it’s got to be. People have to have expectations set for realistically that, hey, this is a moving target. But I know that you all have done a really good job on that and and being able to kind of keep up. So, so with the last two years, like you said, it’s been kind of chaos. Home homes have really construction. Just everything has been kind of tough and challenging. Right. You know, to the people out there that are maybe thinking about starting the process and they’re seeing the rates go up, right? They’re seeing the price is high. There’s so much market uncertainty, you know, what do you want them to know based on what you’ve seen, on why it’s still okay to move forward? You know, what are you what are you telling people?
Amanda Jones: [00:19:59] My division president, Sean Chandler, just the other day, he said this a couple of times and it’s really stuck with me. He says these people are getting out for a reason. You are out there in this crazy world and this crazy market for some reason. So still go with that is my advice, right? Still seek your home of what’s best for you. And if you’re with the right builder, they’re going to work with you. They’re going to help you get into the right home of what’s best for you. They’re going to work with you on the financing. They’re able to provide a lot of that assistance still. Right. So still, look, don’t stay in your place of pain, whatever that pain might be. And it could be like a physical. It could be a tangible, it could be emotional, professional. You’re in that situation and you’re getting out of it for some reason. Make sense, still move forward. Don’t kind of what we talked about earlier. Don’t allow fear to dictate your feelings and your emotions.
Chris Marti: [00:20:52] That make sense.
Amanda Jones: [00:20:53] And still just move forward and then get your place out of that. Get yourself out of that place of pain. So heck, that could signify numerous things, right? Not just the physical but emotional mental professional.
Chris Marti: [00:21:06] That makes.
Amanda Jones: [00:21:06] Sense. So practice that in all areas of your life, including why are you looking for a new home?
Chris Marti: [00:21:11] Absolutely. Which makes a lot of sense. And, you know, when I think about like, you know, kind of going more broad real estate, right? When I think about just more specifically. Yes. But just like homes in general, right. Like you said, homes are where people spend most of their time. Right. Even people that work a lot. I work a lot. Yes. You know, you work a lot. We still find ourselves kind of in our home. And that’s your space, right? Like that’s where you have your your exactly your time, your creative space, you know, your layout, which is important, right, for mental health and all the things that we deal with on the day to day. There’s a lot of uncertainty. And I think that it’s important that people have that, that comfort in their home.
Amanda Jones: [00:21:46] Yeah. Your safe space.
Chris Marti: [00:21:47] Your safe space and homes are more than that. Right. But also, too, on the on the flip side, as far as like if you’re like I’m a very practical person and I want it to make sense. You know, I think back to she mentioned Will Sherman earlier, good friend of mine, VP of sales like she mentioned in San Antonio, you know, Will in New Braunfels. When I met Will, he was selling at West Point, which is right up here. Yes, which is right up here in New Braunfels. And actually, he was there at the beginning. And then he went to vintage and he went back there. He was there twice. But when he was there the first time. Right, which is when I met him the first time, you know, he was selling homes at a price point that you could dream of. Right. A beautiful, smart home, fully updated for three 3300. Yes, literally. Yes. The 300 for 330.
Amanda Jones: [00:22:29] That was a lie.
Chris Marti: [00:22:30] Yes. When people thought that was a lot. And it’s and why I mentioned that and why I bring that up is that it’s all relative, right? Because, you know, it’s something where if you’re very practical person and you’re worried about race and you’re like, I’m going to wait till the market goes down and the rates go down, you know, we for you to hit 330 for the homes that he was building, we would the market wouldn’t have to go down. It would have to be like incinerate, right. Like molten like people would have to lose like 50% value. Right. Not super likely to happen. So I think that’s another thing as well. Another perspective is like when you just think about what it takes to build a home and the materials in the home. This isn’t a thing where, especially for chess, it’s this thing where people are being greedy. The builders are like, Oh, we got to line our pockets, you know, tell us about that. I mean, you all are pretty good, you know?
Amanda Jones: [00:23:15] Yeah. And I’ve heard a lot of stories of folks coming in, kind of I hate saying throwing out those accusations about some builders and they’ve kind of accused us of that a couple of times. But I think it’s because they feel uncomfortable, right? So when you feel uncomfortable with somebody or something, you start going on the defensive mode.
Chris Marti: [00:23:32] It’s a lot of sense.
Amanda Jones: [00:23:33] And saying things that aren’t necessarily the truth.
Chris Marti: [00:23:36] Absolutely.
Amanda Jones: [00:23:38] And so what was your question?
Chris Marti: [00:23:40] What’d you just ask me? My question basically was that like for the pricing, right? Like I’m talking about like when you like this, y’all aren’t like going crazy on like trying to, like, line y’all’s pockets. Like, y’all have kept it affordable for what you’re building. Right. And that’s what that’s what.
Amanda Jones: [00:23:57] We have definitely worked towards, keeping it as affordable as we possibly can. So we were one of the few builders I know there were several out there that were locking folks into the base price of the home, no matter how many percentages of margins we were losing.
Chris Marti: [00:24:11] Right. Absolutely.
Amanda Jones: [00:24:12] To be able to help families still get into their homes, because like you mentioned earlier, Chasma really cares about these families and we want them to be able to be successful in life. And sometimes that is getting them into their home to be able to set them up for success.
Chris Marti: [00:24:27] Absolutely. But that’s good. And that’s something that that’s what we talked about. So the term she was mentioning, for those who are unfamiliar, it’s called escalation clauses. So in Texas, we on traditional real estate realtors in Texas can’t use escalation clauses. We can’t put those into our contracts. But builders don’t follow the track contracts. They’re able to use their own kind of home grown contracts. So several of the production builders in our area over the last two years did that. The prices were uncertain. They said, Hey, we can’t bear the cost of these crazy materials. So people were buying homes and not really knowing what they were paying for them like it was crazy.
Amanda Jones: [00:25:03] Going to end up at.
Chris Marti: [00:25:04] No, it’s crazy. So I think that that’s really admirable about like something that y’all as builder did, like y’all kind of stuck to, hey, this is what we’re going to build the home for. This is what we’re going to stick out to it. And that’s yeah, that’s super incredible. So another just good thing that I think that really sets y’all apart from some of the crowd.
Amanda Jones: [00:25:23] And I can understand where some of those builders were coming from, too, because they were losing so much money. Absolutely. It’s just thankfully Chasma chose to lose the money.
Chris Marti: [00:25:33] Absolutely. Then stick it to the clients as.
Amanda Jones: [00:25:36] Far as that goes, that type of situation. So once again, I’m just grateful for Ches Martin working for them.
Chris Marti: [00:25:42] No. And they are there. I have nothing but good things to say. So we’ve done a bunch of with them. So that’s crazy. Okay, so we’re in Wasser, right? Obviously you’re at the little one on the way. So what does like what does life look like for you all? I mean, going forward? Right. So are you going to continue to tour and sing after you have the baby?
Amanda Jones: [00:25:58] Absolutely.
Chris Marti: [00:25:59] Absolutely. Baby’s going to come with you.
Amanda Jones: [00:26:00] I already have a list from a couple of my friends who have little babies that travel a ton of what I’m going to need to take the baby with me.
Chris Marti: [00:26:08] Dang, that’s really cool.
Amanda Jones: [00:26:10] Yeah, I. Life doesn’t stop.
Chris Marti: [00:26:11] That’s that’s a that’s incredible. Let’s get for you all.
Amanda Jones: [00:26:13] I still want to be able to fulfill my gifts and talents, but also teach my child about those types of things and why are we living this lifestyle? And I want him to not just experience there’s nothing wrong with experience like local festivities and sites and all that. But just when you get a taste of what else is out there, you want more and I want my child to want more.
Chris Marti: [00:26:37] That’s really cool. That’s a that’s incredible. And I’m assuming Ty is extremely excited obviously to be. Yes, proud dad number one.
Amanda Jones: [00:26:44] That’s so he thinks he’s taking this kid on his rotation this summer without me.
Chris Marti: [00:26:50] That’s what I was going to say. I was like, so is he going to take it with him?
Amanda Jones: [00:26:53] Well, he thinks that. But we’ve had conversations and he’s not.
Chris Marti: [00:26:56] Okay. You heard him.
Amanda Jones: [00:26:57] Meet.
Chris Marti: [00:26:57] Up with you heard it. It’s the baby’s saying.
Amanda Jones: [00:27:01] Everybody needs to hold him accountable.
Chris Marti: [00:27:02] Yeah, absolutely. We got it. We will hold him accountable. That’s crazy. So, okay, so what are you all I mean, right now, right? Like, what is fun? Like, like for you all? So y’all have a date night. There’s no baby right now. Like, what are you guys doing right? Where are you going?
Amanda Jones: [00:27:14] Rodeos. Yeah. So right now he is out of state and he’s gone for a couple of months and then he’ll be back and forth for another month, month and a half ish.
Chris Marti: [00:27:25] So it’s still rodeo season somewhere.
Amanda Jones: [00:27:27] Summer is the the most intense. Yeah, rodeo season. So just because that’s when people are off from school and they have consistent rodeos back to back, heck even in the middle of the week and some of these states.
Chris Marti: [00:27:41] That’s crazy. So give us like just as many as you can remember, like, what state does he travel to right now? Like, where is he going?
Amanda Jones: [00:27:47] So right now, last summer and this summer, he’s working specifically for Broken Horn Rodeo Company and owned by Jim and Sandy. They are up out of Ohio. So they the majority of the rodeos are going to be Ohio, some in Kentucky, maybe a couple in Tennessee, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan. And I think that’s kind of the majority.
Chris Marti: [00:28:10] So he really like he’s like I said, like Brett Bell kind of central. Like it makes.
Amanda Jones: [00:28:13] Sense, right? Yeah, I guess. But he can work out other rodeos in between. He just doesn’t have time. But he’ll do it kind of the spring and fall winter that.
Chris Marti: [00:28:21] Makes sense.
Amanda Jones: [00:28:22] Anywhere else across the nation. So to answer your question, date nights right now are face time. Hey, that’s right. We have little like dinners playing and all that when we go when I go to meet up with him. Radios and we like to try new places and we rent an Airbnb in Far East Kentucky a couple of weeks ago. Never thought I would go there, but it was absolutely beautiful. It’s part of the Appalachian Mountains. So we just walked. We went to historic tours and museums that you don’t get down here in the south.
Chris Marti: [00:28:50] That’s incredible.
Amanda Jones: [00:28:50] It was cool.
Chris Marti: [00:28:51] That’s and and I think that that is, again, the point of our series. Right. It’s to highlight like the people behind the desk because that’s something that you just wouldn’t imagine. Right. I have never been to Kentucky know. I mean, but I’m not saying I won’t go there but I.
Amanda Jones: [00:29:05] I’m a lot of self service is not great for.
Chris Marti: [00:29:08] Not for good for realtors, but I think it’s incredible. And so, you know, ultimately, I think it’s I think what you’re doing is amazing, right? You guys are investing so much in people, right? Even with what Ty does. Like, people get such joy out of, you know, going there and like you said, taking an evening off to go have that entertainment out there at the at the rodeo. And obviously, for y’all being separate for that that long, that is.
Amanda Jones: [00:29:30] It takes a strong marriage.
Chris Marti: [00:29:31] It’s like a strong god.
Amanda Jones: [00:29:33] My dad’s a therapist.
Chris Marti: [00:29:34] Yeah. Oh, gosh. Yeah, that’s that’s incredible. But you all y’all, I’ve seen y’all. Y’all have a great time, and you have to hear her sing. If you haven’t had an opportunity, you have to you have, like, anything on YouTube or anything where people can see a whole lot.
Amanda Jones: [00:29:46] Honestly, my Facebook and my Instagram are both on public view. Okay, there you go. I have things posted on that. Anybody can go look me up. It’s Amanda Jones Dash Korea. That’s amazing. Probably on both of them, actually. Yeah. So you can look me up any of those. And any time I sing the national anthem, I post the video of it. So it’s going to be on my feed.
Chris Marti: [00:30:07] Yep, absolutely. That makes a lot of sense. I mean, that’s that’s cool. I mean, I just I think that people have to hear I had the opportunity to hear you at we did half the hour. This is funny. We did a half hour at. Yeah, it was last summer. It’s been a minute. We need to do another one. But we did a happy hour for new home sales reps here in downtown New Braunfels. There was a open mic. Where did we? We went to the downtown social. The downtown social and they had open mic night. So Andrew saying tequila, right? Literally or one word. But you weren’t up there. I don’t remember what you saying, but you killed it.
Amanda Jones: [00:30:40] And a woman, that’s Aretha Franklin.
Chris Marti: [00:30:42] That’s what it was. And you got some loud, loud claps in there.
Amanda Jones: [00:30:46] So Mike dropped and then I left literally.
Chris Marti: [00:30:49] And then you left. Super authentic, though. And I think that that’s the main takeaway for the people that I want to have that are watching this. You know, whether you’re prospective homeowner or realtor or anything, is that your authentic to the T? Right. Thank you. We’re talking about in real estate, you know, and you’ve seen it, right? Like a lot of people, they try and live large. You know, they have these personas, right? Image exactly. Six figure cars, right? Expensive designer clothes and watches and things like that. And I’ve noticed that obviously you guys are not like that. We’re not like that either. But it’s for me, I’m all about authenticity, you know, because I want to know that when I’m working with someone for a prospective new home purchase or anything in general, like I want to know that I’m working with good intention people because ultimately at the end of the day, right, I think a lot of people think that, you know, especially in sales, women and men that what’s the catch? Right. She’s out to get me. You know.
Amanda Jones: [00:31:43] She being sneaky.
Chris Marti: [00:31:44] Exactly. She could have. She’s going to make money on me.
Amanda Jones: [00:31:46] She’s trying to get inside.
Chris Marti: [00:31:47] Me, trying to get paid. And so I think that I think that for you, like you’re so authentic and humble, you’re well-deserved. I think that I think you’re so authentic and humble that people need to kind of see that side of it because it’s hard, right? When people come in, you have the expectations, right? Tell them about the model. Tell them about the builder. The quality of construction’s. Nobody. Nobody’s asking like, hey, where’d you grow up? You know what I mean? Like, and what do you like to do outside of work? So I was hoping to obviously, you know, be able to shed some light on that, which we’ve done.
Amanda Jones: [00:32:17] It’s I think that it’s okay to like nice things in a I think it’s okay to enjoy yourself. And when you work as hard as all of us do. Absolutely. You want to enjoy some of the fruit of that labor. Yeah, but I think that it needs to go deeper than that and to be able to really learn who you are and be authentic, you have to want more for yourself, for your soul, for your spirit, mind, body. And so people can still do those things and purchase those things. But to be the person that goes deeper than everybody else, absolutely. You should want to be that person and seek to be that person and seek to be around those people. Like I have told numerous people this for years now, it’s just a conclusion I had come to. There are three types of people in this world. One is the person that has been through things. They haven’t learned their lesson. They still are destructive for the rest of their lives behaviorally. Right. And then person number two has been through things. They’ve learned their lesson and they’ve just chosen not to repeat those things. But they didn’t get the healing. Yes. So they still repeat some patterns, maybe in relationships and things, whether it be in the workplace or, you know, relation, dating, friendship type things. And then the third person has been through things. They’ve learned their lesson. But then. They went that extra step and sought healing for themselves. Absolutely. And how many people go do that right for themselves? Because you really can’t help others heal until you have thought healing yourself. And so I encourage everybody. Yes. To to seek that like it is gold and seek to bring around those types of.
Chris Marti: [00:33:53] People that make sense.
Amanda Jones: [00:33:54] And once you get to a place of freedom, like true freedom, mentally, emotionally, all those other things are going to follow, like the finances and your joy. And you will be at a place that you never even imagine or you could have only imagined. Absolutely. And you’ll be able to live in freedom in all areas of your life.
Chris Marti: [00:34:12] Incredible. I agree. I 1000 million percent agree. And I think that just the way that House is structured, its model, of course, giving back to the consumer, same type of thing that you’re you’re talking about, like it’s authenticity. Right. And I think that a lot of people just in our industry in general and I’m talking lending, I’m talking insurance. Right. It’s so go, go, go. That people stop. They forget to think about like, what am I doing this for? Right. And what is the why exactly? What is your why? I think that’s extremely important because at the end of the day, it’s very challenging. Right. You know, people look at new home sales professionals. They look at real estate agents, loan officers and insurance agents. And I think that they forget how mentally taxing it is. Right. You know, I mean, and it is like people think about it like, oh, you know, I work 1000000 hours and you all make a lot of money and things like that. And I’m not saying, of course, like this industry is well compensated, but crazy random fact they actually talk about that lending is of jobs that have high suicide rates, lending in the top ten.
Amanda Jones: [00:35:13] So I had never heard that.
Chris Marti: [00:35:15] Yes. So and so, you know, I I obviously implore people like she was mentioning, you know, definitely make sure that you have a good handle on your why why you’re in that and don’t get all consumed by the grind. Right. Because ultimately it’s more than that, right? Yeah. There’s a purpose why y’all are going to work, you know, and why you’re doing what you’re doing and why you get out of bed every day.
Amanda Jones: [00:35:37] So why like you’re why I had asked you, I guess it was last year sometimes I had lunch. Yes. Lauren was there, my division president, Sean was there. And I wanted to know what is your why? Because I’ve always admired you and Meredith and Lauren and really everybody in your team because you can feel everybody’s really everybody’s heart is in the right place. I really do believe that. Absolutely. And so it had intrigued me. I wanted to know how you had even gotten started. So I want you to know that I see that in you all and in rebate health and in the team and I see and feel your y’all’s presence in the community. Thank you and in the homebuying world as well. And I have a lot of respect for that. I think it’s super cool.
Chris Marti: [00:36:20] I appreciate that. And, you know, I think it’s I think it’s funny because a lot of people don’t know me that that well. Right. Like obviously I’m wearing my Star Wars DeLorean t shirt and this is like like legitimately I was actually I just told her a funny story. So, you know, I. I don’t really like you wouldn’t get you wouldn’t guess what I do at a glance, right? You wouldn’t guess what I do at a glance. I was telling you that last a couple of months back actually went to Denny’s. Right. And my wife, this is like still during COVID, right? So they had all the curbside delivery and all of that. And I was picking up food for my wife. She likes breakfast. And so Meredith wanted Denny’s. So I go there and when I get when I get there, I call the number that’s like, hey, call this number if you’re here to pick up your food. And and they didn’t come right. They they they answered, but they didn’t come outside. So I finally get out of my car, start walking towards the door and like the store manager, whoever walks out is just like you, DoorDash. People are so lazy because you never pick the out.
Chris Marti: [00:37:13] He’s just like this. This loser with his gym shorts and like, dirty t shirt or, you know, just whoever. Well, and I think it’s funny, right? Because for me, like, like you said about the are y right. Like real estate to me and I can relate a lot to like what your family is doing with healing, right? We have I’ve always wanted to create opportunity for people that don’t have opportunity. Right. So rebate houses y really exist in rebate houses y really exist in. Having somebody in your life, like being able to be the people in your life that you may not have that can finally turn the no into. Yes. Right through the money we’re saving you or the money that we’re providing to you. Like being able to make that happen. Right. So I think that’s important. And I know that you guys have the same exact kind of way that you all are living for yourself, your family tie, you know, being able to for for me, it’s more than a home purchase, right? Yeah. For me, I want people to have an experience where they can look back at it and be like, this was a pivotal point in my life where like, I like change for the better, right? And I think what you’re talking about, Will, and it’s great to look at the practical side, right? Like it’s great to think about all the people that bought homes cheap and they have all the equity.
Chris Marti: [00:38:20] Right. But like I look at like I look at like the emotional side of it as well. I think about all the people that they scraped together and they barely closed. Right. Like these were people because I’ve been in real estate a little bit 12 years. And so I was dealing with people that were coming out of 2008, you know, right? When they’re foreclosures, you can’t get a loan if you have a foreclosure in the last couple of years. Right. Right. When those are falling off credit reports that were getting repaired, things like that. And to just get those people in a position now where they’re circling back around to us and they’re like, Chris, this home we bought four or five years ago, you know, changed everything for us. Right. It’s it’s it’s literally incredible. So that’s, you know, obviously a quick tidbit about our why. And I thank you for even bringing that up because it’s something that we just we don’t talk about it enough, you know.
Amanda Jones: [00:39:11] And it’s kind of like when you when you can talk about your why, then you’ve experienced or are wanting to experience healing. So the fact that you are able to do that absolutely. With a clear message. Yes. Shows that you walked a journey. It’s kind of like a testimony for you and you’re feeding that into other folks. Yes. And it’s not just changing. Yes. It could change something very surface level for them, but it could also change families, generations, absolutely. Numerous generations, and really reset them and their children and grandchildren’s lives and a completely different direction, which is so cool.
Chris Marti: [00:39:47] It’s generational, like you said, it’s truly generational. It’s truly generation racial wealth. And I also think it’s a testament to you have to do what you love. And that’s why I think that I respect the heck of what you’re doing, that you’re using your days off your PTO to travel and do what your passion is. Little other known fact about me is I took kind of a two year, I won’t say hiatus. I was still involved in real estate, but I took a side job. I was doing software development, project management for a company here in town just because it was something that’s what I went to college for, right? Like I started going to college.
Amanda Jones: [00:40:19] Use it a little bit.
Chris Marti: [00:40:20] I was like, I should try it. Right. And it was he was he was in that COVID time, right? Where I’m like, okay, this makes sense. Good friends of mine own the company. I was like, Okay, I’ll do this. And you know, what I will say about it was that I. I realized how much I love what I do now. By doing that right. I felt like personally, my life was going kind of awry because I was trying to force something that wasn’t what I should be doing, what God’s called me to do. And obviously, since I’ve shipped back, even recently, I just started like being a real full time production agent again of March of this year. So it’s only been about three or four months. It’s a complete 180 because I’m doing kind of what we’re called to do, which is like to be that that person for these people to get into homes.
Amanda Jones: [00:41:07] When you’re when you’re not when you don’t feel at peace, that probably means you’re not in the right place.
Chris Marti: [00:41:12] Absolutely. Absolutely.
Amanda Jones: [00:41:14] It’s good that you were able to recognize that and redirect yourself or and or get yourself back on track.
Chris Marti: [00:41:20] And, of course. Correct. Well, and I think that, like with the theme that you’re talking about in how your family’s business is focused on healing, I think that’s important for people to know and take it from me, hear it from me as someone who doesn’t have it all figured out. It’s don’t fight what you’re meant to do, you know what I mean? And don’t be afraid. Don’t be held prisoner by the chains, if you will, of like what you feel like. Oh, this is what I practically should be doing, because it makes sense for X, Y and Z. If you don’t have that, like you said, that Y in that like fulfillment or you get out of bed every day and you’re excited to do your thing. Yeah, I just don’t think that you’ll go.
Amanda Jones: [00:41:59] You’ll feel fulfilled.
Chris Marti: [00:42:00] Yeah, literally. You’ll never feel fulfilled. And they talk about it like in the Bible just it mentions that obviously, you know, cup runneth over, right? I believe that. I believe that if you’re a person that wants to pour in other people, right, you have to be okay, right? Like you said, you have to experience healing. You have to be overflowing. Right? You can’t pour into the people that are looking up to you that you’re trying to lead or not even lead, but just the people that respect you, that work with you. If you’re drained, you know what I mean? If you’re spiritually and physically.
Amanda Jones: [00:42:29] And that’s the reason it’s so important for us to take our time. Yes. And renew ourselves.
Chris Marti: [00:42:35] Absolutely.
Amanda Jones: [00:42:35] So that we can continue to pour back in.
Chris Marti: [00:42:38] And it’s a real thing, especially in our in our industry dog eat dog world out there. And it’s crazy. So that’s amazing. You’re amazing. I want to I want to ask before we wrap, like, just super random, but I want to throw it in there, like, okay, so obviously having the baby, right, everyone knows that it’s good on the eating. When we’re having the baby, what are we eating? What is what is the, the pregnancy snack of choice?
Amanda Jones: [00:43:02] Yeah, I’ve only had one constant this whole time and it’s been eggs.
Chris Marti: [00:43:06] Eggs. I was expecting like snow cones or.
Amanda Jones: [00:43:09] Like anything cold now because it’s over 100 degrees every day right now. Absolutely. Anything cold or iced.
Chris Marti: [00:43:17] Got it. Okay. I was. Tell me about the eggs. I got to understand.
Amanda Jones: [00:43:20] No, I just. I love breakfast in general. Got it. But I used to really like pancakes and waffles, and I was like, I don’t know. It’s not doing anything for me. Yeah, of course. I tried not to eat a lot of tortillas prior to pregnancy, and now I’m just like anything goes, apparently, because it’s easier to eat and not spill. And so I’m doing a lot of tacos, unfortunately.
Chris Marti: [00:43:39] But some eggs come in the tacos.
Amanda Jones: [00:43:41] Yeah. It’s hard living in Texas.
Chris Marti: [00:43:42] It is. It is extreme in an extreme way. It is. We have so much good food. We do have good food here. So egg eggs are the our eggs are the thing of choice. Okay. And then tell me to soak eggs for the pregnancy. Food of choice here. What about like for you and Ty? Like if you guys have an opportunity to go out to your favorite place anywhere around here, where are you going? The regular spot. I heard.
Amanda Jones: [00:44:04] One. We don’t have a total regular, I guess when I am not pregnant. We love sushi in general. We try not to do a ton of commercialized restaurants in general, especially when we travel. That’s good. We like to support a lot of local businesses. So we we do tend to seek out more of the privately owned or maybe they only have three restaurant locations or something. But in Hawaii, apparently they have a lot of Japanese flair or influence. So I will say this, he was cooking so much white rice for the last few years and pork. I had to ask him to please stop. I have to stop eating white rice every day. I can’t do pork all the time. So he had to start getting a little creative. But like, apparently, that’s what he was eating constantly back home.
Chris Marti: [00:44:55] That’s crazy. Okay, so you guys don’t have, like, a local spot that’s like your go to like we do.
Amanda Jones: [00:45:01] If we’re talking about New Braunfels. You really like making fudge?
Chris Marti: [00:45:04] Yes. Muck and fuss is really good.
Amanda Jones: [00:45:06] I like there. I guess it’s kind of a breaded chicken taco thing. And they have some loaded tots.
Chris Marti: [00:45:14] Loaded. Look at this. It’s cool.
Amanda Jones: [00:45:16] I like mac and cheese, though.
Chris Marti: [00:45:17] Two Mac and cheese is good. Oh, my God. Those are the staples. Yes. Just curious, because, you know, for me, I’m born I like Chili’s, right? I’m Chili’s. Everything like. Yeah, I love Chili’s is my spot I ran other random tidbit I actually when they remodeled the Chili’s in New Braunfels a. It’s right there in the corner. I. They had like that nineties Chili’s where they had like the tile tables and they had all the pictures on the walls and all that I bought, like, all of that stuff I own, I own all of that stuff. So I’ve got believe that yes, I actually bought like everything I bought their chalkboards that they had drawn on. So I have it all. So that’s why I was just curious like, hey, this is like y’all’s thing. So I got that another good one that just for people to know the real, you know, Mrs. Jones hyphen Korea. You know what? So if y’all have nothing to do, this is pre baby, right? Y’all are at home. He’s not on tour. What are you doing? What are you all doing to the day? Hiking.
Amanda Jones: [00:46:13] Constant hiking. Got it. I before him, when I really had the time to just go, I was constantly arrowhead hunting. I love looking for artifacts.
Chris Marti: [00:46:24] That’s crazy. So are you not, like, going out there with a metal detector?
Amanda Jones: [00:46:27] Ah, you know, it depends. So it depends on where you are in the nation or the terrain. So if you’re down by the Mexico border, for instance, it’s more of a sandy terrain. So you’re going to do more surface hunting.
Chris Marti: [00:46:38] And they’re stone, right? I’m assuming the arrowheads, are they metal?
Amanda Jones: [00:46:42] Well, it’s interesting that you bring that up. Yes. Because a few years back, I was in. So I can’t remember the name of it right now. There’s a lot of kind of out by the Noises River, so Northey Valley about an hour and I found something that looked like a metal arrowhead. I thought, Well, that’s weird. I’ve never seen that before. So I started researching Native American history even more because that really intrigues me and I think it was around the 1700s ish is when they started making tools out of metal because that’s what they could trade, right? With the colonization, you know, from other countries being over, they couldn’t trade stones, right? So they had to start making things out of metal.
Chris Marti: [00:47:23] That’s incredible. So they actually did have metal arrowheads. That’s incredible.
Amanda Jones: [00:47:27] Roughly around the 1700s. I found a couple pieces out by Seguin. Yep. And kind of along the Guadalupe River, basically. And a good friend of mine, Ryan, took a couple of pieces to somebody that is really an expert. And he said the youngest stone that we had found was 5 to 7000 years old and one of them was 12 to 14000 years old. Like that puts things into a completely different perspective.
Chris Marti: [00:47:50] Absolutely.
Amanda Jones: [00:47:51] It makes you really think.
Chris Marti: [00:47:53] That we’re living in such a small little sliver of that timeline when that’s that’s incredible.
Amanda Jones: [00:47:59] So I like doing those types of things. And then you get to learn more about history and who we are and how we came to be.
Chris Marti: [00:48:05] Absolutely. So. And that’s my that’s the main point that I wanted to drive home is that you are so much more than new home sales. You actually are not what people would expect a new home sales. But but you know what? Honestly, you’re one of the best that one of the best that there is. And I think that ultimately, if people are wanting an experience right, and somebody that’s going to take care of their clients if they’re an agent or take care of their family, if they’re somebody looking for it, that they should give you an opportunity. So thanks.
Amanda Jones: [00:48:36] And I think because I’m not I don’t like to be surface level. Yes. I’m not going to be surface level with the folks that are coming in and buying homes from us. Because I want, like you just said, to give them an experience. I think all of Chasma is really like that.
Chris Marti: [00:48:48] Absolutely.
Amanda Jones: [00:48:49] And I want to take care of everybody.
Chris Marti: [00:48:51] Absolutely. Well, this has been super awesome. Thank you for coming on. And so, you know, for the practical info, guys, we’re going to include Amanda’s info here on the video, so please feel free to reach out to her again. She’s in the Wasser Ranch neighborhood in New Braunfels, but give her an opportunity for the other opportunities that may be out there in the other neighborhood. She can either share with you what those are or put you in contact, of course, with the right representative that can work there. But again, here at Rebate House, Chema is one of our top preferred builders and we, we highly recommend working with these. So thank you so much for taking the time to do this.
Amanda Jones: [00:49:26] I loved it and I would love to do it again. Bring me.
Chris Marti: [00:49:28] Back. We’re going to so we’re talking about we actually talked about this like to to close this out. We actually talked about this. What we want to do is we want to see kind of like how things change, right? So we’re going to look at like kind of doing like a, you know, kind of like a veterans recycle on just like, hey, how did things go? Right. You know, how’s the progress on the ranch and how things have gone? So thank you so much, guys, again for being here. And thank you, Amanda. And this is an episode two of the Mardi Party has always pleased like and follow our channel below for more episodes and more updates and more good info on San Antonio real estate. You all have a good day. Bye Bye. Thank you.