Christian Beairsto wants to make a name for himself in real estate. As an up-and-coming agent, his branding options are limitless, but don’t let his button-down look and welcoming smile lead you into thinking he’ll go with something conventional like Beairsto Homes or Picket Fence Properties.
That would be a betrayal of who he is. Instead, the 30-year-old Beairsto is hoping another name will catch on: The Rapping Realtor.
To get the ball rolling, Beairsto (pronounced “beer-stow”) penned and recorded a hip-hop tune encouraging homebuyers to be preapproved for a mortgage and then released it through his YouTube channel and social media pages:
“If you wanna buy a house
You gotta pre-approve
I don’t wanna scare you and I’m not tryin’ to sound rude
But please just listen to me ‘cause it’s what you gotta do
I wanna see you make it / I don’t wanna see you lose.”
As a computer-generated beat taps out a steady rhythm in the background, Beairsto encourages his listeners to overcome their fears and let him guide them through the home-buying process.
“Don’t be scared
I’ll be there when you do it
I’ll even have a lender call to help and walk you through it
If your credit’s decent, you’ll get under 3%
But even if it isn’t, man, it still beats payin’ rent.”
Even though Beairsto is wearing a mask as he thinks back on the creation of his Realtor rap, the brightness in his eyes makes it clear he’s smiling.
“I’m a fun and outgoing person, but when I got into real estate, I thought it was going to put me in a box,” he says. “So, I decided to try something different. I was sitting at my computer listening to instrumentals when the lyrics started coming to me. I thought, ‘Hey, this is fun!’
“I found a way to market myself that reflects who I am. You have to be yourself to sell houses.”
Beairsto’s passion for writing and performing music is the part of his youth that’s still with him as he surrenders to adulthood.
In the hopes of becoming a musician and recording artist, Beairsto spent most of his 20s pursuing opportunities in that field as he worked a variety of jobs in Chattanooga restaurants.
“Just for fun, I would freestyle and do random stuff with my friends, and then I got into recording and doing shows,” Beairsto recalls.
Although he made some headway locally, performing at The Honest Pint, Rhythm & Brews and Track 29 as Brophy (his middle name) The Kid, he never burst the local bubble.
As Beairsto approached his 30s and found himself facing the trifecta of adult life – marriage, a mortgage and possibly children – he knew it was time to search for a different career.
That career walked into OddStory Brewing Company, where he was working as the taproom manager, and tried to recruit his wife, Sara, the bartender.
When Michael Lawrence of The Lawrence Team at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices J Douglas Properties invited Sara to attend one of the firm’s get-togethers, Beairsto tagged along as her plus-one. Before the evening was over, he had latched onto the notion of becoming a real estate investor.
“When I was growing up, my dad built everything by hand. We watched Tim ‘The Toolman’ Taylor every day – and that was our family. So real estate investing sounded cool.”
With his 20s fading fast, though, Beairsto decided to become an agent first and begin earning a living before he pursued investing.
As he was settling into his new profession, he entertained the thought of doing both real estate and music, but not only were his days not long enough for dual pursuits, he hit a wall creatively.
“When you’re in your 20s and you’re going through hard times, you write songs about breaking up and going out with yours friends and changing the world,” he remembers. “But when I tried to write something with the same oomph after I’d turned 30 and was married and getting into a profession, I couldn’t.”
Beairsto’s creative juices started flowing again as he wrote the preapproval song. Although a new agent, he had already seen the consequences of someone trying to buy a home in an active market without a preapproval letter, and he wanted to teach his clients a better way.
“Houses are going fast, so I wanted to tell my buyers they need to be ready, ready, ready,” Beairsto says, quickly snapping his fingers to emphasize the speed at which the market is moving.
“You have to be preapproved these days because a seller won’t take on a buyer who doesn’t have that letter.
“Getting preapproved seems daunting because you have to talk with a bank and let strangers dig into your financial statements – and everyone is scared of rejection. But at the other end of it, you could own the home of your dreams.”
Plus, as Beairsto raps in his song, he’ll be there to celebrate with his clients.
“I wanna see you win
I wanna see you grin
As the keys drop down and fall right in your hand
Then I’ll be the dude with brews at your barbecue /
Toasting to the day you got preapproved.”
Beairsto says writing the song helped him to see that he doesn’t have to squeeze himself into someone else’s mold of what a Realtor should be, but that he could let his personality run free while serving his clients.
“Buying a house is supposed to be fun, not a rollercoaster ride, so I want to bring people in by having a good time while I do my job,” he notes.
While Beairsto says he enjoys selling real estate, he does admit to dreading one or two tasks, including making cold calls.
“I’ve tried to switch it up and make it fun – and I’m getting better at it – but I’m not in love with that part of my job,” he laughs. “I have gotten results, though. Real estate is like everything else; the things you pour into your work come back to you.”
Beairsto says becoming a patient person is another tough lesson he’s still learning. But like making cold calls, he says he’s getting there.
“You’re not always going to find someone who’s ready to buy a house. Most of the people I talk with are thinking about it or reluctant,” he explains. “I like instant gratification, but in real estate, you sometimes have to nurture people.”
All that said, Beairsto says he’s still “having a blast.”
“This is the most fun I’ve had on a job.”
Real estate has done more than given Beairsto a new vision of his future, he says it’s also helped him to mend a broken fence.
“I’ve struggled my entire life with my dad. He’s a hardcore businessman – a master of negotiation – and when he talks, people listen.
“So, he’s always pushed me toward career, career, career. Back when I wanted to be a famous rapper, I didn’t understand what he was saying; I wanted to change the world through music, so we argued a lot.
“But now I see I can change the world in other ways. I call my dad every day and thank him for pushing me. I wouldn’t be out there if he hadn’t; I would have been a bartender for another 40 years and never grown.”
Meanwhile, Beairsto’s father complimented his son after hearing the Realtor rap. “He said, ‘See? You found a way to work your music into your career,’” Beairsto recalls. “That felt good.”
Encouraged by the positive response to his song on social media, Beairsto plans to compose and perform more Realtor-themed music, as well as make videos that educate viewers about what to look for when searching for a home.
Potential topics include a gutter guide, pointers on roofs and a tutorial about the importance of insulated windows.
“This is how I make a living now, but I’m also here to help,” he says.
Beairsto says as much in the last verse of his Realtor rap, in which he urges homebuyers and sellers to contact him and promises they’ll be glad they did.
“So, pick up the phone
Put my number in it
Type me up a message
Hit the green arrow to send it
I swear it’s easy
Go give me a call
I promise you I’ve got you
I would never let you fall.”