Pitching a Major League Baseball game in Yankee Stadium is a lot like selling a $1.6 million home in Southlake.
Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s Realtor Eric Hacker played professional baseball for 17 years and employs the same process-driven strategy of working with home buyers as he did on the baseball diamond.
“Athletes that compete at the highest level have to love and understand the process as much as they love the outcome,” Hacker said. “I wake up hungry and ready. I’m not focused on the result. I’m focused on the relationship with that person. If we get to the finish line, and we just happen to close on their house, that’s another checkpoint in the relationship.”
Hacker said he treated his pitching starts in a similar fashion while playing for the New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants, Minnesota Twins, and in a Korean league.
You get some W’s, you get some L’s, he says, but it’s all about how you play the game.
“With sports and baseball, the next game is just a checkpoint in your career,” Hacker said. “And the accolades, the closings, those things that happen, are just a checkpoint in your career in real estate. I don’t chase numbers. I wake up thinking, ‘I’m going to hustle, touch base with clients and people I want to help get somewhere.’ I’m also touching base with other agents, mortgage lenders, and title companies. They don’t even have to be in the industry; they could run the local restaurant. I want to bring value to other people. I’m not worried about the return. Organically what happens when you’re helping somebody is they remember that you were nice and helpful. The sports industry has created that for me. Day to day, if I focus on being helpful, the results are always there.”
Put Me In, Coach
Hacker was a dual athlete at Duncanville High School but broke his foot playing quarterback for the DHS Panthers.
“My opportunities changed in the way teams were scouting me,” he said. “My senior year of baseball, because of this injury, I was limited in how well I could move. I played some third base, and, ultimately in the long run, it allowed me to spend more time on the [pitcher’s] mound.”
And then, in 2002, Hacker got a W — a big one. He had a beautiful girlfriend, graduated high school, and was drafted by the New York Yankees.
“As a kid, I was a DFW guy,” he said. “Nolan Ryan was in his prime in Texas. I was a baseball guy, but I wasn’t a history junkie. I don’t know if I really thought much of being drafted by the Yankees. I just wanted to be a professional athlete.”
While on the road playing baseball, the high-energy athlete started investing in real estate.
“I’ve always loved design and architecture,” he said. “I love being around other people. I love helping other people. That’s what led to me getting my license and jumping on board as a full-time real estate agent in 2019.”
Hacker married his high school girlfriend Christine, and had three children. They bought a home in Southlake and Hacker brainstormed with the agent who helped him find his home.
He joined his friend at Compass and immediately began growing his career and setting new goals.
“I’m a big-picture type of person,” Hacker said. “I love to coach and mentor. That’s how I’ve grown my business. I’m a put-my-head-down kind of person. I grew my business by being a yes man. It was like, ‘Want to hold an open house?’ ‘Can you go turn on the lights?’ “Can you help me with something?’ Yes. I said yes to everything.”
The team at Compass supported their protégé in wanting to build and lead his own team. The 39-year-old started interviewing other brokerages and landed at Briggs Freeman about six weeks ago.
“I loved how honest and open they were at Briggs,” Hacker said. “One thing that was really awesome was they looked at me as an individual and a person. They wanted to help me. They weren’t worried about what I was bringing to the table in terms of production. It’s been really great.”
Sliding Into Home
The Realtor is still getting his ducks in a row to start his own team of agents at Briggs Freeman.
“I’m running the marathon, not the sprint,” he said. “In real estate, it’s about what you make for yourself. The turnover rate is about 87 percent. I say, think about the 13 percent. The odds are high. I’ve got a 13 percent chance. In baseball, I had less of a chance of making it to the major leagues. People say, ‘I’m going to fail.’ I say, ‘Go out and fail today.’ Ask someone if you can help sell their house. If you fail, who cares? Most people automatically feel that someone is going to turn them down. You had a chance to learn and sharpen your pitch a little bit.”
Hacker has been honored as a top residential real estate producer in 2021, 2021, and 2022. He says it’s an honor, but it’s just about numbers. He’d rather be noticed for his character, he said.
“It’s hard to be recognized for your passion and the relationships you’ve built,” Hacker said. “There are a lot of people who are really good at what they do that don’t get the awards because they don’t have the numbers. There are some local recognitions in Southlake, where you’re being chosen by your community and recognized for your actual passion.”
Those are the accolades that mean the most, Hacker added, explaining that he finds value in volunteer work and helping out at his kids’ schools.
“I want people to remember me as a person that is always willing to help, honest, ethical, and looking out for everyone’s best interest,” he said. “I’m a big family guy. I love spending time with my family and my kids. My wife and I have been together since high school. I’m extremely fortunate and blessed to have a family and a wife that makes all this happen.”
