Brett Friesen & Marie McManus
DYNAMIC DUO
WRITTEN BY LOREN BRAMBLE | PHOTOS BY PEAK RES
“We are all about connecting hearts to homes.”
From Healthy Competition to Partners
It’s no secret that real estate is a competitive business, and these two (friendly) former rivals forged their partnership through healthy competition. Brett Friesen and Marie McManus met at RE/MAX in Tulsa in 2018. In 2019, they became friends and “started competing with each other in the office, constantly going back and forth holding the top spot.” But it wasn’t until a RE/MAX convention in 2020 that they realized their commonalities extended further than their drive for success.
“[At the convention], we realized how much our mission to help others make informed decisions aligned. That same summer, we began coaching with Workman Success, and the collaboration continued,” remarks Brett Friesen. From there, the Hearts to Home Team was born!
With their combined talents, common vision, and mutual ambition, the Hearts to Home Team has grown their real estate business exponentially over the last two years and continues to enjoy success. Today, their business is up 130%, and they now have two buyers’ agents (with one more coming!) and a full-time Administration and Transaction Coordinator. “We finished 2021 with $21 million in sales with 102 closings with just the two of us,” says Friesen.
Getting into Real Estate
Both Brett and Marie did not start out in real estate. For Brett, getting into the industry was quite serendipitous: “I worked at Apple, where I met a team leader at the store getting her phone fixed. I was asked on the spot to come in for an interview. After two years of managing her office, I left that team to be a solo agent, putting my people and relationship skills to work for others!”
But for Marie, the idea of becoming a REALTOR® took a bit more convincing. “My previous work life was in retail banking. I had been in that industry for a little over 16 years before I began my real estate journey. My journey really started as a 'What do I want to do when I grow up?' moment. My family and I had just relocated to Tulsa, and well, it was a chance to start over.”
After a friend mentioned becoming a real estate agent, Marie was uncertain – and maybe surprised by the thought. “I thought, ‘No way!’ It was too scary, and I had vowed to never work on commission.” However, the idea persisted. “Finally, I considered how much I love people and beautiful architecture, and I also understood the importance of having a safe place to be yourself … and I discovered that I wanted to help others find that.”
Integrity, Persistence, and Openness
There’s a reason this team calls their team “Heart to Home.” Their mission is to help others achieve the dream of home ownership, a process they always approach with integrity, persistence, and openness. Good business is built through fostering genuine relationships and treating people with respect. That’s how both Friesen and McManus have approached building their business: one relationship at a time. They both feel humbled to be invited into such an important moment in a client’s life and truly value every experience.
Brett calls himself the “No-Filter REALTOR®” because he always shoots straight from the hip. “I always tell my clients the truth,” remarks Friesen. “I found myself naturally growing my business through referral after referral, building a business through relationships and connecting with others.”
Marie shares this authentic approach to realty as well; she is passionate about helping her clients find the right home. “To me, it has never been about the transaction, but rather it is ALL about the relationship. I do everything out of relationship. I am in this for the long haul and not the paycheck. Of course, I have to make a living, but my primary motivation in every interaction with a client is to educate and empower, remembering that it has to be the right thing for them.”
By the end of every transaction, this team wants their clients to know that they have become family and that they will assist them in whatever they can.
“We are all about connecting hearts to homes,” says McManus.
Whether a client chooses to work with the Heart to Home Team or not, these two strive to make a positive impact on everyone they meet. That’s realty with a heart!
