The Neighborhood Realtor

Do you treat your real estate like a side hustle or like a business? There is a big difference between those who passively take clients as they come in and then sit around when there arent people to sell houses to VS those who are regimented and have a plan that they follow, know their numbers etc. In this episode we talk to Louisiana broker Antonio Cousin about his journey to becoming a top performing agent/broker. We discuss everything from how to leverage closed Facebook groups to keep clients engaged to marketing the concept of house hacks to convert more renters to buyers.Connect with Antonio here: https://www.service1stre.com/The Neighborhood Realtor is proudly sponsored by Treadstone Funding and Neighborhood Loans. For more tangible tips in real estate marketing, check out Matt's book, The Tangible Action Guide for Real Estate Marketing available on Amazon. Learned something new, or have a suggestion? Message Matt Muscat on Instagram! 

What is the one thing that AI can't do? Do you really think you are smarter than a system that can catalog all of the real estate knowledge in the world and deliver it back in 2 seconds? The big differentiator between you and a machine is the ability to empathetically think and come up with ways to imbue customized excitement and positive emotion into the real estate transaction and into your client relationships. Jay O’Brien , NAR 30 under 30 Realtor and founder of Client Giant joins us to explain how he transformed his business into a referral machine by going deep for his clients and creating experiences so memorable that clients referred him with passion. Jay explains the difference between passive and active referrals and dives deep into the idea that most referrals are passive and the person referring you doesn’t seriously care whether their referral uses you or not. He provides ideas for ensuring that your clients are so hyped about you and their experience working with you that they shout your name from the rooftops.Connect with Jay online at: clientgiant.comThe Neighborhood Realtor is proudly sponsored by Treadstone Funding and Neighborhood Loans. For more tangible tips in real estate marketing, check out Matt's book, The Tangible Action Guide for Real Estate Marketing available on Amazon. Learned something new, or have a suggestion? Message Matt Muscat on Instagram! 

Some people use family and having children as the excuse for why they couldn’t do more business or for other things that go wrong in life or their career — our guest does the opposite! In today’s episode, Mary relays how her family is actually her greatest business asset. From past client events that focus on kids, to having customized kids listing agreements she leverages the power of family to make both her business and her community a better place. We also touch on the importance of having a plan when it comes to social media, and she explains how to use the tool Answer The Public to get ideas for social media and video content. Finally Mary and Matt discuss how to build credibility when you are new, and specifically how to work with strangers when your own friends and family don’t trust you yet.Find Mary Harmon online:https://www.pritchett-moore.com/real-estate/agents/mary-harmon-younghttps://www.instagram.com/maryharmonyoung/?hl=enThe Neighborhood Realtor is proudly sponsored by Treadstone Funding and Neighborhood Loans. For more tangible tips in real estate marketing, check out Matt's book, The Tangible Action Guide for Real Estate Marketing available on Amazon. Learned something new, or have a suggestion? Message Matt Muscat on Instagram! 

You don’t have to spend lots of money on online leads! Just take your current clients and find ways to go deeper with them. It's easier to get more referrals from people who already know and like you! In this episode we sit down with Brian Tash, REALTOR with The Agency in St. Louis, MO. A career Realtor for 18 years, Brian kills it in his local suburban market where in 2022 he sold 60+ homes for over $20,000,000. Having a small team of administrative staff helps Brian go deeper with the clients they work with, and truly make them his number one referral source.Connect with Brian online:https://www.theagencystl.com/team/brian-tash-licensed-real-estate-agentBrian@TheAgencyStl.com // 314-893-7870https://www.instagram.com/briantash.saintlouisrealtor/?hl=enThe Neighborhood Realtor is proudly sponsored by Treadstone Funding and Neighborhood Loans. For more tangible tips in real estate marketing, check out Matt's book, The Tangible Action Guide for Real Estate Marketing available on Amazon. Learned something new, or have a suggestion? Message Matt Muscat on Instagram! 

In this episode, Matt chats with Kendra Cooke, coach to the real estate industry’s top 1%. To get to the top, Kendra recommends creating your own inventory because it puts you in control, and can be planned. Everything in real estate comes down to having a plan and sticking to it, and in this short episode Matt and Kendra cover numerous topics that with planning and accountability can take your business to the next level. Kendra Cooke relocated to middle Tennessee from southern Illinois in 1988 to pursue a career in law, but quickly changed paths and immersed herself in real estate. Over the last 28 years, Kendra developed a successful real estate career, delivering great service to more than 100 families annually while working less than 40 hours per week. In August 2017, Kendra took on additional responsibility at CORE headquarters as senior leadership of the Realtor® coaching program and providing leadership and mentorship to the sales team. The old cliché, “If you want something done, give it to a busy person,” rings true for this southern belle, who still finds time to run, read, and volunteer for several non-profits. You can connect with Kendra here:https://www.thecoretraining.com/kendra-cooke/https://www.thecoretraining.com/thesummit/The Neighborhood Realtor is proudly sponsored by Treadstone Funding and Neighborhood Loans. For more tangible tips in real estate marketing, check out Matt's book, The Tangible Action Guide for Real Estate Marketing available on Amazon. Learned something new, or have a suggestion? Message Matt Muscat on Instagram! 

In this episode we talk to a guy with a seriously cool character story. Syed Mohsin immigrated to the US when he was a high schooler in 2006, he experienced culture shock upon starting school in Detroit realizing that real America didn’t look like the Disney and Marvel world he had seen on TV. He found a love for technology early on that he pivoted into real estate. Over the years Syed has built his business up and refined his strategies for generating, converting and closing online leads. Now armed with a database of over 100,000 people in his community Syed and his team consistently convert 5-10 per month into closed clients, all while generating more leads. On this episode, Syed discusses not only his story but the logic behind why he goes about real estate and lead generation in this way. Agents who are new to an area, or whose families don’t trust them early on enough to send them business will resonate!Connect with Syed on social media:https://www.facebook.com/thesuccessbroker/https://www.instagram.com/thesuccessbroker/The Neighborhood Realtor is proudly sponsored by Treadstone Funding and Neighborhood Loans. For more tangible tips in real estate marketing, check out Matt's book, The Tangible Action Guide for Real Estate Marketing available on Amazon. 

Short Easy Episode Alert!! There are two crucial elements to good marketing – a target audience and a message to deliver. In this episode we learn about a super “sticky” message that real estate professionals can first understand and then market. HUD Homes. These were the big thing in all conversations among agents, clients and lenders back in the last recession but as the market got stronger and stronger they fell out of vogue. However as the market has gotten more competitive, our guest Jeremy Drobeck found that HUD Homes were the perfect option for many of his clients who were losing out. In this episode Jeremy answers all things HUD Homes and explains how your client could get keys in their hand for as little as $100 down, and in some cases even wrap some repairs into their loan. Some questions that he answers include:What is a HUD home?Where can I find a list of HUD homes for saleWhat kind of financing options are available?With these being foreclosed homes aren’t they in bad shape? What options are available if they need repairs?I read something about lead based paint being a problem with HUD homes, can you tell me about that?What do I do if I want to see a hud home?How do I make an offer on a HUD home?Can I buy a HUD home as an investor?How do I get preapproved for a HUD home?If you have a client moving to Kalamazoo, MI or the surrounding area, Jeremy Drobeck is always looking for new clients and is a great referral partner. You can find him online at 1stclassmortgageservice.comThe Neighborhood Realtor is proudly sponsored by Treadstone Funding and Neighborhood Loans. For more tangible tips in real estate marketing, check out Matt's book, The Tangible Action Guide for Real Estate Marketing available on Amazon.

Josh first came to North Carolina in 2002 and began his career as a NASCAR mechanic. A dream job for many, after 13 years he was looking for an exit strategy. Over the years Josh has leveraged his industry connections into a career in real estate. Although it didn’t start out as luxury, over time Josh has cultivated and nurtured his brand ad now sells $30,000,000+ per year in luxury real estate. He has a social media presence that is admirable not only for its quality but also for the amount of qualified business he earns off of it. We discussed how you can't just start out in luxury, you have to build trust first! He talks about how luxury isn’t necessarily a price point but a lifestyle. He even goes in depth to cover how he uses Instagram templates for reels to attach to current trends and get in front of the right buyers/sellers.  Make a donation! https://www.lakenormanhumane.org/  Instagram @JoshTucker_RealtorWebsite https://www.corcoran.com/real-estate-agents/detail/josh-tucker/109573/regionId/113The Neighborhood Realtor is proudly sponsored by Treadstone Funding and Neighborhood Loans. For more tangible tips in real estate marketing, check out Matt's book, The Tangible Action Guide for Real Estate Marketing available on Amazon. 

Holy production batman! We have been lucky to interview many top producing agents and teams but this episode features Andrew Undem who is in a league of his own!In 2022 Andrew’s Sure Group team closed 504 units for over $192,000,000 in volume. He not only knows his numbers but shares many of his philosophies and secrets to how he and his team achieved these numbers. In this episode we cover a myriad of gold mine laden topics including:How to ask the right questions, the importance of having processes, secret hacks for your CRM (his is BoomTown)The difference between a client database and a lead databaseWhy we should all stop calling them “past” clientsLeveraging AI to find data in your databaseWhy pies are dumbWhy most agents rely on the “list and pray” method and in essence gamble with their clients moneyYou can find Andrew Undem online at https://www.suresalesgroup.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/undem/.The Neighborhood Realtor is proudly sponsored by Treadstone Funding and Neighborhood Loans. For more tangible tips in real estate marketing, check out Matt's book, The Tangible Action Guide for Real Estate Marketing available on Amazon.

In this episode I had the privilege of interviewing Matt Laricy, the #1 Realtor by units in Chicago. In 2022 he and his team ended the year with over 550 units sold for $295,000,000. He walked us through his story starting – Matt is a 3rd generation Realtor but didn’t have anything handed to him, other than the notion that real estate could be a great career.  He was a practicing Realtor within 24 hours of graduating college in 2006. Over the years Matt has developed the reputation as the hardest working Realtor in Chicago – he sets rigorous standards for himself and his team – and those standards lead to delivering consistent marketing, communication and results for their clients and themselves. We discussed the importance of being at the forefront of technology, and even more so the importance of developing deep knowledge of the neighborhoods that you serve or plan to serve.Find Matt Laricy online: https://mattlaricy.com/The Neighborhood Realtor is proudly sponsored by Treadstone Funding and Neighborhood Loans. For more tangible tips in real estate marketing, check out Matt's book, The Tangible Action Guide for Real Estate Marketing available on Amazon. 

Talk about a powerhouse team! In this episode The Neighborhood Realtor interviews two powerhouse real estate professionals who work separately but as dynamite referral partners: Ryan McKee, top producing agent and 20 year veteran serving Southern California, and Greg Iverson, mortgage lender and team leader with Neighborhood Loans in St. Louis, MO. This episode is packed with nuggets on a variety of topics which include.  Growing your referral business by meeting people and staying in touch. How 2 people on opposites sides of the country kept a relationship going that has led to millions in business. Why every agent needs to master their craft, whether by starting with a mentor, in a family business, or through shadowing other agents or teams! The best agents find a way to work on every single piece of the real estate process. Who are you chasing? Who are you surrounding yourself with?2023 Plan: Get Lean & Chase Rockstars. Find Opportunities, Leverage Them, Repeat . How to market to, work with and leverage relationships with investors. Creating opportunity for your clients. Don’t send out an opportunity then wait for an email back, if it’s a good one follow up via phone. It shows you are serious. Using video messages to convey the excitement of opportunities. Creating opportunities for all of your business partners on every transaction will lead to more business for all of you, and more referrals back to you from all of them.Tracking engagement to see which of your clients/sphere contacts care and then doing more with them!Property overview videos with opportunities for both clients and investors. Find Greg: https://neighborhoodloans.com/greg-iverson/Find Ryan: https://www.mckeeregroup.com/The Neighborhood Realtor is proudly sponsored by Treadstone Funding and Neighborhood Loans. For more tangible tips in real estate marketing, check out Matt's book, The Tangible Action Guide for Real Estate Marketing available on Amazon.  

Double the guest count, double the value. In this episode Matt chats with Washington DC area Realtor turned social media influencer Chris Perry who closed over $20m and 50+ units in 2022 off of strategic and focused social media. He is joined by Michigan based lender Mallory Strotheide who has consistently used social media to stay top of mind with her existing friend list, and who has leveraged social to help her business grow to over $50,000,000 in annual production. They discuss strategies for time blocking social media, how to create content, apps to use, as well as how to add calls to action that actually work.Find Chris on social media:https://www.instagram.com/chrisperryrealestate/?hl=enhttps://linktr.ee/chrisperryrealestateFind Mallory on social media:https://www.instagram.com/mortgage.mama/?hl=enhttps://linktr.ee/mallorystrotheideThe Neighborhood Realtor is proudly sponsored by Treadstone Funding and Neighborhood Loans. For more tangible tips in real estate marketing, check out Matt's book, The Tangible Action Guide for Real Estate Marketing available on Amazon. 

In this episode we talk to John Muhammad, a Loan Officer in Texas who after making the decision to move his family to a new state, rebuilt his successful book of business. He shares his strategies for what worked and what didn’t. We also discussed the art of setting your own personal schedule/timeblock and sticking to it. Finally he shares an idea for a client and business partner event he did that helped him to go deeper and to be more memorable with his database.The Neighborhood Realtor is proudly sponsored by Treadstone Funding and Neighborhood Loans. For more tangible tips in real estate marketing, check out Matt's book, The Tangible Action Guide for Real Estate Marketing available on Amazon. 

In this episode we sit down with 20 year real estate veteran Joe Fitzpatrick in Rhode Island. Joe literally serves the smallest state in the US from coast to coast, but his real claim to fame is being present in those communities in which he and his team serve. We discuss a myriad of topics including but not limited to: How to generate business without a budget using social media and open houses, how to sponsor something and how not to sponsor something, how to get more referrals from other agents, and how to earn more business from your past clients.Read more about Joe: https://fitzpatrickteamremax.com/team/joseph-fitzpatrick/ The Neighborhood Realtor is proudly sponsored by Treadstone Funding and Neighborhood Loans. For more tangible tips in real estate marketing, check out Matt's book, The Tangible Action Guide for Real Estate Marketing available on Amazon. 

 In this episode of The Neighborhood Realtor, Texas Realtor Monica Brito shares her easy to execute strategy for staging homes for free, and actually making a profit on the staging side. Monica’s passion for interior design and staging is something she was excited to marry to her career in real estate. Marrying these passions and finding applications for their intersection helps her to add more value to both her clients and her own life.Monica Brito can be found on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/simplyhouselove/The Neighborhood Realtor is proudly sponsored by Treadstone Funding and Neighborhood Loans. For more tangible tips in real estate marketing, check out Matt's book, The Tangible Action Guide for Real Estate Marketing available on Amazon.

On this episode of The Neighborhood Realtor Podcast you get a 2-1. We interview not 1 but 2 top producing professionals at the same time. Phil Puma, top producing Realtor in North Carolina, and Brendan O’Driscoll , top producing Loan Officer and Co-Owner of Treadstone Funding in Grand Rapids, MI. In this episode we talk all things scripting for the current market.  Sometimes its not about the leads you generate but rather the leads you convert. In this episode Brendan and Phil role play and script all of the burning questions that professionals are currently getting from prospective buyers and sellers on the state of the market and interest rates.Phil Puma can be found at https://www.pumahomes.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/pumahomes/The Neighborhood Realtor is proudly sponsored by Treadstone Funding and Neighborhood Loans. For more tangible tips in real estate marketing, check out Matt's book, The Tangible Action Guide for Real Estate Marketing available on Amazon.

On this episode of The Neighborhood Realtor, Matt Muscat talks with Josh May, an outstanding Realtor, speaker, and networker in Grand Rapids, MI. Josh May has been a licensed real estate agent for 22 years. He started as a college student trying to get by as a football player at Grand Valley State University. He fell in love with business instantly and began selling commercial real estate. Although, Josh realized quickly a massive opportunity as a college-aged Realtor: all of his friends, classmates, and professional network would all be buying homes in the next 5-10 years. He dove straight into residential real estate and never turned back. That decision proved to be instrumental in his career.  When the housing market crashed in 2008, Josh had a few years under his belt learning the ropes of the industry. Being a newer agent in 2008 gave him a big advantage in the market to stay nimble, and shift quickly with buyers as conversations & sales changed— seemingly overnight. Josh makes many comparisons between the 2008 housing crash and today’s market—while they are still very different markets, some of the fundamental themes remain the same. Some of the same strategies that haven’t worked since 2008 are working once again.  In a changing market, leadership wins. Buyers gravitate toward the Realtors who are positive, excited, and bold. In 2022 & 2023, that couldn’t be more important. Josh speaks intensely to the style of communication needed with clients, and the importance of leadership in marketing. Leaders talk, leaders are transparent, and leaders motivate! In the housing market, Realtors must be a strong leader to survive (and thrive) in a shifting market. Practical conversions and honest education will what wins buyers and sellers over. It’s a Realtor strategy that wins! A theme that Josh refers to multiple times throughout this episode is the importance if discipline and sticking to your plans. Write your goals down on paper, and tell friends and family about them. Break down those goals into bite-sized chunks or do anything you need to do. Just don’t get behind them, don’t ignore them, and stay true to those goals. Do everything in your power to achieve those goals, since they are non-negotiable. Josh credits this discipline-first Realtor strategy to much of his career’s progress. The Neighborhood Realtor is proudly sponsored by Treadstone Funding and Neighborhood Loans. For more tangible tips in real estate marketing, check out Matt's book, The Tangible Action Guide for Real Estate Marketing available on Amazon. 

On this episode of The Neighborhood Realtor, Matt Muscat sits down, face-to-face, with Mark Brace, a well-known and legendary real estate agent in Grand Rapids, MI.Mark built his business from nothing—literally. He had no special connections, no support, and no referrals. He learned how to hustle, and he learned quickly, since 2006 marked the beginning of his career in real estate. Mark built an admirable business despite the market conditions of the recession. It was the mindset that got Mark through; half of all realtors left the business during the recession because of fear, but Mark saw it as an opportunity. Today, Mark’s business closes $125m in deals each year with a team of seven agents.Of all the skills that Mark has improved and mastered over the years, mindset is the number one skill he attributes to his success. Your mindset, not your skill or luck, can be contagious, and benefit (or attract!) clients. When interest rates are high, you become the Realtor who’s happy they’re not any higher. When home values are down 15%, you’re grateful they’re not down 25%. When everyone says it’s a bad time to buy, you see the opportunity and help your clients win—and win big. You’re not just offering a product or service, but instead, you’re giving your clients hope & a good mood. Mark is a believer in the law of attraction—genuine salesmen attract genuine clients, and sour marketing will attract sour clients. Trust your gut and trust your intuition to make the best decisions to build the best business possible, and always rely on your coach (get one, if you don’t already) for leadership advice & long-term strategy. Mark has moved his personal business further into the luxury market over the past several years and continues to expand his business, team, and abilities. He may be considered successful now, but there’s a long road ahead! Built all on a foundation inspired by a recession. The Neighborhood Realtor is proudly sponsored by Treadstone Funding and Neighborhood Loans. For more tangible tips in real estate marketing, check out Matt's book, The Tangible Action Guide for Real Estate Marketing available on Amazon. 

In eight short years, Athena went from being an avid interior designer to a real estate agent closing $22 million in real estate sales—all while battling serious health issues. She’s created a career in real estate by being clever, creative, and learning to love the art of helping people. Her business is based in Denver, Colorado, and she’s proven herself as a wealth of information and a skillful coach. Growing up, Athena grew up being around real estate. Her dad was a residential developer, and she wanted nothing to do with housing or real estate. Instead, she went to school for interior design—a profession that allowed her to work closely with people with a creative outlet. After several years in the interior design business, she realized she wanted to push herself more. To do more, and to create a larger impact. Athena catapulted herself into real estate, which was the perfect fit for her skills. Athena is a people-person. She keeps in touch with her clients, no matter what! Even during times of serious health issues, she spent her hospital time writing letters and messages to her database, but also writing offers! She became unstoppable. She asks questions—lots of them. Why? Because she cares. It shows you (the Realtor) is invested and are genuine in your guidance and answers. As an interior designer, Athena also works with her clients (for free!) on their interior design, giving guidance, bringing up things to think about, and sharing ideas.  The CORE’s Greatness Tracker is one of the important tools that Athena uses to track her business, and to stay motivated—the excel spreadsheet she keeps lets her visualize and correlate the long hours she spends writing notes and posting on social media, with the business and referrals she receives. When business gets chaotic or too large to mindfully manage, the simple task of organizing your progress and wins makes a world of difference. Athena’s business is set up for the long-haul. Anyone can learn from her skills and processes!  The Neighborhood Realtor is proudly sponsored by Treadstone Funding and Neighborhood Loans. For more tangible tips in real estate marketing, check out Matt's book, The Tangible Action Guide for Real Estate Marketing available on Amazon.

On this episode of The Neighborhood Realtor, Matt Muscat talks with Chris Cusimano, a top-performing Realtor in Boca Raton, Florida. Chris began in real estate in 2005 and emerged from the 2008 financial crisis a wildly successful Realtor and business owner. His business has been built by clever innovations and creative pivoting when markets change. Even after nearly two decades in real estate and a track record of successes, Chris finds himself driven by giving back & providing for his family.Chris closes ~100 deals a year, but doesn’t keep track of his production. It’s not an important metric to him — rather, he loves the process, the grind, and helping people achieve incredible goals. Neither money signs nor production goals motivate him. In this episode, Chris describes one of his most powerful secrets: the “Dream 300” client database. Since he started in real estate, he’s kept a list of 300 of his best clients, colleagues, and contacts 20 of them each day with a meaningful message: text, call, Facebook comment, anything. No spam. Not sales pitches. It keeps him in touch with his closest clients, all while building meaningful friendships and relationships — a recurring theme on The Neighborhood Realtor. Focusing on direct communications with his clients, Chris has kept his business out of the social media algorithm, which is a powerful tool & advantage in today’s digital world. It’s old school. Chris hates boring marketing. It’s not effective, and everyone hates it, so why do it? Instead, Chris lives to give back, so he’ll load a Starbucks gift card and text it to a dozen people at once. He’ll buy a $500 gift card at a restaurant and pick up the tab for everyone there. He’ll send funny Father’s Day t-shirts to his Dream 300 database. It’s cheaper than Zillow ads, and it produces incredible amounts of business. People love it. Giving goods is only one of the thing Chris gives — he also gives information! During the pandemic, Chris began a Facebook group for coaching real estate professionals, for free. It’s called Suit Up Agent, and every week he hosts a live stream to give away his best secrets. He gives away scripts, data sources, processes, marketing ideas, and more. It’s attracted an amazing following, created well-deserved national awareness for Chris’ business. Chris is a wealth of information, and a joy to listen to. There’s no shortage of useful information in this episode of The Neighborhood Realtor. The Neighborhood Realtor is proudly sponsored by Treadstone Funding and Neighborhood Loans. For more tangible tips in real estate marketing, check out Matt's book, The Tangible Action Guide for Real Estate Marketing available on Amazon.