The RETSY Podcast

In this episode of the RETSY Podcast, Chris and Matt sit down with mother and daughter team Shelli and Sela Poulos, who work alongside Libby Cohen and Julie Rohr on ROCO Luxury Homes. Shelli shares her path from the county attorney’s office, where she prosecuted cases in the gang unit before serving as a judge pro tem, to real estate. Sela talks about being one of triplets, touring nationally with her brothers in their band Just Seconds Apart from the age of 14, and the news that the band just signed with Jonas Entertainment Group. They also explain how Sela’s grandmother, a longtime gallery owner whose motto was “if you love it, buy it,” shaped the way they work, and why selling a home has so much in common with placing a piece of art.From there, the conversation turns to what that gallery mindset looks like in practice. The group talks about why RETSY agents are present at showings with the lights on and a cold water waiting, how the QR code signs and retargeting give sellers something other brokerages cannot, and how working with Rubenstein PR turns a home’s backstory into press coverage that finds buyers who were not even looking. Shelli and Sela also explain how their senior real estate certification helps clients through downsizing and moving, why they specialize in Colonia Miramonte, and what they have learned from their team about managing expectations. Chris closes with his case for protecting RETSY’s culture and not diluting the product.00:00 - Welcome Shelli and Sela Poulos01:00 - Before Real Estate: Law, Music, and the Jonas Group07:51 - Joining ROCO Luxury Homes and a Grandmother’s Influence13:15 - What Art and Real Estate Have in Common16:31 - How RETSY Showings Stand Out26:30 - Biggest Takeaways From ROCO and RETSY33:18 - How to Avoid Diluting a Brokerage35:50 - Telling a Home’s Story, and How to ConnectConnect with Shelli and SelaFollow them on Instagram @shelliandselaContact Shelli: 602-538-3698 | [email protected] Sela: 602-568-9571 | [email protected] out Just Seconds Apart on Instagram @jsamusicLearn more about RETSYhttps://retsy.com | https://www.instagram.com/retsy | www.youtube.com/@retsy.Original music by @jacktwarnerSPOTIFY  /  YOUTUBE  /  APPLE  /  VIDEO

In this episode of the RETSY Podcast, Chris and Matt welcome back Bradley Opitz, to talk about the launch of the Opitz Housing Report. Bradley explains how the idea grew out of ten years of agents calling him with questions about how to position a listing and what to say to clients, and why he stepped back from chasing leads in May to build it full time. He walks through the three pillars behind every chart, which are accuracy, timeliness, and actionability, and why the report pulls only from primary sources instead of sites like Zillow and Redfin. The conversation also covers how he built the report with AI, the plain English “market intelligence” summary under each chart, and the ZIP code level view agents can pull up before a client call.The second half of the conversation turns to the bigger forces shaping the market. Bradley explains how oil prices, the 10 year Treasury, and the spread on the 30 year mortgage all feed into the rates buyers see, why he thinks a return to ultra low rates is unlikely any time soon, and what that means for a late selling season. He also breaks down the three levers when a home sits on the market (price, condition, or patience), the global economic shifts he is watching, and why agents who can explain the story behind the numbers become the resource clients call first. Along the way, the group goes down a few tangents, including why RETSY Reserve Magazine is cheaper to print overseas than in the United States.00:00 - Welcome Back Bradley Opitz to the RETSY Podcast01:23 - The Opitz Housing Report and What Bradley Built13:49 - Interest Rates and the Market History17:44 - What Needs to Happen for Rates to Come Down24:54 - Long-Term Fixes for Rates and Our Economic Future34:28 - What’s Driving Market Volatility and a Changing Economic Order40:11 - The Foreign Exchange Market and Why It Matters for Housing45:30 - What Would Bring Inflation Down Quickly46:30 - A Closer Look at the Data Behind the Opitz Housing Report54:00 - How to Get the Report and Connect with BradleyCheck out Bradley’s amazing Housing Report: https://opitzhousingreport.com/Follow him on Instagram @BradleyOptizLearn more about RETSYhttps://retsy.com | https://www.instagram.com/retsy | www.youtube.com/@retsy.Original music by @jacktwarnerSPOTIFY  /  YOUTUBE  /  APPLE  /  VIDEO

In this episode of the RETSY Podcast, Chris and Matt welcome Annie Toon, who has been with RETSY since the very beginning alongside her husband Nick and the Toon Team. Annie shares how a career in journalism and college athletics led her to real estate, and how she went from teaching herself design to overseeing development for a team that now handles sales, design, and construction in house. She talks through how the team works with athlete investors on long term wealth building, and why they spend so much time on floor plans and bidding before a build ever starts. Along the way she shares the lessons from her first condo projects in Old Town and why she is glad those early mistakes were small ones.The conversation then turns to where the Paradise Valley luxury market is headed. Annie explains why she sees design moving back toward timeless, traditional looks, why the sweet spot for new builds has climbed from the six to eight million range to ten to twelve, and how rising costs have squeezed the old rule of thirds on land, build, and profit. She and Chris also look at the wave of spec homes coming to market, the choice between custom and spec for buyers, and what a monthly payment really looks like at these price points. Annie closes with her advice for newer agents, which is to learn the build process on a construction site before anything else, and why a culture of sharing is what keeps RETSY’s top producers growing.00:00 - Welcome Annie Toon to the RETSY Podcast02:17 - Before Real Estate: Meeting Nick and Building a Business Together05:33 - How Annie Got Into Real Estate09:08 - The Events and Dinners the Toons Host11:20 - The Pillars Behind the Toon Team’s Business15:40 - The Intention Behind Their Homes17:40 - Where Trends Are Headed and Balancing Spec With Custom25:12 - What Business Looks Like Right Now and How Fast They’ve Grown27:23 - Forever Homes vs. Resale Homes30:15 - The Bourbon Dinner Nick and Annie Hosted35:08 - What You’d Learn on the Toon Team and the Best Way for New Agents to Start39:25 - Why Agents Should Know the Construction ProcessConnect with AnnieEmail Annie or [email protected] Nick at [email protected] their website at tooncorealestate.comLearn more about RETSYhttps://retsy.com | https://www.instagram.com/retsy | www.youtube.com/@retsy.Original music by @jacktwarnerSPOTIFY  /  YOUTUBE  /  APPLE  /  VIDEO

In this episode of the RETSY Podcast, Chris and Matt sit down with Rami Haddad, one of the newest agents to join RETSY. Rami talks about moving from a Bay Area banking software career to Arizona on a whim, getting his license a month after a pickleball conversation changed his outlook, and landing his first big client within three weeks of starting. That search for a $4.9 million new build turned into a seven month crash course in development and led to builder clients of his own. He also shares what it was like to go from being the only agent at a building and development company to joining a brokerage full of top producers, and what drew him to RETSY in the first place.The conversation covers how Rami and Mike D’Elena drove the entire Cactus Corridor to build an off-market map of every construction site and new listing, and why that data gives their clients an edge nobody else has. Chris and Rami also get into how RETSY Connect and the pocket listings page help agents collaborate, how new tools get tested before they roll out company wide, and why a strong culture matters more than the tech. Rami closes with what he is focused on heading into the end of the year and the advice he would give his younger self, which comes down to worrying less about what he cannot control.00:00 - Welcome Rami Haddad to the RETSY Podcast01:12 - Rami’s Take on RETSY So Far04:45 - Before Real Estate: The Salary Job He Needed a Change From10:51 - From Door Knocking to Working With Builders14:47 - RETSY’s Culture and How Rami Found His Way Here19:43 - What Attracted Rami to RETSY: The Agents and the Culture27:50 - Rami’s Favorite RETSY Tool: Pocket Listings36:42 - Why Everyone at RETSY Plays Nice in the Sandbox39:45 - Rami’s Plans for the Rest of the Year and What He Wants Out of RETSY42:58 - Mapping the Cactus Corridor and the Work Behind Knowing Your Area50:05 - Advice for His Younger Self and How to ConnectConnect with RamiCall or text 480-845-2209Follow him on IG @_ramihaddad or email at [email protected] more about RETSYhttps://retsy.com | https://www.instagram.com/retsy | www.youtube.com/@retsy.Original music by @jacktwarnerSPOTIFY  /  YOUTUBE  /  APPLE  /  VIDEO

In this episode of the RETSY Podcast, Chris and Matt sit down with RETSY partner Jill Brenenstuhl, who has spent the last 21 years building one of Paradise Valley's most established luxury practices. Jill shares the story of her very first sale, a six million dollar estate she talked a hesitant buyer into seeing at 10:30 at night, a property worth 25 to 30 million today. She walks through learning the business under legendary mentor Joan Levinson, why she skipped the slow grind most agents go through, and the creative problem solving behind her first deal, including rewriting a CC&R rider so a client could build more garages than the neighborhood technically allowed.The conversation shifts into Jill's current work, from running the PV Luxury Real Estate Group alongside her daughter to her deep involvement in ground up development projects, including picking finishes and sourcing custom materials long before a home ever hits the market. Jill also shares her read on where Paradise Valley's buyers are really coming from these days, why privacy and understated elegance keep winning out over flash, and why she believes the market's current run looks nothing like the conditions that led to the 2008 crash.00:00 - Welcome RETSY Partner Jill Brenenstuhl01:16 - Before Real Estate: Growing a Family Business in Study Abroad Programs04:19 - Jill's First Huge Deal and Finding Her Mentor, Joan Levinson10:08 - What Attracted Jill to RETSY14:22 - Jill's Team, Growth, and Future Goals15:55 - Inside Jill's Current Development Projects21:55 - Problem Solving for the Barrett-Jackson Family28:02 - Where Jill Sees the Luxury Market Going38:20 - What Land Banking Is and Why You Should Do It41:31 - Jill's Favorite RETSY Tool: A Look at the New RETSY Bot50:11 - An Exclusive Look at the RETSY Bot57:32 - Jill's Take on the Future and Her Goals59:41 - How to Connect Connect with JillCall or text her at 602-524-1677Visit her on Instagram @pvluxuryrealestateLearn more about RETSYhttps://retsy.com | https://www.instagram.com/retsy | www.youtube.com/@retsy.Original music by @jacktwarnerSPOTIFY  /  YOUTUBE  /  APPLE  /  VIDEO