The Bridge Association of REALTORS® Podcast

Welcome to the Bridge Association of REALTORS® Podcast where we spotlight Bay Area REALTOR® members and affiliates, and share information about how the association can better serve our members. In this episode host Declan Spring catches up with Felicia Mares-Villa, the 2023 President of Bridge Association of REALTORS®. In this short conversation, Declan and Felicia open the Bridge AOR Calendar and encourage you to join us at an upcoming event!Please click on the calendar to get details about the RAW Support Group for MembersFor additional 2023 YPN Masquerade Party info on 10/26 please click here, and for tickets please click here. For additional information about the 11/16 Ed & Tech Committee ‘3rd Thursdays’ meeting ‘Happy Hour Tech Talk’ please click here, and to register please click here. For additional information about the in-person Broker Tour Caravan from 2855 Telegraph Ave each Thursday morning at 9:30 AM please visit the Bridge AOR calendar. For more information about the weekly Wednesday Virtual Broker Tour please click hereFelicia Mares-Villa is a licensed CA REALTOR® DRE# 02028970Declan Spring is a licensed CA REALTOR® DRE#01398898

Welcome to the Bridge Association of REALTORS® Podcast where we spotlight Bay Area REALTOR® members and affiliates, and share information about how the association can better serve our members. I’m your host, Declan Spring. Today I’m chatting with Donald J Grubb, better known as DJ Grubb, owner and CEO of the Oakland brokerage The Grubb Co. As a locally owned and fully independent brokerage since 1967, The Grubb Company takes pride in being deeply rooted in its East Bay community, setting a high bar for luxury real estate.My conversation with DJ centers around his business philosophy that real estate is a people first business. Something he said that really stood out for me is that “it takes everything to make a living in the industry today.” Don't forget to check out the Bridge AOR calendar for upcoming events!For additional 2023 YPN Masquerade Party info on 10/26 please click here and for tickets please click here. For tickets to Movie Night, "The Money Pit" 10/19 at The New Parkway Theatre please click here.DJ Grubb is a licensed CA REALTOR® DRE# 00811427Declan Spring is a licensed CA REALTOR® DRE#01398898

Welcome to the Bridge Association of REALTORS® Podcast where we spotlight Bay Area REALTOR® members and affiliates, and share information about how the association can better serve our members. I’m your host, Declan Spring. Today I’m chatting with Andrea Gordon. The first part of my conversation with Andrea was released on April 27 this year.  That episode is available here.  Time did not allow for us to cover as much ground as I had hoped so we agreed to make time for a 2nd conversation.  Andrea has a robust business, she’s consistently a top producing agent, not just at Compass but at a nationwide level. This makes for powerful insight on many levels because Andrea is never not in contract. She’s always in the market. And at the same time she's learned how to always work on her business. We talk about the challenges of a lean market and where to keep your focus. Andrea is an MLS committee member. The MLS committee provides oversight of MLS policies, publications, and forms, and next year Andrea will be on the MLS board. Andrea is also involved with the MLS Management Group (MMG) consisting of representatives from Bay East, Contra Costa, and Bridge MLS. We talk about the recent stepped up pressure and threats to the career of being a real estate agent, the recent monumental change to Bright MLS on the east coast, and the first clear signs of changes coming to the decades old commission structure of real estate including several lawsuits that have been working their way through the court system and are finally coming to a head. For Inman subscribers, here are some links to get you up to speed: Anywhere settles lawsuit; Is Anywhere's settlement the first domino to fall?Andrea and I have chatted before on an alternate podcast. In 2020 we had a rich conversation on the Let’s Talk, with Declan Spring podcast. If you’d like to listen to that podcast episode please click here.Don't forget to check out the Bridge AOR calendar for upcoming September events!Andrea Gordon is a licensed CA REALTOR® DRE# 01233563Declan Spring is a licensed CA REALTOR® DRE#01398898

Welcome to the Bridge Association of REALTORS® Podcast where we spotlight Bay Area REALTOR® members and affiliates, and share information about how the association can better serve our members. In this episode host Declan Spring catches up with Felicia Mares-Villa, the 2023 President of Bridge Association of REALTORS®. In this short conversation, Declan and Felicia open the Bridge AOR Calendar and encourage you to join us at an upcoming event.Click on the following links to find out more about the Bridge AOR events mentioned:Calendar PageDown Payment Assistance and Grants for First-Time Home BuyersThursday Broker Open CaravanREALTOR® Safety DayRAW Group 21st Anniversary 5K Walk for EducationPrior Event RecordingsFelicia Mares-Villa is a licensed CA REALTOR® DRE# 02028970Declan Spring is a licensed CA REALTOR® DRE#01398898

Welcome to the Bridge Association of REALTORS® Podcast where we spotlight Bay Area REALTOR® members and affiliates, and share information about how the association can better serve our members. I’m your host, Declan Spring. Today I’m chatting with Patricia Bennett about the Bridge AOR Community Foundation.Patricia Bennett is a top producing REALTOR® at Compass and came to the Bay Area from New York City. She’s been an Oakland resident for over 40 years. Patricia was the 2017 President of the Oakland/Berkeley Association of REALTORS® and is a current Director of the California Association of REALTORS®. She was Chairperson of the Oakland Association of REALTORS® Professional Standards Committee for eight years and is past Chair and Co-chair of the Community Foundation. Patricia is currently a Committee Member of the Community Foundation, and the Community Foundation is the focus of our conversation today.In 2015, the Oakland Association of REALTORS® and the Berkeley Association of REALTORS® merged as did their two community funds and they became The Community Funds 501c3 and The Community Foundation Committee. A highlight each year is the annual Oral Lee Brown 5k walk around Lake Merritt asking agents, affiliates and supporters to participate every October and donate the funds raised through a ceremony at our annual Bridge Association of REALTORS® Installation Gala. The Bridge Association of REALTORS® Community Foundation, is one of the few such Foundations amongst the California Association of REALTORS® who, as its mission states, is to financially support essential community programs that address housing, opportunities for our youth and champion diversity within our community.Patricia Bennett is a licensed CA REALTOR® DRE#00903396 Declan Spring is a licensed CA REALTOR® DRE#01398898Event Registration Links:June Member Power Hour,  Jun 28, 23 Noon to 1:30 PM - IN PERSON! - Hosted by the YPN Committee! Free for members - click here for event registration

Welcome to the Bridge Association of REALTORS® Podcast where we spotlight Bay Area REALTOR® members and affiliates, and share information about how the association can better serve our members. I’m your host, Declan Spring. Today I’m chatting with an affiliate member of Bridge AOR, Ruth Stroup.Ruth Stroup is a 17 year insurance agent with Farmers®, and founder of the Ruth Stroup Insurance Agency in Oakland. In our conversation Ruth educates me on many aspects of property insurance and the changes she has seen in her 17 year career. Topics include a brief history of property insurance since the 1980’s and the unintended consequences of 1988’s Prop 103; State Farms May 27th announcement that it has discontinued writing new policies on California property; The reinsurance market; Population growth and property development; Insurance company formulas - loss ratio, combined ratio; Firelines and the 3 factors that comprise fireline scores; Types of insurance carriers in California; FAIR plan; Insurance coverage and purchase contract contingencies; Property insurance inspections after the policy has been written.Ruth Stroup Insurance Agency, 3560 Grand Ave, Oakland, CA 94610 License #0M13985 Declan Spring is a licensed CA REALTOR® DRE#01398898Event Registration Links:Tuesday, June 6th, 12:30pm-1:30pm is #TechTuesday Paragon Essentials (on Zoom) register here. 

Welcome to the Bridge Association of REALTORS® Podcast where we spotlight Bay Area REALTOR® members and affiliates, and share information about how the association can better serve our members. I’m your host, Declan Spring. Today I’m chatting with Cameron Platt.Cameron Platt is a broker and co-founder of Abio Properties. Cameron’s career in real estate was born out of a dissatisfaction with his practice of law. He realized he had a stronger passion for helping people in real estate transactions than in court. These days he considers himself a “recovering” attorney.In our conversation Cameron and I discuss the value and protection that REALTORS® bring to consumers and the pressing need for REALTORS® to understand and articulate their value to consumers in the face of downward pressure on commissions from various places including new tech, private enterprise, and lawsuits. We reference the  Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice of the National Association of REALTORS® as a key document that each REALTOR® should carefully review and consider in their dealings with consumers.Cameron has a long and impressive history as a leader in the REALTOR® community: Past President, Oakland Association of REALTORS®Director, Oakland Berkeley Association of REALTORS®Director, California Association of REALTORS®Committee Member, National Association of REALTORS®Click here for a link to the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice of the National Association of REALTORS® Cameron Platt is a licensed CA REALTOR® & Broker DRE#01403911  Declan Spring is a licensed CA REALTOR® DRE#01398898Event Registration Links:Wednesday, May 31, 12:00pm-1:30pm Power Hour: REALTOR® Real Talk Click here for registration

Welcome to the Bridge Association of REALTORS® Podcast where we spotlight Bay Area REALTOR® members and affiliates, and share information about how the association can better serve our members. I’m your host, Declan Spring. Today I’m chatting with Janine Hunt.Janine Hunt is a REALTOR® with Red Oak Realty in Oakland, CA. Janine works alongside her husband, Paul Hunt, and together they've been serving residential real estate clients in the East Bay for 10 years. Janine Hunt is the immediate past president for 2022 of Bridge Association of REALTORS® but that’s not even half of it! Janine is chair of four individual local committees, not to mention her volunteer work for the California Association of REALTORS®:The REALTOR® Action Fund (RAF)The Community FoundationThe MLS CommitteeThe Multiple MLS Group (MMG)I appreciate Janine taking the time to discuss each of these committees with me. The timing of our conversation is great because Janine spent much of last week in Sacramento where she brought her skills and passion to our State government officials during California Legislative Week.  Bridge AOR Event Registration links:A number of events are mentioned in the show. Here are their registration links:Thursday, May 18, 4:00pm-6:00pm, 3rd Thursday: Hypnosis Event • Click here for registrationTuesday, May 23,9:30am-1:30pm, Negotiation Basics for REALTORS® • Click here for registrationFriday, May 26, 5:30pm-8:30pm, Oakland A's vs. Astros • Click here for registrationWednesday, May 31, 12:00pm-1:30pm Power Hour: REALTOR® Real Talk • Click here for registrationJanine Hunt is a licensed CA REALTOR® DRE#01909766  Declan Spring is a licensed CA REALTOR® DRE#01398898

Welcome to the Bridge Association of REALTORS® Podcast where we spotlight Bay Area REALTOR® members and affiliates, and share information about how the association can better serve our members. I’m your host, Declan Spring. Today I’m chatting with Andrea Gordon. In this episode Andrea and I dive right into the current market with all of its challenges and complexity. Andrea has a robust business, she’s consistently a top producing agent, not just at Compass but at a nationwide level. This makes for powerful market insight because Andrea is never not in contract. She’s always in the market. We talk about the factors that shaped the current market, and I ask Andrea about how long the market might continue in its current form. We talk about the business of real estate and how to work on your business rather than in your business. We talk about the fundamentals of protecting your business and finances in a lean market. We talk about the constant outside pressure and threats to the career of being a real estate agent. Andrea and I have chatted before on an alternate podcast. In 2020 we had a rich conversation on the Let’s Talk, with Declan Spring podcast. If you’d like to listen to that podcast episode please click here.Andrea Gordon is a licensed CA REALTOR® DRE# 01233563Declan Spring is a licensed CA REALTOR® DRE#01398898

Welcome to the Bridge Association of REALTORS® Podcast where we spotlight Bay Area REALTOR® members and affiliates, and share information about how the association can better serve our members. I’m your host, Declan Spring. Today I’m chatting with Bridge AOR affiliate member and mortgage lender Evelyn Freitas, with Guaranteed Rate. Evelyn has been a mortgage lender since 2004, entering the profession after 18 years in small business management and accounting. Evelyn fell in love with the work of helping people achieve their financing and family goals through home ownership and realized that the skills she had developed in her previous career found a higher expression in the service of these goals. We discuss what it is buyers' should ask when qualifying a loan agent, what types of products and services are offered by various lenders, and what level of care and communication buyers' and REALTORS® should expect from a loan agent.  We also talk about the recent CalHFA Dream for All program and its sudden and incredibly quick withdrawal from the market, and I ask Evelyn if other types of down payment assistance or equity sharing programs exist. Announcement: April 27th - Come join the Community Foundation and the Affiliate Committee to our first big fundraising event of the year! Enjoy unlimited golf for the first three hours of the event as well as other games to play with your colleagues! It wouldn't be a fundraiser without a raffle! Put your name in to win prizes like a new BTLE Supra Lockbox! Event location: Tipsy-Putt 5690 Bay Street, Emeryville View Flyer or Register Evelyn Freitas is Mortgage Banker with Guaranteed Rate NMLS ID: 247578Declan Spring is a licensed CA REALTOR® DRE#01398898

Welcome to the Bridge Association of REALTORS® Podcast where we spotlight Bay Area REALTOR® members and affiliates, and share information about how the association can better serve our members. In this episode host Declan Spring catches up with Felicia Mares-Villa, the 2023 President of Bridge Association of REALTORS®. In this episode we shine a light on the Bridge AOR calendar of events. We talk about committees, and spotlight Felicia's work on behalf of Bridge AOR in representing our interests at CAR's 50th Anniversary Legislative Day in Sacramento on May 3rd, and at NAR's Legislative Week in Washington DC, May 6th to the 11th, and the value of the Bridge AOR Action Fund. We also talk about RAW,  the Bridge AOR Support Group for Members, a fellowship for REALTORS® and Affiliates who may be struggling with anxiety, or other mental health issues that meets on last Friday of each month at the Bridge AOR training center on Telegraph in Berkeley.Announcements: April 27th - Come join the Community Foundation and the Affiliate Committee to our first big fundraising event of the year! Enjoy unlimited golf for the first three hours of the event as well as other games to play with your colleagues! It wouldn't be a fundraiser without a raffle! Put your name in to win prizes like a new BTLE Supra Lockbox! Event location: Tipsy-Putt 5690 Bay Street, Emeryville View Flyer or Register Please join us for Legislative Day, 2023. CAR is hosting a fully in person Legislative Day this year, May 3rd in Sacramento. Register by April 18th. There's a registration link available on the Bridge AOR website or for additional information please click here.Felicia Mares-Villa is a licensed CA REALTOR® DRE# 02028970Declan Spring is a licensed CA REALTOR® DRE#01398898

Welcome to the Bridge Association of REALTORS® Podcast where we spotlight Bay Area REALTOR® members and affiliates, and share information about how the association can better serve our members. In this episode host Declan Spring is speaking with Megan Micco, a REALTOR® with Compass, and 2023 Chair of Bridge AOR Climate Action Committee.Today I’m speaking with Megan Micco, a realtor with Compass. A third generation native of Berkeley and a second generation UC Berkeley graduate, Megan focuses on single-family residential listings in the Berkeley area, leveraging her deep knowledge of the local community. Megan takes an analytical and consultative approach to understanding the unique needs of each client and then develops a custom strategy to meet their short and long-term objectives. She has coined this 'The Megan Micco Method'.Megan is a tribal member of the Seminole, Mvskoke, and Choctaw nations of Oklahoma and applies the Seventh Generation Principle to her personal and work life which includes long-term thinking, sustainability, and architectural preservation. Megan is also 2023 Bridge AOR Climate Action Chair. Here are a few links to topics we discussed today:Haudenosaunee Seven Generation principleSogorea Te: Indigenous woman led land back organizationShuumi land taxBoard member of the Native and Indigenous Alumni Association at UC Berkeley2023 Climate Action Chair, Bridge Association of RealtorsAnnouncement: April 27th - Come join the Community Foundation and the Affiliate Committee to our first big fundraising event of the year! Enjoy unlimited golf for the first three hours of the event as well as other games to play with your colleagues! It wouldn't be a fundraiser without a raffle! Put your name in to win prizes like a new BTLE Supra Lockbox! Event location: Tipsy-Putt 5690 Bay Street, Emeryville View Flyer or Register Please join us for Legislative Day, 2023. CAR is hosting a fully in person Legislative Day this year, May 3rd in Sacramento. Register by April 18th. There's a registration link available on the Bridge AOR website or for additional information please click here.Megan Micco is a licensed CA REALTOR® DRE#01930373 Declan Spring is a licensed CA REALTOR® DRE#01398898

Welcome to the Bridge Association of REALTORS® Podcast where we spotlight Bay Area REALTOR® members and affiliates, and share information about how the association can better serve our members. In this episode host Declan Spring is speaking with Shawna Jones at Compass.Shawna is often told she has a gift for reading people. She says that putting herself in someone else’s shoes has always come naturally to her. That is part of what led Shawna to her work in behavioral health and social-emotional learning before transitioning to real estate. Shawna has found that her high EQ (emotional quotient, aka emotional intelligence) has benefitted her real estate career. In this conversation Declan and Shawna talk in more detail about emotional intelligence and the advantages of leaning into EQ to benefit clients.Announcement: April 27th - Come join the Community Foundation and the Affiliate Committee to our first big fundraising event of the year! Enjoy unlimited golf for the first three hours of the event as well as other games to play with your colleagues! It wouldn't be a fundraiser without a raffle! Put your name in to win prizes like a new BTLE Supra Lockbox! Event location: Tipsy-Putt 5690 Bay Street, Emeryville View Flyer or Register Shawna Jones is a licensed CA REALTOR® DRE#02048776 Declan Spring is a licensed CA REALTOR® DRE#01398898

Welcome to the Bridge Association of REALTORS® Podcast where we spotlight Bay Area REALTOR® members and affiliates, and share information about how the association can better serve our members. In this episode host Declan Spring is speaking with Simone Hoover.Currently at Compass, Simone's passion for the real estate industry emerged while purchasing her first home at the age of 26. Simone is a Bay Area native. She was born and raised in San Francisco and she relocated to the Oakland and Berkeley area -- where she has resided for the past 20 years. A busy mom with 2 very young kids, much of the focus of todays conversation is on the popular subject of work-life balance. Simone Hoover is a licensed CA REALTOR® DRE#01772901 Declan Spring is a licensed CA REALTOR® DRE#01398898

Welcome to the Bridge Association of REALTORS® Podcast where we spotlight Bay Area REALTOR® members and affiliates, and share information about how the association can better serve our members. In this episode host Declan Spring is speaking with Jordan Lento.A native East Coaster, Jordan Lento moved west in 2013 and calls Oakland home. After pursuing a BS in Healthcare Administration from the University of North Florida and an MBA from The Florida State University, Jordan spent 15 years as a project manager, implementing complex technology solutions designed to improve the lives and outcomes of patients while making technology-enabled medicine easier for physicians to deliver. In 2019, he became a Realtor and draws from a well of past employment experience to provide exceptional service to his clients.Jordan is chair of the Education and Technology Committee at Bridge AOR. The committee works to plan educational programs, classes and series for members’ continuing education and professional development. Committee members research continuing education opportunities and up-to-date certification information and recruit speakers to present on these topics.Jordan Lento is a licensed CA REALTOR® DRE#02107611 Declan Spring is a licensed CA REALTOR® DRE#01398898

Welcome to the Bridge Association of REALTORS® Podcast where we spotlight Bay Area REALTOR® members and affiliates, and share information about how the association can better serve our members. In our debut episode host Declan Spring is speaking with Felicia Mares-Villa, the 2023 President of Bridge Association of REALTORS®. In this episode we discuss our intention for the show and shine a light on the Bridge AOR calendar of events. We talk about committees, and spotlight one resource in particular, RAW Support Group for Members, a fellowship for REALTORS® and Affiliates who may be struggling with anxiety, depression, alcoholism, and all forms of addiction by providing a safe meeting place to come together and share their experience, strength, and hope with each other to find the "right" solution that works! Felicia Mares-Villa is a licensed CA REALTOR® DRE# 02028970Declan Spring is a licensed CA REALTOR® DRE#01398898