Free Game Real Estate Podcast

In the final installment of this three-part series, Bre Gaither, Ed, and Terence get real about the balance between marketing yourself and leading a team — and why posting "just sold" isn't enough without showing the story behind it. The conversation shifts into staying visible and relevant in the business (Ed shares what happened when he took a month off and only posted lifestyle content), naviga...

Part 2 of our deep dive with Bre Gaither picks up right where Part 1 left off. Terence and Ed press Bre on whether social media is making real estate agents better, or just better at looking good. Bre breaks down the real math behind her 60% social-driven business, the double standard Black women in real estate face around image and "reading the room," and how she landed her HGTV feature through n...

Bre Gaither, founder and broker-in-charge of BG Luxe Realty, sits down with Ed and Terence to break down how she turned a disappointing first home-buying experience (a $2 cupcake and a promised bottle of wine that never showed) into a six-figure luxury closing experience that's now become the industry standard. She traces her path from starting in real estate during COVID lockdown, through five di...

Sharmaine Croutch returns to Free Game with Charlotte realtor Ed Averette and lender Terence Guess for Part 2 of her powerful story. This time, the conversation goes even deeper. After sharing her journey from trauma to triumph in Part 1, Sharmaine connects her faith walk directly to the real estate process and the parallels are undeniable. From self-honesty as the foundation of financial readines...

Ed and Terence sit down with Charlotte native Sharmaine Croutch — realtor, transformational speaker, author, and overcomer for a conversation that goes far deeper than real estate. Sharmaine brings her full story to the table: a West Side Charlotte upbringing shaped by childhood trauma, a faith-rooted journey through adversity, and a calling to help others reach goals she once only dreamed of hers...

If you had an accepted offer on your home sitting in front of you right now, what would stop you from signing it? In part two of this week's Free Game, Terence Guess and Ed Averette flip the script from last episode's buyer conversation and ask the question every homeowner needs to answer before calling a realtor: What kind of seller are you? Terence gets raw and personal, sharing how a five-year...

Ed Averette and Terence Guess get real with buyers in this straight-talk episode of the Free Game Real Estate Podcast. Before diving into the market, Ed and Terence challenge listeners to look in the mirror and ask themselves a critical question — what type of buyer are you? From buyers who just want the Instagram closing post to those who come fully prepared with documents, income, and a clear ga...

Ed Averette and Terence Guess kick off Season 18 with a candid conversation that goes beyond real estate. The episode opens with Ed acknowledging Terence's recognition as a top 1% loan originator nationwide by Mortgage Executive Magazine, a milestone that sets the tone for a deeper discussion about legacy, time, and what truly matters. The conversation shifts into a powerful reflection on how much...

Real estate commissions, buyer brokerage fees, agent splits, and admin costs explained — no filter. Ed Averette and Terence Guess break down exactly what agents charge, what they keep, and why the numbers might surprise you. From the buyer agency agreement to builder bonuses, mentor fees, and the listing side — this is the episode buyers and agents both need to hear. Ed walks through a real $400K...

Ed Averette and Terence Guess sit down for one of the most candid conversations in Free Game history — why African Americans struggle to work with each other professionally, and what it's costing the community. Terence opens up about the moment his own neighbor chose a big-box mortgage company over him — and what that interaction revealed about trust, perception, and the unspoken rules that hold B...

Ed Averette and Terence Guess get real about what it takes to stay in the game when the market gets tough. With 18 years of experience, Ed breaks down the lead generation strategies that actually work, from cold calling and expired listings to using new construction sites to build your brand and your pipeline. Terence brings the mortgage perspective and drops a stat every agent needs to hear: 10%...

In a world where AI can tell you exactly what you want to hear — and social media rewards posting over thinking — how do you know when the information you're sharing is helping your clients, or quietly working against them? Ed Averette and Terence Guess pull back the curtain on one of the most overlooked threats to real estate professionals today: the content they post. In Episode 202, the guys br...

Most homeowners know insurance is required to close on a house — but what happens the moment that deal is done? Are you actually covered for what's coming next, or did you just sign yourself into a false sense of security? In Part 2 of their deep-dive with insurance expert James Sweatt, Ed Averette and Terence Guess pick up right where the conversation left off — and go even deeper. The trio unpac...

If your insurance was quietly becoming less coverage for more money — and one unexpected claim exposed just how underprotected you really are — would you even know where the gaps were? Episode 200 is a milestone worth celebrating, but Ed Averette and Terence Guess keep it true to form — less fanfare, more free game. Before diving in, they pause to reflect on what it actually took to reach 200 show...

What does it actually take to buy a home in today's market and why is so much of what buyers hear online getting in the way of them ever closing? In Part 3 of this landmark roundtable, Ed Averette and Terence Guess are joined once again by mortgage broker Daniel Greer and Joy Bailey, The Mortgage Bawse, for one of the most practical and honest conversations Free Game has ever delivered. The focus...

When closing costs double overnight and referrals vanish into thin air — who's actually accountable? Part two of this roundtable picks up mid-fire and never slows down. Ed Averette, Terence Guess, Joy Bailey, and Daniel Greer are back at the table taking an honest, unfiltered look at what happens when realtors and loan officers disagree on who's responsible for keeping a deal alive. From closing c...

When a loan officer pre-approves your client and then sees them pop up on social media closing with someone else — whose fault is it really, and what rules were broken before the deal ever started? Ed Averette and Terence Guess kick off what promises to be a powerful new series on the rules of engagement between real estate professionals and mortgage professionals. Joining them in studio are two s...

What if the reason your real estate deal fell apart, your referrals dried up, or your home never sold had nothing to do with the market, and everything to do with how you showed up? In Episode 196 of the Free Game Real Estate Podcast, hosts Ed Averette and Terence Guess deliver a straight-talk conversation about accountability in real estate — from the professionals who serve clients to the buyers...

What if the key to dominating your industry isn’t about defending your territory—but about completely letting go of the idea that any of it belongs to you in the first place?   Ed Averette and Terence Guess welcome back Trey McCrae from Meritage Homes for part two of an explosive conversation about closing 85 homes in a year. Trey reveals the reality behind new home sales that most people never se...

What does it really take to close 85 homes in a single year — and why do most people who enter real estate never make it past year one? Ed and Terence sit down with Trey McRae, a 10-year real estate veteran who has spent the last nine years dominating new home sales at Meritage Homes right here in Charlotte. But Trey's story didn't start with closings and commission checks, it started with zero de...

Are you building an authentic personal brand that influences real relationships, or are you chasing followers with smoke and mirrors that crumble when it's time to deliver in person? In this powerful conversation, hosts Ed Averette and Terence Guess sit down with Solomon Hejirika, founder of Hejirika Law, to explore what it truly means to wield influence in real estate and business. The discussion...

When was the last time you looked in the mirror and asked yourself: Am I building a business, or am I just being everyone's stepping stone? Ed Averette and Terence Guess kick off 2026 with one of their most vulnerable conversations yet about the reinvention of the real estate professional. Terence gets brutally honest about his decision to stop convincing partners to work with him, sharing how spe...

What happens when the most talented professionals in real estate unknowingly sabotage their success by confusing humility with self-deprecation—and why are six-figure earners consistently shocked when they discover their actual buying power? In this raw and unfiltered conversation, Terence Guess and Ed Averette tackle one of the most critical yet overlooked topics in real estate and life: knowing...

What if the rate cuts everyone's been waiting for actually make homeownership harder instead of easier—and why are real estate experts predicting a return to the highest-and-best bidding wars that left buyers empty-handed just a few years ago? In this revealing episode of Free Game, hosts Terence Guess and Ed Averette deliver a critical wake-up call about the real estate market's impending shift a...

If your clients have access to the same AI tools you do, what happens when they start fact-checking your expertise in real time? Ed Averette and Terence Guess tackle one of the most pressing questions facing real estate professionals today: Is artificial intelligence making agents smarter or eliminating the need for them entirely? Using Terence's memorable fruit cocktail analogy, the hosts explore...