RealTrending

This week on RealTrending, Tracey Velt talks with Craig McClelland, Chief Strategy Officer at HomeStory and president of LOCAL Realty.  Tracey and Craig talk about the importance of consumer-centric strategies and how industry giants like Zillow and Rocket are reshaping traditional brokerage models. Craig also talks about the role of technology and data in extending the real estate transaction tim...

On this week’s episode of RealTrending, Tracey Velt sits down with Lennox Scott, the CEO of John L. Scott Real Estate. Lennox has been in the industry for almost 50 years, and John L Scott is a family brokerage with a rich 94-year history.  Lennox talks about how AI is reshaping industries, the critical role of MLS consolidation, and maintaining personal relationships in a tech-driven world. He al...

This week on RealTrending Tracey Velt talks with David Brooke, team leader at Brooke Team at eXp Realty. Tracey and David dive into the realities of leading a team in today’s market, including managing team exits and burnout to fostering a productive agent culture.  David shares how an almost-pivot in his career and parenting lessons shaped his leadership style, and much more. Here’s a glimpse of...

This week on RealTrending, Tracey Velt talks with Jay Papasan, executive at Keller Williams Realty and co-author of The Millionaire Real Estate Agent. Tracey and Jay talk about what it really takes for rookie agents to thrive in today’s market, from building a solid database to developing effective lead generation habits early on. Jay shares the inspiration behind his new and upcoming book The Roo...

This week on RealTrending, Tracey Velt chats with Steve Murray, industry stalwart and senior advisor to RealTrends. Tracey and Steve had the opportunity to sit down in person at HousingWire’s The Gathering. Steve dives into the real estate’s most pressing issues, including the distraction of AI, Clear Cooperation, and the alarming number of inactive agents. He talks about why developing talent sho...

On today’s bonus episode of RealTrending, Tracey Velt chats with Ben Bacal, the founder of Revel Real Estate.  Tracey and Ben talk about the future of real estate, from AI-enhanced client experiences to the rise of real estate auctions. Ben also shares the secrets behind modern brokerage leadership and how Revel is equipping agents with marketing tools, studio pods for content creation, and data-d...

Today on RealTrending, Tracey Velt sits down with Rory Golod, President of Growth and Communications at Compass, to discuss their lawsuit against Zillow and what Compass is doing to reshape the agent and consumer experience in real estate. Rory unpacks the motivations behind the lawsuit and also shares Compass’s three-pronged marketing strategy. He also talks about how agent feedback drives tech d...

This week on RealTrending, Tracey Velt chats with Dermot Buffini, CEO of Buffini & Company. Tracey and Dermot got the opportunity to sit down in person to record an episode at HousingWire’s The Gathering. Dermot breaks down the challenges in today’s real estate leadership  — from agent productivity to market shifts — and shares how to stay focused on what really matters. He also talks about “above...

This week on RealTrending, Tracey Velt chats with Hoby Hanna, CEO of Howard Hanna Real Estate Services and Hanna Holdings. Hoby discusses the company’s culture-first M&A strategy, innovative consumer programs like the buy-borrow bundle, and how AI and data are shaping real estate. He also shares why collaboration matters and outlines his goal to reach 20% share in 20 major markets. Here’s a glimps...

This week on RealTrending, Tracey Velt chats with Tami Pardee, founder of Pardee Properties in Venice, California. Tami shares how she brought a production-style model from the entertainment industry into real estate and built a high-touch, high-performing boutique brokerage. She also talks about how she tripled sales during the wildfires, uses the tools from an AI collective to empower her agents...

This week on RealTrending, Tracey Velt chats with Alex Derenne and Alexis Hirsig, the masterminds behind The Powerhouse Partners, a group with The Real Brokerage that blends coaching and marketing in a real estate network that collaborates, rather than competes. Alex and Alexis dive into how building authentic personal brands on social media has helped them connect with clients, and how AI tools,...

This week on RealTrending, Tracey Velt sits down to chat with Sarah Reynolds, the CEO of EmpowerHome with Keller Williams.  Sarah talks about the power of mindset amid market uncertainty, how to keep real estate fun, and why focusing on what’s controllable is key to agent success, no matter what market conditions are. She also talks about trends and new brokerage models coming onto the market and...

This week on RealTrending, Tracey Velt chats with Rainy Hake Austin, President of The Agency. The Agency ranked 13 by volume and is also the fourth largest private independent brokerage according to the 2025 RealTrends Verified Top Brokerage rankings. Over the past five years, The Agency has grown to almost 100 offices across the US. Rainy dives into ethical leadership, the trend to move beyond th...

This week on RealTrending, we are bringing you a special crossover episode of the Top of Mind podcast, hosted by Altos president Mike Simonsen. Mike chats with Jason Waugh, president of Coldwell Banker Affiliates, about how the real estate brokerage model is evolving and what that means for agents, buyers, and the future of the industry. Jason shares insights from Coldwell Banker’s 100,000 agents,...

This week on RealTrending, Tracey Velt chats with Tamir Poleg, CEO of The Real Brokerage, about how AI is rapidly changing the real estate game — if you don't build it, then someone else will. Tamir shares how Real is using AI to streamline operations, from an assistant answering thousands of questions per day to developing automatic broker reviews. He also discusses scaling without compromising c...

This week on RealTrending, Tracey Velt chats with OB Jacobi, co-president of Windermere Real Estate. Founded in 1972 by OB’s father, John Jacobi, Windermere is still being led by the Jacobi family over 50 years later. OB joins us today to talk about rethinking the role of the MLS in real estate and how NAR’s Clear Cooperation Policy add-ons have impacted the industry as of late. He also has some r...

This week on RealTrending, Tracey Velt sits down in person with Robert Palmer, founder and CEO of LPT Realty, at LPT’s studio in Orlando. Robert talks about LPT’s journey from a simple marketing tool to a top brokerage in just a couple of years. He also discusses agent empowerment through dual brokerage models, LPT’s upcoming initiatives, and growth plans. Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: LP...

This week on RealTrending, Tracey Velt sits down with Steve Murray, senior advisor for HousingWire and the founder of RealTrends and RTC Consulting. Steve joins us to unpack some of the recent dramatic shifts in real estate, including Stone Point’s strategic investment in Keller Williams and Rocket’s acquisition of Redfin. They also talk about Clear Cooperation Policy and the industry footprint of...

Housing market headlines are nonstop — tariffs, mortgage rates, jobs reports and general market chaos. But what does it all mean?  In this bonus episode of RealTrending, HousingWire is joined by experts Ivy Zelman, Logan Mohtashami and Dale Wettlaufer to make sense of it all. Originally part of a HousingWire exclusive virtual event, this candid conversation offers expert analysis of what’s happeni...

This week on RealTrending, Tracey interviews Cindy Raney and Jason Mudd, the husband-and-wife leaders of the Cindy Raney Team at Coldwell Banker in Westport, Connecticut.  Cindy and Jason talk about running a luxury team, including how they divide responsibilities and maintain a strong team culture. They also discuss their most effective marketing strategies, the impact of commission lawsuits on t...

This week on RealTrending Tracey interviews Kortney Wilson, an eXp real estate agent and HGTV personality. Kortney shares her journey from music to flipping houses, how HGTV impacted her career, and how she built a sustainable referral network with eXp Realty.  She also discusses using AI and automation tools for personalized client follow-up and introduces her new show, Life is Messy, which is fo...

Today on RealTrending, Tracey interviews Ryan Schneider, the CEO of Anywhere Real Estate. This episode originally aired on our sister show, Power House, but this week we are bringing it to the feeds of our real estate audience. Tracey and Ryan talk about Anywhere’s refocus on luxury and what they think is going to happen to M&A as the market shifts this year. They also talk about AI’s relationship...

On this week’s episode of RealTrending Tracey is joined by Michelle Billings, Coldwell Banker agent and the President of Ohio Realtors. Michelle has some great advice on how real estate professionals should be differentiating themselves in today’s market, from proactive education strategies to leveraging past client interactions. She also talks about affordability, current housing legislative effo...

On this week’s episode of RealTrending, Tracey sits down with Eric Elfman, the CEO of MoxiWorks. Eric talks all about balancing the delicate relationship between leveraging AI tools and building and maintaining client relationships. He also talks about making these tools more accessible to agents. Eric also shares MoxiWorks’ plans to increase technology adoption and make real estate tools more acc...

On this week’s episode of the RealTrending Podcast, Tracey talks to Lon Welsh, founder and managing broker of Your Castle Real Estate, the largest independent real estate brokerage in Colorado. Lon joins the show today to talk about where the market is headed and how they grew Your Castle to the size it is today, including his strategies on recruiting, retention and using AI tools to transform age...