The Neighborhood Real Estate Agent

What if the thing you lead with at every listing appointment is actually the thing costing you the deal? In this episode I sit down with Matt Williams, a serial entrepreneur and business coach who built a top 1% real estate business from scratch in under two years in a mid-size market, doing it without paid ads, without a big following, and without relying on leading with “numbers”. Matt breaks do...

Most agents can sell a house. Far fewer can tell you whether the numbers actually work. In this episode I sit down with Rachel Kokosenski, an investor-focused agent with the Smallegan Real Estate team in Grand Rapids, Michigan, who has built a business where 90% of her clients are investors, and she did it by learning to speak their language fluently. Rachel breaks down the exact math behind short...

What if the worst time to sell your home is actually when everyone tells you to list it? In this episode I sit down with Ryan Bruen, a third-generation agent with Coldwell Banker in New Jersey whose data-driven approach to real estate has helped him close over 31 transactions in 2025 at price points ranging from $600K to $2M – all in his local market.   Ryan breaks down why most sellers are asking...

They were closing deals, winning brokerage awards, and looked like top producers on paper. But the morning after the award ceremony, Josh Ries looked at his bank account and realized the numbers told a completely different story. After expenses, lead generation bills, and a stack of software subscriptions he wasn't even using, there was almost nothing left. Within about two years of rebuildin...

What if the biggest lie in real estate is the one your clients walk in believing? In this episode I sit down with Karina Chavez, an immigrant who moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico at 12 years old speaking no English, and went on to close 97 homes in 2025 serving the community that once welcomed her family with open arms. Karina breaks down why chasing the dream home is the fastest way to kill a cli...

What if the skills that made you great in another career were exactly what you needed to dominate in real estate? In this episode I sit down with Evan Crawford, former pro baseball player turned team leader in Auburn, Alabama, whose team is doing $50 million in sales in a market most people have never heard of. Evan breaks down how he started from zero, no local network, no name recognition, and n...

Sandy Gentry has spent more than 35 years building one of the most recognizable and productive real estate businesses on Michigan’s Lakeshore. In 2025 alone her team closed over 136 million dollars in sales with Sandy personally producing more than 70 million. In this episode we talk about what has actually driven that longevity. Not shortcuts. Not trends. The fundamentals that still work. Sandy b...

What if nearly losing everything taught you the secret to building a thriving real estate business without sacrificing your life? In this episode, I sit down with Michael Coxen, a Las Vegas broker who went from being bedridden at 115 pounds to running a 20-agent brokerage while maintaining $20-25 million in personal production. We unpack how Michael built his career by accident through a wedding i...

What if focusing on listings could transform your real estate business from chasing clients to having them chase you? In this episode I sit down with Maria Quattrone, Philadelphia's "expired queen," who's built a machine that consistently delivers over 100 transactions per year. We unpack the exact strategies behind her listing-focused approach, from her three-step expired lett...

Most agents treat online leads like a necessary evil. Mickey Larson turned them into a $15 million business in just two years. In this episode, I sit down with Mickey, a former attorney and entrepreneur who ditched the courtroom stress for real estate and never looked back. While other agents complain about lead quality, Mickey has built an 85% online lead-based business with almost zero no-shows,...

The market has shifted. Homes that used to fly off the market in days are now sitting for months. Sellers are frustrated. Agents are stuck. And the old playbook isn't working anymore. In this episode I sit down with Kevelyn Guzman, Regional Vice President at Coldwell Banker Warburg, who's spent 18 years navigating every kind of market in New York City. Kevelyn shares how her team recentl...

What if the biggest opportunity in your real estate business isn't the next lead you buy, but the database you already have sitting in your CRM? In this episode, I sit down with Ryan Young, who scaled his family's real estate team from 30 homes a year to over 500, and then built one of the hottest CRM companies in real estate. Ryan shares the exact mindset shift that took him from grindi...

What if you could win nearly every competitive offer by simply including one overlooked piece of data? In this episode, I sit down with Steven Wynands, a top-producing Washington DC agent who cracked the code on using data to build trust through transparency in one of the nation's most competitive real estate markets. Steven shares the exact strategy that helped him secure million-dollar list...

What if the real estate industry’s definition of success is completely wrong? In this episode, I reconnect with Garrett Maroon, who’s back after a couple years with a radically different approach to building a real estate business. With five kids at home and a book launching soon, Garrett has cracked the code on maintaining high production while actually working less. We dive into how Garrett inte...

What if forgetting someone's name accidentally created the perfect real estate brand? In this episode, I sit down with Erwin Nicholas II, better known as "Mr. Real Estate," whose journey from nightclub networking to listing Tony Parker's $20 million estate proves that sometimes the best business strategies come from the most unexpected moments. We dive deep into how Erwin turne...

What if your clients became raving fans for life and your real estate business paid you before you even closed a deal. In this episode I sit down (again) with Amy Stockberger whose team ranks #33 in the U.S. for units sold , not in L.A., not in Miami, but in tiny Sioux Falls, South Dakota. We unpack the exact strategy behind her Serve First, Scale Forever model, the same framework that helped her...

There are problems in every profession but often times in Real Estate the biggest headaches are completely avoidable. Matt chats with Briggs Elwell, the CEO and Co-Founder of RLTYCO . Briggs is a veteran agent, broker and entrepreneur who has the commonalities where agents lose most often. We discuss how most agents want to operate as employees and don’t ever really build a business and how to fix...

When you are about to become a single mom but are almost done with college and need money what do you do? If you think like Bethany you quit school despite being almost done, hustle your heart out and sell 47 homes in your first year! In this episode Matt talks to Bethany Brokaw, a top 1% Realtor in MI who got into real estate by accident and over the last 10 years has built the real estate busine...

In this conversation, Kate D'Addabbo, a seasoned real estate agent, shares her journey in securing a luxury condo listing, the importance of asking for what you want, and her extensive experience in renovation and design. She discusses the challenges and lessons learned from flipping homes, the intricacies of the real estate process, and the significance of maintaining large properties. Kate...

In real estate and in life spotting opportunities before the rest of the market and your competitors can be a huge edge. Our guest today Andrew McCarthy found an edge, and moved his family across stateliness to capitalize all while creating value for both his former and new community. Andrew was an architect turned real estate developer who while living in the big apple spotted the small vacation...

It might not be the strategy that everyone uses but you have to respect the hustle! In this episode Matt chats with Libby McKinney Tritschler in Connecticut and discusses the strategies and tactics that have helped her build a $40,000,000+ business. Libby is a 6th generation resident of her town and she leverages her local knowledge to push clients into the homes that are right for them VS the hom...

In this conversation, Peter Michael shares his remarkable journey from a marketing professional to a successful real estate agent in the Miami market. He discusses the importance of understanding marketing as a core component of real estate, his strategies for building a network in a new city, and how he approaches real estate as a business. Peter emphasizes the significance of intentionality in n...

Million Dollar Listing meets the Neighborhood Realtor, in today’s episode Matt interviews Abby Palanca with Serhant Real Estate in NY, who shares her journey from a vulnerable single mom to a top producer with $400 million in career sales. They discuss the importance of community engagement, unique marketing strategies, and the emotional connections formed with clients during significant life tran...

Going to conferences can be a complete waste of time. That however is a problem you can fix if you take Kevin Polakovich’s approach! Kevin “KP” is a master executor in the real estate industry. Over his 25 year career he has amassed 1 Billion+ in sales and a property portfolio of over 300 properties. Kevin moves fast and isn’t afraid to try new ideas, leveling up almost constantly as new ideas wor...

Stay ahead of the game by creating the opportunities that the market wants and use those opportunities to get meetings and form new relationships that can feed you. These are only some of the topics that Matt and his guest Gaetano Morello discuss on this episode of the Neighborhood Realtor. Matt and Gaetano Morello delve into the intricacies of the real estate market, particularly focusing on hist...