The Real Estate Sessions

Episode 220 - Brad Inman, Chairman of the Board at Inman When Brad Inman started Inman News in the mid-’90s, he likely had no idea that it would explode into such a vast resource for the real estate industry or that his career in journalism would pivot into hosting Inman Connect events that consistently pull together thousands of professionals.  In this episode, I sit down with Brad and dive into...

There are many people I look up to in the real estate space. There are so many bright lights that think differently than I ever have. Today's guest is one of those people. Marc Davison, Chief Creative Officer for 1000watt. 1000watt describes themselves as real estate's creative agency. They identify superpowers and turn them into words, design and strategies that bring them to the world. Listen in...

Real Estate Sessions Rewind - Andrew Flachner, Co-Founder and President - RealScout Originally aired August 20th, 2019   Serial entrepreneur Andrew Flachner of RealScout shares his story on Episode 201 of The Real Estate Sessions podcast. Andrew has been part of several start-ups, and he details some of the interesting aspects of these companies. Of course, we discuss RealScout and the state of te...

Real Estate Sessions Rewind - Shelley Zavitz - Hasson Company Realtors Originally aired June 18, 2019 Shelley Zavitz of Hasson Company Realtors and author of  Your First 365 Days in Real Estate , shares her journey from a small town in Canada to Portland and the world of Real Estate. 02:25 – Growing up in a small town in Ontario, Canada     03:40 – Shelley’s first job in radio     05:40 – Moving t...

From Ft Lauderdale to Apollo Beach to Tampa, Michele Herndon, my guest on Episode 218, has a lot of experience with life in Florida. We discuss how she entered the real estate industry, including becoming the Ben Kinney Partner in Tampa. 

In Episode 217, we chat with Markus Willard, Sales Account Manager with StreetText. Champion, athletic and competitive - Markus lives a life of success. A great husband and father, he speaks highly of those around him. Markus demonstrates what it looks like to prioritize value-based activities and he is passionate about connecting agents with opportunities.

As I help the Orlando Fidelity National Title operation, I am introduced to more industry leaders. This week, I have the honor of interviewing Oglah Gatamah, Operating Principal of Keller Willams Legacy Realty.  Listen in as Oglah shares her story, culminating in becoming the owner of her own KW Market Center after only 3 years in real estate. Culture, service and, passion only begin to describe O...

I made the short drive up I-275 to Safety Harbor to meet Dan Stewart, Founder, and CEO of Happy Grasshopper and interviewed him in person for this episode. I first met Dan in 2011 when Happy Grasshopper was still being tested in the real estate space at the Inman Connect in San Francisco. Obviously, the testing went well as the real estate world makes up the largest share of HG clients today, some...

After attending Cayla Priest's "Improv in Real Estate" session at the latest Cinc Summit, I immediately asked her if she'd be a guest on The Real Estate Sessions. She agreed and I'm sure you will find her high energy and drive to help real estate professionals become better contagious. Relatively new to the industry, Cayla brought her improvisational skills to her job. She excels at overcoming obj...

Episode 213 is long overdue. I am thrilled to chat with Eric Sachs, co-founder of Breakthrough Broker. Breakthrough Broker has over 400,000 agent subscribers, accessing free marketing assets, productivity tips and tricks, live and recorded webinars, and much more. Listen in as Eric details his journey from police officer to the world of real estate. 

Thank you, Anthony Malafronte, for another guest recommendation. We head up to the Florida Panhandle to chat with Ginny Lee Deptula of Niceville FL. Ginny Lee and her team are maximizing digital marketing strategies, including video, to differentiate herself from other agents in the area. She also coaches other agents, so listen in to Episode 212 for her story.    

We remain in Florida a third straight episode as we visit Lakewood Ranch in Manatee County. Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate Branch Manager Whitney Ellis shares her cross country journey from California to Florida and from new home sales back to residential resale. She also has a book coming out soon, Every Day Agent. We cover all that an more. Enjoy!

We stay in Tampa this week as Tony Baroni, Founder of the Tony Baroni Team shares his journey from a small town in Illinois to SW Florida and one of the largest KW teams in the state. Working hard on exemplary customer experiences, the Tony Baroni Team generates leads from over 1100 online reviews. Tony is also in expansion mode to Orlando and points beyond in Florida.    

I found a Tampa native for Episode 209 of The Real Estate Sessions! Joe LoCicero, founder and owner of 54 Realty shares his story. Looking ahead to the projected growth in the Pasco County area, Joe and his wife Rose created Team 54 Realty group and just this year opened the 54 Realty brokerage. Listen in as Joe discusses the importance of service and experience.    

Looking for a fresh take on the industry? Here you go. Eddie Berenbaum shares a fascinating story including vacuum cleaners, around the world backpacking trips and birthing the idea for a brokerage while in China.  You can check out all that and more on Episode 208.   I believe you grew up in the Pittsburgh area, right? Obviously, a Steelers fan as well? What is the biggest misconception about Pit...

Alex Gustafson, founder of KoaWare, shares his thoughts on the importance of video for real estate listings and details the journey leading to the creation of KoaWare.com. He also openly chats about wiping out in a skatepark at the age of 30.    01:20 - Has Inman Connect been an important resource for KoaWare?   03:15 - Growing up in Connecticut   05:50 - Alex’s entrepreneurial spirit as a child  ...

For Episode 206, we go live at the 2019 Florida Realtors Convention and Trade Expo. Sean Carpenter of Coldwell Banker and I were selected to present on the topic "Personal Relationships in an Impersonal World." We were given permission by the Association to record the presentation and release as a podcast. Sean drops a lot of great ideas that anyone can do to build and strengthen relationships. En...

I revisit an old friend from my Phoenix days on Episode 205. Evo Terra helps businesses and service providers launch podcasts designed to achieve specific business goals. He does this via his company Simpler Media Productions, and his service PodcastLaunch. Pro. Evo is one of the first 40 podcasters ever, and his podcast, Podcast Pontifications, is a must-listen for podcast professionals. Evo shar...

For Episode 204, RE/MAX CEO Adam Contos shares his journey and thoughts on the state of the industry. I've had the pleasure of seeing Adam on conference stages, and his down to earth approach and demeanor is refreshing to witness. Listen in and see for yourself! 01:15 - Did Adam grow up in Denver?   02:25 - Adam and the local sports teams. Is it Broncos, Rockies, Nuggets and Avalanche?   03:35 - W...

Episode 203 features a live sit-down interview with Wendy Forsythe of Wendy Forsythe Consulting. We connected at the Florida Realtors Convention in August 2019. Listen in as Wendy shares her journey from Nova Scotia to New Jersey to Phoenix as she rose through the ranks of real estate. She also throws in an Ironman along the way! 01:50 - Growing up in Nova Scotia 03:55 - Acadia University in Wolfv...

Episode 202 features Karin Carr of Savannah, Georgia. Karin has created a tremendous business focusing on video. The content she creates is designed to help her be found organically as people are searching for area information. Listen in as Karin shows you it can be easy to create video! 01:50 - Starting at the beginning - Where did Karin grow up?   02:25 - Why the University of Utah?   03:55 - Wh...

Serial entrepreneur Andrew Flachner of RealScout shares his story on Episode 201 of The Real Estate Sessions podcast. Andrew has been part of several start-ups, and he details some of the interesting aspects of these companies. Of course, we discuss RealScout and the state of technology in real estate today. 01:50 - Growing up in California   03:05 - Knowing real estate would be your path at an ea...

I celebrate reaching Episode 200 with the Queen of New York Real Estate, Dolly Lenz, of Dolly Lenz Real Estate. Dolly shares her journey from the Bronx to accounting at United Artists to real estate in Manhattan and beyond. She also humors me with a Barbra Streisand story! 01:45 - Growing up in the Bronx   04:20 - What was Dolly’s first job out of college?   04:55 - Dolly is friends with Barbra St...

Trailer for The Real Estate Sessions podcast. 

Episode 199 has us back in Cambridge again this week as we chat with Charles Cherney with Compass Real Estate. Charles shares his story of falling in love with the Cambridge area, attending Harvard as a result of that love and how he left the world of teaching to become a Realtor.  01:45 - A brief chat about World Cinema   03:20 - Growing up in Detroit and how Charles discovered Cambridge   06:15...