What Most Real Estate Teams Get Wrong with Kathy Courtney

Nov 5, 2025

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In this episode of the Reside Platform Podcast, Suneet sits down with Kathy Courtney, Northern California's #1 luxury realtor and team leader at LPT Realty. Kathy shares her remarkable journey from running a mega team in the early 2000s to burning out completely, then deciding to start over and build the Courtney Group from scratch. She opens up about the "messy middle" of team building—the challenging phase where most teams fail—revealing that only 25% of new hires make it past six months. Kathy discusses her evolution as a leader, moving from a "general leading from the front" to a coach who leads from beside, focusing on asking questions rather than giving orders. She emphasizes the importance of understanding each team member's personal "why that makes them cry" and helping them discover their own path to success. The conversation covers practical topics including recruiting standards, daily lead generation metrics, the 80/20 rule in real estate, and why personal development is non-negotiable for top performers. Kathy also shares candid insights about working with her daughter Anna, the reality of 12-hour days, and why she almost threw in the towel multiple times before committing to her four-year vision of building a powerhouse team.

Chapters:

(00:00:00) — Welcome to the Team Building Masterclass

(00:00:44) — Meet Kathy Courtney: The Leader Who Built It Twice

(00:02:25) — The Burnout That Changed Everything: Kathy's Raw Story

(00:05:01) — Starting Over: Building a Team From Scratch in 18 Months

(00:07:08) — The Messy Middle: Why 75% of Your Hires Will Fail

(00:12:30) — The Non-Negotiable That Separates Top Performers

(00:14:14) — What Nobody Tells You About Team Growth

(00:16:27) — From Indie Brokerage to Building a Market Center

(00:17:40) — The Keller Williams Transition: Lessons Learned

(00:18:17) — From General to Guide: The Leadership Shift That Changed Everything

(00:20:01) — Finding Your Team's "Why That Makes Them Cry"

(00:21:42) — The Exact Standards That Drive Million-Dollar Production

(00:23:46) — Mission, Values, and Beliefs: Building Culture That Lasts

(00:26:34) — Working With Family: The Anna Courtney Story

(00:28:35) — If You're Building a Team, Listen to This First

(00:31:40) — Connect With Kathy + Final Thoughts

Links and Resources:

Website: https://www.thecourtneygroup.net/
Kathy Courtney on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathycourtneyrealtor/
Reside Platform: resideplatform.com