Next Level Agents: The Kevin & Fred Show - Interviews with the best and brightest minds in the real estate industry

In today’s episode, I had the chance to join the Mortgage Coach Friday Mastermind with Dave Savage, Todd Bookspan, and Deborah Byrd to talk about today’s real estate market and how agents can thrive through the changes. In a shifting market, it’s really easy to get demoralized and slow down our activity, but our clients need us more than ever. We’re going to discuss what we need to be doing right now to win and even set ourselves up to leap forward in a massive way.   Dave Savage is the Founder and Chief Innovation Officer at Mortgage Coach and Sales Boomerang. He is a tech entrepreneur, mobile tech pioneer, speaker, and agent of change dedicated to helping loan officers turn the Digital Mortgage Revolution into a competitive advantage.    Todd Bookspan is an entrepreneur, business leader and the founder of Win By Noon and Chairman of the Bookspan Baker team. For the past fifteen years, as a mortgage originator, Todd has proven successful in cultivating both teams and branch offices. Working alongside his wife Tara, Todd successfully helped grow the Arizona region of a mortgage bank from five to eighty-five employees at four branches. He also took the lead role in developing and designing a coaching program for originators. Following this program, Todd coached groups of loan officers for several years, helping them expand their personal and team production.   During this time, Todd also successfully grew his own mortgage team into a cohesive fifteen-member group. With Todd's outstanding leadership, he led his team into the top 30 rankings for closed mortgage loans in 2015, yielding more than 540 closed loans and $113 million in volume.   Deborah Byrd is  a Keynote Speaker and Marketing Strategist, Mortgage Integrationist, Leader and CEO and Founder of Plug and Play SM. Plug and Play SM is a social media company that helps connect families with mortgage needs to the loan officers who care to help families get into debt smarter and use real estate to build wealth.   There’s absolutely no question that the market has shifted over the last few months, and that it will continue to shift. A lot of agents are going to have a hard time because they haven’t changed along with the market and recalibrated their decisions and activities. Things will go one of two ways for agents - struggle to make it through the shift or emerge significantly ahead of the pack.      Guest Info   Todd Bookspan is an entrepreneur, business leader and the founder of Win By Noon and Chairman of the Bookspan Baker team. For the past fifteen years, as a mortgage originator, Todd has proven successful in cultivating both teams and branch offices. Working alongside his wife Tara, Todd successfully helped grow the Arizona region of a mortgage bank from five to eighty-five employees at four branches. He also took the lead role in developing and designing a coaching program for originators. Following this program, Todd coached groups of loan officers for several years, helping them expand their personal and team production.   During this time, Todd also successfully grew his own mortgage team into a cohesive fifteen-member group. With Todd's outstanding leadership, he led his team into the top 30 rankings for closed mortgage loans in 2015, yielding more than 540 closed loans and $113 million in volume.   Deborah Byrd is a Keynote Speaker and Marketing Strategist, Mortgage Integrationist, Leader and CEO and Founder of Plug and Play SM. Plug and Play SM is a social media company that helps connect families with mortgage needs to the loan officers who care to help families get into debt smarter and use real estate to build wealth.   Find out more about the Friday Mastermind here.   CTA   ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla  

In this episode of the podcast, I’m joined by the author of DIE WITH ZERO, Bill Perkins. It’s a book that has really grabbed me, made an impact and helped me noticeably change things. There are plenty of books on money and building wealth, and by and large, they are solving for net worth, not net fulfillment.  Bill Perkins "The Last Cowboy" according to the Wall Street Journal, is one of the world's most successful hedge fund managers and entrepreneurs. After studying electrical engineering at the University of Iowa, Bill trained on Wall Street and later moved to Houston, TX where he made a fortune as an energy trader. Perkins is currently the CEO of BrisaMax Holdings, a consulting services firm based in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Now at age 52, Bill views his career as an engine for personal growth and spends his time exploring the world, savoring his relationships, and taking in all that life has to offer. DIE WITH ZERO is a labor of love project. Bill has been developing the principles outlined in the book since his first job making $16,000 a year in the 90's as a screen clerk for the New York Mercantile Exchange. Life is finite and urgent and even if we live long, there are periods in our lives that die. Bill’s approach is a beautiful intersection of your income, health and the stage of life you’re in so you can get the most out of it.    Guest Info Bill Perkins "The Last Cowboy" according to the Wall Street Journal, is one of the world's most successful hedge fund managers and entrepreneurs. After studying electrical engineering at the University of Iowa, Bill trained on Wall Street and later moved to Houston, TX where he made a fortune as an energy trader. Perkins is currently the CEO of BrisaMax Holdings, a consulting services firm based in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Now at age 52, Bill views his career as an engine for personal growth and spends his time exploring the world, savoring his relationships, and taking in all that life has to offer. DIE WITH ZERO is a labor of love project. Bill has been developing the principles outlined in the book since his first job making $16,000 a year in the 90's as a screen clerk for the New York Mercantile Exchange. Go to https://www.diewithzerobook.com/ to buy and review the book. Follow @diewithzero and follow @billperkins on Instagram.   CTA ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla  

In today’s episode, we’re joined by my good friend, Jake DaRosa, to catch up on his business and how he’s thinking about the current market. Being an agent who, like us, knows what it’s like to navigate a challenging market, Jake has a whole lot of insights to share about what it takes to win.    Jake started his journey in real estate in 2002 working for a private lender, in 2007 opened and founded his own mortgage brokerage with a business partner. With the market shift in 08-09, they quickly transitioned and added real estate to their business and that's where Jake found his passion for real estate.   Today Jake leads The DaRosa Team Powered by PLACE with Keller Williams Realty. He partnered with Ben Kinney about 6 years ago, and last year they helped 139 families in the greater Sacramento Area and today, their team consists of 3 full time administrative partners and 9 agent partners. Jake has been through several markets and he’s excited to see what this one holds.    For the last 5-10 years, being a real estate agent has been pretty easy - there was nothing complicated about getting a house sold. Now, the market is shifting and this is really where agents are going to be tested.Far too many agents are still operating off last year’s data, and the truth is, even things that worked a couple of months ago are outdated and irrelevant. Until we shift our mindset and activities to match this market, we’re more likely to just generate leads for another agent.   Time Stamps    00:00 - Intro and a background on Jake’s real estate journey  06:45 - What prompted the thought process of partnering with Ben Kinney   16:21 - Why this current market is so different to what we’ve known over the last decade  18:49 - Why Jake’s focusing on overhauling his team’s systems right now  24:42 - The importance of tracking our results in this market   Guest Info   Jake leads The DaRosa Team Powered by PLACE with Keller Williams Realty. He started his journey in real estate in 2002 working for a private lender, in 2007 opened and founded his own mortgage brokerage with a business partner. With the market shift in 08-09, they quickly transitioned and added real estate to their business and that's where Jake found his passion for real estate.   Jake partnered with Ben Kinney about 6 years ago, and last year they helped 139 families in the greater Sacramento Area and today, their team consists of 3 full time administrative partners and 9 agent partners. Jake has been through several markets and he’s excited to see what this one holds. Connect with Jake on LinkedIn.     If you want to attend the BuiltHow LIVE on September 29th and 30th, buy your ticket here.  CTA   ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla  

In this video, we give you a little download from our most recent eXp mastermind group call, and share some of our thoughts and the notable insights that came up. Now more than ever, agents have to unite and share best practices in a way we’ve never done before. With that in mind, here are some great ideas and a couple of strategies agents are implementing in markets across the country.  CTA   ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

In this video, we’re going to talk about the key talking points from Mike DelPrete’s Inman Connect presentation, OpenDoor and Zillow becoming BFFs or rather Best Friends For Now (BFRN) and real estate company financials and what they tell us. All this information and data tells us a lot about whose model is actually sustainable, and what the next few months and years could hold for tech-forward real estate companies.   Mike DelPrete’s Inman Connect presentation   CTA   ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla  

In this video, we’re talking about the recent $62 million FTC fine handed down to OpenDoor for deceptive advertising practices. We’re going to give our own take on the news, why the agents celebrating it are missing the point, and what this actually means for iBuyers and the real estate industry as a whole.    Before you think “serves them right”, remember that OpenDoor and any other platform like them aren’t the devil, and they aren’t going away anytime soon. What are the real lessons we need to extract from this news instead of thinking an “enemy” has been vanquished?    https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2022/08/ftc-takes-action-stop-online-home-buying-firm-opendoor-labs-inc-cheating-potential-sellers CTA   ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

On today’s episode, I’m joined by fellow Arizona agent and my good friend, Tia Moore. We talk about the power of having clarity and boundaries in our businesses, and why it’s not wrong to choose what gives us joy.    One of the most admirable things about Tia is how clear she is on what matters to her, where she’s going and what she wants, and never letting her real estate business, work and clients take her off course. Not only does it make running her business less draining, it actually makes her value proposition so much stronger. “I’ve gotten more business from saying no and being okay with it than I have from being a yes-woman.”   Tia Moore is the business owner and team leader of the NextView Home Professionals Team. Tia started her real estate career in 2001, with the Mortgage Servicing Division of Citibank. During Tia's banking career she was responsible for complex projects and dozens of employees. Relationship management was a critical skill Tia developed and strengthened when working in high profile roles that involved internal partners, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations. Her gift of deal making, problem solving, and ability to analyze data made Tia's transition into Real Estate Sales seamless. Tia continues to rank among the top Real Estate agents and truly a force to be reckoned with.    When we start optimizing our energy, we become immune to pain-in-the-ass, difficult and draining clients. We become comfortable with saying no to what doesn’t serve us.    Taking on a new client or deal won’t be as simple as a yes or no question. It will be a deeper decision based on our values and the life we envision for ourselves.    Real estate has room for agents who live authentically and dictate the terms of their business - and Tia Moore is one of them. She has built a business that doesn’t conflict with her values, but actually supports and reinforces them. She shares how she built a business that put joy first, and her badass strategies for learning to say no to what doesn’t serve us.    Website: https://www.nextviewre.com/ Instagram: @nextviewtia  Time Stamps    01:03 - How Tia found her way into real estate and why she values her freedom.  09:47 - How to become more comfortable with setting boundaries and protecting our energy.  15:05 - Why agents struggle to say no to clients that don’t align with their values.  17:25 - How to prioritize energy management the way we prioritize time management.  22:49 - How to define success for yourself.  26:25 - The power of clarity and authenticity in this business.  Guest Info   Tia Moore is the business owner and team leader of the NextView Home Professionals Team. Tia started her real estate career in 2001, with the Mortgage Servicing Division of Citibank. During Tia's banking career she was responsible for complex projects and dozens of employees. Relationship management was a critical skill Tia developed and strengthened when working in high profile roles that involved internal partners, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations. Her gift of deal making, problem solving, and ability to analyze data made Tia's transition into Real Estate Sales seamless. Tia continues to rank among the top Real Estate agents and truly a force to be reckoned with.    Website: https://www.nextviewre.com/ Instagram: @nextviewtia    CTA   ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

In today’s episode, I’m joined by real estate agent and founder of ONE eXp, Fee Gentry. On a mission to make real estate a place “where everyone feels like they have a place to belong”, Fee works tirelessly to help shape the future of our industry. In order to make real estate an industry that represents everyone, we have to go beyond tokenism and create a space where everyone can be part of the conversation. Fee shares why this is so important to this industry and our ability to attract and retain the leaders of tomorrow.    Fee is not only a real estate agent, but an agent for change. She understands the importance of home ownership in building wealth and for over 15 years, has been helping her clients discover smart real estate investments. Her passion for inclusion and unity both within and outside of the real estate world has led her to spearhead innovative initiatives, helping to create a real estate industry where everyone’s voice can be heard and valued. Fee is the founder of ONE eXp, an initiative within eXp Realty which supports career development, champions fair housing principles and provides networking opportunities that encourage cultural awareness in supporting diverse groups such as Veterans, Pride, LatinX, Seniors and more. Fee is also part of the Board of Directors for eXp World Holdings where she is helping to build an equitable real estate industry from the inside out.   When the world is tested, we’re given the opportunity to move toward something better, and bring more value to the human race. 2020 put a lot into perspective for all of us, and for the real estate industry. Everything we went through made many agents and leaders think deeply about the future and where we’re going as an industry.     How do we create an industry where everyone feels valued, seen, heard and represented? This was an important call and one of the driving factors behind ONE eXp. There’s value in building workplaces that give everyone a feeling of belonging, it won’t just change real estate now, it will affect our ability to attract and retain talent in the future.    Website: https://feegentry.com/ Instagram: @feegentry https://life.exprealty.com/one-exp/ Time Stamps    01:06 - Fee Gentry’s real estate story and how she sold 39 homes in a new town  04:43 - How Fee intuitively leaned into online marketing before everyone else  06:30 - Why Fee goes after specific niches  11:53 - The story of the One eXp initiative  15:41 - How to create a workplace where everyone feels valued  19:23 - What Fee has learned over the last year and her insights of the future.  Guest Info   Fee is not only a real estate agent, but an agent for change. She understands the importance of home ownership in building wealth and for over 15 years, has been helping her clients discover smart real estate investments. Her passion for inclusion and unity both within and outside of the real estate world has led her to spearhead innovative initiatives, helping to create a real estate industry where everyone’s voice can be heard and valued. Fee is the founder of ONE eXp, an initiative within eXp Realty which supports career development, champions fair housing principles and provides networking opportunities that encourage cultural awareness in supporting diverse groups such as Veterans, Pride, LatinX, Seniors and more. Fee is also part of the Board of Directors for eXp World Holdings where she is helping to build an equitable real estate industry from the inside out.   Website: https://feegentry.com/ Instagram: @feegentry https://life.exprealty.com/one-exp/   CTA   ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

In today’s episode, I’m joined by investment expert and Realtor, Megan Kincaid. Going from agent to investor is so commonplace in this industry, but what’s quite unique is an investor choosing to get licensed. For Megan, the reasons for this move were very specific and intentional, but it required her to walk away from a business she had spent years building. She talks about her incredible career, why reinvention was necessary for her, and the emotions that come with making such a huge change.    Megan Kincaid has a decade-long track record of profitable real estate investment expertise coupled with exemplary customer service. Megan’s intent is to help each contact see the investment power in every real estate transaction. She takes pride in her advisory role to both buyers & sellers, ensuring her performance is in line with their goals. Having worked on both sides of a transaction and with a diverse range of clients – from traditional homebuyers and sellers to novice and seasoned investors – Megan’s  interdisciplinary perspective has consistently resulted in surpassing her clients’ goals and dreams. She has extensive design and construction experience, from participation in over 100 remodels and flips.    Reinvention is scary, but sometimes necessary. It’s hard to walk away from a business you’re well-known for, especially if it’s really great, pays well or is something you’ve spent years building, but that’s exactly what Megan Kincaid did. After spending her entire career in real estate not as an agent, she chose to step away from her investing business and get licensed. What motivated this transition and how did she navigate the emotional side of it?    The hardest part of making a huge change is often having the conversation with ourselves first, going within and getting really honest about wanting something different. Ultimately, what’s truly for us will always be better.    Guest Info   Megan Kincaid is a licensed Realtor and investment specialist. She has a decade-long track record of profitable real estate investment expertise coupled with exemplary customer service. Megan’s intent is to help each contact see the investment power in every real estate transaction. She takes pride in her advisory role to both buyers & sellers, ensuring her performance is in line with their goals. Having worked on both sides of a transaction and with a diverse range of clients – from traditional homebuyers and sellers to novice and seasoned investors – Megan’s  interdisciplinary perspective has consistently resulted in surpassing her clients’ goals and dreams. She has extensive design and construction experience, from participation in over 100 remodels and flips.   Follow @megankincaidrealestate on Instagram.    CTA   ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla

In today’s special episode, we continue our conversation with Chris Bowers is a Realtor®️, Investor and owner of the Bowers Team, and the host of The agentXcel podcast. Chris is someone we’ve learned so much from, and it was an honor to sit down with him to talk about real estate and what we’ve learned along the way to build businesses that really make an impact.    Chris Bowers is a Realtor®️, Investor and owner of the Bowers Team, and the host of The agentXcel podcast. Chris has been in real estate for over 16 years, but he has been an entrepreneur since his teens. Today, Chris and his wife run a successful team selling over 140 units with half of those being Chris’ personal production. He has also built a solid rental portfolio that continues to grow to this day.   Our real estate businesses can be based on what the industry values or a reflection of the lives we want to create, the impact we want to make, and the boundaries we set to stay in integrity with ourselves.    We can draw a line in a line in the sand, choose the relationship we want to have with our businesses, and succeed without ever trading our peace of mind for money. To reach that point of impact, however, we have to step back from production - and not always be the one at the kitchen table.      Guest Info   Chris Bowers is a Realtor®️, Investor and owner of the Bowers Team, and the host of The agentXcel podcast. Chris has been in real estate for over 16 years, but he has been an entrepreneur since his teens. Today, Chris and his wife run a successful team selling over 140 units with half of those being Chris’ personal production. He has also built a solid rental portfolio that continues to grow to this day.    Follow @chris_bowersteam on Instagram  Listen to agentXcel on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.   CTA   ​​Please leave us a review at https://ratethispodcast.com/nla