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

Zillow Offers resumes in five more markets, bringing the total to 20 out of 24 markets Mortgage rates fall to a new all-time low this week (again) Tappable home equity rises to record $6.5 trillion Foreclosure threat grows as COVID-19 surges, Fed says 31% of renters doubt they will be able to pay next month’s rent on time Home prices in Florida and Arizona expected to drop due to COVID-19 “perfect storm”

In this episode, I’m joined by real estate investor, entrepreneur, marketer and speaker, Scott Carson. Scott and his team specialize in buying non-performing discounted notes from banks and hedge funds, an investment vehicle which allows them to help borrowers and provide value to financial institutions. Note investing is a niche that will likely uptick over the next 6-12 months with everything that’s happening in the world and the growth of new consumer demands.    Scott is the founder and CEO of We Close Notes. We Close Notes is an Austin-based, defaulted note buying company. They specialize in note-investing and finding non-performing notes on residential and commercial properties and purchasing these notes for their own portfolio. He is also a nationally syndicated radio host of the popular podcast, The Note Closers Show which has millions of listeners across 17 AM and FM radio stations and downloads across 130 countries. Scott is also an investor, entrepreneur, marketer and featured speaker and educator at dozens of investment clubs and real estate workshops across the country. He also hosts The Note Closers Show.    Note investing requires a different mindset and perspective to everything else we know about real estate investing. It requires us to be more numbers focused, look beyond the emotional connection or “flip potential” of the property. With the right mindset and strategies, this can be a highly valuable skill to add to our set.  Time Stamps    01:28 - Scott’s background and how he got started.  04:52 - Non-performing notes and how they work.  08:18 - Why banks would want to sell off non-performing mortgage notes.  11:27 - The most valuable notes to invest in.  27:29 - The people who don’t do well and people who do well in this niche.   Guest Info   Scott is the founder and CEO of We Close Notes. We Close Notes is an Austin-based, defaulted note buying company. They specialize in finding non-performing notes on residential and commercial properties and purchasing these notes for their own portfolio. He is also the host of the podcast, The Note Closers Show.  Scott is also an investor, entrepreneur, marketer, and featured speaker and educator at dozens of investment clubs and real estate workshops across the country.    Website: https://weclosenotes.com/

John Legend to Houston Association of Realtors: 'Fix the real problem’     GSE forbearance rate drops for third week       Supreme Court rules against CFPB structure  

In the final part of my conversation with Adam Robinson, we shift to markets, investing and financial decision making in an increasingly complex world. This world is filled with often surprising and even contradictory information, and as investors, the response should be to find the opportunities in the anomalies.    This is a momentum market where things are amplified and bifurcated. Investors have to step and act wisely. We have to keep things simple. Be aware of crucial information and check our own confirmation bias. Social implications have financial ones too.     How do we find the opportunities in the things that don’t make sense? What pressures and forces are more pronounced right now than ever before? Adam Robinson shares how to be a smart investor in this highly perilous world.  We also discussed; How to navigate a deflationary world How to stay in your circle of competence and the power of having an edge  Buffett's number 1 for investing is don’t lose money.  Why we need to check our confirmation bias  The importance of reinventing ourselves and/or pivoting Guest Info   Adam Robinson is an American educator, freelance author, and a US Chess Federation life master. He is the co-founder of The Princeton Review. He currently works as a global macro advisor to the heads of some of the world's largest hedge funds through his company Robinson Global Strategies. He advises the heads of large hedge funds, family offices, and other financial institutions on all global asset classes–global equities, US sectors, bonds, currencies, and commodities–using a unique approach that combines game theory, systems thinking, Bayesian analysis, and behavioral economics to outthink global markets and anticipate when major trends will change.

In the third part of my epic conversation with Adam Robinson, we discuss why no one is immune to the stupid zone. Even the most careful, intelligent and cautious people and even virtuosos, can make mistakes that from the outside looking in seem incredibly stupid.    It’s important for us to become aware of the fact that we’re all prone to the stupid zone, and that there are conditions under which we can end up in a zone where we could make a similar mistake.  We also discussed;  The lesson YoYo Ma teaches us about the stupid zone  What the Great Game is and how can we play it  How to create more fun and delight in the world Guest Info   Adam Robinson is an American educator, freelance author, and a US Chess Federation life master. He is the co-founder of The Princeton Review. He currently works as a global macro advisor to the heads of some of the world's largest hedge funds through his company Robinson Global Strategies. He advises the heads of large hedge funds, family offices, and other financial institutions on all global asset classes–global equities, US sectors, bonds, currencies, and commodities–using a unique approach that combines game theory, systems thinking, Bayesian analysis, and behavioral economics to outthink global markets and anticipate when major trends will change.  

EXPI Stock News    Mortgage lending will surge to a 14-year high this year, MBA says   CFPB to eliminate DTI requirement from qualified mortgage standards

In the second part of my conversation with Adam Robinson, we discuss the work and research he did for his book How Not to Be Stupid, and what the dynamics of stupidity are in today’s world.    This is a timely discussion because by the measure of Adam’s criteria of stupidity, we’re in the danger zone now. Adam shares why we need to be cautious when we find ourselves in the stupid zone, and how the stupid zone creates behavioral blind spots that make us more susceptible to disaster.    What makes the stupid zone even more perilous is that it not only makes us blind to crucial information, we’re not even aware that we’re blind. In the stupid zone, we need to proceed slowly and with caution. Unfortunately, much of our society isn’t proceeding with caution, making everything even worse. Adam shares what action, if any, we can take in the stupid zone.  We also discussed;  The true definition of stupidity and why intelligent people can still be in the stupid zone.  How authority and group dynamics play into stupidity.  Why rushing amplifies stupidity in these times.  The riskiness of life right now    Guest Info   Adam Robinson is an American educator, freelance author, and a US Chess Federation life master. He is the co-founder of The Princeton Review. He currently works as a global macro advisor to the heads of some of the world's largest hedge funds through his company Robinson Global Strategies. He advises the heads of large hedge funds, family offices, and other financial institutions on all global asset classes–global equities, US sectors, bonds, currencies, and commodities–using a unique approach that combines game theory, systems thinking, Bayesian analysis, and behavioral economics to outthink global markets and anticipate when major trends will change.

In this special episode of the podcast, I’m joined by educator, author and thought leader Adam Robinson. Adam’s writings, analyses, thoughts and insights have inspired us and have provided us with a new lens with which to see and understand the world. He is a long-term mentor of ours and someone we’ve looked up to for years. It’s truly an honor to have him on our show. Adam talks about how questions lead to thinking and possibly new outcomes to create a less perilous future.    Adam Robinson is an American educator, freelance author, and a US Chess Federation life master. He is the co-founder of The Princeton Review. Adam Robinson co-authored Cracking the SAT with John Katzman, the only test preparation book ever to become a The New York Times Bestseller List best seller. His other books include Cracking the LSAT, What Smart Students Know, and The RocketReview Revolution. Robinson currently advises the heads of large hedge funds, family offices, and other financial institutions on all global asset classes–global equities, US sectors, bonds, currencies, and commodities–using a unique approach that combines game theory, systems thinking, Bayesian analysis, and behavioral economics to outthink global markets and anticipate when major trends will change.   To say that the times we’re living in are challenging is an understatement. It’s clear that our world is in crisis in so many ways, from the economy to health, social unrest and divisiveness. The world we have right now is the sum total of our collective thinking and in order to change anything, it starts with us going right back to our thinking.  We also discussed;  How the world we have is product of our thinking Why Covid-19 is just amplifying trends that were already there  The Google experiment and loneliness epidemic  The dangers and opportunities of the times we’re living through.  The two kinds of growth in this world and how we ended up where we are financially.  Guest Info   Adam Robinson is an American educator, freelance author, and a US Chess Federation life master. He is the co-founder of The Princeton Review. He currently works as a global macro advisor to the heads of some of the world's largest hedge funds through his company Robinson Global Strategies. He advises the heads of large hedge funds, family offices, and other financial institutions on all global asset classes–global equities, US sectors, bonds, currencies, and commodities–using a unique approach that combines game theory, systems thinking, Bayesian analysis, and behavioral economics to outthink global markets and anticipate when major trends will change.

EasyKnock raises $20M as instability fuels demand for equity   Fannie Mae sees record-low mortgage rates through 2021   Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac announce underwriting advisers

In this episode, I’m joined by agent, real estate leader, and coach, and fellow eXp Realtor, Tina Caul. She’s been in real estate for a while, and she continues to grow and evolve as an entrepreneur, and also pay that growth forward by helping other agents develop their confidence. Her own journey is one of overcoming limiting beliefs, leaning on real estate systems to build up her business confidence, and even beating her worst fear in a huge way. By managing to evolve and continuing to reinvent herself, Tina has created a huge successful business.    She teaches us the lesson that the process of going from a new agent to a successful speaker and entrepreneur is all about the evolution that’s driven by massive personal growth and constantly working on our craft.    Tina is the owner of the Caul Group, a TEDx speaker and a coach and educator. Tina has been in the real estate business for the last 20 years and has sold over $550M in real estate sales in the last 5 years alone. She knows how to grow a profitable real estate business. Tina's passion is helping agents "Think Bigger" by letting go of their limiting beliefs.    We don’t go from brand new agent to a successful and impactful business leader without change and evolution. We need to become the people who can achieve those goals, and that means doing the work of shedding the thoughts and beliefs that don’t serve us, adopting mindsets that shape our goals.  Time Stamps    00:53 - The driving force behind Tina’s real estate journey and how she got started.   07:04 - Tina’s personal production of 94 transactions and how she does it.  15:11 - How Tina is helping agents think bigger and get rid of limiting beliefs.  21:38 - The power of scripts in building confidence in agents.  25:17 - What sets successful people apart from everyone else.  29:41 - How to plan for the future you want.  32:02  - How to find success on our own terms.   37:36 - Tina’s top 3 pieces of advice for kicking ass in business and in life.  Guest Info   Tina is the Owner of the Caul Group and a TEDx speaker. She has been in the real estate business for the last 20 years. She has sold over $550M in real estate sales and knows how to grow a profitable real estate business whether you are a single agent or you want to start and grow a team. Tina's passion is helping agents "Think Bigger" by letting go of their limiting beliefs. Her team will sell over 350 homes this year, with over $120M in volume. If you want to know how to increase your income FAST, remove limiting beliefs, have ownership in your brokerage, partner with a top agent locally and nationally and create multiple streams of income, then Tina is the one to talk to. For more information, visit https://www.caulgroup.com/ and follow @caulgroup on Instagram.    Watch her TEDx talk here.