
RealTrending
Trends, analysis and success stories from leaders in the real estate industry.The RealTrending podcast features the brightest minds in real estate. Every week, brokerage leaders, top agents, team leaders, and industry experts share their success secrets, trends, and lessons learned navigating this ever-changing industry. Hosted by Tracey Velt and produced by Elissa Branch.
Latest episodes

Jul 17, 2023 • 34min
Compass's Grant Muller on finding success in an uncertain market
In today's RealTrending, we speak with Grant Muller of Grant Muller Team of Compass. Grant’s team is ranked No. 66 by transaction sides and No. 84 by sales volume in Colorado in the small team category of the 2023 RealTrends + Tom Ferry America’s Best Real Estate Professionals and Teams.Grant talks about his strategy for finding success in any market and that is by building relationships. He discusses his ideas for conversation starters that go beyond, "Do you know anyone who wants to buy or sell a house?" He also offers tips on figuring out what activities are authentic to who you are, so you can stop the door knocking and focus on what feels good to you. Finding that and building your prospecting around it will truly change your business.Related to this episode:
Compass
Connect with Grant on LinkedIn
Top of Heart: How a new approach to business saved my life, and could save yours too
HousingWire’s YouTube Channel
Enjoy the episode!HousingWire Annual is where the community from across the housing ecosystem comes together to share strategies, drive business, discover new technologies, discuss best practices, and meet industry leaders. Our agenda is power packed with content to propel your company to the next level and connect you with the industry playmakers. Click here to learn more!The RealTrending podcast features the brightest minds in real estate. Every week, brokerage leaders, top agents, team leaders, and industry experts share their success secrets, trends, and lessons learned navigating this ever-changing industry. Hosted by Tracey Velt and produced by Elissa Branch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 10, 2023 • 48min
Nick Bailey and Dan Duffy go head to head on brokerage tech
In today's RealTrending, RE/MAX CEO & President Nick Bailey and United Real Estate Holdings CEO Dan Duffy offer a peek into their decisions to buy, build or partner for their brokerage technology platform. For Bailey, making the decision to let go of in-house tech to go outside made sense for the firm. Duffy, on the other hand, says that their firm is better for building a tech platform. Regardless, both do partner on some components.Listen in as the two have a friendly point, counterpoint discussion on why they feel their strategic decisions help them run a more profitable brokerage. There are always multiple ways to go about running a brokerage firm, what's best for one might not be in the DNA of another. Related to this episode:
Connect with Nick on LinkedIn
RE/MAX
Connect with Dan on LinkedIn
United Real Estate
HousingWire’s YouTube Channel
Enjoy the episode!The RealTrending podcast features the brightest minds in real estate. Every week, brokerage leaders, top agents, team leaders, and industry experts share their success secrets, trends, and lessons learned navigating this ever-changing industry. Hosted by Tracey Velt and produced by Elissa Branch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 3, 2023 • 33min
KW Mega Team Leader Laurie Reader talks lead gen strategies
In today's RealTrending, we speak with Laurie Finkelstein Reader, team leader of the Laurie Finkelstein Reader Team at Keller Williams in Florida. Her mega team has ranked No. 40 by transaction sides and No. 45 by sales volume in the Mega Team category of the 2023 RealTrends + Tom Ferry The Thousand agent and team rankings.Laurie shares her lessons learned as her team evolved into a teamerage and her success strategies for lead generation. She also talks capture rates for her in-house title partnership and her plans to launch mortgage and expand her team into other markets. Related to this episode:
Connect with Laurie on LinkedIn
The Laurie Finkelstein Reader Team
HousingWire’s YouTube Channel
Enjoy the episode!HousingWire Annual is where the community from across the housing ecosystem comes together to share strategies, drive business, discover new technologies, discuss best practices, and meet industry leaders. Our agenda is power packed with content to propel your company to the next level and connect you with the industry playmakers. Click here to learn more!The RealTrending podcast features the brightest minds in real estate. Every week, brokerage leaders, top agents, team leaders, and industry experts share their success secrets, trends, and lessons learned navigating this ever-changing industry. Hosted by Tracey Velt and produced by Elissa Branch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 26, 2023 • 27min
Douglas Elliman's Frances Katzen on learning how to lead
In today’s RealTrending podcast, we talk to Frances Katzen, an agent and team leader of The Katzen Team with Douglas Elliman in New York City. A former prima ballerina, Frances had to learn how to move from a natural-born salesperson to a leader when she started building her team. Perfectionism was expected in ballet and ingrained in her from an early age find out how she balances that mindset and found success when she started letting go.Related to this episode:
Connect with Frances on LinkedIn
The Frances Katzen Team
HousingWire’s YouTube Channel
Enjoy the episode!The RealTrending podcast features the brightest minds in real estate. Every week, brokerage leaders, top agents, team leaders, and industry experts share their success secrets, trends, and lessons learned navigating this ever-changing industry. Hosted by Tracey Velt and produced by Elissa Branch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 19, 2023 • 32min
KW's Matt Brown shares secrets to organic brokerage growth
Today's RealTrending features Matt Brown, CEO of Keller Williams Elite Realty in Owensboro, Kentucky. Brown was named a 2023 RealTrends GameChanger due to his firm's 334% growth over the past five years by transaction side percentage. Brown shares that the majority of that growth was organic touting his firm as "learning-based and technology-enabled." He talks about the value proposition and systems necessary to train and recruit agents at scale.Related to this episode:
Connect with Matt on LinkedIn
Keller Williams ELITE Realty
HousingWire’s YouTube Channel
Enjoy the episode!Gathering of Eagles will bring together the nation's top residential real estate CEOs, Presidents, and C-Level leadership teams to grow, network, and set the pace for what's next in our industry. 2023's Gathering of Eagles is at Omni Barton Creek Resort in the rolling hill country of Austin, Texas from June 18-21. Click here to learn more and register your spot!The RealTrending podcast features the brightest minds in real estate. Every week, brokerage leaders, top agents, team leaders, and industry experts share their success secrets, trends, and lessons learned navigating this ever-changing industry. Hosted by Tracey Velt and produced by Elissa Branch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 12, 2023 • 50min
Jason Mitchell on building a lender referral brokerage
In today's RealTrending, Jason Mitchell, CEO of Jason Mitchell Group in Scottsdale, Arizona shares the success secrets behind his non-traditional real estate brokerage model. Mitchell's company is built around servicing organizations through partnerships with lenders such as Zillow, Rocket Homes, Quicken Loans and Bank of America. Knowing that these companies are expecting top-notch service from his agents, Mitchell developed a unique model and training program to do just that.Related to this episode:
Connect with Jason on LinkedIn
Jason Mitchell Group
HousingWire’s YouTube Channel
Enjoy the episode!Gathering of Eagles will bring together the nation's top residential real estate CEOs, Presidents, and C-Level leadership teams to grow, network, and set the pace for what's next in our industry. 2023's Gathering of Eagles is at Omni Barton Creek Resort in the rolling hill country of Austin, Texas from June 18-21. Click here to learn more and register your spot!The RealTrending podcast features the brightest minds in real estate. Every week, brokerage leaders, top agents, team leaders, and industry experts share their success secrets, trends, and lessons learned navigating this ever-changing industry. Hosted by Tracey Velt and produced by Elissa Branch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 5, 2023 • 43min
Brown Harris Stevens CEO on growth through talent attraction
In today's episode of RealTrending we speak to 2023 RealTrends GameChanger Bess Freedman, CEO of Brown Harris Stevens in New York. The brokerage grew by 163% by transaction side percentage over the past five years, 2017-2022. Part of that growth is due to an acquisition of Halstead in 2002 and Christie's International's New York office in 2022. However, her talent attraction strategy also plays a role in that growth.Freedman discusses how she attracts talent in the hyper-competitive New York City real estate market, the importance of an accessible culture in the office and how she finds inspiration and motivation.Related to this episode:
Connect with Bess on LinkedIn
Brown Harris Stevens
HousingWire’s YouTube Channel
Enjoy the episode!Gathering of Eagles will bring together the nation's top residential real estate CEOs, Presidents, and C-Level leadership teams to grow, network, and set the pace for what's next in our industry. 2023's Gathering of Eagles is at Omni Barton Creek Resort in the rolling hill country of Austin, Texas from June 18-21. Click here to learn more and register your spot!The RealTrending podcast features the brightest minds in real estate. Every week, brokerage leaders, top agents, team leaders, and industry experts share their success secrets, trends, and lessons learned navigating this ever-changing industry. Hosted by Tracey Velt and produced by Elissa Branch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 29, 2023 • 36min
GameChanger Paul Benson on industry shifts serving consumers
In today's RealTrending, Paul Benson, CEO, Engel & Völkers Gestalt Group, talks about recent consumer shifts that are causing real estate brokers and agents to look at business differently. From artificial intelligence to home as an investment, Benson offers a unique perspective on the issues most impacting real estate today. Benson and his company were named a 2023 RealTrends GameChanger, launching June 1, with 93% growth by transaction side percentage between 2017 to 2022.Related to this episode:
Connect with Paul on LinkedIn
Engel and Völkers: About Paul
Engel and Völkers - Paul Benson
HousingWire’s YouTube Channel
Enjoy the episode!Gathering of Eagles will bring together the nation's top residential real estate CEOs, Presidents, and C-Level leadership teams to grow, network, and set the pace for what's next in our industry. 2023's Gathering of Eagles is at Omni Barton Creek Resort in the rolling hill country of Austin, Texas from June 18-21. Click here to learn more and register your spot!The RealTrending podcast features the brightest minds in real estate. Every week, brokerage leaders, top agents, team leaders, and industry experts share their success secrets, trends, and lessons learned navigating this ever-changing industry. Hosted by Tracey Velt and produced by Elissa Branch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 22, 2023 • 38min
Anywhere's Liz Gehringer on easing the transaction for the consumer
Today's RealTrending features Liz Gehringer, president and CEO of Anywhere Franchise Brands. Liz talks about new trends in consumer behavior, how real estate leaders can innovate to create efficiencies in the transaction and how she's working to build collaboration between all of the Anywhere brands for maximum returns.Related to this episode:
Connect with Liz on LinkedIn
Anywhere
HousingWire’s YouTube Channel
Enjoy the episode!Gathering of Eagles will bring together the nation's top residential real estate CEOs, Presidents, and C-Level leadership teams to grow, network, and set the pace for what's next in our industry. 2023's Gathering of Eagles is at Omni Barton Creek Resort in the rolling hill country of Austin, Texas from June 18-21. Click here to learn more and register your spot!The RealTrending podcast features the brightest minds in real estate. Every week, brokerage leaders, top agents, team leaders, and industry experts share their success secrets, trends, and lessons learned navigating this ever-changing industry. Hosted by Tracey Velt and produced by Elissa Branch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

May 15, 2023 • 29min
Opendoor's Will Holmes on the future of iBuyers
Today's RealTrending podcast features Will Holmes, head of partnerships for Opendoor. Holmes talks about consumer pain points in the transaction, the opportunity to innovate in the industry and build broker partnerships and the future of the iBuying model and how it's evolving.Related to this episode:
Connect with Will on LinkedIn
Opendoor
HousingWire’s YouTube Channel
Enjoy the episode!RealTrends Agent and Team Rankings are now open! Submit here before April 14th to be featured in the industry's trusted rankings program. Gathering of Eagles will bring together the nation's top residential real estate CEOs, Presidents, and C-Level leadership teams to grow, network, and set the pace for what's next in our industry. 2023's Gathering of Eagles is at Omni Barton Creek Resort in the rolling hill country of Austin, Texas from June 18-21. Click here to learn more and register your spot!The RealTrending podcast features the brightest minds in real estate. Every week, brokerage leaders, top agents, team leaders, and industry experts share their success secrets, trends, and lessons learned navigating this ever-changing industry. Hosted by Tracey Velt and produced by Elissa Branch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices