

The Smart Real Estate Coach Podcast|Real Estate Investing
Chris Prefontaine
Welcome to the Smart Real Estate Coach podcast. Our episodes are designed to help YOU reach the next level of real estate investing no matter where you are right now.
To make this a reality, we lean into our 32+ years of experience, our huge network of experts, and our thriving community of Associates. With the right tools, the right education, and the right mindset YOU can take control of your financial future.
At Smart Real Estate Coach, we empower individuals and families to create the life of their dreams through real estate.
If you are an aspiring or seasoned real estate investor looking for a proven investment system, robust education, and a thriving support community, you have come to the right place.
We share the best information from our own deals, our Associate's deals, and our guest experts, helping you potentially save hundreds of thousands of dollars in costly mistakes.
And we know what the work actually takes. Between our Associates and our own deals, we're still completing deals every month and control, at any given time between $60-100 million dollars worth of real estate with little to no money down. If you're serious about making money in the world of real estate investment, then keep listening to learn more!
To make this a reality, we lean into our 32+ years of experience, our huge network of experts, and our thriving community of Associates. With the right tools, the right education, and the right mindset YOU can take control of your financial future.
At Smart Real Estate Coach, we empower individuals and families to create the life of their dreams through real estate.
If you are an aspiring or seasoned real estate investor looking for a proven investment system, robust education, and a thriving support community, you have come to the right place.
We share the best information from our own deals, our Associate's deals, and our guest experts, helping you potentially save hundreds of thousands of dollars in costly mistakes.
And we know what the work actually takes. Between our Associates and our own deals, we're still completing deals every month and control, at any given time between $60-100 million dollars worth of real estate with little to no money down. If you're serious about making money in the world of real estate investment, then keep listening to learn more!
Episodes
Mentioned books

Nov 27, 2020 • 30min
Episode 221: Long Term Buy-And-Hold Investing, with Sean Morrissey
Sean Morrissey is a "buy and hold" investor and real estate broker/owner who resides in Aurora, Illinois with his wife, two children, dog, and cat. Sean started his real estate journey as a landlord in 2003. He earned his real estate license in 2006 and opened his real estate brokerage, Chicagoland Realty Group Partners LLC, in October 2011. Since 2010, Sean has managed up to 200 single-family homes while building his real estate rental portfolio in the western suburbs of the Chicagoland area – primarily in the Aurora, IL community. Sean's current goal is to earn three times his family monthly expenses in passive rental income and earn financial freedom by the year 2021. Sean hosts a weekly podcast for entry-level real estate "buy and hold" investors called "Landlording for Life" and just surpassed 50 episodes launched. What you'll learn about in this episode: How Sean got started in real estate and then opened his own brokerage, and how Sean structures his deals How Sean grew and scaled his brokerage business, and why he had trouble breaking out of the owner operator mentality How getting his real estate license just before the 2008 market crash impacted his career, and what key lessons he learned through the debacle What key differences and similarities Sean sees between the 2008 crash and today's global pandemic Why Sean believes in metrics and buying smart, and why he suggests new investors be conservative during these uncertain times How Sean balances his work as an investor and managing his brokerage with spending time with his family Why Sean's current focus is on maximizing his monthly passive income to free up his time and his finances How Sean is working to automate his business by hiring Virtual Assistants and implementing efficient systems How Sean taught himself everything he knows about real estate through trial and error, and what he would do differently through the 2008 crash Why systems streamline the process of being a buy-and-hold investor and landlord, and why those systems are also the key to growing bigger and faster Resources: Website: https://chicago-realty-group.com/ Landlording For Life podcast: www.landlordingforlife.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sean-r-morrissey/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/chicagoland-realty-group-partners-llc/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChicagolandRealtyGroupPartners Twitter: @seanrmorrissey Additional resources: SmartRealEstateCoachPodcast.com/webinar SmartRealEstateCoachPodcast.com/termsbook SmartRealEstateCoachPodcast.com/ebook SmartRealEstateCoach.com/QLS Smart Real Estate Coach Podcast Sponsor: Paul G. Dion CPA, CTC

Nov 25, 2020 • 31min
Episode 220: The Importance of Succession Planning, with Bradley Franc
Bradley Franc is the creator of The Succession Solution. He is an accomplished entrepreneur, business coach, strategist, business lawyer, and CPA (inactive). As an entrepreneur he has formed four separate companies which have been named nine separate times in INC Magazine list of fastest-growing companies in the U.S. Bradley has been named by Worth Magazine as one of the top 100 attorneys in the United States. Over his 30 years in the field of transition planning, he counseled hundreds of closely-held business owners on their succession plans. In 2019, he published the book entitled "The Succession Solution, The Strategic Guide to Business Transition", which was an Amazon bestseller. What you'll learn about in this episode: How Bradley began his career as a CPA, and how he recognized the recurring theme of insufficient succession planning that inspired him to change career focus Why family-owned businesses who aren't sure what to do are Bradley's ideal clients, and how he helps these families make succession arrangements What process Bradley follows with his clients to get a better idea of their specific needs and goals Why succession planning is crucial to ease the strain on your business in the event of the unexpected or even just to prepare for exiting the business for retirement Why doing your succession planning early is important and gives you access to more flexible options than waiting How Bradley developed his six-step Succession Solution process, and how he uses this process to help his clients and even in his own succession planning in his business Bradley shares some eye-opening statistics, such as how 70% of businesses fail between generation one and generation two and 85% by generation three Why Bradley believes there are three types of succession: a succession of knowledge, of management, and of ownership Why Bradley believes succession planning is really just a variety of strategic planning, and how doing succession planning can increase the value of your company Why too many companies plan but fail to execute on their plan, and why following through is crucial for success Resources: More Info on Bradley's Services: www.thesuccessionsolution.com The Succession Solution by Bradley Franc: https://amzn.to/38CBeB9 Website: www.hh-law.com/attorney/bradley-franc/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/francbjf LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradleyjfranc/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/houston-harbaugh/ Twitter: @successionsol

Nov 20, 2020 • 29min
Episode 219: The Residential Assisted Living Investment Niche, with Gene Guarino
Gene Guarino speaks in over 50 cities and 5 countries on Residential Assisted Living and the opportunities for business owners, operators, investors and entrepreneurs. He has trained over 300,000 people over the past 30 years on topics ranging from real estate investing, starting your own business, entrepreneurship and he has focused exclusively on Residential Assisted Living for the past 7 years. He has hosted 3 radio shows and authored 4 books including: "BLUEPRINT" – How To Start Your Own Residential Assisted Living Business and "The Insider's Guide To Investing In Senior Housing" Gene has been married for 34 years, has 4 children and 2 grandchildren. What you will learn in this episode: How Gene got started in real estate at 18 years of age, and why he has shifted to working exclusively in residential assisted living How the residential assisted living niche works to combine real estate investing with running a business, and why the location is key How the "tenant" in a residential assisted living property is the operator of the facility and not the senior residents Why it is important to find the right operator first and then find a real estate deal that fits their needs Why residential assisted living offers extraordinary profits compared to traditional home rentals Why this niche offers a diverse range of deals from single properties to deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and why the need for residential assisted living will only grow Why "smaller is better" in senior living, and why the age of pandemic is helping drive business to these smaller assisted living residences instead of big-box facilities Why Gene got started in residential assisted living to help his own mother, and why reading his book "BLUEPRINT" is the first step in learning his methods How splitting a four-bedroom home up and renting it to four seniors in a co-housing arrangement can make you more money than renting it to a single family Resources: Website: www.ralacademy.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/ResidentialAssistedLivingAcademy/ Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/Yoitsmetv Instagram: www.instagram.com/ralacademy/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ralacademy @RALAcademy LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/geneguarino/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/residential-assisted-living-academy Additional resources: SmartRealEstateCoachPodcast.com/webinar SmartRealEstateCoachPodcast.com/termsbook SmartRealEstateCoachPodcast.com/ebook SmartRealEstateCoach.com/QLS

Nov 18, 2020 • 30min
Episode 218: Getting Yourself Unstuck, with Chris Prefontaine
Chris Prefontaine is the best-selling author of Real Estate on Your Terms: Create Continuous Cash Flow Now, Without Using Your Cash or Credit. He's also the founder of SmartRealEstateCoach.com and the Smart Real Estate Coach Podcast. Chris has been in real estate for over 25 years. His experience includes the construction of over 100 single-family and duplex homes (mostly in the 1990's and selectively to date), has owned a Realty Executives Franchise (Massachusetts 1994-2000) as broker/owner which maintained high per-agent standards and eventually sold to Coldwell Banker in 2000. The 2000's included coaching ½ million and higher REALTORs® in order to scale & automate their business throughout the US and Canada. He also participated (and still does selectively) in doing condo conversions (multi-family homes to condos) and "raise the roof" projects (converting single-family ranches to colonials in growth neighborhoods). Chris has been a big advocate of constant education and participates regularly in high-end mastermind groups, as well as consults with private mentors. He runs his own buying and selling businesses with his family team, which buys 2-5 properties monthly, so they're in the trenches every single week. They also help clients do the same thing around the country. Chris and his family team have done over 80 million in real estate transactions. They mentor, coach, consult, and actually partner with students around the country (by application only) to do exactly what they do. What you will learn in this episode: How masterminds can be a powerful way to get yourself unstuck by leveraging the support and ideas of others Why physical exercise and working out can also help you become unstuck, and why it is more important than ever during the global pandemic How an offsite meeting allows you the opportunity to break out of the routine, clear your head, and get a new perspective How Chris got himself unstuck after the 2008 economic crash, and why there are two different kinds of "stuck" Why mastering the mental game and your mindset is one of the most important steps you can take to get yourself unstuck How getting himself unstuck helped Chris create his business model within the terms niche and find new levels of success Why choosing a niche and then staying within the "box" of that niche for at least 36 months is critical for learning, mastering and profiting from your niche Why you should eliminate distractions and commit to your own success, regardless of which niche you choose How to use YouTube or Netflix to find and learn from people with similar circumstances to you who have gotten unstuck Resources: Rock Thomas's Coaching: www.SmartRealEstateCoach.com/rockthomas Dr. Amanda Barrientez's Coaching: www.SmartRealEstateCoach.com/nfa Heather Robertson's 12 Week Program YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOpsZxrmeDARilha1uq4slA Additional resources: SmartRealEstateCoachPodcast.com/webinar SmartRealEstateCoachPodcast.com/termsbook SmartRealEstateCoachPodcast.com/ebook SmartRealEstateCoach.com/QLS Smart Real Estate Coach Podcast Sponsor: Paul G. Dion CPA, CTC

Nov 13, 2020 • 33min
Episode 217: The Money-Saving Power of the 1031 Exchange, with Dave Foster
Dave Foster is the Founder and CEO of The 1031 Investor. Dave is a degreed accountant and serial real estate investor who is a qualified intermediary and consultant for tax saving strategies such as the 1031 exchange and the section 121 homestead exemption. Dave started fix and flipping in the 90s and realized that about 40% of his profits were going directly to the IRS. Dave tells us about the updated rules and regulations around using the 1031 exchange to legally compound your tax interest that will stay with you instead of going straight to the government. Dave breaks down exactly how to use the 1031 exchange in layman's terms. He explains to us how he moved his way from Denver, CO to Tampa, FL over 10 years using the section 121 homestead exemption, so that he and his family could move onto a boat (which was a huge dream of his). Tune in to listen to how Dave raised 4 boys on his boat while investing in properties with the 1031 exchange. What you'll learn about in this episode: How paying more in taxes on his early investments than he made in profits lit a fire under Dave and inspired him to find a way to keep more of his money How Dave discovered the 1031 exchange rules, and how that became the vehicle he used to achieve his financial goals and dream of moving his family onto a boat What a 1031 exchange is, and how real estate investors can take advantage of these rules to avoid taxes on their investment profits Why it is critically important to speak with a Qualified Intermediary (QI) and set up your 1031 exchange before you close on a property sale How Dave created The 1031 Investor as a means of teaching real estate investors everything they need to know to take advantage of 1031 tax savings How every state except Pennsylvania honors the 1031 exchange at the state level, and what to look for in a good, ethical QI What benefits you can receive from using a 1031 exchange to grow your wealth, and how to take advantage of value appreciation Why it is important to learn from people who have weathered difficult times, and why Dave believes in testing people's knowledge and performance Why the "four D's" of 1031 exchange, "defer, defer, defer, die", are the key to avoiding taxes on your investment income Resources: Free Giveaway: www.the1031investor.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/1031-Exchanges-Explained-by-The-1031-Investor.pdf Fill out this link for a $50 discount for listening to the podcast: www.the1031investor.com/podcast/ Website: www.the1031investor.com/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/davefoster1031/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/the-1031-investor/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/the1031investor/ Twitter: @DaveFoster1031 Additional resources: SmartRealEstateCoachPodcast.com/webinar SmartRealEstateCoachPodcast.com/termsbook SmartRealEstateCoachPodcast.com/ebook SmartRealEstateCoach.com/QLS Smart Real Estate Coach Podcast Sponsor: Paul G. Dion CPA, CTC

Nov 11, 2020 • 48min
Episode 216: Achieving "Flow" and Maximizing Your Success, with Steven Kotler
Steven Kotler is a New York Times bestselling author and an award-winning journalist. As the Executive Director of the Flow Research Collective, he is one of the world's leading experts on high performance. His most recent work, Stealing Fire, was a national bestseller and nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. It documents an underground revolution in peak performance that is rapidly going mainstream, fueling a trillion dollar economy and forcing us to rethink how we lead more satisfying, productive and meaningful lives. Steven's work has been translated into over 40 languages and appeared in over 100 publications, including The New York Times, Atlantic Monthly, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Wired and TIME. He also appears frequently on television and radio, and lectures widely on human performance, disruptive technology and radical innovation. Steven is also the cofounder of Creating Equilibrium, a conference/concert/innovation accelerator focused on solving critical environmental challenges, and, alongside his wife, author Joy Nicholson, Steven is the cofounder of Rancho de Chihuahua, a hospice care/special needs care dog sanctuary in the mountains of Northern New Mexico. He has a BA from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and an MA from Johns Hopkins University and, whenever possible, can be found hurling himself down mountains at high speeds. What you'll learn about in this episode: What major shifts Steven has recognized in the realm of "peak performance" in the last ten years, and why podcasts have led the way in creating the shift What peak performance is, how the science behind it has progressed, and why what works for one person won't necessarily work for another How science defines a state of "flow", and what parts make up the six core experiences of the state of flow How to train your mind to help you get into a state of flow, and what key activities help you trigger flow Why you should end each day with a list containing a specific number of goals for the next day where you can be excellent Why achieving flow is easier than you might think, if you develop key habits and know the process and triggers How Steven began teaching others the skills and neuroscience behind peak performance and achieving flow How achieving a state of flow can help real estate investors in particular, and how flow can help you keep up with technological shifts How the last stage of the flow cycle is the "active recovery" period, and how that recovery period is critical for avoiding burnout How learning to manage your state of flow can help you perform better, be more creative, and accomplish your goals Resources: Free "flow blockers" diagnostic: www.flowresearchcollective.com/flow-blocker-quiz Website: www.flowresearchcollective.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/steven-kotler-4305b110/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/flow-research-collective/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/flowresearchcollective/ Twitter: @steven_kotler Additional resources: Website: SmartRealEstateCoach.com/QLS Website: www.SmartRealEstateCoachPodcast.com/ebook Website: www.SmartRealEstateCoachPodcast.com/webinar Website: www.SmartRealEstateCoachPodcast.com/termsbook Smart Real Estate Coach Podcast Sponsor: Paul G. Dion CPA, CTC

Nov 6, 2020 • 33min
Episode 215: Exploring the Self-Storage Niche, with Scott Krone
Scott Krone is a Chicago native whose career in architecture began in 1991 by pursuing his Masters of Architecture from the Illinois Institute of Technology. While obtaining his degree, he also worked as a Project Manager for Optima, Inc. During his time at Optima, Krone's responsibilities included such notable projects as the 400-unit Coromandel in Deerfield, IL, the 40-unit HedgeRow in Winnetka, IL, and the 51-unit Optima Center Wilmette in Wilmette, IL. In 2012, Krone founded Coda Management Group – a firm that specializes in managing real estate assets. Since its inception, Coda has managed a wide range of real estate including single and multi-family homes, retail, commercial warehouse, and self- storage and multi-use flex athletic spaces. Currently, the platform of investments is in excess of $55 million. In 1998, Krone founded Coda, an award-winning Design + Build | Sustainability | Consulting firm. Since its inception, Coda has won numerous design/build awards including the international Green GOOD Design Award in 2010, Best of Houzz 2014 and 2015, and Design Evanston Award. Their work has been featured in notable publications as Dream Homes – Chicago, Midwest Luxury Homes, Crate & Barrel 2010 Best Catalogs, NBC TV Show Taste, and national ACE Hardware Commercials. In addition, Krone has authored High Performance Homes – Navigating the Green Road to Your Dream Home, a book for homeowners seeking to incorporate green technology into their home. What you'll learn about in this episode: How architecture served as Scott's gateway to real estate investing, and how he founded Coda in 1998 and later transitioned to self-storage Why the appeal of the self-storage niche lies in its lowered risk exposure and ease of risk management and mitigation Why self-storage is especially recession-resistant, and how to break into self-storage investing How partnering with investors helped Coda break into the self-storage niche, and how they offer a number of different vehicles for investors What areas of the country Scott considers to be "oversaturated", and why Coda focuses on the Midwest How being classified as essential during the pandemic has been a boon for Coda, and how the pandemic has impacted their business Why the number one mistake Scott sees investors making is overpaying for an asset, and why systematizing the business has been crucial for Coda's growth and success Why the relationships Scott has formed are what he considers to be his biggest wins in life, and why paying for coaching is worthwhile How to get a free call with the team at Coda Management Group, where you can ask questions about self-storage and even partnering with Coda Resources: Website: www.codamg.com Email: info@codamg.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/CodaManagementGroup LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/scott-krone/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/codamg/ Additional resources: Website: SmartRealEstateCoach.com/QLS Website: www.SmartRealEstateCoachPodcast.com/ebook Website: www.SmartRealEstateCoachPodcast.com/webinar Website: www.SmartRealEstateCoachPodcast.com/termsbook Smart Real Estate Coach Podcast Sponsor: Paul G. Dion CPA, CTC

Nov 4, 2020 • 28min
Episode 214: The Importance of Values in Our Family Team, with Jacqueline Turbett
Jacque Turbett is Zach's Executive Assistant at Smart Real Estate Coach. She graduated with a bachelor's degree from University of South Florida but grew up in Western NY and has lived there most of her life. Jacque has worked in Customer Service in some way shape or form for the last 10 years. Jacque has a passion for running and spends her time training for half and full marathons throughout the year. She also volunteers for her local running community helping people to train and run their first 5K. Jacque, her husband, and their border collie enjoy hiking on the weekends and going on roadtrips as often as they can. She joined Smart Real Estate Coach because she always had an interest in Real Estate and loves working to help others reach their dreams and goals. What you'll learn about in this episode: How, prior to joining the Smart Real Estate Coach team, Jacque ran her own business and ran political campaigns Why Jacque left her career in politics, and how her time leading a business taught her the key skills of time management, discipline and personal development Why Jacque believes one of the most important parts of time management is planning out your day the night before Why the book "Eat That Frog!" by Brian Tracy helped Jacque develop her discipline by teaching her to do the thing she least wants to do first Why the key to personal growth is to find the right time to read or listen to audiobooks that works for you What Jacque does in her role as Zach's Executive Assistant and working with the coaches and associates in the Smart Real Estate Coach community, and how her role has grown Why working with new students in the onboarding process is Jacque's favorite part of her workday Jacque shares her perspective as an outsider to the real estate investing world, and why she loves working with the team's coaches Why Jacque is grateful that the Smart Real Estate Coach team adheres to the value of "clear, blunt and to-the-point" Resources: Website: www.SmartRealEstateCoach.com/action Additional resources: Website: SmartRealEstateCoach.com/QLS Website: www.SmartRealEstateCoachPodcast.com/ebook Website: www.SmartRealEstateCoachPodcast.com/webinar Website: www.SmartRealEstateCoachPodcast.com/termsbook Smart Real Estate Coach Podcast Sponsor: Paul G. Dion CPA, CTC

Oct 30, 2020 • 46min
Episode 213: From Broke Single Mom to Real Estate Master, with Dwan Bent-Twyford
Dwan Bent-Twyford, America's Most Sought-After Real Estate Investor™, started as a broke, single mom who had been fired from Denny's. She now heads up "Investors Edge University" – A company that specializes in training new and seasoned investors in a wide range of real estate investing techniques through live workshops, weekly webinars, a member site, coaching, and seminars. Having flipped over 2,000 deals herself she is more than qualified to share her vast knowledge of real estate investing with America. Dwan is affectionately known as the "Queen of Short Sales"® and is considered to be the Nation's #1 Expert on Short Sales & Foreclosures. She has written three best sellers, "Short Sale Pre-Foreclosure Investing," "How to Sell a House When It's Worth Less Than the Mortgage," and her most recent New York Times best seller was written with Steve Forbes, "SuccessOnomics." She is highly sought after and has been featured on Fox and Friends, MSNBC, Naomi's Good Morning, Colorado and Company, and many other TV, radio, podcasts, and print media. Dwan also has a top-rated podcast called…The Most Dwanderful Real Estate Podcast Ever! In a market dominated by men, Dwan has certainly made her mark! Her goal never changes – to make a difference in the lives of others! What you'll learn about in this episode: How a series of unexpected setbacks led Dwan to get started as a real estate rehabber, and how she made $22,000 in her first deal How Dwan recently took on her biggest project ever, renovating 18 buildings in downtown Clinton, Iowa as part of a city beautification project How Dwan went from a broke single mom to doing 75 wholesale deals and around 350 subject-to deals Dwan shares how she negotiates deals, with an example of giving a building owner three different, flexible offers to choose from How Dwan has never needed to foreclose or evict anyone because she makes sure everyone she does deals with completely understands how the deal is structured How Dwan also uses a three payday deal system she calls her "triple profit center", and how to reach out to Dwan with questions Why getting through your first deal is an important step for lighting a fire and getting passionate about real estate investing Why finding a coach or mentor who has been through tough times and has experience bouncing back is crucial Why Dwan expects accountability from her coaching students, and how their "accountability logs" help Dwan identify where they need to improve How Dwan got started investing in a time when real estate was a "boys' club," and how she was able to prove herself by mastering wholesaling Resources: Website: https://dwanderful.com/ Podcast: https://dwanderful.com/podcasts/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/dwanbenttwyford/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/Dwanderful/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/InvestorsEdgeUniversity Twitter: @teachrealestate Additional resources: SmartRealEstateCoachPodcast.com/webinar SmartRealEstateCoachPodcast.com/termsbook SmartRealEstateCoachPodcast.com/ebook SmartRealEstateCoach.com/QLS Smart Real Estate Coach Podcast Sponsor: Paul G. Dion CPA, CTC

Oct 28, 2020 • 38min
Episode 212: Weathering Storms and Finding Balance, with Karen Briscoe
Karen Briscoe is the creator of the transformative "5 Minute Success" concept. Her books Real Estate Success in 5 Minutes a Day: Secrets of a Top Agent Revealed and Commit to Get Leads: 66 Day Challenge® offer a combination of information and inspiration delivered through memorable stories. The daily format with takeaways propels one to achieve success at a higher level in business and life. Her first book was featured in INMAN as "must read for your best year in real estate" in 2017. Amazon ranks the book in the top 1% in its category. It has been endorsed by industry leaders Hal Elrod, Pat Hiban, and Michael J. Maher. She is a contributing author to INMAN and Real Trends real estate media outlets. Karen is the host of the "5 Minute Success" podcast which has ranked #1 on Overcast most recommended in the business category. The show has an amazing array of guests who achieve success at a high level. Karen also is a frequent guest on other podcasts that focus on entrepreneurial, success and motivation, as well as real estate related topics. She speaks on a national and local level on the "Best of 5 Minute Success." Further, she has completed the John Maxwell Team Certification Program for Coaching, Speaking, and Training. Karen is the principal owner of the Huckaby Briscoe Conroy Group (HBC) with Keller Williams. The HBC Group has been recognized by the Wall Street Journal as one of the 250 Top Realtor® teams in the United States. Since 1977, HBC Group has sold over 1,500 homes valued at over $1.5 billion. The team consistently sells over 100 residential properties annually ranging from multi-million dollar luxury estates to condominiums and townhomes. Primary markets areas include Northern Virginia, suburban Maryland, and Washington, DC. As a real estate professional, Karen is a member of the Institute of Luxury Home Marketing, FIABCI International Real Estate Federation, and Women's Council of Realtors®. What you'll learn about in this episode: How Karen initially got started in real estate, and how she worked hard and gained rapid success and then weathered the 2008 crash by drawing on her experience in the 1980s How Karen's focus is on rainmaking for her business, and how thought leadership, coaching and writing a book was a side hustle that has become a way to enhance the business How the global pandemic has forced many people to focus on their physical and security needs, and why "flipping the pyramid" to focus on self-actualization can be powerful Why "going where the market is going" is Karen's top tip for weathering storms and surviving (and then thriving) in difficult times How carefully watching the ration between supply and demand is the strongest indicator of where the market is going Why one of the key mistakes Karen sees people make is focusing too heavily one one thing, such as their business, and forgetting their other priorities like family and health How Karen fell into the trap of becoming "almost addicted" to receiving accolades for her immense success, and how breaking out of that mindset made her even more productive How bringing alignment between her work and other areas of her life helped make Karen happier and had a ripple effect in her relationships with others Why real estate investors should be investing in themselves first, and what books Karen recommends you read How Karen's "5 Minute Success" concept came about as a response to people who said they didn't have time to make meaningful change Additional resources: Karen Briscoe's Amazon Author Page: https://amzn.to/2T3mCli Website: www.5MinuteSuccess.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/karenbriscoe/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/5MinuteSuccess/ Twitter: @5MinuteSuccess Additional resources: SmartRealEstateCoachPodcast.com/webinar SmartRealEstateCoachPodcast.com/termsbook SmartRealEstateCoachPodcast.com/ebook SmartRealEstateCoach.com/QLS Smart Real Estate Coach Podcast Sponsor: Paul G. Dion CPA, CTC


