Real estate professionals have so many tech products to choose from—but sometimes selecting the right tool for you and your business can feel daunting. It is within your power to determine the best ways to make real estate tech work for you and host Marki Lemons Ryhal and two real estate pros will share their insights on how they do so. Listen on as Marki and her guests discuss how embracing technology has improved their operational efficiency and has supported customer service tailored to their...
Aug 06, 2024•27 min
Safety apps, such as Forewarn and Life 360, can be helpful when trying to reach emergency contacts during a dangerous situation. But they alone will not save a real estate professional’s life if he or she is attacked on the job. You must pair your use of safety apps with strong, common-sense practices to protect yourself and your business. So, what does that look like? Host Tracey Hawkins speaks with two practitioners who delve into the promises and shortcomings of safety apps. This episode is s...
Jul 29, 2024•26 min
In a slow real estate market, agents’ income may be falling along with home sales. Whether you’re a rookie or a seasoned practitioner, you may have difficulty deciding which expenses to cut from your business. Further, how should you reinvest the savings to bolster your nest egg? Host Marki Lemons Ryhal brings in two real estate pros who teach best practices for financial wellness. This episode is sponsored by the Center for REALTOR® Financial Wellness ....
Jul 16, 2024•27 min•Season 1Ep. 41
Many real estate professionals may start noticing new safety fields in their MLS. How MLSs gather information on property safety conditions can be important. But don’t misunderstand what these safety fields are for because inaccuracies can cause a ripple of issues. Host Tracey Hawkins discusses the purpose of MLS safety fields, as well as best practices for using them, with two practitioners who have been intimately involved in bringing these fields to fruition. This episode is sponsored by Offe...
Jun 25, 2024•24 min•Season 2Ep. 12
Real estate professionals often demonstrate community stewardship through volunteering and supporting charitable causes. But their everyday job to help people buy and sell homes has, perhaps, the greatest impact on the neighborhoods agents and brokers serve. Some pros are keenly aware that their business has the power to affect change. So, they focus their expertise on creating homeownership opportunities for underserved consumers. Host Marki Lemons Ryhal talks with two real estate pros about ho...
Jun 18, 2024•29 min
With practice changes on the horizon, sellers need to understand their options and the benefits of cooperating with other brokerages, including the potential of offering cooperative compensation and the impact that may have on the home selling and buying experience. As home buyers, sellers, and real estate professionals adjust to these changes, it is important for members to have clear and transparent conversations with consumers. Host Marki Lemons Ryhal and two real estate pros discuss how and ...
Jun 03, 2024•14 min•Season 1Ep. 39
Adapting to change can cause stress and anxiety, but real estate pros who understand and embrace the industry changes that are coming under NAR’s proposed settlement agreement will be in a better position for success. It starts with building your own confidence in your skills and expertise as an agent. What’s the best way to do that? Host Marki Lemons Ryhal talks with two pros who have been through changes and learned how to help themselves adapt and succeed.
Jun 03, 2024•19 min•Season 1Ep. 38
Some consumers may have questions about how the practice changes will impact their experience buying or selling a home. Low-income home buyers, military veterans, and other underserved groups may need specific guidance to understand how compensation will work in their transactions. Do you know how to support your clients and keep them on the path toward homeownership? Host Marki Lemons Ryhal convenes a roundtable with three real estate pros who serve these markets.
Jun 03, 2024•18 min•Season 1Ep. 37
Half of real estate brokerages have no safety policies, according to NAR data. So, who's reminding you and your colleagues what to do to make sure you're working safely with clients? Every office could use a safety advocate who encourages agents every day to think about their well-being while on the job. And maybe that person should be you. Host Tracey Hawkins talks with two real estate pros about what it looks like to advocate for safe practices in real estate. This episode is sponsored by Fore...
May 20, 2024•24 min
Amidst a tumultuous period in the real estate industry, NAR’s massive advocacy machine has never stopped working for you. Over the last year, REALTORS® secured a reduction in FHA mortgage insurance premiums, got the FHFA to rescind proposed hikes on upfront mortgage fees and protected real estate pros’ status as independent contractors. Host Marki Lemons Ryhal talks with two members steeped in advocacy about the true value of being a REALTOR®.
May 08, 2024•26 min
The forthcoming rule mandating the use of written representation agreements and other practice changes that are part of NAR’s proposed settlement agreement allows you to emphasize and communicate your value to clients. Host Marki Lemons Ryhal discusses with two practitioners how to maximize these opportunities with buyers.
May 08, 2024•16 min
Real estate professionals have always had to demonstrate tangible value to the buyers and sellers they serve. Now that’s doubly important. NAR’s proposed settlement agreement is prompting changes in the real estate industry, but you have all the tools and expertise necessary to navigate those changes smoothly and confidently. Host Marki Lemons Ryhal speaks with four pros, both agents and brokers, about how they’re preparing for the practice changes that are coming.
May 08, 2024•20 min
Let’s say you have a buyer who heard about a car break-in a block away from the home you’re touring, and that buyer asks whether she “needs to worry about that kind of thing around here.” Pause and use your situational awareness skills. What kind of neighborhood are you in? Depending on the circumstances, the client’s question could be a loaded one. And if you’re not thoughtful and careful about how you respond, you could easily introduce a fair housing problem. Listen as host Tracey Hawkins hel...
Apr 17, 2024•20 min
Many real estate professionals may think all they need to know about fair housing is what the law requires of them. “It’s more than just the law,” says Sabrina Brown, an instructor of NAR’s “Bias Override” course. “It’s how you treat people. It’s how you practice your business on a daily basis.” To truly evaluate whether you’re representing your entire community—start by examining your client base—you need to go deeper in your self-reflection. Host Marki Lemons Ryahl and two fair housing experts...
Apr 01, 2024•20 min•Season 1Ep. 30
Older homes and fixer-uppers, which buyers are turning to for greater affordability, are often in disrepair and can present hazardous safety conditions during a showing or inspection. One Florida real estate broker recalls a home inspector falling through the floor of an attic, landing on the agent in the garage below and crashing into the property owner’s Porsche. You’ll be shocked to hear what happens next. Host Tracey Hawkins talks with the broker and a home inspector (who was not involved in...
Mar 18, 2024•23 min
The existing housing stock isn’t built to meet increasing consumer demand for greener living. So, if your buyers want a high-performance home, they’ll likely need to retrofit a property with energy-efficient features. That may sound like an expensive process, but there are financing options to help your customers reach their goals. Host Marki Lemons Ryhal speaks with two sustainable housing experts about the green financing avenues every agent should know. This episode is sponsored by the Center...
Mar 04, 2024•21 min•Season 1Ep. 29
Being an entrepreneur can be a lonely experience. You are solely responsible for everything that happens with your business, and that kind of pressure can feel heavy at times. Real estate professionals, who are small business owners, need a safe space to express themselves and find camaraderie around common challenges and goals. Taking care of your mental wellness is part of practicing safety. Host Tracey Hawkins speaks with two experts who are creating these spaces for real estate professionals...
Feb 20, 2024•23 min
Not everyone understands or recognizes the vital role that diversity, equity and inclusion plays in real estate. Some even see the DEI movement overall as unfairly hostile toward people who are perceived to be privileged. This is a misguided notion—but one that real estate pros must confront in their quest to support a freer, fairer real estate market. Host Marki Lemons Ryhal speaks with two real estate pros who are part of underrepresented groups and fight every day against biases and stereotyp...
Feb 07, 2024•25 min•Season 1Ep. 28
When you’re explain to clients and prospects what you do and why your services are worth it, don’t leave safety out of the conversation. You can use your knowledge of how to protect customers, properties and transactions from physical and cyber harm as a point of differentiation and value. Help buyers and sellers understand why they’re safer in the hands of a well-trained real estate professional, and they could become clients for life. Host Tracey Hawkins talks to two practitioners who have dif...
Jan 22, 2024•25 min
Real estate professionals consider their business plan their Bible, especially at the start of a new year. But chances are good that potential curveballs in the housing market may throw you off your goals as the year progresses. What’s important is how you respond and adjust your plan of action in these challenging moments. Host Marki Lemons Ryhal speaks with two practitioners who have advice for what to do when you realize you need to make changes to your business plan in order to stay on track...
Jan 09, 2024•25 min•Season 1Ep. 27
Many real estate professionals strive to be authentic on social media, but where is the line in the sand? What you say about your clients, your listings and yourself could reveal valuable information to bad actors who may be looking online for an easy target. Host Tracey Hawkins speaks with two social media superstars in the real estate profession about the online boundaries they set to protect themselves and their clients' privacy. One of them says she knows of a sale contract that was canceled...
Dec 18, 2023•31 min
Many real estate agents who are frustrated with their business amid a stalled housing market may be thinking it’s time for a change. They might be tempted to seek greener pastures at another brokerage where they think their growth will be better supported. Recorded at NAR NXT, The REALTOR® Experience, in Anaheim, Calif., host Marki Lemons Ryhal invites three brokers onstage in front of a live audience to discuss what they're doing to strengthen agent retention and keep talent from giving up in d...
Dec 11, 2023•43 min
The real estate market is changing on a daily basis, and the housing data you’re looking at today may not be relevant tomorrow. So, how do you know which statistics to pay attention to, and how reliable can they be? Host Marki Lemons Ryhal goes behind the numbers with real estate pros Barb Betts and Mark T. Donnelly, both of whom have developed specific strategies around applying industry research to their business and sharing actionable data with their customers. They say the best data you can ...
Dec 01, 2023•25 min•Season 2Ep. 12
When real estate professionals develop a comfortable work routine, it's easy to fall into patterns of practice that potentially could put you at greater risk. An agent with more than 20 years of experience and one who's been in the business just under a year talk about their impressions of safety in the industry.
Nov 20, 2023•25 min•Season 2Ep. 5
Real estate professionals can honor military veterans by getting educated about how VA financing works. This knowledge will help agents bust pervasive myths that sometimes put military home buyers at a disadvantage in the transaction. Host Marki Lemons Ryhal discusses serving those who serve with two military experts who teach NAR’s Military Relocation Professional certification. Hear why they say military clients may require extra support in the homebuying process.
Nov 06, 2023•23 min•Season 1Ep. 24
Even if your personal data, like passwords, credit card numbers or transaction details, are in the hands of cybercriminals, there are steps you can take to minimize the potential damage. Of course, it would be more advantageous for real estate professionals to make a habit of following these best practices before their data is at risk. Host Tracey Hawkins speaks with IT expert Burton Kelso and Marki Lemons Ryhal, host of sister podcast “Drive With NAR: The REALTOR® to REALTOR® Series,” who tells...
Oct 23, 2023•28 min
The National Association of REALTORS® is at trial defending the American MLS model, which is being challenged in two class-action antitrust lawsuits. The first case in Kansas City, Mo., known as Sitzer/Burnett, is happening now. And the outcome could have a lasting impact on the way real estate transactions operate. Host Marki Lemons Ryhal speaks to NAR Chief Legal Officer Katie Johnson to help you get the details you need to know about this important moment for the real estate industry. Get upd...
Oct 16, 2023•25 min•Season 1Ep. 23
The cyberattack on MLS vendor Rapattoni, which took down 23 MLSs nationwide for weeks in August, has left real estate agents and brokers wondering how they can prepare for the next time something like this happens. (After all, hackers are virtually guaranteed to target MLSs again in the future.) Podcast host Marki Lemons Ryhal speaks with two members of NAR’s MLS Technology and Emerging Issues Advisory Board, who delve into the issue and offer cybersecurity action items real estate pros can take...
Oct 03, 2023•22 min•Season 1Ep. 22
When preparing for a natural disaster, real estate professionals need to think about safety in terms of not only their physical workplace—whether at their home, office or elsewhere—but also their access to critical business and client data. Take it from REALTOR® Rocky DeVon, whose community in Washington state was burning in a wildfire at the time this episode was recorded in August. Host Tracey Hawkins talks to DeVon about how his real estate business is powering through the 20th blaze in his l...
Sep 18, 2023•27 min•Season 2Ep. 3
“There is no such thing as privacy.” That’s a warning from national real estate safety trainer and educator Tracey Hawkins when it comes to how practitioners operate online. All the tools real estate agents and brokers use on a daily basis—even Google—are capturing their personal data and that of their clients, Hawkins says. And new real estate technology enhancements, like artificial intelligence, are helping cybercriminals find new ways to infiltrate private data. Hawkins joins host Marki Lemo...
Sep 05, 2023•25 min•Season 1Ep. 21
