Keeping It Real Podcast • Secrets Of Top 1% REALTORS ® • Interviews With Real Estate Brokers & Agents

Welcome to our new monthly series Learning With A Lender! Each month Guaranteed Rate Vice President Joel Schaub discusses anything and everything related to lending. Joel is in the top 1/10th of 1% in loan production at his company, and his insights on what brokers and consumers need to know about mortgages is incredible. In this episode Joel discusses changes in Fannie Mae that allows for condo buildings with commercial space easier access to lending. Also, condos where the buyer is putting down more 25% are no longer subject to 50% rent caps. Last, Joel mentions that buildings under litigation are okay, as long as it not the association that is being sued. Joel Schaub can be reached at joel@rate.com or 773.654.2049.

When Ryan D’Aprile talks, brokers listen. Not only was Ryan a top 1% broker in Chicago, he now spends 100% of his time training his hundreds of agents at the firm he founded, D’Aprile Properties. Ryan has helped his own real estate brokers become top producers and has a step-by-step approach with a proven track record. In this conversation Ryan talks about some of the underlying strategies and principles paramount to a broker’s success. This episode is chock full of actionable steps brokers can take right now to increase their production! Ryan D’Aprile can be reached at ryan@daprileproperties.com and 312.492.7900

Welcome to the July edition of Monday Market Minute with Carrie McCormick! In this episode Carrie talks about whether she believes we’re headed for a real estate (bursting) bubble. I ask Carrie a question about rising lending rates and how she answers clients with those concerns.  Then, I provide a marketing tip on how making sure brokers are asking their clients for reviews on Zillow, Google, Yelp, and Facebook! Carrie can be reached at carrie@atproperties.com or by phone at 312.961.4612.

Before becoming one of the top twenty highest producing real estate brokers in Chicago, Daniel Close was an aspiring musician. When he transitioned to real estate he first started in leasing and then moved into full-time sales. In our conversation Dan explains how he grew his business from zero clients to hundreds, why moving to Redfin was the best decision he ever made, and why he values his customer’s feedback above all else. (Dan has almost 300 five-star reviews from clients, by the way). Daniel Close can be reached at 224-430-2643 and daniel.close@redfin.com.

Today we sat down with top 1% producer and Vesta Preferred brokerage owner Greg Pekarsky. Greg and his firm have carved out an important niche in the boutique brokerage market, and he explains what his brokers do differently than at other companies. Greg is absolutely passionate about his niche and believes that boutique is the present and future of the real estate industry. Greg also provides the #1 reason that real estate agents fail and a LOT of practical advice to get a broker’s individual production up! Greg Pekarsky can be reached at (773) 645-4455 and gpekarsky@vestapreferred.com.  

Susan Panozzo does not only work with rentals. She’s a top real estate producer who happens to close a rental transaction every three days. All by herself, and without a team. That’s on top of all the sales she closes. And guess where a decent percentage of her sales come from? Previous renters! Susan is doing a LOT of things right in her business, and she sat down with us to explain how she made the move from retail management to real estate and how those skills and disciplines complemented each other perfectly. Susan Panozzo can be reached at 773.899.6272 and spanozzo@atproperties.com.

Welcome to the newest episode of our monthly feature, Investor Insights! Each month, top 1% producer Eric Workman provides information that real estate brokers need to know about working with investors. In this episode Eric walks you through rehab costs room by room for a single family home. This is critical in order to determine if the real estate investment is going to yield a reasonable return on investment. We get into the trenches and discuss all costs so that you can better serve your clients (or your own investments)! Please let us know which investment topics you would like covered in future episodes! Eric Workman can be reached at 630-408-5582 and eric@renovofinancial.com.

Welcome to the June edition of Monday Market Minute with Carrie McCormick! In this episode Carrie talks about the most appreciated (and most depreciated) neighborhoods in Chicago over the past year.  I provide a marketing tip on how brokers can use Trello to create virtual whiteboards to track their prospects, contacts, and transactions! Carrie can be reached at carrie@atproperties.com or by phone at 312.961.4612.

Landlording For Life podcast host Sean Morrissey just purchased his 39th multi-unit investment property – a 16 unit building he was able to acquire without help from investors. Aside from being a top producer, Sean has studied real estate investing for years and put his knowledge into practice. In our conversation Sean talks about why buy-and-hold investments are a prime focus and what brokers can do to get started in the world of real estate investing. Sean Morrissey can be reached at seanrmorrissey@gmail.com and 630-869-5493.

Welcome to the May edition of Monday Market Minute with Carrie McCormick! In this episode Carrie speaks about how inventory is up in the hottest neighborhoods of Chicago in this spring market over last year and why that is so exciting.  I provide a marketing tip on how brokers can avoid ethics violations on Facebook posts (article referenced in episode here). Carrie can be reached at carrie@atproperties.com or by phone at 312.961.4612.

Mike Cuevas isn’t afraid to tell you that your marketing sucks. For years Mike has written the most successful blog on real estate marketing and branding for brokers – Real Estate Marketing Dude. Aside from being a top producer himself, Mike has devoted years to studying branding and bringing those strategies directly to the real estate broker community. Recently Mike launched Attracktor, an all-in-one marketing and branding system to help you get more clients. In our conversation Mike gives the specific mindset a broker needs to manifest more clients and deals. He also dives into social marketing strategies that produce results. Read Mike Cuevas’s blog Real Estate Marketing Dude and learn about Attracktor, his branding service for brokers.  

Welcome to our new monthly series Learning With A Lender! Each month Guaranteed Rate Vice President Joel Schaub will be on the show to discuss anything and everything related to the lending process. Joel is in the top 1/10th of 1% in loan production at his company, and his insights on what brokers and consumers need to know about mortgages is incredible. In this first episode Joel discusses why property specific pre-approvals are critical (but most buyers and brokers aren’t aware they exist) and also how Fannie May and Freddie Mac are allowing (for some properties) a Property Inspection Waiver resulting in 8-9 day faster closings! Joel Schaub can be reached at joel@rate.com or 773.654.2049.

Adam Baxa is in his fourth year as a broker and he’s already become a top producer for Coldwell Banker and has built a team of six. Prior to becoming a real estate broker, Adam was a police officer for Illinois. He talks about the transition into this industry, how he built his business so rapidly, and how social media has driven his success. Adam Baxa can be reached at 630-234-4472 and adam@thebaxagroup.com

Welcome to the April edition of Monday Market Minute with Carrie McCormick! In this episode Carrie speaks about how the spring market has been a bit slower than last year and how lower inventory has resulted in increased competition. She also talked about the importance of first exterior impressions with buyers. I provide a marketing tip on why brokers should start a 60 second video series on Facebook and Instagram to hook consumers into their content. Carrie can be reached at carrie@atproperties.com or by phone at 312.961.4612.

Property tax attorney Molly Phelan of Siegel Jennings believes property owners need a better system to automate the tax appeal process. She also thought that brokers should be the ones introducing tax appeal to their buyers and sellers. She spent the last year building the first ever tool that accomplishes these goals. Listen to our interview about how AppealMyTaxes works, how you can participate in it as a real estate broker, and why it’s going to make you look like a hero to your clients! Sign up for AppealMyTaxes by visiting this link and clicking on the REALTOR® button at the top of the page.