Every few years, the real estate world gets hit with a headline so dramatic that it sends agents into a panic. This year’s version is a big one: an economist publicly predicted that U.S. housing prices could fall 50% in 2026.

If you’ve been around long enough, you know these bold predictions always make a splash, but they rarely unfold the way people expect. 

Markets don’t respond to headlines; they respond to a complex mix of forces that rarely move in a straight line. The real risk isn’t whether the prediction comes true or not; it’s having your business and income be reliant on a specific market condition.

I’ve been in this business since 2005. I’ve lived through market highs, lows, calm, chaos, and fear. 

I can tell you with total confidence that what feels scary today is actually just another version of something we’ve seen before: an unpredictable mix of rising rates, buyer hesitation, seller stubbornness, and economic uncertainty. 

But here’s the thing most agents miss: uncertainty doesn’t kill opportunity. It just punishes people who only make money one way.

Because while buyers and sellers are locked in a standoff, while predictions fly around, while everyone waits for someone else to blink…agent investors are the ones who stay in control. 

So do I believe housing prices will plummet? What’s driving the current “frozen market” we’re in? 

In this episode, I break down what would truly need to happen for a 50% crash, why that scenario isn’t realistic, and what is likely as we head into 2026. More importantly, we’ll talk about how you stay in control no matter what.

Things You’ll Learn In This Episode 

Why splashy market predictions never come true

Markets don’t collapse without forced selling, and we’re nowhere near the foreclosure levels required for that. So what’s the real risk agents should be preparing for instead?

What’s really freezing the market (it’s not economics)

Inventory is still low, buyers are still showing up, and yet deals are stalling. What’s driving this psychological standoff, and who is most likely to crack first?

The safest business in 2026 is a diversified one

Uncertainty isn't the problem; single-source income is. How can agents use flips, passive income, and partnerships to stay profitable regardless of what the market does?

About Your Host

Tom Cafarella is a real estate investor, agent, coach, and entrepreneur who helps real estate agents achieve financial freedom through investing. Agent Investor is the only brand that helps real agents get off the real estate roller coaster and start building wealth by investing in real estate. 

Over the last few years, most real estate markets have slowed down significantly. Listings that used to fly off the MLS are suddenly sitting and deals are stalling. 

Everyone’s wondering the same thing: how can inventory be piling up if we’re still in a supply shortage?

After twenty years in this business, I’ve seen this movie before. The same emotions, the same confusion, the same moment where the rules change…but most agents keep playing the old game. 

What’s happening now isn’t complicated, but it’s easy to miss: demand has dropped, not supply. And behind that drop is a massive shift in sentiment. 

It’s definitely a tougher market to close transactions swiftly, but it’s not all bad news - especially for agent investors. With the right strategy, this market can be the perfect opportunity to start building wealth. 

So why are listings sitting on the market a lot longer? How do you shift with the market instead of doing the same thing you’ve always done? 

In this episode, I’m breaking down what’s really happening beneath the headlines, why listings are sitting even in a low-supply environment, and how to reposition your business so you’re not just reacting to the shift but profiting from it.

Things You’ll Learn In This Episode 

Why demand, not supply, is the real story

How to reprice in a falling market

The new role of investor partnerships

Why agent investors thrive in downturns

About Your Host

Tom Cafarella is a real estate investor, agent, coach, and entrepreneur who helps real estate agents achieve financial freedom through investing. Agent Investor is the only brand that helps real agents get off the real estate roller coaster and start building wealth through real estate investing. 

Check out this episode on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, and don't forget to leave a review if you like what you heard. Your review feeds the algorithm so our show reaches more people. Thank you! 

Most people get into real estate because they want freedom. But for a lot of agents, that dream turns into a trap. Long hours, constant pressure, and a business that depends entirely on how much you can personally grind.

When I look back at my own career, I realize that most of my biggest mistakes didn’t come from a lack of effort. They came from how I was spending my time. I was thinking too big when I should’ve been mastering the basics. I was juggling too many projects instead of doubling down on what I could be great at. And I was mistaking motion for progress.

The truth is, most of us learn these lessons the hard way. It’s easy to get caught up in the hype of “10X thinking,” shiny new business ideas, and endless hustle. But sustainable success in real estate, especially as an agent investor, doesn’t come from doing everything. It comes from doing the right things, repeatedly, over a long period of time.

In this episode, I share the 8 biggest mistakes I’ve made in my real estate career, and how you can avoid them.

Things You'll Learn

About the Host

Tom Cafarella is a real estate investor, agent, coach, and entrepreneur who helps real estate agents achieve financial freedom through investing. Agent Investor is the only brand that helps real agents get off the real estate roller coaster and start building wealth by investing in real estate.

Join the Agent Investor Facebook Group here.

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Check out this episode on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, and don't forget to leave a review if you like what you heard. Your review feeds the algorithm, so our show reaches more people. Thank you!

In the fourth quarter of the year, most agents start to relax. They convince themselves that business slows down, buyers and sellers go quiet, and it's time to "coast" into the holidays.

But everything you do (or don't do) right now determines the results you'll get next year. The calls you make, the listings you prep, and the systems you refine in Q4 directly shape your 2026 income.

That's why this is the most important time of the year to reflect, reset, and re-commit. Because the truth is, next year's momentum doesn't start in January; it starts now.

The habits you form in the final stretch of this year are the same ones you'll carry into the next. And if you're not reviewing your goals weekly, tracking your numbers, and eliminating low-ROI work, you're already falling behind.

How do you consistently track your activities and numbers? Why is this the perfect time to commit to being an Agent Investor?

In this episode, I walk through how to turn your 2025 review into a blueprint for 2026. You'll learn how to identify the 20% of activities that actually move the needle, eliminate the ones that don't, and create a weekly scorecard that keeps you on track all year.

Things You’ll Learn In This Episode

Turn your year-end reflection into a growth plan Most agents end the year with regrets. How do you transform reflection into a repeatable process that fuels next year's goals?

Audit your time and revenue like an investor Where did your best deals actually come from, and what can you eliminate that doesn't create real ROI?

Build a weekly scorecard If you can't measure it weekly, you can't improve it. What should you be tracking to make sure you're always on pace for your yearly goals?

Commit to becoming an agent investor Passive income doesn't happen by accident. Is 2026 the year you finally combine selling and investing to build wealth that compounds every month?

Tom Cafarella is a real estate investor, agent, coach, and entrepreneur who helps real estate agents achieve financial freedom through investing. Agent Investor is the only brand that helps real agents get off the real estate roller coaster and start building wealth by investing in real estate.

Check out this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and don't forget to leave a review if you like what you heard. Your review feeds the algorithm, so our show reaches more people. Thank you!

Most agents and investors treat social media like a distraction, not a deal source.

You don’t need to be famous, pour money into ads, spend hours on your phone, or post fancy videos to attract deals. You just need consistency and the right strategy.

Just 15 minutes a day of adding the right people, sending a few targeted messages, and posting content that builds credibility. It can generate more off-market deals, listings, and JV opportunities than any mailer or cold call ever could.

This is exactly how I’ve built a steady pipeline of motivated sellers, agents, and partners reaching out to me daily, without spending a dollar on ads.

How do you start getting leads from social media? Why is social media the new follow-up system?

In this episode, you’ll learn how to turn your Facebook profile into a lead magnet, use Messenger for warm deal conversations, and turn your personal posts into silent follow-up that keeps money coming in.

Things You’ll Learn in This Episode 

Your feed is the new follow-up system

Stop chasing outdated training

Build trust through visibility

About Your Host

Tom Cafarella is a real estate investor, agent, coach, and entrepreneur who helps real estate agents achieve financial freedom through investing. Agent Investor is the only brand that helps real agents get off the real estate roller coaster and start building wealth by investing in real estate. 

Check out this episode on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, and don't forget to leave a review if you like what you heard. Your review feeds the algorithm so our show reaches more people. Thank you! 

Some business lessons come from books, mentors, or seminars. Others come from watching someone quietly live them out every day.

When my dad passed away a few months ago, I found myself thinking about how much of my real estate success actually traces back to him. Not the strategies, not the spreadsheets, but the mindset. 

Because the truth is, success in real estate isn’t really about knowing the right formula. It’s about who you are when no one’s watching, your work ethic, your generosity, your ability to delay gratification, and keep believing when the results aren’t immediate.

In fifteen years, I’ve gone from zero money to a few hundred rentals, a 400-agent brokerage, and a thriving fix-and-flip business. 

But every ounce of that growth started with principles my dad modeled: work hard, keep learning, stay humble, be generous, believe in yourself, and treat people right, no matter who they are. Those mindsets built everything else.

In this episode, I’m stepping away from tactics to discuss the ten lessons my dad taught me that have shaped how I lead, invest, and live.

Things You’ll Learn 

Hard work means sacrifice

Generosity scales faster than greed

Believe first, results later

About Your Host

Tom Cafarella is a real estate investor, agent, coach, and entrepreneur who helps real estate agents achieve financial freedom through investing. Agent Investor is the only brand that helps real agents get off the real estate roller coaster and start building wealth by investing in real estate. 

Success in real estate isn’t just about hustle, it’s about direction and having a clear path to success (preferably one that others have walked on).

That’s where getting a mentor comes in. It helps you achieve the right results faster.

In the real estate world, there are thousands of people claiming to be mentors…some charging thousands for a bit of their time. The problem is, the wrong mentor can do more harm than not having a mentor at all, so how do you pick the right one?

Many people make the mistake of going with the first mentor they meet, picking someone whose personality they like, or paying for the priciest mentor out there. 

This can be detrimental to your goals.

The most important part of picking a mentor? Making sure they’ve actually done what you want to do.

What should we avoid when choosing a mentor? How does a mentor transform our businesses?

In this episode, I break down how to find the right mentor, the one who doesn’t just hype you up or sell you a course, but actually helps you do the real work.

I share how mentorship helped me go from CPA to flipping over 1,500 homes, building a 400-agent brokerage, and earning $115K on a single deal.

Things You’ll Learn in This Episode

From confusion to clarity

$115K on one deal

The Mentorship Mistakes That Cost You Years

About Your Host

Tom Cafarella is a real estate investor, agent, coach and entrepreneur who helps real estate agents achieve financial freedom through investing. Agent Investor is the only brand that helps real agents get off the real estate roller coaster and start building wealth by investing in real estate. 

Podcast CTA

Check out this episode on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, and don't forget to leave a review if you like what you heard. Your review feeds the algorithm so our show reaches more people. Thank you! 

How does a real estate agent or investor go from dominating the market to down and out? By failing to adapt to inevitable market shifts.

Real estate isn't static. The market changes, and to succeed, our strategies have to change too.

If you’re struggling to get seller appointments, fix-and-flip opportunities, or investment deals, you’re likely using an outdated strategy and playing by yesterday’s playbook.

The biggest mistake you can make is to keep trying to do what you’ve always done when the market has clearly shifted.

How do we adapt and pivot with the market? How do we know where the cheese is moving to?

In this episode, I share how to get ahead of market shifts, why some agents thrive while others disappear, and what it really takes to succeed in 2025’s market. 

Things You’ll Learn

Follow the cheese

From feast to famine and back again

From $0 to $115K on one appointment

Why direct mail isn’t working (and what is)

About Your Host

Tom Cafarella is a real estate investor, agent, coach and entrepreneur who helps real estate agents achieve financial freedom through investing. Agent Investor is the only brand that helps real agents get off the real estate roller coaster and start building wealth by investing in real estate. 

Check out this episode on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, and don't forget to leave a review if you like what you heard. Your review feeds the algorithm so our show reaches more people. Thank you! 

One big deal. One six-figure check. One path off the real estate roller coaster.

Sounds like a dream, but it’s real. What if building real wealth as an agent didn’t require more hustle, just a few key lifestyle shifts?

If you’re stuck on the real estate roller coaster, constantly chasing closings and juggling busywork, it might feel like true financial freedom is out of reach.

But it’s not that you’re not working hard enough. It’s that you’re focused on the wrong things.

Wealth doesn’t come from grinding harder. It comes from decisions, like how you spend your first two hours of the day, who you surround yourself with, and how you structure your time.

These tweaks may seem simple, but they’ll completely transform your results if you commit.

How do you avoid time traps that keep you from building wealth? How do you buy back your time?

In today’s episode, I’m sharing how to stop trading hours for commission checks and start making small but powerful changes that add up to real, lasting wealth.

Things You’ll Learn 

-How One Referral Turned Into $100K+

-The $500 contract clause that buys your time back

-Why Most Agents Waste Time on the Wrong People

About Your Host

Tom Cafarella is a real estate investor, agent, coach, and entrepreneur who helps real estate agents achieve financial freedom through investing. Agent Investor is the only brand that helps real agents get off the real estate roller coaster and start building wealth by investing in real estate.

Podcast CTA

Check out this episode on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, and don't forget to leave a review if you like what you heard. Your review feeds the algorithm so our show reaches more people. Thank you! 

One of the most common ways to generate seller appointments is going after targeted lists of homeowners.

Whether it’s pre-foreclosures, divorce, probate, high-equity owners, or driving for dollars, marketing to an already-motivated seller base seems like a no-brainer.

After all, these aren’t random cold leads. These are potential sellers already in transition who would be interested in talking to an agent-investor. They seem like the easiest leads to generate and convert, right?

Wrong. While motivated seller lists are a good source of leads, they aren’t a magic bullet.

Each list comes with its challenges: from sellers in denial to timelines that stretch for months or even years.

To succeed, you need more than a list. You need a follow-up system, a communication plan, and the patience to become an expert.

What do you need to know before you go after these leads?

In today’s episode, I talk about using motivated seller lists the right way, and the differences between each list and the sellers you’ll be talking to. You’ll learn what it actually takes to convert these leads and get a deal. 

Things You’ll Learn

-Why pre-foreclosures sound great (but often flop)

-The list strategy that gets you in the door

-The real reason agents quit too early

About Your Host

Tom Cafarella is a real estate investor, agent, coach, and entrepreneur who helps real estate agents achieve financial freedom through investing. Agent Investor is the only brand that helps real agents get off the real estate roller coaster and start building wealth by investing in real estate. 

Check out this episode on Apple Podcasts, or Spotify, and don't forget to leave a review if you like what you heard. Your review feeds the algorithm so our show reaches more people. Thank you!