This episode of The Safety Series covers ways to help your remodeling clients protect both their physical and financial safety—while also maximizing their home renovation ROI. Host Tracey Hawkins and guests Brendon DeSimone and Blayne Pacelli discuss how real estate professionals can help their clients make smart home renovation decisions, which renovation mistakes to avoid, and vetting home contractors who can do the job right. They'll also explain how leveraging tools like NAR’s Remodeling Impact Report can help you back up your advice with data.

Meet the Guests:

Brendon DeSimone is an agent at Compass Connecticut in Greenwich, Conn. He’s also a real estate investor and has bought and sold dozens of homes across multiple major markets. DeSimone was a top-producing agent in San Francisco before moving to the East Coast to sell real estate in New York and then Connecticut.

Blayne Pacelli is an agent with Rodeo Realty in the Los Angeles area. With more than 20 years of experience in real estate, Pacelli has extensive experience working with clients on presale renovations and other value-driven remodeling projects. He is an avid sports fan whose passion is snowboarding.

The REALTOR® organization’s strength lies in how the local, state and national levels work together to amplify advocacy, streamline ethics enforcement and enhance member resources. In this episode, recorded live at the AE Institute, Drive with NAR podcast host Marki Lemons Ryhal speaks with NAR President Kevin Sears, Senior Vice President of Industry Relations Jarrod Grasso and Denver Metro Association of REALTORS® CEO Brendan Bailey. Learn how this collaborative structure ensures a unified REALTOR® voice, protects consumers and can help your business succeed.   

Meet the Guests... 

Kevin Sears, a 30-year real estate veteran from Springfield, Massachusetts, is the 2025 President of the National Association of REALTORS®. He is a Broker-Associate with Lamacchia Realty.   

Jarrod Grasso is the Senior Vice President of Industry Relations at the National Association of REALTORS®. Before his current role, Jarrod served as Chief Executive Officer of the New Jersey REALTORS® for nearly 17 years. 

Brendan Bailey is the CEO of the Denver Metro Association of REALTORS®, with nearly a decade of public affairs, advocacy and real estate industry experience. He was named Vice Chair of NAR's Association Executives Institute Advisory Board in 2023. 

What happens when two real estate appraisers give different values for the same property? In this episode, broker Lutalo McGee and appraiser Maureen Sweeney join host Marki Lemons Ryhal to explain the real estate appraisal process, why home appraisals can vary, and how real estate agents can effectively communicate with appraisers to help ensure accurate home valuations.  

Learn tips for preparing for a home appraisal, how to handle a low appraisal, and when to request a reconsideration of value. Plus, hear why appraisal contingency risks matter in today’s market. 

Meet the Guests... 

Lutalo McGee, ABR, GRI, is the owner and managing broker of Ani Real Estate in Chicago. He currently serves as the president-elect of the Chicago Association of REALTORS® and is a member of NAR’s Real Property Valuation Committee. 

Maureen Sweeney, RAA, is a Chicago-based real estate appraiser who specializes in residential and small income-producing properties. She is the 2025 chair of the Real Property Valuation Committee and serves as member of the Illinois Real Estate Appraisal Administration and Disciplinary Board.  

Host Tracey Hawkins delves into the critical role of negotiation leverage in real estate transactions, focusing on how to protect your client’s interests at the negotiating table. Joined by experts Matthew Rathbun and Amy Steele, discover key strategies to avoid common pitfalls, safeguard your client's bargaining power and enhance your negotiation skills. Learn about the impact of digital security, social media and AI on real estate transactions, and gain practical tips to ensure both safety and success. 

 Meet the Guests 

Matthew Rathbun, ABR, CRS, is a broker with Coldwell Banker Elite in Fredericksburg, Virginia. He serves as the 2025 president-elect of the Fredericksburg Area Association of REALTORS® and the 2025 president of the Real Estate Business Institute (REBI), an NAR affiliate organization. Rathbun is an instructor of NAR’s Real Estate Negotiation Expert (RENE) certification course. 

Amy Steele, ABR, SRS, is an agent with JPAR Real Estate in Grapevine, Texas, who also is licensed in California. The owner of a short-term rental property, Steele focuses her real estate expertise on investment properties and vacation homes. She has a personal library of more than 3,000 books. 

The real estate cycle doesn’t always follow typical patterns. You may experience a surge or a dip in business at the times you least expect. It’s unclear whether the upcoming spring homebuying season will be busy or a bust. Are you prepared for whatever comes? Host Marki Lemons Ryhal talks to Chicago real estate leaders Kat Barry and Lateefa Neal about managing the unpredictability of the market and sticking to your individual formula for success.

Meet the Guests...

Kat Barry, CIPS, is a broker and leader of the Modern Living team at Compass in Chicago. She specializes in residential and mixed-use real estate, and she has been featured on multiple HGTV shows, including “House Hunters.” Barry was named one of REALTOR® Magazine’s “30 Under 30” in 2009.

Lateefa Neal is the founder and managing broker of NTS Realty Group in Chicago. She appeared in the fourth season of NAR’s docuseries, “First-Time Buyer,” which follows agents who are REALTORS® as they help consumers navigate complex transactions to purchase their first home.

Being a safety conscious real estate professional is essential for protecting yourself, your clients, and your transactions. It’s also a powerful way to show your expertise, build trust, and win more business.

In this episode of the Safety Series, host Tracey Hawkins talks with Chris Atwell and Chris Garrett about strategies to incorporate buyer and seller safety into every interaction. Learn how to vet buyers, prevent wire fraud, safeguard vacant homes and approach FSBOs (For Sale by Owner) with a safety-first mindset that shows your professionalism and enhances your reputation. Leading with safety can help you stand out and build your pipeline, whether you’re working with buyers, sellers or FSBOs.

Meet the Guests

Chris Atwell is a real estate agent at Empire Network Realty in Orlando, Florida. He serves as the 2025 vice chair of NAR’s REALTOR Safety Advisory Committee.

Chris Garrett is a Broker/Co-Owner at Weichert REALTORS®--The Andrews Group in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He is the 2025 chair of NAR’s REALTOR Safety Advisory Committee and is the 2025 president-elect for Tennessee REALTORS.

As an NAR member, you have exclusive access to world-class business resources, education, tools and real estate data that aren’t available to nonmembers. How do you leverage these benefits in a way that demonstrates your preparedness to work with clients in any transaction?

Host Marki Lemons Ryhal talks with industry leaders Matt Difanis and Christina Pappas about the value of emphasizing your status as a member of the National Association of REALTORS® to buyers and sellers. They will explain how to communicate the advantages to consumers when they work with an agent who is a REALTOR® and how to use your NAR membership to help you up your game and grow your real estate business.

Meet the Guests...

Matt Difanis is the broker-owner of RE/MAX Realty Associates in Champaign, Illinois. He is a former president of the Illinois REALTORS® and served as the 2024 NAR Association Leadership Committee Liaison.

Christina Pappas is a third-generation real estate broker and president of The Keyes Company in Miami, Florida. She is the NAR 2025 Regional Vice President for Region 5 and served as the 2024 Chair of the REALTOR® Party Trustees for Campaign Services Committee.

Creating a sound REALTOR® Safety plan is as crucial as crafting a business plan for success. Join host Tracey Hawkins as she talks to real estate professionals Miguel Carreno and Susan Mertz about how to develop and maintain effective real estate agent safety plans. Learn strategies, tools, and resources for personal safety and agent emergency preparedness to ensure your real estate business thrives securely without reinventing the wheel.

Meet the Guests

Miguel Carreno is a broker with Allen Tate, REALTORS® in High Point, North Carolina, and serves on the NAR® Safety Advisory Committee.

Susan Mertz is an award-winning agent with Keller Williams Capital Properties in Washington, D.C., now working in St. Petersburg, Florida.

You’ve heard the saying, “Fail to plan—plan to fail.” Because so much of your success depends on how you spend your time, you need a plan for managing it wisely. But how do you craft a time management plan, including both your professional and personal time, in a way that works for you? Host Marki Lemons Ryhal learns from real estate pros Vanessa Franz Barnes and Natalie Davis how they took control of their schedules. 

Meet the Guests... 

Vanessa Franz Barnes, CIPS, SRES, is a broker-associate with Keller Williams Realty in Celebration, Fla. With more than two decades in the business, Vanessa, along with her husband and business partner Jaime, has sold over $375 million in real estate, building a thriving multimillion-dollar business.  

Natalie Davis, ABR, CRS, is a real estate agent from Denver who serves as NAR’s 2025 REALTOR® Party fundraising liaison.  She was named the 2023 REALTOR® of the Year by the South Metro Denver REALTORS® Association, among many other industry awards.

Recorded live at NAR NXT in Boston, host Tracey Hawkins and an insightful panel of real estate professionals discuss how to effectively manage emotions and de-escalate tense situations with clients and colleagues. Gain practical strategies and tools to maintain professionalism, ensure safety and foster positive client relationships, even in the most difficult interactions when emotions run high.