RealTrending

The housing market may feel stalled, but Smokey Garrett, founder and operating principal of the GO Network at Keller Williams, says it’s still moving — just under a different set of rules. After years of ultra-low mortgage rates and fast-paced sales, buyers are hesitating over affordability and sellers are adjusting their expectations. Demand hasn’t disappeared as people are still searching and making major life moves. The agents finding success are slowing down, helping clients understand their options and replacing uncertainty with clear guidance.

For brokerages, growth is about more than recruiting agents. Garrett’s team looks at market share, profitability, adoption of agent tools, and especially how many individual agents are actually productive. He sees scale as a local advantage, not simply a matter of having agents spread across the country. As consumer expectations evolve, he argues, agents need to offer value beyond the transaction and become trusted “home advisers.”

Garrett also sees AI as a way to make the business more efficient — but not a substitute for relationships. It can help agents work smarter and give brokerages faster access to insights and support, while the human connection remains essential. And as MLSs reconsider their role, he says brokers and agents should have a stronger voice in how the industry’s data is managed and monetized. The larger challenge, in his view, is to adapt together and make sure the industry’s value is clear to consumers.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

Related to this episode:

Want more from Tracey? Don’t forget to subscribe to Real Estate Daily.

The RealTrending podcast features conversations with the brightest minds in real estate. Every Monday, brokerage leaders, top agents, team leaders, and industry experts join us to share their secrets to success, trends, and the lessons they’ve learned. Hosted by Tracey Velt and produced by the HousingWire Content Studio.

What does it take to build a real estate business by doing things differently? On this episode of the RealTrending podcast, Kenny Pleasant of Seattle-based NextHome Prolific shares how he went from laid-off iron worker to real estate entrepreneur and why he built a boutique brokerage focused on personal development, collaboration, and meaningful training.

Kenny discusses why he favors training over higher splits, how finding an off-market land niche helped him stand out, and why agents should get serious about negotiation and investing. He also shares practical advice for choosing a focused lead source, adapting to a changing industry, and turning commission income into long-term wealth.

From learning through books, courses, and mentorship to helping agents build confidence through one-on-one coaching, Kenny’s story is a reminder that growth often starts with the skills and strengths you already have. He shares why more conversations, a trusted mentor, and a clear niche can matter more than a big brand or the latest tools.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

Related to this episode:

Want more from Tracey? Don’t forget to subscribe to Real Estate Daily.

The RealTrending podcast features conversations with the brightest minds in real estate. Every Monday, brokerage leaders, top agents, team leaders, and industry experts join us to share their secrets to success, trends, and the lessons they’ve learned. Hosted by Tracey Velt and produced by the HousingWire Content Studio.

In this episode of RealTrending, Tracey Velt sits down with Chandra Vennapusa, a top-producing eXp Realty agent with a deep background at Deloitte, Amazon, and Expedia. Chandra pulls back the curtain on how tech-world principles like customer obsession, leverage, scalability and data-driven decision making can completely transform a real estate business—especially for agents working with high-income tech professionals.

Chandra explains how today’s Microsoft, Amazon, Google and Meta employees are no longer asking, “What do I qualify for?” but instead, “What can I afford without losing my financial freedom?” He shares the biggest mistakes he sees tech buyers make with RSUs and stock-based compensation, and how savvy agents can step in as true advisors—balancing emotion with numbers to protect their clients’ long-term wealth.

From migration trends between Washington and Texas to using real estate as a diversification tool for high-net-worth clients, Chandra breaks down what’s really driving demand in today’s market—and why proximity to the office and total cost of living now matter more than headline affordability. He also talks candidly about what’s scalable in his business, what will always require a human touch, and what ambitious agents must do now to stay relevant in an AI-driven future.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

Related to this episode:

Want more from Tracey? Don’t forget to subscribe to Real Estate Daily.

The RealTrending podcast features conversations with the brightest minds in real estate. Every Monday, brokerage leaders, top agents, team leaders, and industry experts join us to share their secrets to success, trends, and the lessons they’ve learned. Hosted by Tracey Velt and produced by the HousingWire Content Studio.

In this episode of the RealTrending, Tracey Velt sits down with broker-owner Corwyn Melette of Exit Realty Lowcountry Group breaks down what legacy really means beyond a single transaction. He shares how his own family lost generations of rental properties — and how that experience reshaped his mission to help consumers and agents build lasting wealth instead of simply consuming it.

Corwyn explains why Charleston, South Carolina, is a “perfect storm” market, with geographic constraints, strong economic drivers, and intense demand that create both scarcity and opportunity. From workforce and affordable housing with layered funding to educating consumers on equity and long-term value, he walks through practical ways real estate can be the engine for financial freedom.

He also digs into what real leadership and professionalism look like in today’s market amid lawsuits, rate anxiety and commission pressure. Corwyn challenges agents and brokers to lead with service, master their contracts and double down on real human connection, whether that’s picking up the phone or being a true “real estate sherpa” for clients navigating complex decisions.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

Related to this episode:

Want more from Tracey? Don’t forget to subscribe to Real Estate Daily.

The RealTrending podcast features conversations with the brightest minds in real estate. Every Monday, brokerage leaders, top agents, team leaders, and industry experts join us to share their secrets to success, trends, and the lessons they’ve learned. Hosted by Tracey Velt and produced by the HousingWire Content Studio.

On this episode of RealTrending, Tracey Velt sits down with Eddie Garcia, founder of Realty of America, a brokerage that stormed onto the Real Trends Verified rankings in its very first full year of business — landing at number 45 by transaction sides, 63 by volume, and 24 among private independents. Eddie shares how growing up in poverty, with parents who were once homeless, fueled his ambition to build his own version of the American dream and ultimately a fast-growing national brokerage.

Eddie breaks down Realty of America’s cloud-based but culture-focused model, anchored by a 27,000-square-foot national headquarters in Chicago and powered by more than 3,500 agents across 24 states plus Puerto Rico. Unlike many legacy structures, the company is built on revenue share and agent ownership, with hundreds of thousands of dollars in RevShare paid out monthly—money that, in the traditional model, would have gone to the broker-owner. He stresses that the firm was intentionally designed to be profitable without mortgage, title, or insurance, operating with no debt and no outside investors.

We also explore how a 7-partner leadership team — collectively bringing 170 years of experience and $17 billion in closed production — creates a different kind of value proposition. All of them still run teams, so every decision is made through the lens of a producing agent, not just a corporate executive. Eddie credits the firm’s rapid growth to attracting top producers and mega teams, which then draw in agents who want to plug into that productivity and culture.

Looking ahead, Eddie shares his views on where the brokerage landscape is headed: continued consolidation into a handful of mega brokers, rising relevance of RevShare models, and increasing pressure on smaller boutiques to compete with national brands. Even in a challenging market marked by affordability issues and rate uncertainty, he believes life events will continue to drive demand—and that disciplined growth, smart leverage (or lack of it), and technology investment will separate the brokerages that thrive from those that simply survive.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

Related to this episode:

Want more from Tracey? Don’t forget to subscribe to Real Estate Daily.

The RealTrending podcast features conversations with the brightest minds in real estate. Every Monday, brokerage leaders, top agents, team leaders, and industry experts join us to share their secrets to success, trends, and the lessons they’ve learned. Hosted by Tracey Velt and produced by the HousingWire Content Studio.

On this episode of RealTrending with Tracey Velt, founding Compass agents and Paradigm co-founders Mark Jovanovic and Scott Hustis share how Compass grew from a 50-person tech startup in Union Square to a national luxury powerhouse. 

They explain how helping build the platform from day one turned Compass into a true SaaS-style operating system for agents, with powerful backend tools that quietly drive their business. 

Mark and Scott dig into where AI genuinely helps—from data-heavy tasks to workflow efficiency—and where human insight and relationships still matter most. They break down the debate around private listings, the controversy over New York’s pied-à-terre tax and why New York City’s luxury market remains vibrant, with strong demand for larger, amenity-rich homes. 

They wrap with straight-talk advice for launching a modern luxury team: know your strengths, hire to fill the gaps, and don’t be afraid to move faster and think bigger.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

Related to this episode:

Want more from Tracey? Don’t forget to subscribe to Real Estate Daily.

The RealTrending podcast features conversations with the brightest minds in real estate. Every Monday, brokerage leaders, top agents, team leaders, and industry experts join us to share their secrets to success, trends, and the lessons they’ve learned. Hosted by Tracey Velt and produced by the HousingWire Content Studio.

On this episode of RealTrending, Tracey sits down with veteran executive recruiter Stephen Kowalchuk to unpack why succession planning for brokerage owners can’t wait. With so many independent owners now in their late 50s and 60s, Stephen explains that the industry is heading into one of the largest generational ownership transfers we’ve ever seen. Add recent market volatility and aggressive consolidation from regionals, nationals, and private equity, and you get an environment where owners who haven’t planned often end up selling on someone else’s terms — not their own.

Stephen breaks down what real succession planning is — and what it isn’t. It’s not just naming your son, daughter or a favorite manager as the heir apparent. It’s about building a deep leadership bench, creating an operating structure that doesn’t revolve around a single charismatic owner and giving yourself three to five years of runway. 

Finally, Stephen gets tactical about protecting your agents, culture and valuation through transition. He also reframes M&A and strategic partnerships as proactive tools in a long-term succession strategy, not last-ditch exits. 

For owners who’ve done little to no planning, his next-12-month playbook is straightforward: identify realistic future leaders, obtain an objective valuation, and start documenting how the business runs and why key decisions get made. In his view, succession isn’t just an exit plan — it’s a continuity and value-creation strategy for the entire organization.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

Related to this episode:

Want more from Tracey? Don’t forget to subscribe to Real Estate Daily.

The RealTrending podcast features conversations with the brightest minds in real estate. Every Monday, brokerage leaders, top agents, team leaders, and industry experts join us to share their secrets to success, trends, and the lessons they’ve learned. Hosted by Tracey Velt and produced by the HousingWire Content Studio.

In this episode of RealTrending, Tracey Velt talks with Jack Gaughan, president of Greater Nashville Realtors and managing broker at REMAX Choice Properties, about what’s really happening in the Greater Nashville housing market. Jack explains how the market has shifted from a post-COVID boom to a more balanced, hyper-local environment, where conditions can look completely different just a few miles apart. With buyers enjoying more choice and longer decision timelines, smart pricing and clear communication are no longer optional—they’re essential.

Tracey and Jack dig into how brokers should be coaching agents differently in this climate. Newer agents, many of whom started during the boom, are now facing their first compressed market and need guidance on building a sphere, handling rejection, and setting realistic goals. Seasoned agents are wrestling with noise around lawsuits, mergers, and new models, and Jack urges them to stay grounded in the fundamentals that built their businesses rather than chasing every shiny object.

They also explore how Nashville’s transit referendum ties directly into housing affordability and long-term growth. Jack makes the case that transit, sidewalks, and smart density planning along key corridors can unlock underutilized neighborhoods, support multiple generations—from young professionals to aging boomers—and ease inventory pressure. At the association level, he highlights two big priorities: leading on affordable housing solutions and deepening broker engagement so policy, MLS, and legislative decisions truly reflect what’s happening on the ground.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

Related to this episode:

Want more from Tracey? Don’t forget to subscribe to Real Estate Daily.

The RealTrending podcast features conversations with the brightest minds in real estate. Every Monday, brokerage leaders, top agents, team leaders, and industry experts join us to share their secrets to success, trends, and the lessons they’ve learned. Hosted by Tracey Velt and produced by the HousingWire Content Studio.

On this episode of RealTrending, Jason Aleem, Redfin’s chief of real estate services, pulls back the curtain on what life looks like at Redfin one year after the Rocket Mortgage acquisition. 

At the center of the strategy is Redfin Early Access, a premarket and coming-soon listings program designed to unlock reluctant sellers and put more homes in front of motivated buyers. Backed by survey data — 76% of sellers say they’d be more likely to list with greater certainty and 83% want to test the market first — Aleem argues that giving sellers more optionality could drive 6% to 12% more inventory into a starved marketplace, all while keeping transparency front and center on Redfin.com.

Alim also walks through the three-way collaboration between Compass, Rocket and Redfin, framing it as a genuine win-win-win: Compass gains broader exposure and more leads for its agents; Rocket opens up new mortgage opportunities; and Redfin gets exclusive inventory and traffic growth. 

Underneath the partnership is a simple but powerful idea — matching Rocket bankers with real estate agents to create real, long-term client relationships rather than one-off transactions. Early results, especially in key markets like Chicago, show that agents are embracing Early Access listings, and consumers are responding to the added visibility and choice.

Inside Redfin’s own house, the company has quietly reinvented its agent model with Redfin Next. After years of being known for salaried agents, Redfin has shifted to a W-2 plus bonus/commission structure, giving agents more entrepreneurial upside while still preserving the support and systems of a major platform. Combined with Rocket’s scale and client-first culture, that change has helped Redfin retain top performers and attract new talent, with agents reporting strong satisfaction with Rocket’s level of service and the bigger stage the combined company provides.

Finally, Aleem explores how AI and vertical integration are changing the playbook for real estate and mortgage. Redfin is leaning into AI not as a buzzword but as a productivity engine through its Agent Virtual Assistant (AVA), which helps agents craft client responses, surface database insights and refine comparative market analyses (CMAs), supporting an average of roughly 22 transactions per agent per year. 

On the consumer side, AI and mortgage are being woven directly into the Redfin search experience with tools like conversational search, pre-approval flows and bundled savings programs like Rocket Preferred Pricing and Rocket & Redfin Super Savings. Looking ahead, Aleem envisions Redfin as a true homeownership platform — the digital front door to Rocket where consumers can search, buy, finance, manage equity and refinance in a single ecosystem.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

Related to this episode:

Want more from Tracey? Don’t forget to subscribe to Real Estate Daily.

The RealTrending podcast features conversations with the brightest minds in real estate. Every Monday, brokerage leaders, top agents, team leaders, and industry experts join us to share their secrets to success, trends, and the lessons they’ve learned. Hosted by Tracey Velt and produced by the HousingWire Content Studio.

On this episode of RealTrending, host Tracey sits down with Neda Navab, president of Compass, at what she calls a major inflection point for the company and the industry.

They dig into how Compass is navigating consolidation, AI and a choppy housing market while trying to stay relentlessly agent-first. Neda unpacks why she spent her first 100 days on the road doing 125 in‑person agent events, what she learned from those rooms, and how that feedback is shaping Compass’s strategy — from coaching programs to AI tools.

Neda explains how Compass is trying to deliver the “best of big and boutique”: national scale, tech, and data on one side, with hyper-local support and a deeply personal, advisory-style experience on the other. She pushes back on some of the industry’s loudest critiques—especially around private listings—and reframes Compass’s “private exclusive” phase as a sophisticated focus group rather than a black box.

From AI-fueled bidding wars in San Francisco to why top agents see themselves as CEOs, not just agents, this conversation is a playbook for what it takes to compete—and win—in a slower, more complex market. Neda closes with a lightning round on trends, skills, and the future brokerage model, including why she believes brokerages will look less like traditional offices and more like Apple Stores, built around advice, experience, and one-to-one service.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: