The Aaron Novello Podcast

Open Real Estate explained for real estate agents. Keller Williams, AGNT (eXp Realty), HomeServices of America and Real REMAX Group just teamed up on an open listing data platform. Here’s what it means for the MLS, for Compass vs Zillow, and for your business in 2026.

Compass has been pushing private listings and suing the MLS and Zillow. These four brokerages went the other way: working together to share listing data instead of buying up agents. In this episode we explain how real estate listing data moves today, who makes money from your listings, and whether the MLS will still matter.

WANT ME TO HELP YOU TAKE YOUR REAL ESTATE CAREER TO THE NEXT LEVEL? YOU ARE JUST ONE CLICK AWAY 🔻
https://calendly.com/aaronnovello/30m...

LEARN MY PROVEN STRATEGY FOR GETTING MORE LISTINGS 🔻
https://coaching.aaronnovello.com/exc...

FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA
▶️ Instagram:   / aaronnovello 
▶️ Facebook:   / thenovellogroup 
▶️ Linkedin:   / aaron-novello-62064359 

🔗 IMPORTANT LINKS 🔗
LET ME BE YOUR COACH: https://aaronnovello.com/
ROLE PLAY GROUP: https://coaching.aaronnovello.com/rol...
’THE ARCHIVE’ COURSE: https://coaching.aaronnovello.com/the...

WANT TO LISTEN ON THE GO? SUBSCRIBE TO MY PODCAST 🎙️
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Google: https://bit.ly/3TxHgYi

#realestatecoach #realestateeducation #realestateagent #realestatepodcast #aaronnovello 

AI is taking over the tasks agents used to hire people for: paperwork, data entry, SOP-driven admin. In this episode we talk about what that means for your business and your career.

What we cover:

• Moravec’s paradox: what’s hard for humans is easy for AI, and the reverse. How that applies to real estate.
• What AI already does: driving, filling out listing paperwork, admin work
• What it still can’t do: talking an emotional seller into a price reduction, working through conflict, being the human people want to talk to
• The new objection agents are hearing on the phone: “Are you a real person?”
• Why we don’t give our AI bots human names
• Robots framing houses, and what that means for jobs and affordability
• Why big companies are starting to give away equity, and what that might signal

The big takeaway: treat your real estate income as a way to raise cash, and turn that cash into assets that pay you

If selling your time gets harder, the people who own things will be fine. Start converting now.

LEARN MY PROVEN STRATEGY FOR GETTING MORE LISTINGS 🔻
https://coaching.aaronnovello.com/exc...

WANT ME TO HELP YOU TAKE YOUR REAL ESTATE CAREER TO THE NEXT LEVEL? YOU ARE JUST ONE CLICK AWAY 🔻
https://calendly.com/aaronnovello/30m...

FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA
▶️ Instagram:   / aaronnovello 
▶️ Facebook:   / thenovellogroup 
▶️ Linkedin:   / aaron-novello-62064359 

🔗 IMPORTANT LINKS 🔗
LET ME BE YOUR COACH: https://aaronnovello.com/
ROLE PLAY GROUP: https://coaching.aaronnovello.com/rol...
’THE ARCHIVE’ COURSE: https://coaching.aaronnovello.com/the...

WANT TO LISTEN ON THE GO? SUBSCRIBE TO MY PODCAST 🎙️
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3CXSrCu
Apple: https://apple.co/3MZX9UM
Google: https://bit.ly/3TxHgYi

#realestatecoach #realestateeducation #realestateagent #realestatepodcast #aaronnovello

How this was made 

Working harder doesn’t always mean building a better real estate business. Sometimes, the biggest breakthrough comes from changing your strategy.

In this conversation, Aaron Novello sits down with real estate agent Connor McBride to discuss his transition from cold-calling expired and canceled listings to focusing on probate leads—and the lessons he learned along the way.

Connor shares how better pre-qualification helped him stop wasting time on sellers who weren’t truly motivated, why he decided to change lead sources, and how coaching, roleplay, and proximity to experienced agents accelerated his learning curve.

In this video, you’ll learn:
✅Why Connor moved away from expired and canceled listings
✅How he compared appointment results across different lead sources
✅Why motivated, qualified sellers matter more than simply booking appointments
✅How to pre-qualify sellers before committing hours to a listing appointment
✅Why changing strategies requires patience, practice, and consistent conversations
✅How roleplay and coaching help agents recognize patterns and handle objections
✅What Connor learned after reaching nine listings in nine weeks
✅Why systems, processes, and a CRM matter when your business starts growing
✅How virtual listing appointments can help agents use their time more efficiently
✅Why surrounding yourself with people who have already achieved your goals can shorten the learning curve

The takeaway: More activity isn’t always the answer. The right lead source, stronger conversion skills, and repeatable systems can make a major difference.

Chapters:
00:00 Why Hard Work Isn’t Always Enough
00:52 How Connor Found Aaron Novello
02:03 When Expired Listings Became a Problem
03:27 Why Pricing Matters
04:01 The Power of Pre-Qualifying Sellers
05:55 Why Connor Switched to Probate Leads
07:44 Overcoming the Fear of Changing Strategies
09:07 The Real Reason Listings Don’t Sell
10:14 Why Connor Made the Pivot
12:18 The Probate Learning Curve
13:35 Every Stage of the Sale Is a Presentation
15:09 How 300 Conversations Built Confidence
16:12 Learn From People Who’ve Done It Before
17:08 Avoiding Costly Prospecting Mistakes
18:03 The Danger of Running in the Wrong Direction
21:40 Learning From Aaron’s Book and Coaching
24:26 Why Roleplay and Community Matter
27:58 Nine Listings in Nine Weeks
30:00 Why Consistency Takes Time
31:13 Building Systems to Scale Your Business
33:11 Why You Need a CRM and Better Processes
34:01 Saving Time With Virtual Listing Appointments
35:40 What Connor Would Tell His Younger Self
37:12 The Value of Proximity and Mentorship
38:43 How to Connect With Connor

👍 Enjoyed this conversation? Like the video, subscribe for more real estate training, and share it with an agent who needs to hear this.

💬 Question for you: Are you still focused on expired listings, or have you explored probate and other specialized lead sources? Share your experience in the comments.

BUY MY BOOK: Do More Deals: Stack Skills, Build Systems, Create a Real Estate Business That Buys Back Your Time 🔻
https://a.co/d/0iPpMzFJ

WANT ME TO HELP YOU TAKE YOUR REAL ESTATE CAREER TO THE NEXT LEVEL? YOU ARE JUST ONE CLICK AWAY 🔻
https://calendly.com/aaronnovello/30m...

FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA
▶️ Instagram:   / aaronnovello
▶️ Facebook:   / thenovellogroup
▶️ Linkedin:   / aaron-novello-62064359

🔗 IMPORTANT LINKS 🔗
LET ME BE YOUR COACH: https://aaronnovello.com/
ROLE PLAY GROUP: https://coaching.aaronnovello.com/rol...
’THE ARCHIVE’ COURSE: https://coaching.aaronnovello.com/the...

WANT TO LISTEN ON THE GO? SUBSCRIBE TO MY PODCAST 🎙️
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3CXSrCu
Apple: https://apple.co/3MZX9UM
Google: https://bit.ly/3TxHgYi

#realestatecoach #realestateeducation #realestateagent #realestatepodcast #aaronnovello

You already know your commission check is capped at 3%, right? novation real estate for beginners changes that math completely, and the numbers on this exact deal will make you rethink every listing you've ever walked away from.

Here's the truth nobody says out loud in this business: you can do the exact same showings, the exact same negotiations, the exact same stress on a house, and still leave a massive chunk of money on the table just because you didn't know one word. That word is novation, and this episode breaks down a real deal where a $7,000 commission check turned into a $72,000 payday on the same property.

This isn't theoretical. This is novation real estate explained with the actual numbers from an actual closing, so you can see exactly where the extra money came from and why most agents never even ask the seller the one question that unlocks it.

Inside this episode you'll get:
✅ The real breakdown of how a $7K check became $72K on one single-family listing
✅ Why chasing the highest offer is the wrong goal, and what to ask for instead
✅ How novation real estate business structures actually work when you're the listing agent
✅ What it looks like when a real estate agent working with investors stops leaving money behind
✅ The mindset shift most agents need before they'll even consider real estate investing vs real estate agent thinking
✅ Why this fits naturally if you're already curious about wholesaling real estate for beginners but never saw how agents fit into it

A lot of us real estate agents are scared to even talk about investing, like it's not "our lane." It is. If you're tired of doing 3% work for 3% pay on deals that could pay you ten times that, this is the episode that shows you the exact number to ask for and why.

Seniors selling their homes love to talk about moving, but 9 out of 10 never actually list. If you're taking their word for it, you're setting yourself up to get ghosted.

I built this episode around the exact conversation that keeps agents stuck: an elderly couple tells you they want to sell, you nod along, and three weeks later they still haven't called the movers. That's the reality behind why seniors selling their homes talk about moving far longer than they act on it, and most agents don't have a listing appointment questions and answers system built for this seller.

✅ The exact seller scripts real estate agent teams use to separate real sellers from the ones who just want company on a Tuesday afternoon
✅ A drill I call the question game, showing you how to ask questions real estate agent training never taught, without sounding pushy or rude
✅ How to get past health, family, and money without ever sounding like you're interrogating someone's grandmother
✅ Why generic real estate objection handling for beginners advice falls flat here, and what actually works on reluctant, indecisive sellers

This isn't theory. These are the same real estate objection handling techniques I use on real estate objection handling cold calls every single week, adapted specifically for a seller who says they're ready but hasn't moved an inch. Most real estate objection handling content treats every seller the same way a real estate buyer objection handling conversation gets treated, when this demographic needs a different approach. Think of this as a real estate objection handling course packed into one sit-down conversation, minus the fluff.

Practice the question game before your next call. It works on cold calls, it works on listing appointments, and it works on the seller who's been "thinking about it" for six months.

You already work full days and still wonder how to get more listings as a realtor without burning out. What if the real problem was never your work ethic, but which half of the business you were building?

In this episode I break down the shift that took me from grinding buyer deals to building a listing-based business that runs without me doing everything myself. If you've been trying to figure out how to get more listings by yourself and hitting a ceiling, this is why.

✅ Why listings, not buyers, are the real lever for scaling past 20-40 deals a year
✅ The real estate listing process most agents get backwards, and the one structural fix that changes everything
✅ How a real estate virtual assistant working for a fraction of what you'd pay locally can take tasks off your plate starting today
✅ The truth behind listing agent vs buyer's agent economics, and why one side keeps you working harder for less
✅ Practical real estate agent productivity tips that have nothing to do with waking up earlier or hustling more
✅ What actually happens at a real estate listing appointment when you show up prepared with the right systems behind you
✅ The exact steps for a real estate agent listing process upgrade you can implement this week, no big budget required

This isn't motivational fluff. It's the same mechanism I used to build a real, working system, backed by real numbers, not vague advice. Whether you're wondering how to become a real estate agent who actually controls their time, or you've been in the business for years and still feel stuck doing it all yourself, this breaks down exactly how to get more listings as a realtor without adding a single hour to your week.

You keep hearing that husband and wife real estate team building is the dream. Nobody warns you it can almost end the marriage instead.

This is the real story behind Team Us, the husband and wife real estate team business my wife and I built, and the two years we spent losing $140,000 a month while pretending everything was fine. I'm handing you the actual framework we used to survive it, the seven equities, the wheel of life, and the crunchy conversation neither of us wanted to have.

If you're balancing marriage and businesses right now and feel like the business is winning while the relationship is quietly losing, this one's for you. I walk through what almost broke us, what real husband and wife real estate team communication looks like when the money gets tight, and why waiting for the bonfire moment to talk is the most expensive mistake you can make.

This is a husband and wife real estate team explained from the inside, from someone who almost let pride and temptation wreck two decades of marriage before we rebuilt Team Us on purpose. That's what real husband and wife real estate team building looks like when it's tested by real money and real pressure.

You'll walk away with:
✅ The seven equities framework that protects the marriage as the real asset
✅ How power couple in business communication actually works under pressure
✅ What a crunchy conversation is and why avoiding it nearly cost us everything
✅ Real, non-round numbers from our own collapse and comeback
✅ marriage advice for entrepreneurs and business beyond hustle culture
✅ A straight answer to how to work with your spouse in business without losing either

If you're building a husband and wife real estate team of your own, this is the honest version nobody else tells you.

You know your probate script for realtors cold until a seller throws out a Zillow number and the whole call falls apart in your hands.

That's exactly what happened to one of my agents on a live call, so I stepped in and fixed it in real time.

I built this probate script for realtors after watching too many agents get steamrolled by one line: "Zillow already told me what my house is worth." If you don't have an exact, provable answer for that objection, the call is over before it really started.

In this breakdown I take a real probate roleplay real estate call and correct the exact moment the agent freezes. You'll watch where he lost control, hear the seller's Zillow objection word for word, and get the fix that turns a $60,000 estimate gap into a real conversation.

This isn't theory. It's a real estate cold calling script built from actual numbers, not guesses about what a seller might say.

Here's what you'll walk away with:

✅ The exact rebuttal for when a seller quotes a Zillow number that's off by tens of thousands
✅ A real estate objection handling framework you can run on probate, expired, or any value objection
✅ How to correct a real estate live roleplay without the seller feeling handled
✅ The updated probate leads script 2026 I'm running with my own team right now
✅ Why treating every set of expired listing objections the same way is costing you listings
✅ A repeatable process for how to prospect probate leads without sounding scripted

If you actually want to get better at real estate roleplay, watching someone freeze and get corrected teaches you more than any polished demo call ever will.

Save this one. Then go run it on your next call. 

Most agents never get a real estate value chain explained to them, so when production stalls at the same number year after year, they just assume the fix is more hustle. It isn't. If you're closing deals but can't break past 20 a year while other agents in your market are doing 100, the problem isn't effort. It's how your day is actually built.

This episode breaks down the exact structure Aaron and Jose use to explain why most agents plateau, and what actually changes when you rebuild your business around the right activities instead of the busiest ones.

✅ Why most real estate agent income producing activities get buried under $20 to $30 an hour tasks like admin, showings, and email triage

✅ The real estate agent delegation tips top producers use to protect the handful of things worth $500 to $1,000 an hour

✅ The real numbers behind real estate listing agent vs buyer agent math, and why one side of that equation carries the business

✅ How to actually get better at how to close more listing appointments using a repeatable listing agent role play script, not charisma or luck

✅ The full mental map for how to do 100 deals in real estate, built on real estate agent systems and processes instead of raw grinding

✅ A practical real estate agent blueprint for 100 deals you can use to see exactly where your week is leaking time

Once you see your own real estate value chain explained next to someone producing five times what you are, the plateau stops feeling like a mystery and starts looking like a math problem you can actually solve.

No fluff, no hustle-porn, just the mechanism.

Most agents don't actually know how to call expired listings without sounding like every other agent who already got hung up on today. That fear of getting compared to "the last guy" and coming up short is exactly why your expired list keeps collecting dust instead of turning into signed appointments.

In this episode I walk through a real, live cold calling expired listings script so you can hear exactly how the conversation sounds when it actually works, not just read about it in theory.

✅ You'll hear the exact expired listing cold call script I use to open the call without putting the seller on the defensive
✅ A real real estate roleplay breakdown showing how to handle the moment a seller says "the last agent did everything right"
✅ The specific expired listing motivation questions that separate a seller who's truly ready to sell from one who's just venting
✅ How to work through common expired listing objections without getting pushy or apologetic
✅ Why asking why didn't my house sell the right way uncovers the real reason behind the expired sign, not just the excuse the seller gives you first

This isn't another generic real estate scripts 2026 rundown you've already heard a hundred times. It's a working framework pulled from a real conversation, so if you've been wondering how to get expired listings to list with you without sounding like a telemarketer, this breaks it down piece by piece. If you're building your pipeline this year and want a repeatable way to work expired leads, this how to call expired listings approach is one you can put to use on your very next call.