Connie Mack World Series: Small Town, Big Impact

In this episode of The Den, the Lyons Group dives into the heart and history of the Connie Mack World Series in Farmington, New Mexico. With co-hosts Ben “The Big Bambino” Lyons, Shannon “The Boss” Martinez, and Paul “Hand Me the Rock” Barry, the conversation celebrates the tournament’s deep roots in the community, its impact on families, and the unforgettable memories it creates for players and residents alike.

KEY TAKEAWAYS
• Connie Mack World Series has been held in Farmington for over 60 years
• The tournament hosts top 18U baseball players from across the country
• Farmington residents serve as host families for players
• The event boosts local economy with full hotels and restaurants
• MLB stars like Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Trout have played in the series
• The town hosts parades and festivities that make lasting memories for players
• Host families often stay connected with players for years
• The tournament creates potential for new residents to discover and fall in love with Farmington
• Social media and marketing efforts are helping grow the event
• Community pride and tradition make Farmington the ideal home for the series

BEST MOMENTS
00:00:04. “Today we're going to be talking about Connie Mack.”
00:01:56. “These are the best of the best high school players across the country.”
00:02:26. “Ken Griffey Jr played here. Barry Larkins, Mike Trout.”
00:03:29. “We become the adoptive parents for that week and a half.”
00:05:24. “I have fallen in love with this area.”
00:07:02. “It was really eye opening. I was thinking, yeah, this is fun.”
00:10:03. “You've got white pants again and red dirt, like, what do I do?”
00:11:27. “I will never forget my time in Farmington, New Mexico.”
00:14:55. “Bracy, your daughter... this her second time? Second time she did the national anthem.”
00:19:57. “It's a community wide thing, which is really impactful.”

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In this episode of The Den, Ben and the Lyons Group dive deep into the realities of adversity and personal growth. Joined by co-hosts Paul, Shannon, and Aspen, the team shares raw and vulnerable stories of facing hardship, learning from pain, and finding clarity through challenge. From toxic workplaces to early parenthood and the lingering impact of military service, this conversation explores how struggle can break us, or build us into someone stronger.

• Why adversity is essential for growth

• Shannon’s experience with workplace toxicity and reclaiming her value

• Aspen’s story of teen motherhood and learning to trust her gut

• Paul’s insight on living with PTSD after military service

• The difference between helicopter and lawnmower parenting

• Why silence can be a powerful choice

• How self-awareness helps heal emotional injuries

• Learning not to become the version others try to define for you

• The power of surrounding yourself with people who see your worth

• How adversity creates clarity about what you truly want

Best Moments:

00:00:39. “I ain’t scared. Okay. We’re ready. Facing adversity. Iron sharpens iron. Is that how you say that, Paul?”

00:02:31. “Not everything has to be difficult sometimes or take on the world.”

00:03:04. “Should you rob yourself of the opportunity to grow through adversity? Or should you face it with a smile?”

00:05:15. “You kind of start shrinking. You kind of start becoming smaller.”

00:07:54. “I will never, I will never in my life allow myself to be run into the ground by somebody else.”

00:09:17. “You become the person that you think other people think you are instead of who you really are.”

00:14:08. “I am 16 years old. So I stuck to my guns and I had everyone in my family was telling me to get married. I didn’t.”

00:15:17. “If someone even looks at me sideways now, I’m like, yeah.”

00:21:30. “It’s not a decision. It’s just something that you’re, it’s kind of like a handicap.”

00:28:13. “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”

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KEY TAKEAWAYS:
• Dogs can be an effective first line of defense, even small or non-aggressive ones
• Security cameras offer peace of mind and real-time alerts
• Carbon monoxide and smoke detectors must be functional and up to date
• Radon is a silent danger and a major cause of lung cancer
• Lighting and visibility around entry points reduce intruder risks
• Cluttered homes can block escape routes in emergencies
• Knowing your neighbors improves neighborhood safety
• Social media discretion is vital for personal safety
• Code words are critical for emergency family communication
• Awareness and planning are more valuable than gadgets alone

BEST MOMENTS:
00:00:06. “My first defense is Oliver and Maggie. The dogs.”
00:02:16. “I have like a kitchen knife in between my mattress. So if someone ever intrudes like, oh, no bed knife.”
00:03:42. “But once you get behind the courtyard door and you have all kinds of shrubs and bushes before you get to your front door, there’s some potential for someone to be hiding.”
00:04:29. “What I see a lot of is disconnected or, missing smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors.”
00:06:00. “How do you get out of your home? And those things should be thought through right now.”
00:08:01. “Even if you don’t have a mean dog... just having a dog that yaps and alerts people, they become a problem for an intruder.”
00:09:08. “My security cameras stopped a person with the gun from coming into my house because I saw it on my phone and ran over.”
00:14:10. “All of a sudden everybody’s getting sick and, headaches, throwing up... 500 parts per million carbon monoxide.”
00:19:12. “Radon is actually radioactive... second leading cause of lung cancer behind smoking.”
00:28:09. “I remember one thing that we had when we were kids was a code word... that’s how I know it’s you.”

Website: sjcbroker.com

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From wedding photography to yoga studios to flipping houses and selling real estate, the team shares hard-earned wisdom on how to build a thriving business without losing yourself or your family in the process.

KEY TAKEAWAYS
• Entrepreneurship offers freedom but comes with relentless responsibility
• Turning your hobby into a job can ruin your passion
• Real estate agents are entrepreneurs with no guaranteed paycheck
• You must actively protect time with family and for yourself
• Boundaries like Do Not Disturb hours are essential for mental health
• Burnout is real and affects the quality of service you provide
• True balance means being present, not just available
• Entrepreneurship means constant multitasking and emotional investment
• Take real vacations and delegate responsibilities
• Prioritize quality time before it's too late

BEST MOMENTS
00:00:01. “You can't walk away from work and still expect to have a business left intact.”
00:02:10. “To be a real estate agent or a realtor, you have to have that spirit in you to get up every day unemployed and find your business.”
00:03:27. “There's no roof. There's no limit. You know what you want to do. Where you want to be is where you can go.”
00:05:01. “The pro is you can work anywhere. The con is you can work anywhere.”
00:07:02. “Sometimes I would teach classes in Farmington, Dolores, and Telluride all in the same day.”
00:09:27. “If you have too much of a safety net, you won't fully commit to it.”
00:14:10. “Shannon was just on the phone the entire time again.”
00:16:17. “If I have a drink of alcohol, my phone is on Do Not Disturb.”
00:20:15. “This might sound even harsh, but like, this doesn't really matter.”
00:23:11. “You can't pour from an empty cup.”

Website: sjcbroker.com

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From former drug labs and marijuana grow houses to mold, radon, and even haunted properties, this roundtable tackles the murky world of real estate disclosures. You'll hear stories about clandestine conditions, meth-laced bathtubs, untraceable mold damage, and whether you need to tell buyers if someone died on the property.

This isn’t just about creepy houses. It’s a wake-up call for both buyers and sellers. What you don’t know, or don’t disclose, can cost you.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Clandestine real estate refers to properties with a hidden illicit or improper history (e.g. drug production, grow operations).
• Legal marijuana use in a home can still create problems with mold, wiring, insurance, and title coverage.
• Mold can be caused by indoor humidity from grow lights or overwatering, even in dry climates like New Mexico.
• Meth houses may require full remediation, including new plumbing, ductwork, and drywall.
• Deaths in a home do not have to be disclosed unless requested by the buyer, but murder and haunting might come with neighborhood gossip.
• Registered sex offenders in neighboring homes must be looked up by buyers. The burden is on them, not the seller or realtor.
• Real estate agents are not allowed to comment on crime rates or neighborhood quality due to fair housing regulations.
• The best rule of thumb: if you would want to know about it as a buyer, you should probably disclose it as a seller.

BEST MOMENTS

00:05:38 “Imagine moving into a meth house where they’ve used the tub to do that stuff, and then putting your kids in there.”
00:06:00 “Cigarettes are more harmful than weed. Tar gets into everything.”
00:07:20 “Grow pots cemented into the ground. That house was auctioned, no disclosures, but it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out something was off.”
00:13:28 “Would you really need to disclose five marijuana plants if they’re legal? It’s like owning a cat. Some people are allergic.”
00:20:08 “Me and my brothers developed asthma living in a moldy mobile home. We didn’t know until much later.”
00:25:15 “You don’t have to disclose a neighborhood murder, but the neighbor will probably tell them anyway.”
00:27:01 “A sex offender moved in next door, and the buyers had five kids. I had to say something. My conscience couldn’t let it go.”

Website: sjcbroker.com

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From blind bidding in Scotland to 99-year land leases in China and cash-only builds in Mexico, this roundtable dives into the surprising real estate norms across the globe. You'll hear about laws that ban Sunday home sales, homes without kitchens, and foreign ownership restrictions that challenge everything we assume about buying property.

This isn’t just a global tour of real estate practices. It's a deeper look at how spoiled we are in the U.S., and how different the rules of the game are in other countries.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• In China, buyers can own a building but not the land. Most land is leased for 70 years at a time.
• Many countries do not offer 30-year mortgages. Shorter terms and large down payments are more common.
• In Mexico and parts of Europe, homes are often built over time with cash, not loans.
• Interest rates in other countries often range from 10 to 20 percent, making U.S. rates feel low by comparison.
• In Germany, renters are expected to install and remove their own kitchen fixtures.
• Japan has a population decline, with over 15 percent of homes sitting vacant. Some are being sold for next to nothing.
• Foreigners cannot own land in Indonesia or the Philippines unless partnered with a local citizen.
• In Italy, working in real estate on Sundays is against the law.
• France protects iconic views by making it illegal to block the Eiffel Tower.
• Countries like Spain are seeing protests over foreign investors buying up homes and worsening local housing shortages.
• The U.S. faces similar second-home investor pressure in towns like Telluride and Durango.

BEST MOMENTS

05:38 “You don’t actually own the land, you’re leasing it... for millions of dollars. That’s wild.”
11:42 “Interest rates at 10 to 20 percent? We’re over here complaining about 6 or 7.”
17:04 “In Germany, when you rent, they don’t include a kitchen. You bring your own, and take it with you.”
21:32 “In Scotland, it’s blind bidding. You don’t even talk to the seller, it’s all done through formal letters.”
24:02 “Japan has a 15 percent vacancy rate. They’re just giving away homes to anyone who will take them.”
27:08 “If fewer people are having kids, who’s going to buy the homes we invest in 30 years from now?”

If you enjoyed the show, please hit that subscribe button and leave a comment about your experiences with real estate in other countries. We’d love to hear what it’s like where you live.

To connect with the Lyons Group, visit https://sgcbroker.com and schedule a consultation. Whether you're buying or selling, residential or commercial, we’re here to give you a real advantage.

Website: sjcbroker.com

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Forget the national headlines. In this market update episode of The Den, the team breaks down what is really happening in San Juan County. From rising prices to shifting buyer power and surprising commission trends, you will hear exactly what you need to know to make smart real estate decisions in 2025. Whether you are buying, selling, or investing, this episode gives you clear, local insights you cannot afford to miss.

🔍 Topics we cover:

✔ Why San Juan County remains a seller’s market

✔ Local price trends compared to the national average

✔ Why buyers are walking away after home inspections

✔ How commissions have changed after the 2024 settlement

✔ The slowdown in new construction and what it means for buyers

✔ Smart strategies for navigating Q3 and Q4 of 2025

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🔍 Topics we cover:

✔ Matching communication style to your client

✔ The risks of texting big news like terminations

✔ When a call is better than a quick message

✔ How to handle awkward silences

✔ Why listening is the most powerful skill in real estate

✔ The art of delivering tough feedback without burning bridges

Website: sjcbroker.com

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If you're considering buying rural property, don’t make a move without listening to this episode first. The team at The Den covers the essential things every buyer should know when venturing outside the city limits. From funny stories to hard-learned lessons, this conversation is packed with tips that could save you serious money and headaches down the road.

In this episode, we cover:

✅ Why rural utilities aren’t as simple as “just turning on the water”
✅ Septic systems, propane tanks, and the joys of well water
✅ How to avoid a shotgun-blasted well (yes, really)
✅ The problem with handshake road maintenance deals
✅ What happens when your dream home is 90 feet in the wrong place
✅ Lender and insurance red flags in rural areas
✅ Why a staked survey could save your deal
✅ The USDA loan: rural lending's best-kept secret
✅ Zoning surprises and why your neighbor’s goats matter
✅ What not to assume about fire stations and ambulance response times

Whether you’re a first-time buyer, a seasoned investor, or just curious about country living, this episode will give you plenty to think about.

Website: sjcbroker.com

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In this episode of The Den, powered by The Lyons Group, we pull back the curtain on the real estate profession and share what we truly love and hate about this industry.

We kick things off with a few laughs as we introduce the full crew: Ben Lyons, Paul Barry, Shannon Martin, and Aspen Groen. Each of us shares the personal highs and lows that come with life in real estate. From the freedom to build your own business to the frustration of relocation deals, we dive into the real moments that define this career.

Aspen reflects on the flexibility and creativity that drew her to real estate in the first place. She explains how refreshing it is to test new ideas, pivot when needed, and shine on her own terms. But she also shares her biggest dislike: relocation contracts. They often mean more work, less pay, and endless red tape.

Shannon brings heart to the conversation by describing her love for working with first-time homebuyers. She talks about the joy of helping families transition from renting to owning, and why those moments are more meaningful than any commission check. On the flip side, she opens up about how draining it can be to manage conflict throughout a transaction, especially when everyone involved feels like they are getting the short end of the deal.

Paul shares a different angle, highlighting the leadership and community-building opportunities real estate provides. He is passionate about serving at the state association level and mentoring the next generation of industry leaders. But like many agents, he also vents about clients who ignore professional advice, especially when it costs everyone time, energy, and money.

Ben closes the discussion by sharing what fuels his passion: the incredible people he gets to work with. Clients become family, and each transaction carries a story. Still, he is honest about how difficult it can be to deal with toxic personalities and industry politics that try to pull you into unnecessary drama.

If you have ever wondered what it is really like behind the scenes in real estate, this episode is packed with authentic insights, funny stories, and the kind of honesty that only comes from years in the trenches.

If you enjoy our content, please consider leaving a five-star review and visiting sjcbroker.com for more resources or to schedule a private consultation with The Lyons Group. Thank you for listening to this episode of The Den!

Website: sjcbroker.com

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