In this episode, Geordie shines a light on the silent deal-killer every commercial real estate broker feels but rarely quantifies: the hidden cost of a fragmented tech stack. Design Lead at Duxre, Ana Markovic — PhD in Computer Science from the University of York and veteran of unifying broken systems at the United Nations and in maritime — explains how brokers close multi-million-dollar deals on relationships and gut instinct, only to return to their desks for hours of manual copy-paste, spreadsheet juggling, and app-switching that drains time and leaks opportunities.

Ana reveals the real problem isn’t that any single tool is bad — it’s the missing “seams” between them. Leads from portals like LoopNet must be manually entered into CRMs, follow-ups logged elsewhere, and digital presence managed across logins. This invisible labor creates frustration, lost information, and the biggest hidden cost of all: time that should be spent building relationships. Her simple but powerful advice? Spend one day logging every manual interaction — that list becomes your exact roadmap for what to fix first.

Key Takeaways:

• Track every manual task for a full day to expose your biggest time leaks and create a clear fix roadmap.

• Shift from fragmented apps to a single-source-of-truth operating system that automatically syncs inquiries, suggests timely follow-ups, and eliminates context switching.

• Stop renting leads on big portals that boost their own brands — own your data, your SEO, and your leads with a personal branded website connected to your platform.

• True AI for brokers means niche agents that save real time and move toward predictive insights, not just flashy chatbots.

• Embrace the AI era: nobody gets replaced by AI, but brokers who use it effectively will come out on top.

About Ana Markovic
Ana Markovic is the Design Lead (and front-end pod leader) at Duxre, where she turns her PhD in distributed systems and decade of experience simplifying complex operational tools into beautiful, broker-first technology. From unifying broken workflows at the United Nations to streamlining maritime systems in the Middle East, she now focuses on giving commercial real estate brokers back their time so they can do what they do best — build relationships and close deals.

Recommended URLs
• Duxre (company homepage) – https://duxre.com/
• LoopNet – https://www.loopnet.com/
• Claude AI – https://claude.ai/
• Figma – https://www.figma.com/ (includes Figma Make)

Also available on YouTube