“The first secret to success is to get started.” – Kortney Wilson

The conventional wisdom in real estate is that social media is increasingly important. However, understanding what social media is and how to be effective with it can be a complex topic. Many real estate professionals fail to take the most important step: getting started.

On this must-listen edition of the Real Estate Mailbag, presented by Wagon Wheel Title, our hosts and distinguished guests explore the fascinating role of social media for real estate professionals. Kortney Wilson of The Kortney Wilson Group with Compass, Maria Recio with Compass, and Marie Lee with REAL Broker are three of Nashville's leading social media influencers in the real estate space, with follower counts to prove it.

From teaching us about the pros and cons of various social media platforms (including their agreed-upon favorite) to explaining how algorithms work, and recommending equipment and software for creating and editing content, to helping real estate professionals discover which approach is likely to pay dividends, this educational experience is not to be missed from some of Nashville’s true gurus! 🏡

“There is no silver bullet to adding value to your house. All of the things that give you a list of ‘do this one thing’ – they are lies, and they are clickbait.” — Peter Matteson

On this episode of The Real Estate Mailbag presented by Wagon Wheel Title, our hosts and distinguished guests explore the topic of home renovations. Murn Roberts with the Morrell Property Collective at Compass, Jacob Jones with MW Real Estate and Peter Matteson, co-founder of Greenwood BAM, share the good, bad, and the upside down of buying, selling and actually doing home renovations with the focus on speculative renovations that are being offered for sale. Our panelists guide us through the analysis that goes into any renovation, and share with our listeners how they navigate the many decisions inherent in the remodeling process. Our guests also share their biggest mistakes, their home runs, and the criteria that now guide their decisions. Our guests candidly, and often humorously, share their hard-won insights and opinions, especially with respect to budgeting and return on investment, various current design trends, and why they love what they do even when it’s hard.

On this episode of The Real Estate Mailbag presented by Wagon Wheel Title, our hosts and distinguished guests explore the unique opportunities and challenges involved when the client is a high-profile – and often privacy sensitive - professional athlete.  Ali Noel, Amber Stormberg and Jen Daniels are all authorities when in comes to working with professional athletes.  Tune in to learn what a real estate practice with a heavy dose of this type of representation is really like: the good, the bad, and the fact that often no one will hear about either because of NDAs!  If you listen carefully, they will also give you the roadmap to their successes.  

On this episode of The Real Estate Mailbag presented by Wagon Wheel Title, our hosts and distinguished guests explore a topic at the center of one of Mark Twain’s most oft-repeated quotes: “Buy land, they’re not making it anymore.”

Today’s panelists, Dan McEwen, Principal Broker at The McEwen Group, and Tom Sullivan, Broker and Founder of Covey Rise Properties, are two of the most recognized in the industry for their expertise in acquiring and selling some of the largest and most expensive tracts of land in Tennessee, and for working on some of the state’s most complex real estate transactions.

Dan McEwen’s roots in the industry go back generations, and while Tom Sullivan has only been working in the space for the last five years, you’d swear he’s been at it much longer!  Tuning in, you’ll find out what you need to know when buying land, whether it’s 100 acres or a “hobby farm,” why Tennessee is such an attractive market, and how interest rates – and entitlements, water features, topography, etc - affect land values. Tom and Dan also give you the lowdown on why land is a great investment (in the words of Tom, “You can put Gordon Gekko on Wall Street up against our returns on land and we’ll squash him!”), how they position their listings for the right buyers, who those buyers are, and much more. Join us as we interview two of the best in the real estate industry and bring you the tips, tricks, stories, and news you need to excel in your real estate career!

And as always, we promise you’ll learn something new, and laugh at least a time or two.  In addition to being titanic real estate rockstars, our guests on this episode also often dazzle with wit reminiscent of Mr. Twain!

On this episode of The Real Estate Mailbag presented by Wagon Wheel Title, our hosts and distinguished guests explore what it’s been like to be a relatively new real estate agent (less than 5 years) navigating what one panelist describes as four different markets in just the last 2 years alone!

Our panelists for this episode are Mike Grayson, senior associate broker with Tyler York Real Estate Brokers, LLC,  Lynn Smith, affiliate broker with Compass, and Kendra Nitz, affiliate broker and Director of Operations for Re/Max Homes and Estates, Lipman Group.

These agents are true real estate rockstars, recommended to the podcast by top brokers in Nashville for being shining examples of agents who achieved tremendous success quickly in their real estate careers.  In fact, one panelist tells the story of how he had his first closing all of two weeks after completing his licensing.  These agents have been able to maintain and scale their early successes, even as the overall real estate market has become much more challenging as a result, mostly, of interest rates that have risen more quickly and more steeply than at any other juncture in history, eclipsing 8% in late October ’23.

So, join us for a fascinating discussion about what it takes to succeed in the current real estate industry, what caused each of our distinguished panelists to take the plunge, as well as to hear invaluable insights and advice that is truly priceless for anyone struggling to navigate the current real estate market.  As always, there is no shortage of candor, humor, humility, and words of encouragement grounded in real life lessons and experiences.

And as always, we promise you’ll learn something new, and laugh at least a time or two!

On this episode of The Real Estate Mailbag presented by Wagon Wheel Title, our hosts and distinguished guests explore various hot topics, but the main event is a fascinating and lively discussion about the state of Nashville’s new construction home market, the unique joys and travails of focusing on new home sales, as well as a deep dive into design trends and the general state of the new construction market (with a focus on the luxury market).  A topic on the minds of many: what properties are selling in a tougher market with 7%+ mortgage interest rates?

Our guests for this episode are another trio of true real estate rockstars and thought leaders who many real estate professionals seek out for their advice and insights, especially around topics like design trends and professional development.  The thread that unites these panelists is that they each have spent the majority of their careers working with developers – and usually developers who focus on luxury, semi-custom and custom homes and large scale vertical development.  

Our panelists for this episode are Lacey Newman, who is the co-founder of the Heard Newman Team with Compass, as well as the founder of Elevated Agents – an online community for agents that she will tell us more about on this episode; Gabe Nies, an interior designer with JP Designs and NIES Design, in addition to being a realtor with Compass;  and Ivy Arnold, a new construction design consultant and Realtor with Engel & Völkers, who is another of Music City’s top-producing agents who has sold almost a billion dollars of property in her storied career. 

So, join us for a fascinating discussion about buying and selling new construction property, and what it’s like representing developers and homebuilders – including some valuable advice to agents currently seeking to enter this space.  Our panelists will also react to recent hot topic headlines, share their views about the important of social media/being behind a camera, offer opinions on potential conflicts of interests when involved with new construction sales, and also offer some priceless advice for realtors looking to make it in a tougher market with 20+ year high interest rates.  Our panelists also tell us about how they stay on the cutting edge of real estate trends, how and where they get their news, and offer perspective on why the human element can never be underappreciated in the current market.

As always, we promise you’ll learn something new, and laugh at least a time or two!

On this episode of The Real Estate Mailbag presented by Wagon Wheel Title, our hosts and distinguished guests explore various hot topics, and the main event is a fascinating discussion regarding real estate teams by some of Nashville’s leading real estate team leaders.  Our guests for this episode are real estate rockstars, trendsetters, and highly respected team leaders: Amy Gill & Pete Jones (Co-Founders of Domus Nashville and Domus Development Group),  Erin Krueger (Founder of The Erin Krueger Team with Compass), and Jennifer Weinberg (Co-Founder of Living True Home Group with MW Real Estate Co.).  While many are drawn to real estate sales careers by the promise of a glamorous lifestyle (think “Selling Sunset”) and unlimited earnings, our guests have rather different motivations and provide priceless advice for what it takes to really succeed, and sustain, in real estate AND life more broadly.

So, join us for a fascinating discussion about real estate careers, and the pros and cons of being an individual agent, team member, or team founder/team lead.  Our panelists will also react to recent headlines, including candid thoughts about the state of the condominium market in Nashville, Warren Buffett’s recent purchase of $814 million in investments in three publicly traded homebuilders, and other (local) sales trends and market data.  Also, learn where these thought leaders go for their real estate news, and their thoughtful, and often humorous, career advice for new agents and those who are now struggling in a much more difficult market that is likely to persist until interest rates ease significantly. 

As always, we promise you’ll learn something new, and laugh at least a time or two!

On this episode of The Real Estate Mailbag presented by Wagon Wheel Title, our hosts and distinguished guests explore what it takes to make it in real estate.  Our guests for this episode are true real estate rockstars and thought leaders: Brian Copeland (Founder of Doorbell Real Estate), Lisa Landyn (Founder and President of The Luxe Collective) and George Rowe (Principal Broker and Sales Manager at Compass Real Estate).  While many are drawn to real estate sales careers by the promise of greater autonomy and unlimited earnings, our panelists offer priceless advice that can only come from hard-won experience.  As Brian Copeland puts it, “Don’t do a job. We all hate work. Do what you love. Your job should fit into what you love.” 

So, join us for a fascinating discussion about real estate careers, including the importance of being, in the words of George Rowe, “coachable.”  In this episode you will hear the panelists respond to recent headlines, including the use of AI in real estate sales (spoiler alert:  Mr. Copeland, who is something of a tech guru, is not overly impressed with ChatGPT).  Also, learn where these thought leaders go for their real estate news, their advice on making sense of often contradictory real estate data, and their tips and ideas for how real estate agents can up their game and be more profitable (for any who are unfamiliar with Ms. Landyn’s social media, it is certainly worth a look).  We also explore some hot topics – such as how our distinguished panelists handle key handovers at the closing table, situations related to escrowed funds and MIPAs.

We promise you’ll learn something new, and laugh at least a time or two. 

And bonus feature: former GNAR and TAR President Brian Copeland creates a new jingle for the Real Estate Mailbag (off the cuff), and it’s not to be missed!