Latest / The Real Estate Agent Playbook / AI, Brokerage Consolidation, and the Future of Real Estate Agents

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AI, Brokerage Consolidation, and the Future of Real Estate Agents · The Real Estate Agent Playbook

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the real estate agent industry is changing fast
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brokerages are consolidating
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AI is moving into the daily workflow of agents
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lawsuits are challenging how listings are marketed
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and a lot of the agents are about to get blindsided
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and are still treating this business like it's 2,019
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and while all of this has been happening
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I've been quiet on this channel
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not because nothing was going on
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actually it was the opposite
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I stepped back because I needed to get clear on where I was going
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what I was building and what agents actually need right here right now
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the agents who win the next chapter of real estate
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will not be the agents chasing every single
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shiny tool they will be the agents who know how to use the tools
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to deepen the relationships
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create consistency and protect their clients and build a real business
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so today I want to give you an update where I've been
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what we've been building what's happening in the industry
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as everything seems to be consolidating
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and why I believe the future of real estate is not dead
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but it's definitely changing
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and if you are not paying attention
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the business is going to get very uncomfortable
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so let's get into it first
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let's start with where I've been
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I've not been as consistent on this channel as I want to be
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and I could give you the typical creator excuse of being busy
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but that would only be part of the story
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the truth is
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I was reestablishing the direction of my business and this channel
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I didn't want to just come back and make more videos
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for the sake of making videos
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there's already enough noise in the industry
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every day there's a new guru
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a new tool a new lead source
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a new AI prompt a new CRM
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a new course a new model
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a new panic button really
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and ultimately maybe a new monster brokerage
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and most agents do not need more noise
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they need clarity they need execution
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they need a real operating system
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so I took the time to get clear on what I actually wanted
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this channel to become and moving forward
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this channel is not just going to be about brokerage conversations
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or about organically generation
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is going to be about helping
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real estate agents build businesses that actually work
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not businesses held together by motivation
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caffeine and a CRM they forgot to log into for the last six months
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real businesses with systems
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with relationships
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responsible technology and ultimately collaboration
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real leadership
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and with a path that does not burn you into the ground
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just so you can say you had a good year
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because let's be honest a lot of agents are making money
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a lot of agents are top producers
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and they still feel completely out of control
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and that is a problem now on the production side
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I've been still been very active
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we recently closed the largest transaction in my career
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a 2.1 million dollar sale in Platt Park right here in Denver
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that was a huge milestone
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and I am extremely grateful for that long term relationship
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and that listing
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but it has not all been highlight reels and closing smiles
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we've also had some very real
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very frustrating things happen
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we had a listing get burglarized
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we had some staging items stolen
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uh we've had the normal chaos
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that comes with actually being in production
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and solving real problems for clients
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because apparently selling real estate was not chaotic enough
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someone had to add crime scene coordinator to the job description
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but honestly
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that is part of why I still believe being in production matters
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I'm not coaching from the press box
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I'm still on the field I'm still dealing with clients
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I'm still negotiating contracts
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I'm still handling problems
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I'm still seeing where agents are getting stuck
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as my organization is only grown
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and that matters
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because the things we are building are not being built from theory
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they're being built from real pain points
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real gaps real conversations and real frustrations
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but they do lead to real opportunities
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and that's what I'm excited to share with you
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and the more I looked at where agents are struggling
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the more obvious it became
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most agents do not need another random tool
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they need a business that can actually support the tools
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because right now a lot of agents are overwhelmed
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they have too many platforms
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too many logins too many tabs and too many unfinished systems
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too many lead sources they are not following up with
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too many AI tools they do not understand
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and not enough actual execution
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and with all these memberships comes a pretty hefty Bill
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they're buying CRMs they do not use
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they're signing up for AI tools that they do not supervise
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and they're spending more time building systems
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and operating their business
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and AI has actually made this much worse for some people
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because now instead of avoiding the work manually
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they are automating the avoidance
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that is not leverage that is chaos with a monthly subscription fee
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and I want to be real clear on this
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AI will not fix a broken business
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it will just help you break it faster
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if you do not have a database
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you don't have discipline to be in it
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AI will not magically create those relationships
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if you do not have a follow up strategy
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AI will not magically make people trust you
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if you do not understand your client experience
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AI will not turn you into an advisor
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and if you're not careful
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AI can create a compliance problem
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a client problem and a reputation problem
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possibly all three because there
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apparently one problem at a time would be too convenient
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so a big part of what I've been focused on is building real tools
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in real environments that help agents operate better
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that starts with Carbon Collective
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we have been refining Carbon Collective
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to become one of the most collaborative
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collections of real estate agents
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from across the world not just agents who happen to wear the same logo
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not just people who are in technically the same brokerage model
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but real agents helping each other win every single day
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people sharing what is working
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top producers opening up their playbooks
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agents across different markets
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collaborating instead of trying to figure out everything on their own
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because this business can be very isolating
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if you let it you can be surrounded by people still
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and still feel like you're building by yourself
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collaboration is the key to success in the new real estate industry
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and I do not think that is how the next generation of agents win
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the future is not just individual production
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the future is collaboration
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the future is proximity
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the future is being around people who are playing at a high level
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and willing to share what is actually working
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right here right now
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that is also why we launched our Diamond Call within Carbon Collective
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this is a space for top producers to collaborate
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grow and sharpen each other
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and it has been really cool to watch
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because when you put serious operators in the same room
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the conversation changes
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it is not surface level motivation or fake hype
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it is not everybody pretending they have it all figured out
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it is real strategy what is working
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what is not working where are agents getting stuck
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and how people adapting to this market
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and how are people adapting to this market
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how are people using systems
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how are they building teams
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how are people creating leverage
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this is a kind of environment serious agents need
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the future of brokerage is not just about who has the most tools
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it is about who creates the best environment for serious agents
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to grow tools matter
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tech matters compensation matters
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but culture collaboration
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execution matter just as much
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maybe more and the Diamond call
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has put the microphone in some of the top producer's hands
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to share their secrets now
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another major piece
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we've been building is the CRM side of the business
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we've launched a CRM solution partnered with Lofty cause
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agents need usable tools not another pretty dashboard they ignore
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not another platform that gets set up once
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and then they abandon it on month three
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not another contact graveyard where leads go to die
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next to drip campaigns from 2021
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a real business hub
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because your CRM should not be a place where names sit
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it should help you run your business
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it should help you organize your database
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manage your pipelines track your opportunities
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support your transactions
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create a follow up create client nurture
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and help you stay in relationship with people long after the closing
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cause this is where I think agents are missing it
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the agent with the biggest database does not automatically win
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the agent with the most intentional relationship systems win there
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are agents with thousands of people in their database who are broke
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and there are agents with smaller databases who are crushing it
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because they actually communicate with people
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they follow up they create value
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they pay attention and they know who is moving
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they know who owns what and they know who needs help
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they know who should be having a real estate review
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and they also know who needs a vendor
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they know who is about to make a life transition
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and that is absolutely key in this business
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that is the business the relationship is the asset
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the CRM is just the operating system to protect it
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and if your CRM is not helping you create more conversations
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and more trust then it's just not doing its job
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and at the end of the day
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a solid CRM can help you monitor all of these things and tell you
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all of these things are coming up
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whether it's a home anniversary
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whether it's somebody you haven't reached out to for six months
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these tools matter and some of them
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unfortunately
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on the free CRMs offered by your brokerage are suppressed
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so you don't have the option to do that
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that is why we found a different tool
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to give you a fully unlocked CRM
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to help you do these things
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and have it operate to its fullest potential
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then comes Prop AI and this is probably one of the most exciting
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things we are working on but is also where I am the most cautious
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because AI in real estate is going to be massive
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there's no question about that
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agentic AI is here cloud code is here
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automation is becoming easier
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AI agents are going to become more common inside of real estate
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businesses and agents are going to have to
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access tools that can handle more backend admin
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than ever before but here's the part we cannot skip
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AI needs oversight and guardrails
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compliance is a big deal AI needs ethical use by you as the agent
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AI needs to protect the client relationship and not cheapen it
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we are building prop AI around the idea that AI
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agents can help real estate professionals
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take admin work off of their plate
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but the keyword is help AI should not replace judgment
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it should not replace responsibility
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it should not remove the human relationship from real estate
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it should support it
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and this is the distinction I think every agent needs to understand
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if you use AI to avoid your clients
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you're going to lose if you use AI to pour more time in your clients
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you're going to win that is the line
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Use AI to organize the back end and summarize your notes
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use it to help with task management and prepare follow up
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use AI to create workflows
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Use AI to clean up the repetitive admin that steals your time
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but do not use it as an excuse to stop being a professional
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do not use it do not use AI to fake relationships
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do not use AI to blast people with lazy messages
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do not use AI to make promises you have not reviewed
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and ultimately do not use it to create client facing content
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with absolutely no oversight
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because the license is still yours
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the reputation is still yours and the relationship is still yours
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own that trust because that's all you have in this business
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and trust is the whole game
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now while all of this has been happening
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our businesses the industry has been moving fast
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really fast
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Real broker announced a definitive agreement to acquire Remax
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and that is massive
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that's a massive consolidation move in our industry
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the announcement says the transaction implies
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an enterprise value of Remax Holdings for approximately $880 million
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and would create a techno
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technology enabled
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global real estate platform called Real Remax Group
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that is not small news that is a major signal
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the most trusted brand in our industry has raised their hand
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and decided they need more tech
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after being purchased by a much smaller company
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I want to be clear I have great
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great friends at both companies
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so I'm not here to throw rocks
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I hope it becomes a good thing for the agents
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inside both organizations
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but whether you are at Real Remax
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EXP Compass
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Anywhere Brands Keller Williams or an independent brokerage
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you need to pay attention to what this means
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the industry is consolidating and it's consolidating fast
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models are changing technology
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companies and brokerage companies are becoming harder to separate
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the scale matters the data matters
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platforms matter distribution matters
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and companies are clearly
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trying to position themselves for the next version of real estate
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then my company EXP World Holdings
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acquires Next home and announce the agent ticker change
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that brings the franchise model into the broader EXP ecosystem
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while continuing to support the cloud based brokerage model
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similar to the real Remax collaboration
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and
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I actually had the opportunity to sit down with the CEO of Next Home
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and will tell you this I think there's real potential here
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not because everything magically works when companies combine
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that is not how this works
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culture matters and execution matters at the highest level
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but it starts with communication and it starts with trust done right
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I believe there's real opportunity to build a bridge between strong
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franchise operators and the cloud based model
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and that could become very
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interesting example of where the industry is headed
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because the future may not be one model destroying every other model
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the future may be multiple models
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finding a way to serve different types of agents better
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some agents want a franchise environment
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some agents want the cloud based fast paced tech environment
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some agents want local ownership
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and some agents want national or global collaboration
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some agents want more independence and some agents want more structure
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there's not gonna be a real estate agent
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that's the same just because of these large mergers
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and the companies that can give agents more choice
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while still providing real systems and support
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are going to have an advantage
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but again the company alone is not the answer
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the brokerage model alone is not the answer
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the agent still has to know how to operate and how they operate best
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that is the part we cannot forget
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you can be at the best company in the world
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and still have a weak business
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you can have great tools and still not use them
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you can have access to collaboration and still stay stay isolated
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you can have AI and still fail to follow up
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you can have a CRM and still not call your clients
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and that's where this gets interesting
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so yes consolidation matters
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yes the brokerage landscape matters
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yes the company that you align with matter
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but the agents operating system matters too
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above culture above growth and above all of the other things
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individual agents as 1099 contractors
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need to have the systems to make their business work
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and that brings us to the other thing agents need to watch litigation
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MLS rules private listings
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consumer transparency inventory access
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this is not just some boring legal sidebar
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this could shape how listings are marketed
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how consumers find homes
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and how agents explain their value and how inventory is controlled
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Zillow recently filed a federal anti trust lawsuit against IMRAD
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and compass around private listings and listing access
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now there will obviously be a legal argument around all of this
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from both sides there's not me to be judge
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jury and courtroom sketch artist
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but agents need to understand the bigger point
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inventory
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access is becoming one of the biggest battlegrounds in real estate
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and who knows where it's going to go
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who controls the listing where does the listing show up
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what does a consumer get to see
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when does a listing become public
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what is the seller's best interest
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what is the buyer's best interest
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what does the MLS require
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what does the brokerage allow
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what does transparency actually mean
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these questions matter and they are not going away
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so agents cannot afford to be casual about listing strategies
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you need to understand the rules in your market
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you need to understand your MLS policies
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because they could be completely different from the headlines
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you need to understand what you are recommending to sellers
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and you need to understand the pros and cons of exposure exclusivity
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timing and strategy most
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most importantly
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you need to be able to explain it clearly to your clients
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because their opinion is really all that matters
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and their best interest is yours
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because the future agent is not just someone who opens doors
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and fills out forms the future agent is an advisor
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and advisors understand the game being played around them
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so what does all of this mean
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AI brokerage consolidation
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private listings MLS disputes
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new tools new models
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new platforms what does this actually mean for the individual agent
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trying to build a business
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do you need to become more than a salesperson
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you need to become a relationship manager
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a strategist technology operator
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a client advocate a local expert
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a business owner and that may sound like a lot
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but here's the good news you do not need to become a tech company
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you need to become an agent
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who knows how to use technology to serve people at the highest level
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that is the future
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the agents who will win will not be the agents who automate the most
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they will be the ones who use automation to create more trust
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and consistency plus communication
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more client care more follow up
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more value more human connection
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that is where I think this industry is going because as AI gets better
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generic agents become easier to replace
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but trusted advisors become more and more valuable
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if all you do is unlock doors
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send listings and react to whatever the client asks you
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you are in trouble but if you understand strategy relationships
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negotiation market context
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client psychology technology and long term planning
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you're going to be very very hard to replace
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that is why I keep coming back to relationships
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because relationships are not old school
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relationships are the moat that protects your castle
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and if you use AI properly
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it should give you more time for relationships
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not less if your CRM is Pro is set up properly
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it should help protect your relationships
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if your brokerage environment is strong
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it should help you grow relationships with other agents
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if your systems are built correctly
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they should help you create better client experience
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everything should come back to relationships
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because the consumer does not just need another portal
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they need just another they do not need just another automated email
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they do not need just another AI generated market update
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they need someone who can help them make wise decisions
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in a complicated market and agents need the same thing
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agents need guidance they need systems
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they need collaboration they need mentorship
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they need tools that actually work
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and they need to stop confusing activity with progress
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that is where this channel is going
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we're going to talk about agent systems
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we're going to talk about relationship driven growth
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we're going to talk about how to build a business that is durable
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not just busy and yes
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we're going to talk about what is happening inside EXP
18:33
Carbon Collective Prop AI and the broader industry
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but the point is not to sell you another shiny object
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the point is to help you think
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to help you build to help you execute
18:43
to help you avoid getting buried by a changing industry
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because you were too busy reacting to everything
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instead of building something solid
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so that's where I have been
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production is still moving
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we closed the largest transaction of my career
18:56
we've had some wild moments in the field
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we've been refining Carbon Collective
19:00
we launched the Diamond Call
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we launched a CRM partnership with lofty and we are building prop AI
19:06
and now this channel is coming back with a clear mission
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helping agents build real estate businesses in a changing industry
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not fluff not hype
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not just post more on Instagram and everything will magically work out
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real strategy real tools and real conversations
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and probably a little sarcasm along the way
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because if we cannot laugh at this industry occasionally
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we may not survive it if you are an agent
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who feels like the business is getting out of control
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getting louder more complicated and harder for you to control
19:37
this channel is going to be built for you subscribe
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follow along and let's cut through the noise together
19:44
the game changed
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now it's time to build the business that you can actually compete in
19:49
if you're interested in chatting more
19:50
book a Realtor game plan call below
19:52
I can't wait to chat with you
19:53
but for now go get a win today