Matt Van Voorhis played for the U17 US National Team, the Sioux Falls Stampede, the University of Denver, and in Europe. Then COVID ended his hockey career, and he started over in real estate with $10K in the bank. Almost a year into his time at Pemberton Real Estate, he talks about how he built his business and his brand as “The Hockey Realtor.”

In this episode:

• Hot takes on whether first-time buyers should use AI instead of an agent, why commissions went up after the NAR settlement, and private listing networks (including a debate over days on market)
• How a new construction buyer got $40K off the price and a lower rate by bringing in an agent
• What he learned from mentors Randy Lindorf and Jordan Schroeder, and why he chose to niche down into the hockey community
• His 7-point weekly process, borrowed from his college coach: hit 5 of 7 and it was a good week
• Why he slowed down after a health scare, and how he resets his goals around the stage of life he’s in
• His advice for buyers and sellers right now, and why pricing, presentation, and people matter more than ever

Hosts Liz Ryan and Parker Pemberton also discuss the shift from a “speed market” to a “skill market,” and why the number one listing in a price bracket sells while the number seven listing sits.

No Contingencies is a real estate show for agents who want it straight: no filters, no fluff.

PRE's newest office leader, Joe Maselter, joins Liz and Parker on his birthday, which is also one year to the day since PRE went independent.

Joe started selling real estate to cover daycare costs while he was working at Target corporate. He quit after six deals, missed it, and came back full time. Thirteen years later he's had a 100+ deal year. In this episode he explains how he built that business through weekend open houses and by knowing the neighborhood better than anyone who walked in. He also talks openly about what that pace cost him personally, and what he'd do differently.

Parker shares a formula for newer agents. Live on a fixed income no matter how much you make. Put about 20% of your GCI back into systems and people. Build a weekly activity plan backward from a 20-sale goal. They also cover holding agents to real standards, staying calm when deals go sideways, and why putting the client first takes a lot of the stress out of the job.

Topics:

• Making open houses worth your time in a slow season
• Using AI to prep for any listing in five minutes
• Why most agents get stuck spending everything they make
• Building leverage before you burn out
• Consistency over hustle

If you got value from this conversation, share it with an agent who's serious about growing in this market.

Britt Schwieger didn't plan on residential real estate — she went from a New York City brokerage internship to commercial property management at CB Richard Ellis before getting licensed in under three weeks and selling 12 homes in her first 12 weeks on Zillow leads. In this episode, Britt breaks down what actually made that stretch work (hint: it wasn't the leads, it was saying yes to everything and learning fast from rejection), how she sets expectations with strangers walking into a showing, and the boundaries she's had to build since — no showings before dinner, gym at 4pm, non-negotiable.

The conversation also digs into the harder question every agent on social media eventually faces: how much of your real life do you actually show? Britt, Liz, and Nick talk through posting through slow seasons, sharing (or not sharing) your kids, and why showing the "junkiest photo of the house" might do more for your business than another perfect listing shot.

Ed Kaiser, PRE's general counsel (and part-time rock singer), joins Liz and Parker to talk about what happens when agents let ChatGPT do their thinking for them — and why it's costing them deals, credibility, and sometimes the whole transaction.

Ed shares real examples of consumers and agents leaning on AI for legal advice and getting burned, why "it's 90% right" isn't good enough in a real estate contract, and the difference between using AI to ideate versus using it to replace judgment. Parker and Liz also break down why automated prospecting keeps failing while a personal video text gets a 100% response rate, and how PRE built an AI-powered transaction submission tool that actually saves agents time — because it was built on years of process knowledge, not vibes.

If you've ever wondered when you should stop Googling (or GPT-ing) and just call your broker's attorney, this episode has your answer.

Angie Hannan didn't start in real estate — she was a preschool teacher, then worked marketing, HR, and staffing before becoming a top-producing agent at Pemberton Real Estate. In this episode she breaks down:

• Why her 3.5 years as an unlicensed assistant taught her more than real estate school did
• How she took company leads for 2 years and converted them into an 80/20 personal referral business
• The exact questions she asks every buyer and seller consultation
• Why "relationship person, not salesperson" is her whole approach — and how she reads different client personalities
• Her actual daily routine (5am gym, MLS scan, client follow-up) and how she protects family time
• How she handles the "roller coaster" of slow months without losing confidence

Hosts Liz Ryan and Parker Pemberton also dig into why 73% of licensed agents haven't sold a house in the past year, and what the industry gets wrong about training new agents.

No Contingencies is a real estate show for agents who want it straight — no filters, no fluff.

Travis Dykema breaks down what actually separates agents who stick around from those who bail after six months. From consistency and showing up to the office, to learning how to talk to cold leads without crumbling into imposter syndrome—he covers the playbook.

We also dig into:

• The Outliers effect: why birth month matters in youth sports (and maybe real estate)
• The difference between closing sphere deals and cold Zillow leads—and why you can't treat them the same
• Why your past clients are your best future business (if you stay in touch)
• Using your Rolodex (or whatever Gen Z calls it) to add real value after closing
• Finding your "why" before things get sticky

Featuring Liz Rein, Parker Pemberton, and Nicholas Worpole. Happy birthday to Liz.

Meet Liz Gust, office leader for Pemberton Real Estate's Edina location and a former high school choir director turned top real estate agent. In this episode, Liz shares the unconventional path that brought her into real estate—and the communication principles from music education that became her biggest competitive advantage.

We dig into:

Communication & Time Blocking – How Liz structures her day to serve clients without burning out, and why disciplined availability beats constant accessibility.

The Power of Authenticity on Social Media – Why generic, automated posts don't work. Liz shares her framework for blending high-end content with genuinely unhinged personality posts that actually convert.

Building Trust Fast – The non-negotiable first step in every client relationship, and why people remember how you made them feel—not what you said.

The Teacher-to-Realtor Advantage – Why educators often outperform traditional salespeople in real estate, and what other careers translate well to the industry.

Real Estate as Education – The "lighthouse" approach: guide clients with information, empower them to decide, don't sell them.

Plus: A cautionary tale about rubber mulch, weed torches, and why you should know what's under your landscaping before you burn it.

Ali Reda didn't plan a career in real estate — he stumbled into mortgage in 2008 while everyone else was running for the exits. Seventeen years later, he's taken everything he learned about uncomfortable money conversations, relentless follow-up, and the psychology of buying and applied it to building Tailored Real Estate at Pemberton Homes.

In this episode, Ali sits down with Liz, Parker, and Nick to break down what mortgage taught him that most agents never learn, why the "sexy" parts of real estate are usually the wrong things to focus on, and how starting in a down market might actually be the best competitive advantage you can have.

In this episode:

• Why lenders should be the first call, not the last
• The "glass pants conversation" — and why financial transparency builds trust fast
• Active vs. passive lead generation (and why social media posts don't count as lead gen)
• The alphabetical database system that kept Ali productive when the market dried up
• Why consistency beats talent, and why routine isn't boring — it's the whole game
• How entering both the mortgage and real estate markets at their worst points gave Ali a foundation that good-market agents never built

If you found value in this conversation, share it with an agent who needs to hear it. And if you're looking for a brokerage built on accountability, real training, and a culture that actually shows up when the market gets hard — let's talk.

Subscribe for new episodes every week.