Real estate agents are taught to build their business like independent entrepreneurs. But independence can become a ceiling when the agent is trying to generate leads, nurture relationships, manage transactions, follow up, keep up with technology, and deliver a great client experience all at once.

In today's market, the agents who grow are not always the ones with more hustle or more leads. They are the ones who learn how to build leverage around themselves through better systems, better support, better follow-up, better technology, and a clearer understanding of the environment they actually need to perform.

Because as competition increases and consumers expect more transparency, the lone-wolf version of real estate is getting harder to sustain.

In this episode, we're joined by Jason Aleem of Redfin to talk about what agents at any brokerage can learn from more systemized models of real estate, why some agents stall before they scale, how AI is changing the way agents work, and why the future may belong to agents who can combine independence with leverage.

What You'll Discover In This Episode

• Why agents hit a ceiling when they try to build the business entirely on their own

• What agents can learn from more systemized brokerage models, even if they work at a traditional firm

• Why more leads do not matter if the agent cannot convert, nurture, and service them consistently

• How leverage changes an agent's ability to produce at a higher volume

• What separates an agent doing 10 to 15 deals a year from one who can grow into 40, 50, or more

• How to think about the trade-off between independence, support, structure, and scale

• Why the agent is increasingly becoming the quarterback of a larger transaction experience

• Why consumer choice and transparency are reshaping how agents need to communicate value

• Why industry headlines can distract agents from the work that actually keeps them in business

• How AI is already changing search, follow-up, listing prep, and productivity

• Why agents should think of AI as leverage, not a replacement for the relationship

About the Guest

Jason Aleem is the Chief of Real Estate Services at Redfin. Jason leads Redfin's nationwide salesforce of real estate agents. He oversees the brokerage's client service and sales strategy as well as agent training and development. Since joining Redfin in 2010 as the company's first hire in Texas, he has been instrumental in growing the company and has held numerous leadership roles.

About Your Hosts

Lance Billingsley is a seasoned real estate professional with over a decade of experience in agent development and business coaching. Since January 2021, he has served as the Vice President of Agent Development at Navi Title Agency, where he leverages his extensive industry knowledge to mentor and support real estate agents. Before his tenure at Navi Title, Lance co-owned a top-performing real estate team at Realty ONE Group, achieving recognition as one of the company's top five teams. He also served as a business coach for Tom Ferry.

Dave Richards is a well-respected business coach working with CEOs, entrepreneurs, mortgage and real estate professionals, and others. With over 25+ years of executive leadership experience, he coaches and consults with the top professionals and organizations in their respective industries. Capitalizing on his certifications in Human Behavior, he specializes in building and optimizing high-performance teams and tackling difficult decisions that hold his clients back. He easily connects with entrepreneurs to help identify and communicate their vision, define their culture, and increase their profits and growth in today's dynamic marketplace.

Check out this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and don't forget to leave a review if you like what you heard. Your review feeds the algorithm, so our show reaches more people. Thank you!

Most agents think leadership starts when they build a team, open a brokerage, or finally have people reporting to them. But leadership starts much earlier than that.

It starts when a buyer is scared, the inspection gets messy, the lender needs one more thing, the client does not understand what is happening, and the agent has to decide whether they are going to panic with them or lead them through it.

For real estate agents, leadership is not just about managing people. It is about how you show up when people are looking to you for steadiness, clarity, and direction. Clients are making one of the biggest financial decisions of their lives, and many of them are terrified, even when they do not say it out loud.

In this episode, we unpack what leadership really looks like before, during, and after the title. We talk about influence, presence, fear, emotional responsibility, feedback, team dynamics, and the shift from being a producer to becoming the kind of leader other people can actually trust.

About Your Hosts

Lance Billingsley is a seasoned real estate professional with over a decade of experience in agent development and business coaching. Since January 2021, he has served as the Vice President of Agent Development at Navi Title Agency, where he leverages his extensive industry knowledge to mentor and support real estate agents. Before his tenure at Navi Title, Lance co-owned a top-performing real estate team at Realty ONE Group, achieving recognition as one of the company's top five teams. He also served as a business coach for Tom Ferry.

Dave Richards is a well-respected business coach working with CEOs, entrepreneurs, mortgage and real estate professionals, and others. With over 25+ years of executive leadership experience, he coaches and consults with the top professionals and organizations in their respective industries. Capitalizing on his certifications in Human Behavior, he specializes in building and optimizing high-performance teams and tackling difficult decisions that hold his clients back. He easily connects with entrepreneurs to help identify and communicate their vision, define their culture, and increase their profits and growth in today's dynamic marketplace.

Check out this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and don't forget to leave a review if you like what you heard. Your review feeds the algorithm, so our show reaches more people. Thank you!

In 2026, real estate agents have more brokerage options than ever.

Nice problem to have, but that doesn't make the decision less confusing.

There are different split structures, flat fees, 100% commission models, rev share, teams, virtual brokerages, boutique brands, mergers, and acquisitions.

So it's getting harder to answer the question: what brokerage should I grow my business in?

Do you choose the best split, brand, leads, community, or training?

The answer is…it depends. With so many brokerage options, the real deciding factor is if that model matches the season of business you are actually in.

The wrong environment can make this business feel heavier than it already is. You can have the license, the ambition, and the work ethic, but still end up isolated, unsupported, or surrounded by a model that does not fit what you actually need right now.

So what should you be looking for in your next brokerage?

In this episode, we unpack this with real estate leader and president of HomeSmart, Stacey Onnen.

Stacey has seen brokerages from almost every angle, so she understands how you can make the right choice. We talk about why the brokerage decision should really be about the season you're in, and how that can change the choice you make.

Guest Bio

Stacey Onnen is the President of HomeSmart and an experienced real estate executive known for driving growth, operational excellence, and innovation across startups, scaling companies, and mature organizations. She has led large-scale virtual teams and overseen operations for major real estate organizations, including eXp Realty LLC, one of the fastest-growing companies in the industry. Throughout her career, Stacey has built a reputation for helping companies scale in competitive markets while strengthening systems, team leadership, agent experience, and operational performance. Her work spans operations, sales, project management, public relations, employee development, and virtual workforce leadership, giving her a broad view of what brokerages need to grow and what agents need to succeed. With experience across national real estate brands and high-growth environments, Stacey brings a practical, behind-the-scenes perspective on brokerage models, agent support, leadership, culture, and the changing value proposition in real estate. Connect with Stacey on LinkedIn.

About Your Hosts

Lance Billingsley is a seasoned real estate professional with over a decade of experience in agent development and business coaching. Since January 2021, he has served as the Vice President of Agent Development at Navi Title Agency, where he leverages his extensive industry knowledge to mentor and support real estate agents. Before his tenure at Navi Title, Lance co-owned a top-performing real estate team at Realty ONE Group, achieving recognition as one of the company's top five teams. He also served as a business coach for Tom Ferry.

Dave Richards is a well-respected business coach working with CEOs, entrepreneurs, mortgage and real estate professionals, and others. With over 25+ years of executive leadership experience, he coaches and consults with the top professionals and organizations in their respective industries. Capitalizing on his certifications in Human Behavior, he specializes in building and optimizing high-performance teams and tackling difficult decisions that hold his clients back. He easily connects with entrepreneurs to help identify and communicate their vision, define their culture, and increase their profits and growth in today's dynamic marketplace.

Check out this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and don't forget to leave a review if you like what you heard. Your review feeds the algorithm, so our show reaches more people. Thank you!