🎙️ Welcome to The Broker Podcast with Jack Stapleton, Founder, Owner, and Broker of Realty Texas, one of America’s most respected independent real estate firms.

In this episode, Jack sits down with Gavin Walker, a two-year Realty Texas agent who has already stepped into a major leadership role inside Realty Texas. They unpack what it really looks like to launch a career in real estate today—saying yes to opportunity, serving clients well, mastering education, and building a business that’s driven by relationships instead of random luck.

💬 This conversation goes deep into the decisions that shape an agent’s future: how Gavin went from brand-new licensee to co-chair of YPN and administrator of a 400+ agent sales department, what Jack wishes he had done differently in his own early years, and why most agents quietly lose 30% of their business by neglecting their database. Jack and Gavin talk about MEGA training, designations, unique value propositions, and how to confidently walk a buyer through Information About Brokerage Services and a representation agreement at the front door—without pressure, but with clear professional standards.

With over 20 years in the business, thousands of transactions closed, and more than 400 agents under his leadership, Jack brings practical, compliance-driven, straight-talk insight to every topic. He shares stories from his own career—including writing two offers his first day in the business and watching past clients forget who their original agent was—to show how consistency, education, and follow-up turn one closing into a client for life.

If you want real-world guidance on how to build your career faster, present your value with confidence, and stop letting business slip through your fingers, this episode gives you candid, actionable direction.

🧠 Key Takeaways

• How Gavin turned his first two years—two sales, lots of leases, and apartments—into a leadership role managing a 400+ agent CRM and sales department by never saying no to opportunity and diving into advanced training.
• The advice Jack would give his younger agent self: treat real estate as a relationship business, pick and stick with a geographic farm, keep a flawless database, call your people at least three times a year, and hire an assistant far earlier than you think you can.
• Why serious education changes everything: how MEGA felt like “real estate college,” the impact of mentors like instructor Pat Strong, and why reading your contracts, Code of Ethics, and License Act regularly is one of the most powerful habits an agent can build.
• How Jack explains Information About Brokerage Services and buyer representation at the door with calm confidence—walking clients through roles, intermediary, sub-agency, and representation agreements—so they understand exactly what they’re signing and why it protects them.
• The link between competence and confidence in negotiation and representation: asking, “What questions do you have?”, inviting real objections, solving them openly, and turning that trust into long-term loyalty and referrals.
• How to think about your database the way Jack does: only about 20% will personally transact in any given five-year cycle, but 100% have the ability to send you at least one closed referral per year—if you stay present, call consistently, and bring real value to every touch.

Whether you’re a brand-new agent figuring out your first two years or a seasoned professional tightening up your systems, this episode pulls back the curtain on what actually builds a long-term, referral-driven real estate business.

Subscribe, listen, and join Jack each week as he breaks down the issues that matter most to REALTORS®, brokers, and clients across Texas.