What if your next real estate deal isn't coming from Instagram, Zillow, or another expensive lead source? What if it's already sitting in your phone?

In this episode of The Counter Offer, Meredith Alderson and Jenny Kim are talking about one of the most valuable assets in your real estate business: your database.

From client events and thoughtful follow-up to meaningful gifts, CRM systems, and staying connected long after closing, Meredith and Jenny share what they've learned about turning past clients into lifelong relationships and a consistent source of referrals.

They also get honest about the pressure to constantly find new business, why asking for referrals can feel uncomfortable, and how to stay top of mind without coming across as salesy.

Whether you're a newer agent building your database or an experienced agent looking to strengthen your referral business, this episode is a reminder that growth doesn't always mean finding more people. Sometimes it means taking better care of the ones you already have.

In this episode:

• Why your database might be more valuable than your social media following
• How to stay connected with clients without feeling salesy
• Client events and small gestures that make a lasting impression
• Using your CRM to build stronger personal relationships
• The importance of becoming a connector in your community
• How to generate more repeat and referral business
• Where to start if you haven't contacted your past clients in years

The Counter Offer is hosted by Austin real estate professionals Meredith Alderson and Jenny Kim, sharing candid conversations about real estate, entrepreneurship, branding, and building a business that lasts.

Connect with us:

Meredith Alderson | @meredithalderson.heyday

Jenny Kim | @jennykimatx

Produced, written, and edited by Adam Walding | @adamwalding.heyday

Subscribe to The Counter Offer for more real conversations about building a better real estate business.

Can You Afford to List? The Costs Nobody Talks About

Everyone talks about what real estate agents make when a house sells. But nobody really talks about what it costs before that house even hits the market.

In this episode of The Counter Offer, Meredith and Jenny are pulling back the curtain on the real cost of taking a listing to market. From photography, staging, and marketing to the countless hours spent preparing a property, the investment can add up quickly. We're talking thousands of dollars before a single showing, with absolutely no guarantee of a sale.

So who's actually paying for all of this? What should sellers be prepared to spend? And which investments are really worth it?

We're sharing the expenses we've learned to prioritize, the costly mistakes we've made along the way, and the uncomfortable reality of what happens when a listing doesn't sell. Plus, we're going rapid-fire on everything from professional photography and staging to Instagram ads, printed brochures, and open houses.

Whether you're an agent trying to run a smarter business or a homeowner wondering what it really takes to sell, this is a conversation you don't want to miss.

Because getting a house on the market is one thing. Getting it sold is another.

ABOUT THE COUNTER OFFER

Hosted by Austin real estate agents Meredith Alderson and Jenny Kim, The Counter Offer is an honest, unfiltered conversation about real estate, business, and everything that happens behind the deals. From industry insights and market trends to the realities of building a business, we're sharing what we've learned, what we're still figuring out, and everything in between.

MEET YOUR HOSTS

Meredith Alderson | Principal Agent, The Heyday Group

Instagram: @meredithalderson.heyday

Jenny Kim | Austin Real Estate Agent

Instagram: @jennykimatx

BEHIND THE PODCAST

Produced, Written & Edited by Adam Walding

Instagram: @adamwalding.heyday

Follow The Counter Offer for new episodes and conversations about the business of real estate, life, and everything in between.

Is the market actually bad, or does your strategy need to change?

In this episode of The Counter Offer, Meredith Alderson and Jenny Kim break down what it really takes to sell a home in today’s real estate market. From pricing and days on market to showing activity, buyer feedback, price reductions, and seller expectations, they’re talking through the conversations agents need to be having right now.

Meredith and Jenny share what they’re seeing firsthand in Austin, why the strategies that worked a few years ago don’t always work today, and how agents can tell the difference between a true market challenge and a problem they can actually fix.

They get into what 20 showings with no offers could really mean, why meaningful buyer and agent feedback matters, when marketing can help and when it can’t, how to keep sellers engaged through a longer listing period, and why pricing and condition are still two of the biggest factors buyers are responding to.

Because you can’t control the market. You can control how you respond to it.

The Counter Offer is hosted by Austin real estate agents Meredith Alderson and Jenny Kim, bringing honest conversations about real estate, business, career growth, and what actually happens behind the deals.

Follow Meredith Alderson Instagram: @meredithalderson.heyday

Follow Jenny Kim Instagram: @jennykim_realestate

Produced, written, and edited by Adam Walding Instagram: @adamwalding.heyday

Subscribe to The Counter Offer for new episodes and follow along for more honest conversations about building a real estate business in today’s market.

Not My Job… But Have I Done It?

Real estate looks polished from the outside. Nice houses, beautiful listing photos, closings and champagne.

Behind the scenes? Realtors are moving furniture, cleaning cat litter, pulling weeds, checking vacant homes before a freeze, dealing with contractors, looking for missing keys and talking clients through some of the most emotional moments of their lives.

In this episode of The Counter Offer, Meredith Alderson and Jenny Kim are talking about everything Realtors do that is definitely NOT in the job description, but somehow becomes part of the job anyway.

They share stories about maintaining vacant listings, saving showings at the last minute, inspecting sewer lines in nice clothes, keeping pools clean, babysitting, dealing with pets and all the other incredibly random things that happen when you work in residential real estate.

But the bigger conversation is about boundaries.

When does going above and beyond become too much? How accessible should you be to your clients? How do you know when something is outside your expertise? And when does doing everything yourself stop being great service and start holding back your business?

Meredith and Jenny talk about the emotional role Realtors play during divorce, death, negotiations and other major life changes, along with why agents sometimes need to protect their clients from the unnecessary drama happening behind the scenes of a transaction.

They also get into setting expectations early, learning to say no, staying in your lane when it comes to lending or legal advice, managing vendor referrals and knowing when it’s finally time to hire help.

Meredith shares one of the biggest lessons she’s learned while growing her business: never scale backward. Once you build the people, systems and processes that give you the capacity to grow, removing them every time business slows down can make it almost impossible to reach the next level.

Then they wrap things up with a rapid-fire game of “Not My Job… But Have I Done It?”

Dog poop, couches, toilets, weeds, lost keys, babysitting, bugs, trash, pets and plenty more.

If you’re an agent, you probably have your own list.

ABOUT THE COUNTER OFFER

The Counter Offer is hosted by Austin real estate agents Meredith Alderson and Jenny Kim, two top-producing agents having honest conversations about business, real estate, entrepreneurship, lifestyle and what really happens behind the deals.

FOLLOW THE HOSTS

Meredith Alderson Instagram: @meredithalderson.heyday

Jenny Kim Instagram: @jennykimatx

Produced, written and edited by Adam Walding.

Why can a real estate agent have a great year on paper and still wonder where all the money went?

In this episode of The Counter Offer, Meredith Alderson and Jenny Kim sit down with Mellisa Reeves to talk about the financial side of real estate that agents rarely get taught.

Real estate income is unpredictable. One month can be incredible, the next can be completely quiet. Mellisa explains how agents can get off the “revenue roller coaster,” better manage commission income, understand their expenses, and build systems that create a more sustainable and profitable business.

Mellisa also shares her path from growing up on a farm in Northern Canada as the oldest of 10 kids to building a career across lending, brokerage, construction, development, and real estate entrepreneurship.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why making more money does not necessarily mean keeping more money • How to manage irregular commission income • Revenue vs. actual profit • Understanding your real estate business expenses • Cash flow planning for Realtors • Creating financial systems before your business grows • The difference between being a great salesperson and a great business owner

If you are a real estate agent trying to build a business that feels more financially stable, intentional, and profitable, this conversation is for you.

Connect With Us

Meredith Alderson Instagram: @meredith.alderson.heyday

Jenny Kim Instagram: @jennykimrealtor

Mellisa Reeves Instagram: @mellisareeves Website:www.mellisareeves.com/real-estate-financial-coaching

Resource Mentioned in the Episode

Learn more about Relay Bank here:

https://app.relayfi.com/v3/register/user?referralcode=ab-StudioProsper

Produced, written, and edited by Adam Walding.Spotify + Apple Podcast Description

In this episode of The Counter Offer, Meredith Alderson and Jenny Kim are talking about the things they would never do again as real estate agents, mostly because they learned the lesson by doing them first.

After hundreds of transactions, they’ve realized that so much of real estate comes back to one thing: trust. From being too agreeable just to win a listing, to overpricing a home, avoiding uncomfortable conversations, working with unmotivated sellers, and letting communication fall through the cracks, Meredith and Jenny share the mistakes that shaped the way they run their businesses today.

They get into why honesty sometimes means losing the listing, why the right pricing conversation can save months of frustration, why agents need to stop being afraid to tell clients “no,” and why your reputation with other agents matters more than you might realize.

They also break down the systems they’ve built around communication, seller updates, calendar invites, client expectations, and agent relationships, plus a few stories about transactions that got a little more heated than they needed to.

And because it wouldn’t be The Counteroffer without a little real life, Jenny is fresh back from Costa Rica after somehow putting two properties under contract while on vacation, proving once again that the fastest way for a Realtor to get busy is apparently to leave town.

This episode isn’t about judging how other agents do business. It’s about the mistakes, uncomfortable conversations, and lessons that eventually help you build a business you’re actually proud of.

Follow the hosts: Jenny Kim: @JennyKimATX Meredith Alderson: @MeredithAlderson.Heyday

Produced, written, and edited by Adam Walding.

What really goes through a Realtor’s mind the moment they walk through your front door?

In this episode of The Counter Offer, Meredith Alderson and Jenny Kim pull back the curtain on the subtle details that can instantly shape a buyer’s first impression. From curb appeal and lighting to smells, furniture placement, and the small things homeowners stop noticing, they share the honest conversations agents have after every showing.

Along the way, they swap funny behind-the-scenes stories from years in real estate, reveal the surprising things that can make buyers fall in love with a home (or walk away), and admit a few of the things they secretly judge themselves. Whether you’re thinking about selling, buying, or you’re just curious about what really happens during a showing, this episode is packed with practical advice and plenty of laughs.

If you’re a real estate agent, you’ll probably find yourself saying, “I thought I was the only one who noticed that.” Be ready to laugh, cringe, and maybe even rethink the way you walk into a house.

Follow the hosts: Meredith Alderson: @meredithalderson.heyday Jenny Kim: @jennykim.atxrealestate

Produced, Written & Edited by Adam Walding.

We all have stories we tell ourselves.

Some are obvious. Others have been running in the background for so long that we mistake them for truth.

In this episode of The Counter Offer, Meredith Alderson and Jenny Kim have one of their most honest conversations yet as they unpack the invisible beliefs that shape our decisions, our confidence, and the way we move through life. They talk about comparison, self-sabotage, perfectionism, the need to control everything, and why success on the outside doesn’t always quiet the doubts on the inside.

Together, they explore where these patterns come from, how they quietly influence our careers and relationships, and what it actually looks like to rewrite the story you’ve been telling yourself.

If you’ve ever questioned whether you’re enough, compared your path to someone else’s, or felt like you were somehow standing in your own way, this conversation is for you.

Because sometimes the biggest thing holding us back isn’t our circumstances. It’s the story we’ve believed about ourselves.

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Follow the hosts:

Meredith Alderson Instagram: @meredithalderson.heyday

Jenny Kim Instagram: @jennykim_realestate

Produced, written, and edited by Adam Walding. Co Written by Summer Malloy