Getting a real estate license is only the beginning. Andrew Ellis and Roseanne Garza share three lessons new agents need to guide clients through emotional decisions, complex transactions, and the gap between passing an exam and doing the work well.

Roseanne explains how she entered real estate as an assistant, became licensed, and built practical knowledge before taking on more responsibility with clients. Together, she and Andrew discuss the emotional weight behind buying and selling a home, why agents need enough distance to remain steady guides, and how setting expectations early can make a transaction easier to navigate.

They also explore what new agents must learn beyond licensing, including local markets, contracts, inspections, lending, timelines, and the questions that reveal a potential problem. Their practical challenge is to identify where you need more experience, then intentionally seek training, conversations, calls, open houses, or mentorship that will help you improve.

You’ll learn:

• How to care about a client’s emotions without absorbing them
• Why transaction expectations should be explained early
• How process knowledge helps agents spot red flags
• Why licensing alone does not prepare someone to serve clients
• How to choose learning opportunities based on your weaknesses

CHAPTERS
00:00 Meet Roseanne Garza
03:49 The emotional side of real estate
08:34 Learn the transaction’s moving pieces
14:09 What licensing does not teach
16:43 Build experience intentionally
19:25 Look beyond fees and commission splits

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Real estate agents must balance serving current clients, improving how they work, and consistently creating future business. Andrew Ellis uses a plate-spinning analogy to explain why all three priorities matter from deal one to deal 500.

In this episode, Andrew breaks down the danger of defaulting to the loudest task. Emails, phone calls, addenda, and client fires need attention, but they can crowd out the quieter work that strengthens a career. He explains how reviewing transactions, learning from other agents, and putting improvement on the calendar can gradually raise an agent’s ceiling.

Andrew also discusses business-development “pillars”—the repeatable activities an agent can sustain long enough to produce results. Rather than chasing a perfect tactic or copying someone else’s business, he encourages agents to choose a few approaches they can execute consistently. He shares why difficult but essential prospecting work is often best handled early, when energy is higher.

The episode closes with a reminder that balance includes life outside work. Productivity matters, but constant hustle can lead to burnout and make agents miss the journey they are building toward.

Key takeaways:

• Keep current client work from consuming every productive hour
• Improve through intentional reflection and ongoing learning
• Choose business-building activities you can sustain
• Protect room for life beyond real estate

Follow The Five Star Agent for practical ways to build a stronger, more sustainable real estate career.

CHAPTERS
00:00 The plate-spinning framework
01:20 Doing the work without defaulting to fires
02:18 Improving through reflection and learning
06:50 Creating more business consistently
10:20 Choosing sustainable business pillars
13:38 Balancing ambition with life outside work

Knowing the market and responding quickly can make you a good real estate agent. This episode shows how to become a stronger guide by interpreting information, anticipating needs, preventing problems, and communicating before clients have to ask.

Andrew Ellis explains why being “good enough” can quietly limit growth. He frames the difference between good and great agents through four contrasts: knowing market data versus turning it into useful advice; responding to issues versus thinking ahead; solving problems versus reducing or preventing them; and communicating well versus never leaving clients wondering what is happening.

The goal is not perfection. It is to raise both your everyday standard and your best performance through intentional practice, transaction by transaction. Andrew also explains why preparation matters before a client conversation, how experience can help you spot likely speed bumps, and why proactive contact should match each client’s needs. Each choice helps agents deliver steadier guidance when clients face uncertainty and pressure.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Why good can become the enemy of great
02:48 Interpret the market for each client
04:32 Anticipate needs and prevent problems
09:05 Never leave clients wondering

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Better real estate negotiation is not always about moving faster or pushing harder. Often, it starts with slowing down enough to think clearly and understand what your client needs from you.

Andrew Ellis shares three habits that improved his negotiations: develop an informed opinion before calling the client, use the available time instead of reacting immediately, and reflect the client's concerns without taking on their emotions.

He also shares a memorable Tumalo-area transaction in which a buyer repeatedly told him to put on his boxing gloves. The deal came together, but the experience taught him that getting the result is not enough.

Clients also need to feel that their agent understands what is at stake and is actively fighting for them.

You'll learn:

• Why "time is of the essence" does not mean respond immediately
• How sleeping on a counteroffer can improve perspective
• Why clients expect thoughtful guidance
• How to acknowledge emotion while keeping a level head
• Why the client's experience of your advocacy matters
  

Follow The Five Star Agent and share this with an agent who wants to negotiate with more intention.

When a seller wants to list above your recommended price, the conversation does not have to become a fight between their expectations and your expertise.

Andrew Ellis explains how agents can protect honesty, build trust, and keep the opportunity to serve. Through two seller conversations, he shows why agents should first understand how the owner sees the property, then clearly explain the market evidence, likely timeline, and risks of overpricing.

You'll learn:

• Why sellers wanting to maximize price is human
• How to discuss pricing without becoming combative
• Why honesty and rigidity are not the same
• How open communication can make a higher starting price workable
• Why agents must keep marketing after accepting a listing
  

In the August 2026 Central Oregon market, Andrew emphasizes that price reductions and days on market make early pricing conversations especially important.

CHAPTERS
00:00 Why sellers want to list higher
02:02 Two seller pricing conversations
03:51 Replace conflict with understanding
05:14 Build trust through honest advice
09:05 Honesty without rigidity
11:26 Pricing in the current market

Follow The Five Star Agent and share this with an agent preparing for a difficult pricing conversation.

A difficult first interaction doesn't always mean a potential client isn't worth pursuing. When you don't have enough information to know, Andrew Ellis argues that the right move is often to keep going and serve them fully.

Andrew shares two examples. One involved a frustrated buyer who initially seemed demanding but became committed to the agent who responded and helped. The other began with an email containing nearly 20 detailed questions that Andrew almost deleted. By answering thoughtfully, he earned the listing, a referral, and a lasting professional relationship.

You'll learn:

• When safety, ethics, honesty, or legal concerns should end a relationship
• Why an unfamiliar process is not automatically a bad opportunity
• How thoughtful follow-through can build trust
• Why half-hearted service is the wrong choice once you continue
  

Some clients are not the right fit. But without a clear reason to stop, hesitation can cost agents relationships they haven't tried to understand.

Follow The Five Star Agent and share this with an agent who has wondered whether a difficult lead was worth one more call.

Following a listing checklist gets a home on the market. Thinking several steps ahead can prevent problems from disrupting the transaction later.

Andrew Ellis explains how strong real estate agents create value by anticipating buyer questions, researching potential obstacles, and adapting standard processes to each seller and property. He shares how recommending a pre-listing inspection uncovered attic ventilation, moisture, and mold concerns before buyers entered the picture. That gave the sellers time to address the issue without the pressure of an active transaction or approaching closing date.

You'll learn:

• How to anticipate questions buyers may ask
• Why upfront research can reduce transaction hurdles
• When a pre-listing inspection may benefit a seller
• Why professional value extends beyond required tasks
  

Great agents do not need every answer. They need the judgment, curiosity, and preparation to navigate questions without easy answers.

Follow The Five Star Agent and share this with an agent who wants to provide more value beyond the transaction.

You’ve probably heard it before:

“I just don’t trust real estate agents.”

It’s not fun to hear, but there’s a reason that stereotype exists. In this episode of The Five Star Agent, Andrew talks about the three biggest reasons people lose trust in agents and, more importantly, what you can actually do about it.

We get into:

• Why putting the client first has to be a daily decision
• Why communication matters even when there’s “nothing new”
• Why bad news should almost always be shared voice to voice
• Where your real value shows up as an agent
• How trust gets built one interaction at a time
  

The big takeaway: trust isn’t built with one big moment. It’s built drip by drip, deal by deal, person by person.

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