Refugee Camp to 4,000+ Transactions: Long Doan Reveals His Brokerage Growth Model

In this inspiring and deeply human episode of Rethink Real Estate, Ben Brady sits down with Long Doan — Vietnamese refugee turned powerhouse Broker/CEO and Founder of Realty Group — to unpack one of the most remarkable growth journeys in modern real estate. Long shares the story that shaped his entire life: escaping Vietnam alone at age 13, surviving a refugee camp nicknamed “Hell’s Island,” and using that experience to build a 650-agent independent brokerage rooted in service, culture, and leadership.Long breaks down the real foundation behind Realty Group’s meteoric rise: building a people-first company where alignment, relationship-building, omnipresent branding, and agent empowerment beat every traditional brokerage model. He details the systems behind their 12-office footprint, 4,000+ annual transactions, and how they’ve engineered profitability in a shrinking-margin industry. From referrals to education, from culture to community, Long reveals exactly how their model evolved — and why helping others is not just their motto, but their operating system.The conversation then shifts into the big news: Realty Group’s strategic expansion into LPT, unlocking nationwide scalability, stock opportunities, and residual revenue for agents. Long explains why the next era of brokerage success belongs to companies that combine culture with modern infrastructure — and how exponential growth becomes possible when you stop competing in old frameworks and start building ecosystems.If you’re a brokerage leader, team owner, or agent who wants to understand what the future of the real estate brokerage looks like — and how one man’s story fuels a mission bigger than business — this episode will stay with you long after it ends.⏱️ Timestamps & Key Topics[00:00:00] – Introduction & why this episode is a rerun favorite[00:01:30] – Long’s refugee journey and the night that shaped his lifelong “why”[00:04:56] – Building a new life at 13: survival, mindset, and responsibility[00:07:55] – How hardship became the foundation of leadership & service[00:12:16] – Growing Realty Group to 650+ agents across 12 offices[00:17:06] – Recruiting through relationships, alignment, and omnipresence[00:20:59] – The REAL reason agents choose (and stay with) a brokerage[00:24:53] – Profitability, fee models & building revenue verticals[00:29:36] – The future of Realty Group and the announcement: joining LPT🔗 Related Resources🌐 For more info on Harcourts Auctions, our non-distressed auction platform:https://www.harcourtsauctions.com🔗 Connect with Long Doan & Realty Grouphttps://www.realtygroupmn.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/longdoan/https://www.facebook.com/realtygroupmn/🔗 Connect with Ben Brady & Harcourts AuctionsFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/BenbradyharcourtsLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-brady-0b223517Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harcourtsauctionsFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/HarcourtsAuctions