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What if your best business partner is also your spouse—and your toughest boss? We share how two teachers packed a U-Haul, chased a bigger life in Texas, and transformed a side hustle into a top-producing real estate brokerage without losing the plot at home. The path wasn’t linear: a 2008 licensing sprint, early Zillow experiments, a move to San Antonio with a small sphere, and mentors who cared as much about margins and jeans as they did about GCI. Along the way, a premature birth at 27 weeks forced a reset that changed everything. Erin stepped out of the classroom, mastered the back office, and turned scattered spreadsheets into systems, client parties into community, and chaos into four times the profitability.

We talk real tactics—open houses that still work, bank-branch prospecting, positioning that fits both luxury listings and first-time buyers, and the small branding choices that make clients feel safe. We pull back the curtain on launching a brokerage: when to leave the big split, how to price your time, and why clean accounting is a growth engine, not a chore. Then we go deeper: rules for couples who work together, like resolving conflict the same day, setting lanes for sales and operations, and remembering the first job is family. You’ll hear how a CASA toy-drive holiday party grew to hundreds at The Rock, why community beats cold ads, and how to find mentors who save you years by telling you the inconvenient truth.

If you’re a realtor, loan officer, or small-business owner wondering when to jump, this story offers a clear blueprint: stop waiting for perfect, ship the work, and iterate in public. Subscribe for more real estate strategy, business systems, and honest conversations about building a life and a company you’re proud of. If this resonated, share it with someone you’d trust as a business partner—and a life partner.

#KeyFactorsPodcast #RealEstateAF #CesarAmezcua #ErinAmezcua #RealEstateJourney #CouplesInBusiness #ImmigrantStory #BrokerLife #NICUSurvivor #FamilyFirst #LoanBot #TexasRealEstate


2:27 – Meet Cesar & Erin
3:16 – Cesar’s journey from Mexico to college in Texas
5:07 – Erin’s military upbringing & family sacrifice
8:10 – The hilarious story of how they met
16:01 – The ultimatum that led to their move to Garland
19:55 – Becoming a bilingual teacher on an H-1B visa
27:23 – Both get real estate licenses in Dallas
30:04 – Why they left it all to move to San Antonio
33:53 – From PO Box in Helotes to full-time real estate
43:02 – Launching their own brokerage in 2013
46:07 – Premature birth changes everything
49:10 – Erin joins the business—and makes it 400% more profitable
54:01 – Advice for couples working together in real estate

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Host: Mark Jones | Sr. Loan Officer | NMLS# 513437
If you would like to work with Mark on your next home purchase or as a partner visit iThink Mortgage.

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A wedding coordinator turned realtor who almost quit ends up selling 30+ homes her first year and doubling down on the one tactic most agents avoid: telling the truth. Meet Melissa Royale, a San Antonio agent who built a resilient business on systems, mentorship, and real conversations about budget, tradeoffs, and timing.

We dig into the inflection points that changed everything: splitting from family partners, leaving a bad fit, and finding a mentor who replaced guesswork with accountability. Melissa breaks down the exact toolkit that saved her sanity—Google Calendar time blocks, Tasks for daily execution, a CRM that keeps seven-month leads warm, and a live checklist that flags deadlines in red. The result is a calm brain and a steady pipeline, even with multiple pendings in a tight, incentive-heavy market.

If you’re wrestling with affordability, builder concessions, or the post-NAR settlement noise, this conversation offers spine and strategy. Melissa explains how to write offers that win, why she negotiates compensation inside the contract, and when she refuses listings that won’t sell. She sets expectations with buyers early—choose your compromise: location, size, age, or upgrades—and warns short-term owners about competing with builders on resale. For new agents, her advice is direct: know your personality, pick the right environment, and get organized fast. For buyers, it’s simple: start where you are, build equity, and let your next home fund itself.

Real estate doesn’t reward perfect conditions. It rewards clarity, consistency, and courage. Tap play to learn how Melissa turned hard lessons into a durable playbook you can use today. If this helped you think sharper about buying or selling, subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway—we read every one.

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Key Factors Podcast is Powered by LoanBot.com
Host: Mark Jones | Sr. Loan Officer | NMLS# 513437
If you would like to work with Mark on your next home purchase or as a partner visit iThink Mortgage.

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Everyone’s sharing hot takes on the 50-year mortgage, but most people miss the real question: does it help you buy smarter, or just slower? We sit down with San Antonio experts Robert Elder and Stephanie Paxton to unpack affordability beyond the headline rate, run the equity math on 30-year vs 50-year scenarios, and reveal why taxes, insurance, and maintenance now drive the monthly payment more than anything else.

We get brutally honest about new construction. Builder buy-downs and flashy incentives can be seductive, but the true cost is often buried in the price—and appreciation can lag for years in areas with abundant land and endless new phases. We contrast that with landlocked neighborhoods where limited supply supports stronger resale dynamics. We also break down buyer expectations that hold people back: choosing staging over structure, refusing longer commutes that transplants accept, and chasing “move-in ready” at the expense of long-term value. If you’re weighing a first home, a move-up purchase, or a possible rental conversion, this conversation will sharpen your strategy.

We close with where the deals actually are. Year-end inventory homes can be negotiated hard across all price tiers, while select resale properties offer meaningful price cuts. The playbook: model your total payment with taxes and insurance, stress-test your five- to ten-year plan, and consider the 50-year loan as a tactical bridge with a refinance path—not a forever decision. Local data beats national headlines every time. If you’re ready to run your numbers and build a plan that fits your life, tap follow, share this with a friend who’s shopping, and leave a quick review to tell us what you want covered next.

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Key Factors Podcast is Powered by LoanBot.com
Host: Mark Jones | Sr. Loan Officer | NMLS# 513437
If you would like to work with Mark on your next home purchase or as a partner visit iThink Mortgage.

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Is social media ruining real estate work ethic? We dive into the old-school vs. new-school mindset with Casey Hampton and Austin Pantuso. Volume, sacrifice, and the truth behind success in real estate.

In this unfiltered episode of the Key Factors Podcast – Real Estate AF, Mark Jones sits down with real estate veterans Casey Hampton (25+ year mortgage leader, formerly with D.R. Horton and Meritage Homes) and Austin Pantuso (broker and President of United Realty Group) to break down the massive shift happening in real estate and lending post-2020.

🔥 What we cover:

- Are agents and LOs relying too much on social media and not enough on skills?
- Is lead generation dead or just lazy?
- Why “part-time” real estate careers don’t cut it in 2025
- How today’s buyers are stuck in 2021 mindsets
- Real talk on wealth gaps, financial literacy, and homeownership strategy
- The new rules of building trust and referrals in a digital-first world

Whether you're a new agent, a seasoned broker, or somewhere in between — this conversation cuts deep into the mindset, work ethic, and education gap that’s growing in the real estate space.

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🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
💬 Drop your thoughts in the comments — we read every one.

#RealEstateAF #KeyFactorsPodcast #CaseyHampton #AustinPantuso #RealEstateTruth #LoanBot #MortgagePodcast #LenderLife #RealtorLife #OldSchoolVsNewSchool #LeadGeneration #WorkEthic #HomeAffordability #MillennialMoney #GenerationalWealth

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Key Factors Podcast is Powered by LoanBot.com
Host: Mark Jones | Sr. Loan Officer | NMLS# 513437
If you would like to work with Mark on your next home purchase or as a partner visit iThink Mortgage.

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In this powerhouse episode of Key Factors Podcast – Real Estate AF, host Mark Jones sits down with Tomas Martinez, founder of TM3 Impact and Luxury Home Magazine (San Antonio & Austin). Tomas shares his incredible story—from being cut from the C team in middle school basketball to building one of the most successful luxury real estate publications in Texas.

They unpack:

- How he and his wife bootstrapped a franchise with car loans
- Why paper is still powerful in a digital world
- How to break into luxury real estate (even if you have no experience)
- Why branding beats marketing, and the power of relentless consistency
- His evolution into coaching, training, and the Distinctive Agent Lab
- How faith, marriage, and mindset shaped his journey

Luxury Magazine San Antonio - https://www.luxuryhomemagazine.com/sanantonio/
Get in Touch with Tomas - https://www.tm3impact.com/

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#KeyFactorsPodcast #RealEstateAF #TM3Impact #LuxuryHomeMagazine #TomasMartinez #BrandingMatters #FaithDriven #EntrepreneurJourney #LoanBot

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Key Factors Podcast is Powered by LoanBot.com
Host: Mark Jones | Sr. Loan Officer | NMLS# 513437
If you would like to work with Mark on your next home purchase or as a partner visit iThink Mortgage.

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Join Mark Jones and hard money expert Jade Florez of Longhorn Investments as they dive deep into the world of real estate investing in today's dynamic market. Discover why mom-and-pop investors are thriving with hard money loans, even as traditional buyers hesitate. Jade breaks down the BRRRR method (Buy, Renovate, Refinance, Rent, Repeat), explaining how investors can acquire properties with minimal out-of-pocket cash and build long-term wealth. Learn about the critical 70% rule for flips, the shift from rentals to flips due to rising costs, and how speed and flexibility make hard money a powerful tool. They also expose common pitfalls like contractor mismanagement and discuss the true landscape of institutional vs. individual property ownership. Whether you're a seasoned investor or looking to start your portfolio, this episode offers invaluable insights into leveraging hard money, managing risks, and navigating market changes for profitable real estate ventures.

Get in Contact with Jade : https://www.longhorninvestments.com/loan-consultants/jade-florez

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Key Factors Podcast is Powered by LoanBot.com
Host: Mark Jones | Sr. Loan Officer | NMLS# 513437
If you would like to work with Mark on your next home purchase or as a partner visit iThink Mortgage.

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Buyer payments didn’t spiral because people forgot how to shop; they spiraled because the inputs changed overnight. We sit down with builder leader Tommy Fryer to talk candidly about what kept new construction moving when rates doubled—and why transparency beats shiny incentives every time. From the DR Horton headlines to the realities of “payment shock” letters, we lay out how improved taxes, real insurance quotes, and honest monthly numbers safeguard buyers and reputations.

Tommy walks us through the rollercoaster: 2019 optimism, 2020–2021 mania, and the 2023 slowdown that forced everyone to reset. The answer wasn’t gamesmanship. It was forward commitments—rate lock buckets that buy down payments without inflating prices or risking appraisals. That choice to take margin pain instead of hiding costs stabilized affordability, protected backlogs, and kept trades working. We also get into inventory discipline, smarter cycle times, and how to avoid a return to metered chaos that leaves buyers waiting months for a chance to sign.

If you’re an agent or lender, you’ll hear a playbook for true partnership: full 3 percent commissions, Agent Rocks lead sharing, CE, and even builder-provided listings—plus a clear path for outside lenders to serve clients with meaningful closing cost credits. For buyers, especially VA borrowers, we map out the “rent it, then rebuy” strategy that turns relocations into stepping stones and builds long-term wealth through lease offsets and entitlement reuse. The throughline is simple: align around the monthly payment, tell the truth early, and choose programs that help families stay in their homes.

Subscribe for more real talk on mortgages, incentives, and market timing. Share this with a friend who’s considering new construction, and leave a review with your biggest question about buying in a high-rate market.

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Key Factors Podcast is Powered by LoanBot.com
Host: Mark Jones | Sr. Loan Officer | NMLS# 513437
If you would like to work with Mark on your next home purchase or as a partner visit iThink Mortgage.

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In this unfiltered and highly educational episode of the Key Factors Podcast – Real Estate AF, host Mark Jones is joined by San Antonio’s top real estate professionals: Moses Thatcher, Cesar Amezcua, and Josh Boggs.

This episode dives into hard truths about the current new home sales market — truths that many agents are too afraid to say out loud.

Topics covered:

• How builders use inflated pricing and temporary buydowns to trap buyers in negative equity
• The fiduciary failure of realtors who chase commissions and skip due diligence
• Why veteran agents are seeing a rise in pre-foreclosures and short sales
• How builder incentives mask the true cost of homeownership
• Why some new homes are built with lower-quality materials to protect profit margins
• The problem with TikTok agents: Are dancing videos replacing actual expertise?
• How improper pre-qualifications and unimproved tax rates are misleading buyers
• The upcoming risk of payment shock as 2-1 buydowns begin to expire

These industry experts hold nothing back, calling out what needs to be said — from poor leadership at brokerages, to shady builder practices, to agents who can't write a contract but know how to “go viral.”

Whether you’re a homebuyer, realtor, lender, or industry leader, this episode will challenge your perspective, sharpen your edge, and reinforce the value of true expertise in a crowded market.

💥 Must-watch moment: Josh Boggs drops stats on how many short sales he’s working right now—and why that number is about to explode.

🎧 Take notes — this is real talk with real consequences.

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Key Factors Podcast is Powered by LoanBot.com
Host: Mark Jones | Sr. Loan Officer | NMLS# 513437
If you would like to work with Mark on your next home purchase or as a partner visit iThink Mortgage.