What if the skills that made you great in another career were exactly what you needed to dominate in real estate? In this episode I sit down with Evan Crawford, former pro baseball player turned team leader in Auburn, Alabama, whose team is doing $50 million in sales in a market most people have never heard of.

Evan breaks down how he started from zero, no local network, no name recognition, and no warm leads, and built one of the top teams in the Auburn-Opelika area through old-school relationship building, market knowledge, and a willingness to look dumb and ask questions anyway.

Inside this episode:

• How Evan used his baseball network to generate his first referrals before he had a single local client
• The A-to-Z phone strategy that helped him rebuild his sphere from scratch
• Why knowing your market stats cold is the only credibility tool a new agent needs
• How to actually use your chamber membership instead of letting it collect dust
• The handwritten card habit that turned strangers into clients and clients into a recruit
• Why making people want to buy again is the real job of every real estate agent

Want to send Evan a referral or connect? Website: www.crawfordwillisgroup.com Instagram: @CrawfordWillisGroup Phone: 334-558-8700

Whether you are brand new to real estate or rebuilding your pipeline in a new market, Evan's story is proof that relationships, repetition, and a willingness to fail forward will always win. Subscribe, share, and follow for more interviews like this.

Sandy Gentry has spent more than 35 years building one of the most recognizable and productive real estate businesses on Michigan’s Lakeshore. In 2025 alone her team closed over 136 million dollars in sales with Sandy personally producing more than 70 million.

In this episode we talk about what has actually driven that longevity. Not shortcuts. Not trends. The fundamentals that still work.

Sandy breaks down how speed to lead disciplined follow up and personal connection have allowed her to maintain massive market share in Grand Haven and Spring Lake even as the industry has changed. We dig into why phone calls still matter how detailed notes build trust over time and why most agents overcomplicate what is really a relationship business.

If you are trying to build a real business that compounds year after year this episode will resonate.

Inside this episode

• Why follow up timing creates leverage
• How Sandy stays top of mind with hundreds of clients
• The role of phone calls in a modern real estate business
• Why relationships outperform marketing over the long run
• What newer agents misunderstand about consistency

https://sandigentry.com/

What if nearly losing everything taught you the secret to building a thriving real estate business without sacrificing your life? In this episode, I sit down with Michael Coxen, a Las Vegas broker who went from being bedridden at 115 pounds to running a 20-agent brokerage while maintaining $20-25 million in personal production.

We unpack how Michael built his career by accident through a wedding invitation business, discovered the power of asking questions over selling, and learned why focusing on process beats chasing outcomes every time—lessons that became crystal clear when ulcerative colitis nearly ended his career.

Inside this episode:

• The FORD method that turned wedding vendors into real estate clients
• Why saying yes to every meeting for 10 years changed everything
• How Tai Chi in a pool with seniors led to running a brokerage
• The 3-item daily success list that beats comparison trap
• Why great agents explain the market while good ones just understand it

Connect with Michael: Website: magenta.realestate Join his brokerage: joinmagenta.realestate Coaching: michaelcoxen.com Social: @michaelcoxen

Whether you're struggling with work-life balance, rebuilding from setback, or looking to scale without losing yourself, this episode reveals why true success comes from defining it on your own terms. Subscribe, share, and follow for more conversations with agents who've discovered what really matters.

The Neighborhood Realtor is proudly sponsored by Treadstone Funding and Neighborhood Loans. For more tangible tips in real estate marketing, check out Matt's book, The Tangible Action Guide for Real Estate Marketing available on Amazon.
🔑 Treadstone Funding: https://www.treadstonemortgage.com/
🔑 Neighborhood Loans:https://neighborhoodloans.com
🔑 Real Estate Marketing Guide: https://www.amazon.com/TAG-Tangible-Action-Guide-Marketing/dp/1698339747
📲 Learned something new, or have a suggestion? Message Matt Muscat on Instagram!

🏛️ Treadstone Funding propelled by Neighborhood Loans NMLS 222982 “Illinois Residential Mortgage Licensee No. MB.6759826. neighborhoodloans.com/licensing For licensing information, go to www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org