“It’s all about connections, no matter what you do. In real estate, especially in Nashville, it’s always good to be a part of the community that you’re selling homes in.” — @JordanHuffman

On this new episode of the Real Estate Mailbag, we welcome two rising stars on the Nashville Metropolitan Council who are experts in housing, zoning, the upcoming traffic referendum and the un-housed in our community.

This is a fascinating discussion for anyone interested in a deeper dive into how local laws, especially zoning laws, have profound structural ramifications on the local real estate market, especially for developers and those struggling to get into their first home. We learn about the structure of the Metro Council, the power individual council members have over zoning matters, and we also explore a fascinating piece of legislation Horton recently helped shepherd to successful passage by the Metro Council. These two councilmen also unpack the $3.1 billion transit bill that Nashvillians will go to the ballot to vote on November 5th, and explain why our listeners should vote "For" Nashville.

“I try to turn money very fast. My goal, if I buy an apartment complex, is I want to drive up the value within 24 months to the point where I can do a refinance and have all my capital back in 24 months.” -- Brandon Thornberry

On this very special episode of the Real Estate Mailbag, discover proven real estate strategies from some of Nashville’s top investors. We were joined by Brandon Thornberry of Urban Gate Capital, an investment firm focusing on identifying and seizing opportunities in emerging markets, Valery Parham, Realtor/author/entrepreneur and William Wilson, a top brokerage founder. They share how they broke into real estate, dive into the "BRRRR" method, and reveal the insider details often left out of seminars. Plus, get their expert take on today’s market and where the best opportunities lie.

“My whole mission is just to affect positive change with people, and housing is such a key component to people’s health, well-being, and safety.” -- Andrea Prince

According to Nashville's 2021 Affordable Housing Task Force, chaired by Mayor John Cooper, the city must create 52,498 new housing units by 2030—a daunting challenge, given that only 1,344 affordable units were being built annually at the time of the report.

Today on The Real Estate Mailbag, we're joined by Matthew Wiltshire, President of Pathway Affordable Housing Corp. and former Chief Strategy Officer at MDHA, Andrea Prince, Executive Director of Rebuilding Together Nashville, and Joshua Haston, Development Manager at LDG Development, LLC and Board Member of the Nashville Industrial Board. These leaders share their personal journeys and insights into tackling Nashville’s housing crisis, discussing innovative city tools and divisive zoning proposals debated in Metro Council. They also explore the impact of Tennessee’s new “home bond” bill on affordable housing.

Tune in to understand why affordable housing isn't just crucial for your future, but for the future of Music City itself!

“The first secret to success is to get started.” – Kortney Wilson

The conventional wisdom in real estate is that social media is increasingly important. However, understanding what social media is and how to be effective with it can be a complex topic. Many real estate professionals fail to take the most important step: getting started.

On this must-listen edition of the Real Estate Mailbag, presented by Wagon Wheel Title, our hosts and distinguished guests explore the fascinating role of social media for real estate professionals. Kortney Wilson of The Kortney Wilson Group with Compass, Maria Recio with Compass, and Marie Lee with REAL Broker are three of Nashville's leading social media influencers in the real estate space, with follower counts to prove it.

From teaching us about the pros and cons of various social media platforms (including their agreed-upon favorite) to explaining how algorithms work, and recommending equipment and software for creating and editing content, to helping real estate professionals discover which approach is likely to pay dividends, this educational experience is not to be missed from some of Nashville’s true gurus! 🏡

“There is no silver bullet to adding value to your house. All of the things that give you a list of ‘do this one thing’ – they are lies, and they are clickbait.” — Peter Matteson

On this episode of The Real Estate Mailbag presented by Wagon Wheel Title, our hosts and distinguished guests explore the topic of home renovations. Murn Roberts with the Morrell Property Collective at Compass, Jacob Jones with MW Real Estate and Peter Matteson, co-founder of Greenwood BAM, share the good, bad, and the upside down of buying, selling and actually doing home renovations with the focus on speculative renovations that are being offered for sale. Our panelists guide us through the analysis that goes into any renovation, and share with our listeners how they navigate the many decisions inherent in the remodeling process. Our guests also share their biggest mistakes, their home runs, and the criteria that now guide their decisions. Our guests candidly, and often humorously, share their hard-won insights and opinions, especially with respect to budgeting and return on investment, various current design trends, and why they love what they do even when it’s hard.

On this episode of The Real Estate Mailbag presented by Wagon Wheel Title, our hosts and distinguished guests explore the unique opportunities and challenges involved when the client is a high-profile – and often privacy sensitive - professional athlete. Ali Noel, Amber Stormberg and Jen Daniels are all authorities when in comes to working with professional athletes. Tune in to learn what a real estate practice with a heavy dose of this type of representation is really like: the good, the bad, and the fact that often no one will hear about either because of NDAs! If you listen carefully, they will also give you the roadmap to their successes.

On this episode of The Real Estate Mailbag presented by Wagon Wheel Title, our hosts and distinguished guests explore a topic at the center of one of Mark Twain’s most oft-repeated quotes: “Buy land, they’re not making it anymore.”

Today’s panelists, Dan McEwen, Principal Broker at The McEwen Group, and Tom Sullivan, Broker and Founder of Covey Rise Properties, are two of the most recognized in the industry for their expertise in acquiring and selling some of the largest and most expensive tracts of land in Tennessee, and for working on some of the state’s most complex real estate transactions.

Dan McEwen’s roots in the industry go back generations, and while Tom Sullivan has only been working in the space for the last five years, you’d swear he’s been at it much longer! Tuning in, you’ll find out what you need to know when buying land, whether it’s 100 acres or a “hobby farm,” why Tennessee is such an attractive market, and how interest rates – and entitlements, water features, topography, etc - affect land values. Tom and Dan also give you the lowdown on why land is a great investment (in the words of Tom, “You can put Gordon Gekko on Wall Street up against our returns on land and we’ll squash him!”), how they position their listings for the right buyers, who those buyers are, and much more. Join us as we interview two of the best in the real estate industry and bring you the tips, tricks, stories, and news you need to excel in your real estate career!

And as always, we promise you’ll learn something new, and laugh at least a time or two. In addition to being titanic real estate rockstars, our guests on this episode also often dazzle with wit reminiscent of Mr. Twain!

On this episode of The Real Estate Mailbag presented by Wagon Wheel Title, our hosts and distinguished guests explore what it’s been like to be a relatively new real estate agent (less than 5 years) navigating what one panelist describes as four different markets in just the last 2 years alone!

Our panelists for this episode are Mike Grayson, senior associate broker with Tyler York Real Estate Brokers, LLC, Lynn Smith, affiliate broker with Compass, and Kendra Nitz, affiliate broker and Director of Operations for Re/Max Homes and Estates, Lipman Group.

These agents are true real estate rockstars, recommended to the podcast by top brokers in Nashville for being shining examples of agents who achieved tremendous success quickly in their real estate careers. In fact, one panelist tells the story of how he had his first closing all of two weeks after completing his licensing. These agents have been able to maintain and scale their early successes, even as the overall real estate market has become much more challenging as a result, mostly, of interest rates that have risen more quickly and more steeply than at any other juncture in history, eclipsing 8% in late October ’23.

So, join us for a fascinating discussion about what it takes to succeed in the current real estate industry, what caused each of our distinguished panelists to take the plunge, as well as to hear invaluable insights and advice that is truly priceless for anyone struggling to navigate the current real estate market. As always, there is no shortage of candor, humor, humility, and words of encouragement grounded in real life lessons and experiences.

And as always, we promise you’ll learn something new, and laugh at least a time or two!