LOS.Live Presents: Michelle Ozymy and Ashley Gentry - Coach, Close and Conquer

This week on LOS Live, host Devin Dubuc and co-host Jerry Holcomb welcome a powerhouse duo shaking up the real estate world: Michelle Ozymy, renowned coach with IgniteYou90 and President at Women’s Council of REALTORS Dallas helping agents scale with confidence. Ashley Gentry is a dynamic leader and influential voice with the MetroTex Association of REALTORS® and Owner of RedBranch Realty.

Together, they host the Winning Women Wednesday Podcast and now they’re bringing that same energy to LOS Live. Michelle breaks down the coaching playbook that turns agents into top producers, while Ashley shares leadership insights and advocacy that are shaping the future of real estate.

🔥 If you’re ready to think bigger, lead stronger, and win more, this is an episode you don’t want to miss.

Looking to Connect with Michelle or Ashley?
Michelle Ozymy @ www.michelleozymy.com
Facebook: @michelle.ozymy
Ashley Gentry @ www.redbranchrealty.com
Facebook: @ ashleygentryredbranch

#LOS.Live #LoanOfficerSuccessLive #PremierLending #WinningWomenWednesday #MichelleOzymy #AshleyGentry #RealEstateLeadership #AgentCoaching #WomenWhoLead

Creators and Guests

Host

Devin Dubuc

Coach. Dreamer. Dad. Helping you own your worth and go after what sets your soul on fire🔥

What is Loan Officer Success Live?

This isn’t another sales tips podcast.
This is LOS.LIVE - where mortgage and real estate pros come to master modern growth without the burnout.

Hosted by Devin Dubuc, LOS.LIVE is a deep dive into the psychology, strategy, and systems that build legacy-driven businesses in today’s market. Whether you're a high-performing loan officer, a rising agent, or an entrepreneur scaling fast—you’ll learn how to attract clients, grow income, and lead with brand, not brute force.

Real conversations. Tactical playbooks. No cold-call bro-hype. Just clarity, confidence, and creative firepower.

You don’t need a script. You need a strategy. Welcome to LOS.LIVE.

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Welcome back to LOS Live.I'm your host, Devin DeBuke, and I've got returning co-host, Jerry Holcomb.Jerry, my man- Hey.you have got some all-stars, just rock stars in the house today.Who'd you bring along?Absolutely.first of all, I would like to introduce my, uh, team here that we've been seeing in different, uh, training, Miss Ashley and Michelle.Ashley and Michelle do, uh, real estate and they also do training for agents and people out there and are amazing.Man, if you ever get a chance to go out and see them live- Or just jump on IG or YouTube.you're gonna love what they do.So, uh, say hi.Hi.Hi.So I'm Michelle.I am a broker for the last, gosh, 20 years.Feels like 72.Feels like 72.Um, especially this summer.Um, and I shifted into coaching recently.I love that.And now I've got my amazing partner here, Miss Ashley Gentry.Let's go.So- Your turn.Yeah.No, I, uh, am also an owner of a boutique brokerage and I've been doing that about 20 years myself.That's great.And, um, love to take my passion and my craziness on the road, as Jerry was talking about.Um, started a podcast with this amazing woman over a year ago and we've become fast friends, family colleagues and are trying to take over the world and help one realtor at a time.Amen.I say that all the time, by the way.Do you?I think you stole my line.Yeah.Save the world one home buyer at a time.Yeah.There you go.Absolutely.I say it literally almost every episode, so I love it.I'd rather do 40 at a time-but that's not working, so- Yeah.we'll do one at a time.Yeah.One at a time seems to work a little bit better.Yeah.Thank you.Itwell, better customer service, you know, repeat business, people love working with you.It's just a, you know- I don't know that I love working with them at this point though.So maybe that'sThat could be.That could be.Are we going there with that stupid- Is, is that why Michelle is your partner?That's why- Yes.She is.She is.That's the funny thing.She loves working with them.The funny thingeverybody thinks she's the nice one, but she's real mean too behind the scenes.Mm-hmm.I can be mean.I can be a littlea little rough around the edges, soI love it though.Yeah.WeThat's good though.I think you- We have a blast.Yeah.We compliment each other well.Yeah.Yeah.So.You gotta have that, you know.Y- you gotta have that balance, right.At the end, there could be a little sweet, but at the same time, it's business, right?Absolutely.Like, we've gotta know when to, you know, push all in.Mm-hmm.Yes.Yes.I love it.And I think in the market that we're in- Mm-hmm.whether we're in the broker role or the coaching role, it takes both.Yeah.For sure.Well, I'd love to get to know you guys a little bit, 'cause I know you have an audience, uh, but I don't know who in my audience knows who you guys are.Sure.So, uh, who wants to go first?UhI'll go first for a second.Okay.Let's do it.Let's do it.So, um, so second generation realtor myself.Watched my mom get licensed when I was 15 years old.And she, um, got her GED when she was, uh, I think 16, 17 years old.So, to watch a woman go from housewife to number one rookie of the year- Rockstar.um, and, and do that was really inspiring.That's amazing.And, and just like any, um, good mother, she wanted something better for me and begged me not to get into real estate.Don't do it.and I'm extraordinarily defiant, so I said, "Okay," and I got my real estate license.So, uh, here we are 20 years later and I think it's worked out because now she's like, "Man, that corporate world isn't lookingisn't looking too great."And I'm highly unemployable.Amen.We allSoright?I think we all are.So, um, so then fast forward, um, also wanted to be a conduit to the real estate industry and we see a lot of change and so I'm the immediate past president of METROtex, um, which is the realtor association here.Uh, the largest one in North Texas, and now even going to be even larger, 'cause we just brokered, um, the largest organized real estate- Unbelievable.um, merger in the country.And so, uh, we'll be nearly 40,000 members and what that really honestly means to, to your people is the fact that we're actually redeveloping the value proposition of what a realtor organization does- I love that.I love that.to realtors and to our lender and affiliate com- community.Yes.Um, we need to be that indispensable resource for technology, training, community, offices, everything we can do.So, um, so that's really exciting.And then that's where the passion turned because I got to do a lot of work at the association level, um, and obviously the settlement changed a lot of things.And so, um, so through that, just realizing that there are a lot of people that, that are fear-based- Yeah.and they need people that are informed to know what's going on- They do.to breathe some truce back into- Amen.into their world.Yes it is.So I like to do it on, on um, a higher level from that standpoint 'cause I do not wanna do independent coaching, and that's where this-amazing woman comes in.Yes.Yes.Um, but, but that's where my passion to train and empower and encourage, um, has, has taken me.And, and so it's been a, a wild ride and still gonna continue to do more, um, on that stage.It's, it's about to blow up, right?Yeah.It should.Yeah.I think this is where you drop the mic and just walk out of the room.Uh- But my work is done this week.I've done what I can do.Yes.Uh, it is Friday, but that just means we're starting, soYes.But Michelle- Yes.Right?So, you know, you have a story as well.Yeah.We'd love to hear a little bit of it.Okay, great.So I have been in the industry about the same amount of time, 20 years.I decided to, um, quit my corporate job to be a stay-at-home mom.Mm-hmm.That lasted about 2 weeks.UmNot happening.Not happening.God bless Lucas, um, my middle child, um, but I did not wanna stay home with him.Yeah.I very quickly realized that.So I got into real estate because I thought it would give me flexibility.That's what they always say, "Flexible like a pretzel."Yes.So super flexible, working 24 hours a day.That's it.Um, building a career as an entrepreneur, but I fell in love with it and never looked back.Um, became a broker and then around COVIDAnd really it had kind of started before COVID, but really at COVID I decided, "I don't wanna lead a team anymore.I don't wanna do all of that."Um, I would rather coach agents.That's the piece I love.I didn't love the piece where I was dealing with all of their problems- Right.and then bringing them up into success and then them leaving.Yeah.So I love the coaching piece.Yeah, that made me real bitter.It did.It made me angry.I stopped sponsoring agents 'cause of that too, soExactly, exactly.But I did love the coaching and training piece, and as a female I was brought up, um, you know, by coaches who were fantastic but they were males, and so they couldn't quite understand the pieceno offense guys- It's okay.They couldn't quite understand the piece where, yeah-Yeah.I need to set boundaries and do all these things, okay, but I also have kids- Yeah.and I have these things going on.So, um, got into coaching from that perspective, and I'm just super passionate about helping women and men build a business they love- It's what loves.and still have time for the life they love.Yeah.So, really teaching people, especially as th- the world is changing, the market is changing- Mm-hmm.that you can have boundaries, you can be an entrepreneur, and you can build a great business.And man, does it feel good to set those boundaries- It does feel good.and enforce them.Yeah.It does feel good.So, so yeah.I'm just out here rocking and rolling with Ashley, and we're having a great time.That's killer.Yeah.I could feel it.I could feel the passion.Yeah, we love it.I feel the energy, and I absolutely love it.So, I, umSo, on our podcast that we do each week, Winning Women's Wednesday, I coach Ashley, and she doesn't do anything I tell her.That's our s- that's our schtick.That's our schtick, and it's- And weIt's like a live coaching session- She does exactly the opposite.Yes.And it, and it just implodes on camera.It does.It's beautiful.And, and it's, it's lovely.Yeah.It's beautiful, so.So, tune into that.Yes.What's the, what's the name of the podcast again?Oh, Winning Women's Wednesday.Winning Women's Wednesday.Yes.Where do we find it?Um, Apple, Spotify, all your favorite spots.Everywhere.Yeah, it's on all the networks.So, yeah.I love it, I love it.Well, that sounds like a lot of fun.And, uh, I would love to hear Ashley not doing what you want her to do.Well, I'm sure you will.I think I'm her best test case though-because if she can coach me- Hmm.and it's not always successful, but we've made progress.That's huge, yeah.And then she can coach anyone.Yeah, definitely.It'sThat's true.This is true.Yeah, you're the, you're the, you're the test study.If it worked for Ashley- Yeah.yeah- Then yeah.but this is what I also tell people.I also tell people, "You don't have the benefit of having a best friend that's an amazing coach."Yeah."So, you have to hire her-" Yes." um, or you gotta-" This is true." choose your friends better."Yeah, choose better friends.Yes.Well, and I think it's important to have a coach, right?I think, you know, in anyAnd I don't care what industry- Yep.you're talking about, right?Oh.If you wanna be at the best of your ability, you always need to be surrounding yourself by people that are just a little bit more qualified than you are, right?Absolutely.And if you look around the room and you're at the same level as everybody in there, you're probably- Wrong room.in the wrong room.IThat's one of my favorite quotes.I absolutely love that because it is so true.It is.So true.And I think that we don't recognize that sometimes we have to change rooms throughout different seasons in our life.Yeah.Well, and we'veWe talk about this.I mean, IOften, you start, you grieve those, those times- You do, you do.because you think there's something wrong, and then you go, "Oh, this is my separation season," right?Yeah."I have to go through that"- That's it."separation season."And I, I kind of going through a, a, a season of that right now- Mm-hmm.and trying to figure out, and, and, you know, we're believers, and, and everything else, and IAnd was talking to my husband last night, I said, "Woo, this is tough.And I know we're gonna get on the other side of this," but- Yeah.God is separating us to doBecause He's got- That's it.a lot bigger plans.Amen.Um, and we've watched, we've watched Him do that in, in different phases of our life.And so, um, so now I get excited when I start to feel things shifting and changing- Yeah.and everything- Yeah.because I'm like, "Oh, He's, He's separating me to level me up."That's it.And, and I'm really excited- 100%.what that looks like.Yeah.And I love that you said that.I actually recently went through a shift as well, right?Yeah.And at the beginning, it hurt, you know.It does.I was thinking, "Man, this is tough- Yeah.this is my mentor, and we're separating, and I don't really know how to feel about it," right?And, uh, and then I entered a different room with a different mentor, and I realized this is a level up- Mm-hmm.just like you talked about- Yes.right?And it's like, "Okay, this is the next chapter," because, you know, just like you guys I coach and I lead others, well, I have to be at the best of my ability- Yep.so that I can give them the best of me, so that they have that opportunity to grow.Sure.Right?Absolutely.And if I'm always in the same room with the same coaches, how am I giving them what's freshest, what's newest, and what's really gonna move the needle?100%.That'sThis is why I joined with Devin, man, is because I've had coaches, and they s- they say the same thing, but coming from him, they come in.Yeah.And I can feel that.So, it's reallyIt's, it's been powerful of, of that transition.And, and even in our industries, both sides, real estate and lending, times have changed.I've been in this for over 22 years.Yeah.I've seen these cycles.Yeah.But every cycle, even though theyThe cycles, but they're different.Mm-hmm.The game is changing all the time.It is.I mean, back handwritten notes is still good, social media, coming out and doing this, letting people know who you are as a person is really important.And that's what youthe way you guys come across, 100% is real.It's authentic and genuine.Yeah.Yeah, yeah.That's why I alwaysWe, we laugh.Um, so I'm, I'm the slightly mouthier one of the 2 of us.She's edgy, but I'm mouthier.Yes, yes.Um, and so sometimes she's like, "Ashley."Um, but I, I- We've got a sensor button over there, Ashley.I'm just- That's, that's, that's all right.But it's funny because I say, but I'm the same person on the podcast that I am in the real estate deal- Yeah.that I am at church, that I am at the bar.Absolutely.Like, I'm, I'm gonna be in church probably telling you about that amazing martini that I had last night.Or I'm going to be at, uh, at the bar having a martini and saying, "Hey what, what's God done for you lately?"Right?And, and those are things when, whenAnd I think we're craving that in society now- I agree with you.is that genuine authenticity.Yeah.And that's why the notes are great, but you can't feel somebody's energy and vibe.Yeah.Yeah.You can't getAnd, and we need that.You know?We do.As human beings, we were created- Yeah.to, to do this- That's right.and collaborate and build community.And so I still love notes.I, I, I started my business doing that way.Yes.Um, but there's a way to level up and- There is.and still, still do that.And to your point, I agree.I think more and more, and why the podcasts are effective and the different types of media that we have now are so crucial is because everyone post-COVID, which I hate that term, but you know.Post-COVID, we're all truly, really craving community.And we don't know who we want to be in community with- Right.until we can establish if we feel like they're authentic.Who do we trust?And this is how we can make that determination is through video and media like this avenue.That's it.So, I love that.That's it, 100%.You spend 35 minutes- Yeah.with somebody.Yes.You get to know who they are, right?Like it just- Yeah.It's gonna come out.Absolutely.And, uh, you, there, the, the level of authenticity, it did decline, right?Yeah, it did.Like, and, and there's a lot of folks out there that don't know who they can trust, right?Yeah.So, you know, having this ability to get out and open yourself up and show people who you really are- Mm-hmm.is so special, right?It truly is.And the people that are gonna subscribe to you, those are your people.Yeah, thank you.There's some people out there that aren't gonna subscribe to your label, but that's okay.They weren't my people.They weren't my people.We weren't gonna get along anyways.Yeah.Yeah.And y- y- we weed out the people that, that aren't- Yeah.because of who we are, and we're showing it.And the thing is, if you're not showing who you are here, and you guys have been the same every time I've seen you guys.The way you talk, who's doing what.Yeah.The dynamics is there.Yeah.If we came off camera and you were totally different- That'd be a bummer.then it would be a bummer.It was.It's like the old glamour shot pictures that were out there.Oh, the glamour shot.Yeah, y'all remember those guys, right?Okay.Yes, yes.And then you get a business card and you're talking to them live and you look and going- That is not- This is the same person."This is a bad day today."Yeah, yeah, exactly.So, that's why this is what we're trying to do is, is to come out and show this is who you really are.Yeah.This is who Devin really is.This is who's gonna show up to the listing.Yeah, absolutely.This is who's gonna show up at the closing table, right?Yeah, absolutely.This is who's gonna be coaching you, right?Like, this is me.This is what you're gonna get.100%.Yeah.And ITell us a little bit, because I know that you guys are going through a, a training right now.And I've been following y'all's processes that's been going on.What kind of transformations have you guys seen with the folks so far?'Cause I know you're not through with this whole cycle, but how's that really relating to the ones that, that walked in day one to today?So I think what I'm seeing the most within the coaching program is, um, just thisIt's because there's so much collaboration- Mm.that, 1, it's building community, which is huge.And I think that's what people have been lacking so much.Mm-hmm.But it's also sharing our stories and sharing kind of our pain points.Yeah.And that's made everyone feel like they're not in it alone.I love that.Um, and then also something that, um, Ashley can tell you I am constantly, um, attacking people about.I am finally starting to see some of my coaching clients develop systems and schedules.That's amazing.And daily action steps.Not Ashley, not Ashley.Um- I'm like, I don't feel convicted to do it, so.Someday.Someday maybe.Yeah.Yeah.But definitely seeing some of, um, the clients that have been in it from the beginning are really starting to grasp that you can do more- Yeah.and you have more freedom when you have a schedule.When you build non-negotiables, right?And set to it.It's funny.It actuallyI, I remember when I first did that, right?And I'm like, "Okay, well, I'm gonna work off of a calendar.This is what my coach is telling me to do."Yeah.And guess what?Jerry, do I work off a calendar?Oh, man.If- If it's not on the calendar, it doesn't exist.It doesn't happen.It doesn't happen.It's not a real thing, right?Yeah.My husband knows that now.I'm like, "If you wanna do something or if you need me to block something off, you need to send me a calendar invite."That's it.My wife, yeah, she literallyI get calendar invites all the time.All day.Right?You know, I, ICan you talk to my wife please?Because she doesn't.I've, I've asked her that.I've got a solution for that.Yeah.We build her her own calendar- Yeah.that logs right into yours, right?Yeah, I know.We give her a Calendly that goes right into Jerry's.We got it.And then she can book her time with you whenever she needs it.I think that's gonna be a more palatable than me trying to have a conversation with her, Jerry, soYeah, I know, I know.Here's your link.Exactly.Here's the link.Book away.You know, it, it's lovely, but she said, "Oh, yeah, we had this scheduled."See, as my event coordinator- Yeah.Yeah.it's just I don't know some of the events that have been coordinated because it's not on my calendar.Well, you know, I think that's a you problem, Jerry, and you're gonna have to- Yeah.Good luck with that.I know, I know.I think you need some, some time with Michelle here, right?I know.Give her, give her my number.Hey, the Michelles.It's the Michelle thing.Yeah, it's the Michelle thing.But going back to, I mean, I think the, the schedules and the systems and, and watching her, 'cause I, again, for, for everybody, don't call me, I don't coach.Like I'm notThat's, that's not my thing.She loves to get in the trenches with people, and that's what I admire about her so much.Mm-hmm.Because when I'm in, when I'm in the dumps, she's who I call, and IYou know, she'll sit there with me for 25 minutes- Yeah.and just pull me out, you know?And, and that's absolutely amazing.But-We, we are in- And then I send her a bill.And-she does it.Um, but, but no, it's, you know, I think this isW- we've talked about, we've been, we've all been through different markets, right?We have, yeah.This is the most abusive market I've ever seen.It's tough, yeah.Most abusive market.I'm 23 years in, so- Yeah.I've seen it, yeah.So that's, I think, the hardest part, is not the fact thatBecause it's not the volume.We're doing more volume.In, in 2019, I think we sold 39 1000000, um, or 39 billion in, in the area.Right.And we're gonna do, like, 53 billion this year.Yeah.So we're selling real estate.Yeah.Yeah.It's just harder than ever.It is.Um, the, the, the horrific expectations on both sides.Um, and no matter what you do and sit there and try to coach and collaborate your, i- you know, with your clients and everything else, they always think, magically, their si- their situation's gonna be different.Yes.Um, and, and so I think we're, we're consistently doing that.Um, and, and so it's got to be hard for agents that have not fine-tuned those skills in a different market.I think almost over half the agents in the state of Texas have only been licensed since 2020.Every time you say that, it kind of terrifies me.It does, right?Yeah.And- I know, and it shows.and it shows.And it, and it does- Unfortunately, it shows.It does show.Yeah.And so when I'm having these conversations, especially with my sellers right now, and I'm talking to them, and I said, "Don't, don't be calling me upset when, after 2 weekends, we haven't gotten a contract.We're, we're gonna be more at a 60-day cycle."And that's been- Yeah.i- i- given you do everything, "What if I don't want to do all these repairs?"It's non-negotiable or I'm not your agent.You know?Because I'm not going to pump out a product- Oh, I love that.in this abusive market- I love that.that I can't stand behind.So either you're going to do what I've asked you or we d- we're just not aligned.This is the kind of agent that you want.By the way, you know, if you're a borrower listening in, you want somebody that's going to tell you.'Cause she's gonna tell you how to market your property, right?And at the end of the day, if you just want to do what you want to do, that's, that's not gonna work, right?Then why are you hiring me?Exactly.Like, you want to hire an expert, right?100% by our side.Yeah.Yeah.And that goes for s- buyers and sellers too, because they both have expectations.Sure.Mm-hmm.'Cause I see from both sides of this.Yeah.And we do a bridge loan for people that are trying to sell to go buy their next home.And I'm setting that up with them and their agent about, "If you want to sell it in this much timeframe-" Yeah." you need to listen to them that this is the price and what you can do it for.If you want to go here for the higher price, your timeframe is out here because-" Yeah, what's your burn rate?What, what, what do- Yeah.I love that you just said that, right?Yeah.What's your burn rate?'Cause people forget about, "I'm making mortgage payments to that property."Right?Every single month that it doesn't sell, I'm spending money- Mm-hmm.on that home.Right.And how long is that gonna last?Not to mention- Right.the liability.And just the- Owning 2 houses, you know, and doing that- Yeah.I'm like, "Uh, no, get me out."And the emotional frustration.Yes.What's that worth?Right.So, yeah.Well, I don'tI mean, a lot of gray hair, I can tell you that.Yeah, amen.Yeah.Yes, yes.IYeah.Was gonna say, I didn't have these when I got into the industry.Of course, I've been in it for 23 years now.Yeah, same.Yeah, absolutely.I had hair back when I got in.Just need some seasons.You had hair?I was wondering- Yeah, I had hair back when I got in.Jerry, what did that look like?Jerry's actually 24.I don't know if you realize this.Yeah, I know.I wasI'm, I'm, like, 24.He's one of those new realtors.Yeah.So, um, but you're right.I- it's setting expectations, and there's a lot of them that are still thinking that they should have bought back when the rates were in the twos and threes.But you didn't, so here we are.And theyAnd they were upset back then because back then, they were going, "I'm having to pay over offer price."Right.Oh, 100,000, 150- "And I don't want to do that to get the rate."like 50, 100K to buy the house, right?And now, they're, they're going, "I want that rate payment, but the rates are higher."Oh, you want your cake and eat it too?Can't have those sides of the pie today.Yeah.You want, you want all of it?Yeah.And their analysis paralysis that they're getting right now- Sure.is they want what they could have gotten back then, but they don't.Now they're going to be in the same now.And now when the rates do come down, and they are going to come down- It's a chase back for the market.You're gonna have a lot of people jumping in.The rates are gonna go up and there's no more FHA, VA loans.Mm-hmm.Everybody's gonna be over asking.There's gonna be- Yeah.no inspections.All those things are going to happen again because the demand is pent up.Yeah.Right.And, and we need to be the, the voices of reason of this- Sure.and help them understand that youBuying a house today is better than buying a house 2, 3 years from now.The better time would have been 10 years ago because the equity growth would have been there.It's like planting a tree.I was about to say, that'sWhen do you want to plant a tree?Do you want to plant a tree 10 years ago and have a great tree?10 years ago and have a great tree?You wanna plant a tree today for it to grow?Or you wanna wait another 10 years to, to plant that tree?Don't talk about trees with me.I've killed 3 in my front yard already.I'm notI justI have a brown thumb.Okay, plastic trees.Yes.Succulents.Maybe you should try succulents.Yeah, I'm raising hell with succulents now.Yeah.There you go.We've learned.We've learned, yes.But this is the part that itwhere they really need the educational part.Yeah.And, and, and you guys and your, your, your, your video podcast and what we're doing, and we're tr- putting more stuff out for these folks so they can start understanding a little bit better- Yeah.because they're still listening to the past, or they're listening to Uncle Bob that bought 25 years ago.Oh, Uncle Bob.I tell you what.Yeah, Uncle Bob.Uncle Bob and Aunt Karen.Yes.I tell you.You know, but here's, here's the interesting part, while we are in an abusive market, what I do see people, especially on the seller side, they are actually seeking a professional.Yes.Because they know it's more difficult.And so, you know, generally work by referral only, um, but now my referrals are coming from my past product.Yeah.And so it's still a referral.It's a- And I would actually much rather work with a stranger at this point because I'm gonna punch you in the face if I know you're gonna treat me this way.Um, won't I?This is so true.We've got to hold this one back.There's no holding back.No.But when awhen awhen a potential seller calls me and says, "I saw what you did 2 blocks over there."Yeah.And I haven't even sold the house yet.They just said, "You have the best product we've seen, the best marketing, your staging is beautiful."I do staging on every single listing.And soand they were like, "We want you."Well, guess what?That tees me up because they know my, my work product.They know your value.So I'm not having to argue that, right?That's it.Yeah.And so that's been kind of exciting to see.I've had 3 different listings come because they saw what I've done somewhere else and they said, "I want you," because we're gonna be in a challenging market.I need somebody that's going to bow up.You need the right person in your corner.Yeah.So that's, that's been a breath of fresh air that I'm not ca- calling cousin Becky that's been licensed for 6 months.Yeah.I, I'm gonna call Ashley Gentry and cousin Becky, maybe you should learn from her or get some coaching from Michelle.That's what I was about to say, you know, go back to the coaching side of it.Yeah.And that's one thing that I love about this industry right now because when I first got in, 23 years ago on the lending side, there weren't great coaches at that point in time.Like we had no idea who to turn to.We just had to stumble, fall over, get bruised, get beat up, get back up and figure it all out.But today we've got the Michelles of the world, right, that are there to guide you through, who's seen all those seasons - Yes.and knows how to, how to navigate through them, right?I'm navigating the market with you.I mean, the tools and tricks and action steps that I'm giving everyone are the same ones I'm utilizing in my daily real estate business.And that's what's huge.To Ashley's point is, the people calling her, she gets to go visit with them and she doesn't have to articulate her value.Nope.She's already done that.There's no cutting commission.There's no questioning the price.It's your brand.You're branding yourself, and that's what these new agents need to learn how to do instead of just trying to make commission, their value proposition.That's it.Yeah.What do I stand for?Because that's the quickest- What am I known for?Right.That's gonna take you to burnout faster than anything.It is.100%.I'm in that right now with a new agent uh, my client, I had them all approved and they didn't have an agent, and they found an agent through a friend of a friend at a party.Mm.Great.That's new.That's the one way to go west.That was a great idea.Yeah, it was a great idea.Very promising out-results here.It was a relo- uh, sell.Okay.They did not know how to fill out a relo contract.Yeah.It took a week to get that done because th- they said they have to have so many days, 10 days, uh, to, to inspect.Yep.And she was writing 7.But they won't accept it, and it's in California, and it's back and forth, back and forth.And then I go to the inspection with them, with the agent, because I wanted to make sure what they're saying.Yeah.And they're asking me, like, "Does the refrigerator have big leaves?Is that gonna make"I'm like, "Do you nothave not done this before?"And they brought a, a mold inspection kit for the homeNo.No, sir.and, and mold inspect it and gave it to them to say, "Here, you figure it out."And I'm like, you know, I- I'm helping him walk through all this stuff to go through the, theall the, the pieces of it, and it's, it's a challenge.I mean, I love to help everybody and I want them to know, but, but IThat's why I go to the inspections.That's why I do the pieces that I do, is because I want them to have as best an experience as possible on this- Yeah.knowing that it's a new agent and trying to help them- Yeah.to get better, right?SoEverybody starthas to start somewhere, and I'm okay with that.They do, sure.But when we all got in the business, the brokerage model looked very different.Yes.The commission splits were very different because there was heavy training and systems and resources, and there was a reliance on, on your broker and your manager, right?And the staff there.Well, we've eaten ourselves, right?We did this to ourselves.We've saidwe clawed it back and clawed it back and clawed it back.And now the, the brokerageyou know, profit margins are, are razor thin.Right.And so now they can't do the same thing.That's it.So before, you at least had a mentor, you had somebody that was going to walk alongside you in the beginning of your career.Sure.Now it's sign up, sh- suit up, go, go forth.Go.Go forth and, and electronically fill out a contract.And, and I've talked about this before, especially when the, the contracts were changing because of the settlement and everything else last year.I, I said if I were a broker sponsoring agents, which I don'tAgain, listen to me, don't call me, I'm not sponsoring you.Yeah.Um, but I said, "I, I, from a liability standpoint would not allow a brand new agent to electronically fill out the contract or send it for DocuSign."Right.And so I would, I wouldBecause you need to be talking through the offer terms with your client step by step.And so our trainers were like, "That's actually not a bad idea."I'm like, "No, you can't use electronic signatures until you've, you've done this, you know, ten more times and you understand and got it."Right.Because when we started, you, you went over it at the kitchen table upside down.You did.You drove over there.Yes.Drove and sat there with a pen and paper.Yeah.Yes.Line by line.Line by line.Yeah.Yeah.When I got in this business, I had to process, myself, my first 40 loans- Yeah.to learn how the process of this works.Which should be done.There should be an apprenticeship or something.That was the best training.And then I took a year and did closing, just because I was kind of burnt out for a little bit of time- Yeah.and I wanted to try something else.I learned closing was not my gig, but it taught me so much about the legal side of this, too.the only thing I will never ever do is an underwrite.Yeah.I will never be an underwriter, so don'tBut I know enough about underwriting- Sure.that I actually underwrite my files myself.Nobody wants to be an underwriter and nobody likes an underwriter.Right.I like, I like my underwriters.You like your underwriters?Okay.I do.Oh, I hope you're watching too, by the way.Hey, our underwriters are awesome.I'm gonna let you know, guys.Okay.Just so you know.And process- Andrea Allison, you're my hero, so.Yes.Okay.There you go.No, they are really rock stars- Heard it here first.Yeah.that we have.Yeah, we really do appreciate it.But sometimes guidelines change, so I'm looking for that stuff too- Yeah.to make sure.Because I wanna make sure the client is gonna have a success.Sure.I don't want to put anything out there that somebody cannot buy.I don't want you shopping in a car, taking people to these houses they cannot buy.Mm-hmm.That's right.Thank you for that.And I have a plan A and a plan B and plan C for some people, because some of them need that.Yeah.You know?And so, it's really more aboutIt's a team.Mm-hmm.It takes all of us.It takes us- It does.it takes title, it takes everybody in the process to make this thing work.Well, and I think that's what's amazing, to your point, is, IYou know, and, and my stepfather has been in lending for over 30 years himself, and watching the progression of all of that.And you guys were advisors once upon a time, and now we've stripped away what people think it's just, you know, you go, a call center loan or whatever else, and I'm gonna go online and I'm just gonna find out who's gonna poof out the best interest rate-and that's what a loan is.And it's not.No, it's not.And, and, and to your point, when you're even talking about the, the mechanics of the offer and what that looks like and giving you different scenarios- Yeah.Consultation.and it's like, "Great, you saved an 8th of a point by going with that yahoo," but they didn't, they didn't walk you through that wasn't even the right amount down you should've put down.Like that, why did that serve you in that capacity?And so, I think that's what people need to understand.And I am seeing that.Because the market is challenging, I think it's a market of opportunity for all of us to reiterate our value proposition- Absolutely.whether you're at a title company, because we're seeing so much distress- Yes.in the title side too, um, because you have divorces and death and, and encumbrances and, and different things like that.So, work with a stellar title company.They're not just the person that facilitates the closing.Right?You know, work with an amazing lender.Make sure that theAgents on both sides.Protect yourself.Yes.Yes, protect yourself.And have a team.Have a team that you can be proud of, that you know, the bumps are gonna happen, but I've got a team of solution-oriented people that we're gonna figure out how to keep this moving.Right?Yeah, that's it.You're exactly right.We have software that we use that I, when I get a transaction, I look up both sides to find out how much business they've done, what kind of business they've done-so that I know who I'm working with.Sure.It gives us- It's your report card, right?At the end of the day- You know, I don't care how long you've been in the industry.How many transactions have you actually done?Right.Sure.Right?Yeah.And at the end of the day, that's gonna tell me, you know, do you know what you're doing?Mm-hmm.Right?And that goes back to what you guys were talking about, you know, when it comes to sitting down and going through the contract, how many have you gone through?Yeah.Right?Do you really understand it, and are you, uh, qualified to represent somebody yet?And if you're not- Yeah.that's okay.Get training from Michelle, right?Absolutely.Absolutely.Don't ask- Don't ask me.Don't askBut if you want to refer me your clients, you can, you can do that.Yeah.You got it.We got you covered.Got you covered.But I've had agents, they've been in business 30 years, and they wrote a contract for someone, and they used comps, not on the street, that were actually sold.They went across the interstate- Yeah.to a neighborhood that's newer and to use the comps, and when the appraisal came in low- Hmm, wonder why that happened.they were upset.And we couldn't close the contract.We don't tell people what they want to hear.We tell them what they need to hear.Yeah.Mm-hmm.So, it's, it's, it's, y- you guys gotta be professionals as we all have to be professionals.We have to stay en- engaged with what we're doing, but th- those are the ones that, you know, we, that give it a, all a bad name and then it fails and it makes the person that was trying to buy a home- Mm-hmm.in the bad position.And that's the hardest part, is- Mm-hmm.'cause that's their lives.It is.Yeah.Well, that's where the market has shifted and we need to be professionals.We're no longer order takers- Thank you.and door openers.That's right.And that's why you need someone who really is, to your point, qualified, educated, and understands not only the market- That's right.but the forms and the contracts and the entire process.Yeah.So.We're not Amazon.We're not DoorDash.We're not Uber Eats.You don't want us to be.No, you don't want that.You don't want us to be.Yeah.You want us to be the Albernase.You want us to be the, the 3 Forbes.You want us to the, you knowOh, man, I, yeah, I talk about that all the time, right?You know, I mean, you go onSo, so I always like to put the analogy as you're gonna go on vacation a couple of times a year, right?Are you gonna stay at the Motel 6, right?Mm-hmm.Or are you gonna stay at the Omni, right?Or the, uh, you know, Marriott, you know, whatever, right?Sure.You know, at the end of the day, um, you're gonna get the service The service that you pay for.That you pay for.Every time.It's, it's real simple.Yes.You get what you pay for.Yes.We've heard that our entire lives, but I don't know why in the real estate side of things, and, and this is what I was ta- I think I was talking to you about it the other day.I'm like, when did theW- who thinks, "I'm gonna hire a professional-" Hmm." to do a service for me, and by the way, it's gonna be probably the largest service that I'm ever going to need."That's, yes."And then I'm going to berate them.""I'm gonna negotiate them and I'm gonna chip away at their soul, and I'm gonna see how hard they're gonna wanna work for me in the end."Right?For the most expensive thing I will probably ever purchase.Yeah.I, I feel- That I'm going to put my family in.I think it's more important that, yeah, it's, it's your home.Yeah.This is where you're breaking bread.This is where you're- Yeah.having your holidays, right?Yes.This is where you spend all your time.Don't you want that to be a magical experience, right?Yes.Make sure you're represented well- Yeah.whether that's on the lending side or on the title side or on the- Yes.real estate side.And pay for the services because you're going to get what you pay for.It's not rocket science, people.Yeah.You're 100%.It's really not.It, but it takes a team.It does.It takes coordination.It takes making sure that we're in communication.Amen.Mm-hmm.Uh, I always, uh, ask for a 3way call with the, the buyers and the agent at the same time to go over the loan, to go over all the ways that we're doing this, to make sure everybody- That it's on the same page.is in the same loop.I love that.You know, look- That's huge.we need to have, you know, seller contributions.Mm-hmm.I said don't offer, don't take, uh, $10,000, $20,000 off the price.Use that- Yeah.for seller contributions- Leverage it.Yeah.To buy your rate down, for leverage to pay the fees, 'cause you're going to refinance in this market down the road.No question.Take that money that you'reInstead of putting it down in your pocket to do that- Right.let's use that money.Don't pay, take the house price down, because it doesn't make as much difference to your payment as what this number does.Mm-hmm.And- Well, that's a consultation, Jerry.That's, that's a consultation, yeah.You know, you're doing a true consultation.You're getting to know what their needs are, and you're guiding them to the right choice for that.Yeah.Whether they can pay for it.Yeah.And even the ones that want to pay cash, where could you put your money to it better than leverage it and have the house do its equity position- Mm-hmm.and growth and put the money in something else?Maybe even buy an investment property.Do whatever you would want, but show them there are different options and not go, "Oh, you asked for this.You wanted a number one, super-sized?""Okay, here's what you wanted."Exactly.Yeah.Yeah, no, 100%.You're right, yeah.Well, guys, I would love to keep you all here all day- Mm-hmm.'cause this conversation- Yeah.has gone somewhere I didn't expect it to, but I think- Good.it's a great conversation for the future.Welcome to our show.Yes, welcome.Yeah, yeah, absolutely.A- and that's, and that's what it's all about, right?It's being real, and that's what we talked about from the beginning.But, uh, what did we not tackle today that we should have?What, what did we miss out on?I mean, there's so much.How long do you wanna stay?No, um- No, any closing words- Yeah.I think is probably the best way to put that, right?Sure.Yeah.No, definitely.Um, if you need that level of education and coaching and training and you're not getting that from your brokerage, you can reach out to me.Mm-hmm.And I just wanna give a big shout-out to Ashley and her team at MetroTex- Yeah.for everything they did to create the merger with MetroTex- Thank you.and CCAR.It's huge.Yeah.So if you don't realize what all the association provides- You will.you need to check into that- Yeah.because it's huge.Well, and that's, that's it, right?I mean, anything worth doing is gonna be difficult, and, and so whether it's your real estate business or it's, it's, uh, training and coaching and doing all of that, like, it's time to level up.This, this, this market, this environment has, you know, told us that success leaves clues.Yeah.Associate yourself with people that are in positions that you wanna strive for.Um, and that's absolutely amazing.Um, and then I would just say, you know, for, for anybody that's kind of wondering what this looks like, this, this market might be challenging for you, but, um, envision the business you actually wanna run.Um, and that's when, when somebody says, if you're talking to a new agent, "What are you gonna tell them?"You're a business owner.Yeah.What business do you actually wanna run?Because then at least- Mm-hmm.when you're pushing through these hard times- Absolutely.you're, you're, that burnout is not gonna be there, so if you- That's it, you gotta be passionate.You know?And so, so for that and really creating that and, and, and then put everything forth, it's amazing what you can do.And someone like Michelle can actually help you envision that avatar.Set those values.Yes, absolutely.So, um, so no, just, just keep kicking it.Keep trying.Suit up, show up, and- That's right.and, and we're all gonna win.Well, you guys definitely suited up, and you definitely showed up today.Thank you.Thanks for having us.And we appreciate that.No, thanks for coming on.And we'll definitely have to- Yeah.do one of these again.Like I- Let's do another.I genuinely loved being in here with you guys today.Yeah, it's been fun.Um, but let's, uh, let's let folks know how to find you.So Michelle, when the folks want your coaching or they wanna work with you- Yeah.uh, how do they get in front of you?[e-mail] it is.That's really easy.Uh, almost too easy.And Ashley, how about you?Um, you can find me on socials or anything else.This is where she gets onto me, and she's like, "Have you not put your website up or done anything?"No, honestly, if anybody just wants to, to get more information, we're doing a lot of things together.W- the association is also leveling up and doing a lot of great training and opportunity for your business.So- Right.hook up with me on social media, and I would love to, to be a conduit to help you figure out what your next steps are.What's that social?Um, you can just look up Ashley Gentry on, on Facebook.She doesn't know.She doesn't know.We'll put information in here.Yeah, it's great, just talk to me.We're gonna look it up for you.Yeah!It's [e-mail] you're gonna see it across the bottom of the screen there.Yeah!Or go to the description.We're just gonna have a direct link, and then you can find her.We're gonna make it easy for people to get to you.You too can be successful and be this chaotic.Yes.So, that's it.Thanks guys.No, I love it.I love it.Well, I can already tell, you guys are gonna be well represented and well coached with these 2.Yeah.And I don't think I have to say that.If you just listened to this episode, you already know.SoYeah.Well, guys, uhWell, Jerry, hey, thank you for coming on the show again as well.Absolutely.No, I, I tell you what.This is the best thing that I've done, was come here to work with Devin, is because- Thank you, Jerry.this is a way forto share folks that I think are really amazing.I mean- Yeah.I, I took a couple of times before I even asked you guys, 'cause I wanted to hear you- Sure!make sure you was legit.Yeah.Just like others that I've been invited on that- Too legit to quit.well, that I could understand that- Yeah.your passion.Of course.It's a- Love that.Passion is big 'cause passion was what got me with him.Yeah.Yeah.So, it's, it's really, this is what we wanna do.I- if you're out there, and you're a passionate person like this, reach out to us.We'd love to get you guys out here and be ableAnd galsTo, um, to share you.Because we wanna put everybody out in the best position.Let's empower some people, right?Yeah.Let's do some collaboration.Love it.Yeah, I love it.So, uh, thank you guys for being here.AndThank you, Jerry, and thank you, Ashley and Michelle.It's been amazing today.It was fun, thank you.Uh, yeah, no, I 100%.Well, guys, thank you for tuning in, as always.And you already know how to find us, LOS.live, uh, Loan Officer Success Live.Uh, keep tuning back in.We're gonna have great guests like Ashley and Michelle, and we may bring Jerry back in.If you like him, you know, put something in the comments.Um, you know, but, uh, you know, we will keep sending these things out every single week, so keep tuning in.And, uh, we'll see you on the next one.Thanks for stopping by.Thanks.Bye y'all.