What Makes a Broker Great? Jonathan Lickstein on Building Real Brokerage Culture
Real Estate Excellence
What if the key to scaling your real estate career wasn’t selling more—but letting go? In this episode of the Real Estate Excellence Podcast, Tracy Hayes sits down with Jonathan Lickstein, the award-winning COO of one of the nation’s fastest-growing independent brokerages. From launching his career unexpectedly in Honduras to leading a 5,000-agent operation across six states, Jonathan reveals how he uses cutting-edge AI, strong culture, and deep mentorship to scale operations, without losing the human touch. Jonathan dives deep into how brokers can truly support agents in today’s...
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How to Buy Equestrian Property in Florida’s Top Horse Regions
Real Estate Excellence
Can mastering a niche early in your real estate career be the secret to selling million-dollar homes in your 20s? In this episode of the Real Estate Excellence Podcast, Tracy Hayes welcomes second-generation real estate agent Emma Horvatincic, a driven and self-made rising star specializing in equestrian properties in Northeast Florida. Emma shares her journey from growing up immersed in a business-minded household to building a flourishing career in real estate—all before turning 25. Her unique blend of professionalism, niche marketing, and dedication to elite service shines throughout...
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How To Make Real Estate Agents CEO's
Real Estate Excellence
Are you holding back your real estate growth because you’re afraid to let go of control? In this episode of the Real Estate Excellence Podcast, Tracy Hayes sits down with the sharp and candid Sasha Tripp, founder of Story House Real Estate in Central Virginia. Sasha opens up about her journey from independent boutique brokerage owner to partnering with Real and Place to scale her operations without sacrificing her brand. With a strong emphasis on leadership, systems, and strategic partnerships, she shares how she broke through growth plateaus and found new ways to elevate both her...
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He Bet Everything on Real Estate — And It Worked
Real Estate Excellence
Would you be willing to remove an organ just to escape your 9-to-5 and chase your dream? In this episode of the Real Estate Excellence Podcast, Tracy Hayes sits down with Drew Kazemba. Drew shares one of the most unconventional entries into real estate ever told—he voluntarily had his appendix removed to get time off work and take his real estate exam. Drew walks us through how he transitioned from a miserable medical sales job into building a thriving real estate career in Jacksonville, Florida. From cold-calling hedge funds and wholesaling to learning the ropes at DJ & Lindsey,...
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From Recruiting to Real Estate: Karen Saez’s Rise in Northeast Florida
Real Estate Excellence
What would you risk—your career, your comfort, or your security—to build the life you really want? In this episode of the Real Estate Excellence Podcast, Tracy Hayes welcomes Karen Saez. Karen shares her incredible journey from corporate recruiting at Deutsche Bank to owning a bar and eventually finding her true passion in real estate. As a bilingual advisor and former military spouse, Karen brings heart, hustle, and unique experience to the Jacksonville market. She dives deep into what it takes to break into the industry, create a client-first business, and overcome the personal and...
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Selling $5M Homes in Ponte Vedra Beach
Real Estate Excellence
What if the key to succeeding in the luxury real estate market isn't flash or fame—but quiet consistency and old-school relationship-building? In this episode of the Real Estate Excellence Podcast, Tracy Hayes sits down with luxury real estate veteran Michael Curet, a former pro tennis writer turned top-tier coastal agent. With nearly three decades in the game, Michael shares how he transitioned from ATP rankings to real estate royalty in northeast Florida. He opens up about the early hustle, key relationships, and how his sports background uniquely positioned him to serve elite clientele,...
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She Flipped the NYC Brokerage Model --And Agents Are Thriving
Real Estate Excellence
What does it really take to lead one of Manhattan’s most iconic brokerages through a historic acquisition while preserving its soul and scaling its influence? In this episode of the Real Estate Excellence Podcast, Tracy Hayes sits down with Kevelyn Guzman, a visionary leader who took a 100-year-old boutique Manhattan brokerage through a transformative acquisition by Coldwell Banker. She opens up about her journey from Wall Street to real estate, her philosophy of treating agents as clients, and her approach to maintaining culture, innovation, and collaboration in a fiercely competitive...
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How to 2.5x Your Sales in a Down Market: $8M to $20M in 2025
Real Estate Excellence
What if the secret to your real estate breakthrough isn't a better market... but a better mindset? In this episode of the Real Estate Excellence Podcast, Tracy Hayes welcomes Kaitlin Chernyshov. Kaitin shares how she went from uncertainty and switching seven brokerages to becoming one of Northeast Florida’s top-producing agents. Despite working in what headlines call the worst real estate market in recent years, she has already closed over 40 homes and is tracking more than 20 million in sales for 2025. Kaitlin unpacks the mindset shift that sparked her explosive growth, her transition...
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Jamie McLaughlin: From Classroom to Closing - Top St Johns Cty Realtor
Real Estate Excellence
Are you just buying a house, or are you investing in a lifestyle that matches your future? In this episode of the Real Estate Excellence Podcast, Tracy Hayes welcomes former middle school math teacher turned real estate agent, Jamie McLaughlin. Jamie shares her inspiring journey from the classroom to becoming a trusted realtor in St. Johns County, Florida. With deep roots in the community and a teacher’s heart, Jamie brings patience, structure, and honesty to every transaction—serving not just clients, but building long-lasting relationships. Tracy dives into the challenges and...
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Tiffany High: How Wholesalers / Flippers Build Predictable Scalable Businesses
Real Estate Excellence
What would change if you stopped chasing one off flips and rebuilt a real business that runs without you? In this episode of the Real Estate Excellence Podcast, Tracy Hayes sits down with Tiffany High. Tiffany lays out how she left a demanding corporate path to be present for family, stumbled into flipping, then scaled from 40 flips in year one to a virtual operation closing 20 plus deals a month. The turning point was tearing everything down in 90 days and rebuilding with systems, training, and leadership so the company could run without constant firefighting. She explains why newbies...
info_outlineWhat would change in your business if you treated time as your most valuable commodity and priced every hour accordingly?
In this episode of the Real Estate Excellence Podcast, Tracy Hayes sits down with luxury agent and team leader Gail DeMarco. Gail drops the polite filter and lays out how she built a near billion in lifetime sales by staying lean, obsessing over data, and designing a brand that shows up everywhere. From four open houses every weekend to hyper-focused farming and YouTube consistency, she explains exactly how she creates momentum in new markets and turns listings into market share.
The conversation digs into hiring for coachability, running a tight listing operation, delegating fast, and engineering deals with assumable loans and lender-powered rate buydowns. It is an unvarnished masterclass on standards, time discipline, and creative structure in a tough market, capped with faith-driven leadership and straight talk on saying no to bad fits.
If this episode pushed you to tighten your standards and reclaim your calendar, share it with one agent who needs a wake-up call and DM us the one change you will make this week.
Highlights:
0:00-5:59 Numbers that make you sit up
- Why she is in the business of real estate not just a realtor
- Team goal: everyone should out-earn the leader
- 2023 production 389M team, 80M personal
- Lean teams beat big teams, people get lost
- Expect scar tissue and weekly tears on the climb
10:00-13:00 Branding that actually moves property
- Name recognition as the north star, top of mind wins listings
- Premium signage and consistent open house experience
- Compliance first, even with team branding
- Treat 450k and multi-million the same, remove ego
- Hospitality touches: Fiji water, booklets, consistency
15:51-19:59 Mailers metrics and momentum
- Four-page data-driven mailers co-op with lender
- Pull the plug when the farm does not pencil, like a stock
- Proof of everywhere affects community recognition
- Give to the community and spend to make money
- YouTube surge from 400 to 67k with consistency
20:20-22:20 Hyper-focus and the price of time
- Farm a few micro-markets deeply
- Co-list luxury so you can be everywhere the listing needs
- Signs concentrate perception: you sell everything here
- Time is the most valuable commodity, price your hours
- If it is not on calendar, it is a no, including Pilates conflicts
52:20-1:00:37 Delegate to elevate and operational excellence
- If it is not income producing, do not do it
- Pay a premium TC to keep you out of real estate jail
- Contact sport: get off the modules and host more opens
- Role play Breakfast Club for objections
- When to spend three hundred monthly or get a part-time job
1:01:48-1:07:14 Creative deals, lenders, and the close
- Advertise payment, not price: buydowns beat reductions
- Assumable loans open doors with patience on closing
- Competing with builders: incentives and differentiation
- Say no to listings that cannot appraise or perform
- Closeout lender love and episode wrap
Quotes:
“I am not a realtor I am in the business of real estate.” – Gail DeMarco
“I want everyone on my team to make more money than me that is my goal.” – Gail DeMarco
“Your most valuable commodity is your time.” – Gail DeMarco
“You have to delegate to elevate.” – Gail DeMarco
To contact Gail DeMarco, learn more about her business, and make her a part of your network, make sure to follow her on her Website, Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, and LinkedIn.
Connect with Gail DeMarco!
Website: https://www.movetostjohnsfl.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/relentlessrealtor/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gail.d.demarco/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LivinginStJohnsStJohnsCountyFL
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaildemarco/
Connect with me!
Website: toprealtorjacksonville.com
Website: toprealtorstaugustine.com
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