Icons of Real Estate Podcast

Tomás Fonseca
  • 4.9 (42)
  • Business
  • Updated Biweekly

Scale your real estate business with proven strategies from the world’s top producers. Icons of Real Estate delivers actionable insights for agents, brokers, and investors to grow their authority, expand their sphere of influence, and sell more houses. Stop guessing and start implementing real-world lead generation, marketing, and branding tactics used by the industry's most successful innovators.

  1. 1d ago

    From Top Producer to True Business Owner

    What happens when you strip away your social media? Three top-producing agents reveal the unseen systems that actually drive their referral engines. Join top-producing agents Thom Thiller, Dominique Magee, and Jon Schaefer as they reveal the hidden systems behind their massive real estate success. From Thom's Florida relocation YouTube empire and Jon's team-driven, off-social approach, to Dominique's community-focused master plan that overcame industry discrimination, this episode is packed with actionable strategies. Learn how to transition from a burnt-out solo producer to a true business owner by mastering delegation, building financial algorithms, and planting the seeds for long-term passive income. 🎧 Hosted by: Bens 🎤 Featuring: 1. Thom Thiller  2. Dominique Magee 3. Jon Schaefer Tom Teplitz, John Schaeffer, and Dominic Magee are top-producing real estate agents featured on the Icons 100 series. Tom specializes in relocation to Florida through his brand Everything Relo and a strong YouTube presence. John is a high-volume agent with Thrive in Colorado, focused on team building, education, and delivering exceptional client experiences. Dominic is a community-driven agent who overcame industry discrimination to build a thriving, referral-based business in her hometown while working towards commercial property investment and community development. 💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode: ✔ Establishing yourself as a category of one in a heavily saturated market ✔ Building an unshakeable reputation that outlasts social media trends ✔ Cultivating fierce loyalty by educating underserved local communities ✔ Transitioning seamlessly from a burnt-out high producer to a scalable business owner ✔ Designing financial algorithms to protect your income during market shifts ✔ Leveraging backend systems and support teams to dramatically improve client experiences ✔ Creating a ten-year master plan for passive income and long-term community influence Connect with Thom Thiller: Website → https://www.tamparelo.com/ YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@tampafamilyliving Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/thomtillier/ LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomtillier Connect with Dominique Magee: Website → https://www.tamparelo.com/ YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@tampafamilyliving Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/thomtillier/ LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomtillier Website → https://classicsouthernrealty.com/user/dominique-magee/ Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/positivelydee/ Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/dominique.magee.890258/ Connect with Jon Schaefer: Website → https://www.tamparelo.com/ YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@tampafamilyliving Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/thomtillier/ LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomtillier YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@JonTheHomeGuy Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/jonthehomeguy/ LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-schaefer-465751331 Zillow → https://www.zillow.com/profile/jonthehomeguy Website → https://jon.smartdenverhomesearch.com/ ⭐ Produced by Icons of Real Estate - https://iconsofrealestate.com/ Subscribe, leave a review, and email podcast@iconsofrealestate.com to apply or nominate for a feature. #IconsOfRealEstate #RealEstateInvesting #RealEstateBroker #CommunityDevelopment #RealEstateTeam #PropertyManagement #FloridaRealEstate #RealEstateGrowth #TopProducer #RealEstatePodcast

  2. Jul 2

    90% Buy a Business They Never Considered | Franchise Secrets

    When most people hear “franchise,” they think fast food. Jon Ostenson thinks bigger — and quieter. In this episode, host Jim Remley sits down with the CEO and founder of FranBridge Consulting, who calls himself “a real estate broker, but for franchises,” to unpack the world of non-food franchising and why it’s become a favorite diversification play for real estate investors. Jon breaks down the “boring” businesses quietly throwing off cash — property services, home services, senior mobility, B2B niches — why “non-sexy is the new sexy,” and how the executive (semi-absentee) model lets you own a business without running it day to day. We also cover what it really costs to get in, the misconceptions that trip people up, the red flags to watch for, and the tax advantages that pair so well with real estate. 👉 Free resources & Jon’s book “Nonfood Franchising”: FranBridgeConsulting.com Chapters below 👇   |   New episodes of Icons of Real Estate every week — subscribe & turn on notifications.

  3. Jun 25

    The Future of Real Estate Has NO Dashboards (AI Transaction Management)

    Most agents didn’t get into real estate to chase signatures and send follow-up emails at midnight — but that’s what the job has become. In this episode, host Robert Kennedy III sits down with Kristen Thompson and Michelle Schubert, co-founders of Subi, the AI-powered transaction platform built on one idea: let the robot do what the robot can do, so the human can be human. They break down how Subi turns ~an hour of post-contract admin into about two minutes — reading the purchase agreement (even California’s 160-page version), loading every contingency and deadline onto your calendar, dropping documents into your TMS, and drafting your escrow and client emails for you to approve. We also get into why the future of software is “no dashboards,” what an agent’s job looks like in three years, and a first look at Cadet — their crowdsourced AI skills engine. 👉 Learn more about Subi: oksubi.com Chapters below 👇   |   New episodes of Icons of Real Estate every week — subscribe & turn on notifications

  4. Jun 18

    Stop Driving the Market | Doug Sullinger, Basil AI

    Commercial real estate brokers are still driving around neighborhoods looking for properties. In 2026. Doug Sullinger — 30 years at Oracle, IBM, and Dun & Bradstreet — watched it happen and built Basil AI to fix it. Basil is an agentic AI platform that covers every parcel in the United States with 150-200 verified data points. Brokers type in what they're looking for, and the platform returns the best sites with feasibility scores and financial underwriting — in minutes. In this interview, you'll learn: •        Why commercial brokers are still "driving the market" — and why that's about to end •        How intent data generated 4 offers from 100 contacts in 2 days •        How Basil covers every US parcel with 150-200 verified, multi-source data points •        Why open AI models pulling from the internet can't compete with proprietary cleansed data •        The Georgia Tech partnership training the next generation of CRE brokers •        How a broker with 9 months of experience closed a $5M industrial deal using Basil •        Where AI in commercial real estate is headed — LOI creators, OM builders, CRM integration "One tank of gas can pay for a month of Basil. There's your ROI — just from not driving around." Try Basil AI: basil.ai Free trial available — use it on your first deal 🏠 Icons of Real Estate delivers proven strategies from the world's top producers. 📩 Want to be a guest? Reach out at https://iconsofrealestate.com/ 📱 Follow Icons of Real Estate: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/iconsofrealestate/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iconsofrealestate/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IconsOfRealEstate

  5. Jun 11

    Paralyzed. Built $100M. | AJ Osborne

    At 33, AJ Osborne became a quadriplegic overnight. He lost his job, his mobility, and nearly everything — except his self-storage portfolio. That passive income saved his family.   From his wheelchair, AJ built companies worth over $100 million in storage assets. Today he operates 3M+ net rentable square feet across 12 states through Cedar Creek Capital and Self Storage Income.   In this interview, you'll learn: •        How passive income from self storage saved AJ's family during paralysis •        Why self storage is a business, not just real estate — and why the system IS the asset •        Why the best buying window since 2010 is happening right now •        How beginners can start for the cost of a duplex with SBA loans and seller financing •        The three things that transform any underperforming facility immediately •        How technology and third-party management have removed the operator barrier •        How to invest alongside AJ through Cedar Creek Capital   "The system is the asset. You don't need huge capex to change the value. Buy an asset with no system, install one, and capture the money being left on the table." Invest with AJ: cedarcreekcapital.com Learn self storage: selfstorageincome.com AJ Osborne on YouTube and social media   🏠 Icons of Real Estate delivers proven strategies from the world's top producers. 📩 Want to be a guest? Reach out at https://iconsofrealestate.com/ 📱 Follow Icons of Real Estate: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/iconsofrealestate/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iconsofrealestate/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IconsOfRealEstate

  6. Jun 4

    85% Did Zero Deals | Tyler McLay

    In the world's most competitive real estate market — 79,000 agents, the largest board on the planet — 85% of agents did zero deals last year.   Tyler McLay is a third-generation agent who earned seven figures by his early twenties and now coaches agents through Rex Coaching. His system delivers 2-3 deals from a client's existing database in the first 90 days.   In this interview, you'll learn: •        Why 85% of agents fail and authority is the root cause •        The 1-7 tagging system that turns cold contacts into clients one step at a time •        Why Tyler hates scripts and uses real-time client profiling instead •        Habit stacking: the Monday morning routine that compounds over time •        The "What, So What, Now What" framework for building instant authority •        Why campaigns beat events — and how to build systems that maintain momentum •        What separates seven-figure agents from the rest: inputs over outputs   "A win is having the opportunity to call someone again tomorrow. We're so focused on the outcome, we're not focused on the input."   Connect with Tyler McLay: @rexcoaching on Instagram | rexcoaching.com @mcley.re on Instagram for real estate content   🏠 Icons of Real Estate delivers proven strategies from the world's top producers. 📩 Want to be a guest? Reach out at https://iconsofrealestate.com/ 📱 Follow Icons of Real Estate: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/iconsofrealestate/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iconsofrealestate/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IconsOfRealEstate

  7. May 28

    Your Lender Doesn't Know About These Strategies — But Your Competitors Do | Ben Stef, Funding Freedom

    Most investors are leaving capital on the table — not because it isn't there, but because their loan officer doesn't know how to get it out. In this episode, we sit down with Ben Stef, founder of Funding Freedom and mortgage loan advisor through Nexa Mortgage. Ben specializes in the creative financing tools most traditional lenders won't touch: DSCR loans, second-position rental equity lines, and programs that let investors keep scaling without refinancing, without waiting, and without giving up the low rates they locked in.   He grew from $40K to over $250K a year — largely through YouTube — and built his entire brand around making complicated financing accessible to everyday investors. In this interview, you'll learn: •        What a DSCR loan is and why it's the ultimate tool for scaling an investment portfolio •        How second-position equity lines close in 1-2 weeks on LLC-held properties (where traditional banks won't go) •        The defense-first framework for qualifying: credit, assets, and reserves before you invest •        Why Rocket, Guaranteed Rate, and other big lenders don't offer these programs — and what that means for investors •        How to vet a loan officer: the one question that reveals if they've actually done the deal •        The right-now money vs. next-year money framework for agents and lenders building their brand •        How Ben went from $40-50K to $250K+ per year by posting YouTube videos nobody watched for two years "Can you work in the dark without anyone cheering you on? That's the question that determines whether you actually build something." Find Ben Stef: Search "Ben Stef Funding Freedom" on YouTube or visit his Substack for weekly creative financing breakdowns. 🏠 Icons of Real Estate delivers proven strategies from the world's top producers to help agents, brokers, and investors grow their authority and close more deals. 📩 Want to be a guest or sponsor the show? Reach out at https://iconsofrealestate.com/ 📱 Follow Icons of Real Estate: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/iconsofrealestate/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iconsofrealestate/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IconsOfRealEstate

  8. May 21

    The Recruiting System That Built 17 Offices — And Why You're Doing It Wrong | Jim Remley

    If you own a brokerage and you're struggling to recruit or retain agents, there's a good chance you're making the same mistake 99% of broker-owners make: you're pitching people instead of building relationships. In this episode, we sit down with Jim Remley — founder of eRealEstateCoach.com and former owner of the largest independent real estate company in Oregon. Jim started in real estate at 19, listed over 150 homes in a single year by 20, and went on to build a brokerage empire spanning 17 offices before building another company from 38 agents to three offices and $1.4 billion in sales. He now coaches broker-owners across the country on the only two things that actually drive brokerage growth: recruiting and retention. In this interview, you'll learn: •        Why the classic recruiting call gets you ghosted — and what to say instead •        What "no recruiting recruiting" looks like in practice (and why it works) •        Why push-button recruiting only attracts the agents you don't want •        How to re-recruit your existing team before someone else steals them •        The 2P Principle — how to set standards from day one and actually enforce them •        Why competing on commission splits is a death sentence for broker-owners •        The five daily non-negotiables that separate leaders who scale from those who stall •        When to fire an agent — and why it actually builds your culture "When you decided to own a brokerage, you said to yourself — whether you realize it or not — my number one job is now a recruiter. That's your number one job." Connect with Jim Remley: https://erealestatecoach.com Free discovery call, webinars, and podcast available on site.   🏠 Icons of Real Estate delivers proven strategies from the world's top producers to help agents, brokers, and investors grow their authority and close more deals. 📩 Want to be a guest or sponsor the show? Reach out at https://iconsofrealestate.com/ 📱 Follow Icons of Real Estate: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/iconsofrealestate/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iconsofrealestate/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IconsOfRealEstate

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4.9
out of 5
42 Ratings

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Scale your real estate business with proven strategies from the world’s top producers. Icons of Real Estate delivers actionable insights for agents, brokers, and investors to grow their authority, expand their sphere of influence, and sell more houses. Stop guessing and start implementing real-world lead generation, marketing, and branding tactics used by the industry's most successful innovators.

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