Under Contract

Tim Donovan
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Entrepreneurship

Under Contract is a show for real estate agents and team leaders who want to build a real business, not just chase the next transaction. Host Tim Donovan sits down with top-producing agents and brokers across the country to break down exactly how they built what they built. Their lead generation systems, follow-up philosophy, pricing models, team structures, and the turning points that changed everything.  No fluff, no recycled advice. Just real numbers, real strategies, and the operational details most agents never get to hear straight from the source. Plus an honest look at where AI actually helps a real estate business, and where it doesn't.  New episodes drop regularly. Subscribe if you're serious about scaling.

  1. 12h ago

    Molly Mason: Skipping the $2 Million Price Point to Chase $100M in Nashville

    Want the best insights from this episode and more in bite-sized nuggets? Sign up for our free newsletter at https://undercontractnotes.com/ Guest Bio: Molly Mason is the owner of Kynd Property Group in Nashville, where she leads a small team focused on luxury new construction, private resale, and development business. She started in real estate in 2017 as a buyer's agent, worked her way into partnership, and took over the brokerage when her mentor and former partner retired. Episode Summary: Molly Mason joins Under Contract to walk through her path from licensed newcomer to sole owner of Kynd Property Group, a Nashville team averaging $60 million a year in volume. She unpacks how she and her team intentionally shifted into the luxury new construction market, why database and agent-to-agent relationships still drive most of her business, and how she keeps emotion out of tough transactions while staying transparent with clients. What's Covered: Molly explains how joining a team straight out of licensing gave her the structure and accountability she wanted before gradually transitioning into partnership and then full ownership over several years.She details how Kynd Property Group intentionally repositioned into luxury new construction starting in 2022-2023, skipping lower price tiers and using targeted postcard and video marketing to reach the right buyers.Molly breaks down her team's lead response process, emphasizing speed to an in-person meeting within 24 to 48 hours and doing a deep data dive before every listing conversation.She shares a client story about renovating a custom dream home that had to go to market after a relocation, and how a deliberate staging and broker outreach strategy led to a neighborhood price record.Molly discusses why she withholds problems from clients until she has a solution, and how strong agent-to-agent relationships act as a safeguard on long, complex pre-sale transactions.She lays out her advice for agents wanting to double production, prioritizing past client referrals and consistent open houses, and describes her team's current push to educate buyers on opportunities in a buyer's market. Timestamps: 00:44 - Starting in real estate in 2017 and choosing the team route 01:44 - How the partnership-to-ownership transition came together 04:09 - Team makeup and $60 million annual volume breakdown 05:00 - Intentionally shifting into the luxury new construction price point 09:04 - Why referrals and past clients remain the biggest lever 11:00 - The 24 to 48 hour speed-to-lead process for new clients 13:50 - Perseverance story: a custom dream home relocation sale that broke a record 21:05 - Learning to keep emotion out of client transactions 29:07 - Mindset for open houses when no one shows up 31:12 - Educating buyers on opportunity in today's buyer's market

    Molly Mason: Skipping the $2 Million Price Point to Chase $100M in Nashville

  2. 1d ago

    Rick Ruiz: Why a Las Vegas Team Leader Refuses to Outsource His Own Lead Calls

    Want the best insights from this episode and more in bite-sized nuggets? Sign up for our free newsletter at https://undercontractnotes.com/ Guest Bio: Rick Ruiz leads Rick Ruiz and Team, serving Henderson and the greater Las Vegas area, with more than two decades of experience in Southern Nevada real estate across buyers, sellers, and investors. He built much of his early career navigating the short sale and foreclosure crisis, developing a finance-driven, unemotional approach to advising distressed homeowners that still shapes how he runs his business today. Episode Summary: Rick Ruiz walks through how he broke into Las Vegas real estate in 2003 with open houses and newspaper ads, how the foreclosure crisis gave him an informal master's degree in asset disposition, and how he scaled into a team by budgeting his time and hiring support. He also details why he personally handles every incoming lead as his team's own ISA, how he manages database follow-up at volume, and where AI currently fits into his operation. What's Covered: How Rick built his first client base in the early 2000s through weekly open houses and classified newspaper ads that cost only $300 to $500 a month to runWhat the short sale and foreclosure crisis taught him about combining empathy with a numbers-driven, unemotional approach to advising distressed homeownersHow he presents cash, investor, and traditional buyer offers to sellers up front so they can weigh speed and convenience against maximizing equityWhy he insists on being his own team's inside sales agent, personally calling every new lead immediately to win on speed to lead despite leading a large teamHis system for classifying database contacts by stage and driving 50 to 100 calls a day, built on the idea that most value lies in the 80 percent of leads who aren't ready yetHow his team is using AI tools like Claude to scrub and update CRM records and speed up the production of marketing materials Timestamps: 00:00 - Introducing Rick Ruiz and his two decades in Southern Nevada real estate 01:02 - Getting into real estate after the dot-com crash wiped out his finance career path 02:01 - Building an early client base through open houses and newspaper advertising 06:08 - Lessons from working through Las Vegas's short sale and foreclosure crisis 09:43 - Why the distressed market fit his finance background and shaped his advice today 11:47 - What agents who started after the pandemic underestimate about tougher markets 18:46 - Deciding to build Rick Ruiz and Team and managing bandwidth as production grew 21:12 - The three things he focuses on: lead generation, seller meetings, and being the team's ISA 29:50 - Educating buyers and filling the pipeline in a slower, buyer-favored market 31:04 - Early AI use: scrubbing and updating the CRM with Claude 36:03 - Tactical advice for doubling production from five million to ten million 39:10 - The one question he wishes more agents would ask themselves about their schedule

    Rick Ruiz: Why a Las Vegas Team Leader Refuses to Outsource His Own Lead Calls

  3. 2d ago

    Patrick Southern: Detaching From the Outcome to Close 376 Deals a Year in New Jersey

    Want the best insights from this episode and more in bite-sized nuggets? Sign up for our free newsletter at https://undercontractnotes.com/ Guest Bio: Patrick Southern runs Properties by Southern in New Jersey, where he works seller side personally while his sister Shay handles buyer leads and Amanda Eng runs new construction. He closed 376 transactions worth nearly $400 million last year across traditional resale, new development, and institutional clients, built entirely without paid lead generation, and has spent nearly two decades under Mike Ferry coaching. Episode Summary: Patrick Southern breaks down how two decades of disciplined, scripted prospecting and zero paid leads built one of New Jersey's highest-producing real estate businesses. He explains why detaching from the outcome of any single deal is the key to true fiduciary service, how he's using an AI video persona to amplify his listings rather than himself, and why he believes most struggling agents simply refuse to be honest with themselves about their own discipline. What's Covered: Patrick Southern explains how an early site acquisition business and a childhood job at a sporting goods store at age seven instilled the hustle and money discipline that still drives him today.He details his structured prospecting system, built on Mike Ferry coaching, that converts a known ratio of calls to leads to appointments to closings, and why he still blocks roughly three hours a day for it after nearly 20 years.He describes his business mix as roughly a third new development, a third traditional buy and sell, and a third institutional and repeat investor clients, with zero dollars spent on paid lead sources.Southern argues that real client service happens during the transaction, not after closing, and that agents who try to convince clients instead of guiding them with honest advice are undermining long term referral business.He walks through Pad AI, an AI video version of himself delivering hyperlocal real estate news that has driven hundreds of thousands of views, and why he expects the tactic to get diluted once competitors copy it.He outlines his philosophy on technology and team building, treating AI as a utility that frees him to spend more time on revenue generating conversations rather than operational tasks, and warns against hiring buyer's agents before there is real workflow to support them. Timestamps: 00:01:04 - How a site acquisition company at 19 led him into real estate at 22 00:04:00 - Paying for Mike Ferry coaching on a flip phone with no money 00:06:00 - Last year's numbers: 376 contracts, nearly $400 million 00:06:58 - Breaking down the three hours of daily prospecting and why that number works 00:12:10 - How the business splits across new dev, traditional, and institutional clients 00:14:05 - Why he doesn't pay for leads and lets listings generate buyer demand 00:17:08 - Why 'convincing' clients is the wrong approach and honesty builds referrals 00:21:14 - Why real service happens during the transaction, not after closing 00:23:27 - The origin and impact of his AI persona, Pad AI 00:31:03 - AI as a utility belt, not a replacement for the salesperson 00:33:48 - Final advice: brutal honesty about why your business isn't growing

    Patrick Southern: Detaching From the Outcome to Close 376 Deals a Year in New Jersey

  4. 5d ago

    Kyle Seyboth: Shrinking a 250-Agent Brokerage After Making $7K on $500K in Revenue

    Want the best insights from this episode and more in bite-sized nuggets? Sign up for our free newsletter at https://undercontractnotes.com/ Guest Bio: Kyle Seyboth is the owner of Century 21 Limitless, operating in Rhode Island and Southern Massachusetts, and a former finance and equity analysis professional who transitioned into real estate full time a decade ago. Beyond the brokerage, he runs a development company managing over $100 million in projects, a cannabis dispensary, and Any Tiny Homes, a franchising company he has grown to 13 sold territories. He remains an active top-producing agent, having closed as many as 585 transactions in a single year. Episode Summary: Kyle Seyboth joins Under Contract to break down the operating mechanics behind running a large real estate brokerage alongside several other businesses, from development to cannabis to tiny home franchising. He explains why he deliberately shrank his agent count from 250 down after realizing a high-revenue month only produced $7,000 in profit, and walks through the follow-up systems, lead sources, and coaching philosophy that keep his team and personal production performing at a high level. What's Covered: Kyle Seyboth describes transitioning from a decade-long finance and equity analysis career into real estate, and how corporate etiquette and deal analysis skills now help him run over $100 million in development projectsHe details the moment that forced him to shrink his brokerage from a peak of 250 agents, after discovering a $500,000 revenue month only generated $7,000 in profit due to $180,000 in monthly lead gen spendHe breaks down his team's business mix, 60 percent referrals and past clients, 20 percent internet leads, and 20 percent open houses and proactive prospecting, and outlines the six buckets of lead generation every agent should workHe walks through his exact seller lead follow-up cadence, from instant engagement and double-dial calling to next-day follow-up calls and weekly touches until a lead converts or opts outHe discusses using AI mainly for legal and dispute responses while predicting that agents who stick to genuine human phone outreach will stand out as competitors over-automateHe shares his framework for coaching an agent who wants to double their production, starting with life commitments, budget, and personal why before building a tactical plan around open houses, calls, and content Timestamps: 00:00:34 - Kyle's move from finance into real estate a decade ago 03:00 - Overview of Kyle's businesses: brokerage, development, cannabis, tiny homes 08:57 - The $500K revenue month that only netted $7,000 profit 10:57 - Why the brokerage shrank from 250 agents to a leaner team 11:19 - Breaking down the 60-20-20 lead source mix and six lead gen buckets 13:54 - The seller lead follow-up process from first call to weekly touches 19:39 - How Kyle uses AI and why human outreach will become a differentiator 21:39 - What Kyle needs to know before helping an agent double their business 23:37 - Kyle's closing advice on losing inhibition and avoiding regret

    Kyle Seyboth: Shrinking a 250-Agent Brokerage After Making $7K on $500K in Revenue

  5. 6d ago

    Betsy Thompson: Running a $100M Coastal Virginia Team on 65% Profit and Zero Past Clients

    Want the best insights from this episode and more in bite-sized nuggets? Sign up for our free newsletter at https://undercontractnotes.com/ Guest Bio: Betsy Thompson leads Great Living, a real estate team based in coastal Virginia and affiliated with The Agency, where she is on pace to close $100 million in production this year. She built her business from scratch after relocating to Chesapeake, Virginia, growing it through sphere-of-influence outreach, open houses, and a heavy investment in client events, and today coaches with Tom Ferry at his top Inner Circle level. Episode Summary: Betsy Thompson explains how she turned a small, relationship-driven real estate business into a nearly $100 million operation while still traveling 120 days a year. She breaks down her philosophy of hiring staff ahead of need, treating clients as lifelong relationships rather than past clients, and running a lean, referral-fueled team that keeps a 65 percent profit margin after every expense. What's Covered: Betsy describes starting her real estate career from a home office after her husband, a former RE-MAX owner of 42 offices, encouraged her to get licensed, and how she sold 35 homes her first year through open houses and social media outreach.She explains her staffing philosophy of always hiring before she needs to, keeping a six to seven person support staff so client communication never suffers, and why she refuses to use virtual assistants for high-trust, client-facing work.Betsy details her company's signature client appreciation events, including a zoo day, a pumpkin patch, a strawberry picking day, a reverse pie giveaway to fire stations, a military flag display, and an adults-only brewery event where she gives away a mortgage payment.She walks through the white glove buyer and seller experience her team delivers, including fronting up to 300,000 dollars of her own capital to renovate sellers' homes before listing, and assigning a project manager to handle home inspections so clients are never confused or left with unanswered questions.Betsy shares why she and her husband intentionally stepped back from aggressive franchise growth after briefly operating as a larger brokerage, choosing instead to stay boutique and avoid managing a large roster of agents.She discusses how her team uses multiple AI platforms, including Chat, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, and Grok, for internal systems and marketing but deliberately avoids any AI tools that interact directly with clients. Timestamps: 01:11 - How Betsy got into real estate after being a stay-at-home mom 03:34 - Selling 35 homes her first year through open houses and sphere outreach 05:15 - Current production numbers and team structure heading into 2026 06:01 - Why she always hires before she needs the help 08:24 - Traveling 120 days a year and the doctor's office analogy for delegation 19:19 - Breakdown of the team's signature client appreciation events 22:34 - Running the business at a 65 percent profit margin 30:40 - Where Betsy sees the biggest growth opportunities for her business 37:43 - Why they stepped back from larger franchise growth after past burnout 46:26 - How Betsy and her husband use AI internally but never with clients 48:00 - Tactical advice for an agent wanting to double their business

    Betsy Thompson: Running a $100M Coastal Virginia Team on 65% Profit and Zero Past Clients

  6. Oct 26

    Patrick Hastings: 47 Years Deep, Still Answering Every Call in Rochester Real Estate

    Want the best insights from this episode and more in bite-sized nuggets? Sign up for our free newsletter at https://undercontractnotes.com/ Guest Bio: Patrick Hastings leads the Hastings Team in Rochester, New York, part of Howard Hanna, the largest independently owned real estate company in America. He got his license in 1978 at age 19 and has built a career doing roughly 25 million dollars a year in volume. He now works alongside his grandson and business partner Peter, who joined the team at age 18. Episode Summary: Patrick Hastings joins Under Contract to reflect on 47 years in real estate, from the pre-team, pre-internet era of calling sellers directly off the MLS to today's bidding wars and automated showing requests. He shares why answering the phone remains the single most powerful trust-building habit in the business, how he's structured a multi-generational partnership with his grandson, and what he'd tell an agent trying to double their volume. What's Covered: Patrick explains how he got recruited into real estate at 19 while tending bar, with no mentorship, and built his book of business purely through word of mouth and personality.He argues that answering your phone in real time, not voicemail or callbacks, is the single most effective trust-building habit and is more valuable today than ever because so few agents actually do it.He describes the evolution of his partnership with his grandson and business partner Peter, from paying him a stipend per transaction to building out his own split as Peter developed independent business.He shares his philosophy of always having enough pending transactions that he can afford to tell a client not to buy or sell when it's not the right move, prioritizing trust over any single commission.He breaks down how his lead generation shifted from being an early, highly profitable Zillow premier agent in 2012 to relying almost entirely on past clients and referrals today, aided by a simple mailing list and company-driven email newsletters.He gives tactical advice for an agent trying to double a five million dollar business, emphasizing genuine personal outreach, real engagement at open houses, and consistent follow-up over passive reliance on social media and mass marketing. Timestamps: 00:00:53 - How Patrick got recruited into real estate at 19 00:02:01 - Why answering your phone is the old-school habit agents should bring back 00:03:48 - Starting solo in 1978 before teams existed 00:06:23 - How the partnership and splits with grandson Peter evolved 00:08:08 - What's really happening in the Rochester market since 2016 00:11:01 - The 20-transactions mindset for putting clients before commission 00:12:45 - Being an early Zillow premier agent and why lead gen has changed 00:16:09 - Why Patrick isn't chasing growth and is planning the handoff to Peter 00:21:12 - How Patrick and Peter are using (and not using) AI in the business 00:23:18 - Tactical advice for doubling a five million dollar business

    Patrick Hastings: 47 Years Deep, Still Answering Every Call in Rochester Real Estate

  7. Oct 25

    John Montealegre: Automating Picker Repair Estimates With Multi-Agent AI in Hampton Roads

    Want the best insights from this episode and more in bite-sized nuggets? Sign up for our free newsletter at https://undercontractnotes.com/ Guest Bio: John Montealegre is a 23-year Navy veteran turned real estate agent, investor, and construction operator in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. He runs Fast Pickers, a specialized repair-addendum company, alongside ventures in dumpster rental and termite inspection, and partners with Iron Valley's Edgar Munoz to build AI tools for agents and teams. Episode Summary: John Montealegre explains how his Navy cybersecurity background led him to build custom AI systems for real estate and construction businesses, starting with automating repair estimates after home inspections. He walks through practical, low-cost ways agents and team leaders can use AI agents and bots to save time on admin work while protecting the human connection that actually drives business. What's Covered: John describes transitioning from a 23-year Navy career into real estate alongside his wife, then reinvesting profits into Fast Pickers, a company specializing in post-inspection repair work and estimates.He explains how training AI on inspection reports, pricing catalogs, and scope-of-work details cut estimate turnaround to 28 to 48 hours without site visits 90 percent of the time, with change orders needed only about 15 percent of the time.John details building custom dashboards and Grok-based bots for Iron Valley agents that track transaction milestones and even call agents directly via a VoIP-enabled bot to update earnest money and inspection statuses.He discusses deliberately engineering AI chat responses with human-like delays and tone so customers and even employees sometimes mistake the bot for a person, while still looping in live agents with context.John offers a framework for deciding whether to build custom AI, buy existing tools, or simply fix a process, warning that new agents and team leads often chase shiny software instead of nailing down a clear business foundation and lead source.He closes with a caution about how much autonomy to give AI agents, citing cybersecurity risks and the importance of knowing your personal line between efficiency and over-automation. Timestamps: 00:00:47 - Introduction of John Montealegre and his Navy and construction background 00:09:12 - When AI shifted from experimentation to a real business tool 00:13:08 - Building the Fast Pickers AI system for repair estimates 00:20:30 - AI tools and dashboards built for Edgar Munoz's Iron Valley team 00:25:02 - Balancing speed-to-lead automation with a human feel 00:41:58 - Tactical first steps for a team leader starting with AI 00:53:44 - Where to find John and his businesses online

    John Montealegre: Automating Picker Repair Estimates With Multi-Agent AI in Hampton Roads

  8. Oct 24

    Bryan Burnett: Staying at 50 Deals for 7 Years Before Committing to One Listing Appointment Daily

    Want the best insights from this episode and more in bite-sized nuggets? Sign up for our free newsletter at https://undercontractnotes.com/ Guest Bio: Bryan Burnett leads the Burnett Group at Century 21 Everest in St. George, Utah, a 16-agent team built after relocating and rebuilding his business from scratch in 2012. He got his real estate license in 2002, drew on door-knocking discipline from his LDS mission to master prospecting, and has personally closed well over 100 deals in a single year. Episode Summary: Bryan Burnett walks through how he broke past the common 40-to-50-deal ceiling by committing to set one listing appointment every day, and how that discipline eventually scaled into a 16-agent team without him giving up personal production. He also shares his hiring philosophy, training systems, KPI tracking, and how AI and database building fit into the team's current growth plan toward 1,000 transactions. What's Covered: Bryan explains how his LDS mission door-knocking background made him immune to rejection and became the foundation for his prospecting approach as a new agent in 2002.He describes stalling at 40 to 50 deals for seven years and the specific commitment, setting one new listing appointment every single day, that broke him through to over 100 transactions a year.He outlines the hiring sequence that let him stop doing everything himself, starting with a personal assistant, then a buyer's agent, then specialized roles like listing and transaction coordinators as volume grew.Bryan details what he screens for when recruiting agents, prioritizing blue-collar work ethic and a people-pleasing service orientation over existing sales skill, since skill set can be taught.He shares the team's simple KPI structure, a minimum of two new pending deals per month per agent, daily script practice, and morning training sessions that mirror his personal production system.He discusses using AI for ranking on AI-driven recommendation platforms like ChatGPT and Gemini, as well as for building listing and offer presentations, and reflects on how personal production remains more profitable than team income even as he pursues a 1,000-transaction goal. Timestamps: 00:01:09 - Getting licensed in 2002 after an LDS mission 00:02:19 - Discovering Mike Ferry prospecting training 00:05:48 - Why agents plateau at 40 to 50 deals 00:07:11 - The daily commitment to one listing appointment that broke the ceiling 00:09:15 - Hiring sequence: assistant, buyer's agent, specialized staff 00:13:11 - How the 16-agent team accidentally started 00:15:34 - Why Bryan still personally produces alongside running the team 00:17:09 - Tracking KPIs: two deals per month minimum 00:22:50 - Using AI for rankings, listing presentations, and offer strategy 00:25:33 - Building a school in Fiji with his daughter 00:27:06 - Personal production versus team profitability

    Bryan Burnett: Staying at 50 Deals for 7 Years Before Committing to One Listing Appointment Daily
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Under Contract is a show for real estate agents and team leaders who want to build a real business, not just chase the next transaction. Host Tim Donovan sits down with top-producing agents and brokers across the country to break down exactly how they built what they built. Their lead generation systems, follow-up philosophy, pricing models, team structures, and the turning points that changed everything.  No fluff, no recycled advice. Just real numbers, real strategies, and the operational details most agents never get to hear straight from the source. Plus an honest look at where AI actually helps a real estate business, and where it doesn't.  New episodes drop regularly. Subscribe if you're serious about scaling.

Information

  • Creator
    Tim Donovan
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    70
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Under Contract
  • Show Website
    Under Contract

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