Southwest of Normal

Brad Countryman and Ashton St. Jean
  • 5.0 (7)
  • News
  • Biweekly

Southwest of Normal is the talk show for Houston and Fort Bend County — real estate, local events, sports, and pop culture, recorded in Sugar Land, Texas, by Realtor® Brad Countryman (Countryman Homes, Keller Williams Southwest Realty) and Mayor of Fort Bend Ashton St. Jean. Every episode: the Mayoral Address, the Market Minute, The Plug, the $15 game, and Life & Depth. Whether you're stuck in traffic on 59 or shopping for a home in Richmond, Sugar Land, or Katy, this is the place for you. Follow Southwest of Normal on Spotify and subscribe on Apple Podcasts — new episodes every week. Stay loud, stay local, stay Southwest of Normal. #southwestofnormal #SWoN #countrymancan #countrymanhomes #mayoroffortbend

  1. 1d ago

    Episode 027 - Big Country Little Countryman

    Southwest of Normal

    Episode 027 - Big Country Little Countryman

  2. Oct 22

    Halloween Is the Most American Holiday | SWoN - Ep. 027 - A Spooktacular Episode

    Halloween is the most American holiday — or is it even a real holiday at all? Brad Countryman and Ashton St. Jean go full Texas After Dark for the Halloween special, recorded in Sugar Land, Texas. Mayor Ashton has bones to pick with 12-foot skeletons, fog machines, and candy prices, and the guys debate how old is too old to trick-or-treat. Then haunted Texas: the McFarland House in Richmond, the Wunsche Brothers Saloon in Old Town Spring, and Brad's ghost-bride run-in at the Hotel Galvez in Galveston — plus the best trick-or-treating in Fort Bend County, from Greatwood to Pecan Grove. The Plug is the Keller Williams Southwest Trunk or Treat, and the game builds the ultimate $15 Halloween party: Dracula's castle, Michael Jackson, Snoop Dogg, and brains for dinner. Life & Depth asks the real question: has Halloween changed, or do we just see more of it now? Hosted by Brad Countryman, Realtor® and Team Leader at Countryman Homes, Keller Williams Southwest Realty, and Ashton St. Jean. Follow Southwest of Normal on Spotify and subscribe on Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode. Stay loud, stay local, stay Southwest of Normal. #southwestofnormal #SWoN #countrymancan #countrymanhomes #mayoroffortbend

    Halloween Is the Most American Holiday | SWoN - Ep. 027 - A Spooktacular Episode

  3. Oct 20

    What Actually Makes Something an Investment? | SWoN - Ep. 026 - Tape Measures and Survival

    What's the line between an investment and a really expensive hobby? Brad Countryman and Ashton St. Jean take on the question that quietly decides whether a house is an investment — or just a really expensive hobby. The Mayoral Address: is Houston's growth the whole story? Then Real Estate: the real math on what makes something an investment — and why so many people get it wrong. It's not about a random Tuesday open house — it's about the difference between buying a home and buying an investment, and what Fort Bend County, Sugar Land, Richmond, and Katy are built on. The Plug: Texas tradition, home-team spirit, and the one small-town Texas restaurant that locals swear by. The game is Would You Rather (Houston vs. Dallas), and Life & Depth gets real about the difference between making it and having a life. Hosted by Brad Countryman, Realtor® and Team Leader at Countryman Homes, Keller Williams Southwest Realty, and Ashton St. Jean. Follow Southwest of Normal on Spotify and subscribe on Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode. Stay loud, stay local, stay Southwest of Normal. #southwestofnormal #SWoN #countrymancan #countrymanhomes #mayoroffortbend

    What Actually Makes Something an Investment? | SWoN - Ep. 026 - Tape Measures and Survival

  4. Oct 7

    Houston Isn't the Best Place to Live in Texas? | SWoN - Ep. 025 - Fair Weather

    Apparently Houston isn't the best place to live in Texas. We have some questions. Brad Countryman and Ashton St. Jean rank some of the best places to live in Texas — from fast-growing small towns like Fulshear and Hutto to Round Rock, Sugar Land, Fort Worth, San Antonio, and Houston itself. Housing prices, growth, crime, jobs, affordability — and whether we'd actually want to live there. And Houston? Somehow gets an honorable mention. Then the Houston market, where buyers suddenly have choices — and why tiny price cuts leave sellers chasing the market. Then NFL teams by home prices, Black Label Barbershop in Rosenberg, fair-weather fans, and Tom Brady — the 199th pick who kept working. Hosted by Brad Countryman, Realtor® and Team Leader at Countryman Homes, Keller Williams Southwest Realty, and Ashton St. Jean. Follow Southwest of Normal on Spotify and subscribe on Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode. Stay loud, stay local, stay Southwest of Normal. #southwestofnormal #SWoN #countrymancan #countrymanhomes #mayoroffortbend

  5. Sep 27

    Houston Realtors Aren't Making What You Think | SWoN - Ep. 024 - Rocky Balboa

    Everybody thinks Realtors are swimming in commission checks. Houston says otherwise. Brad Countryman and Ashton St. Jean get into what the Houston real estate business actually looks like when the market stops handing out easy wins. Buyers across Houston, Richmond, Sugar Land, Missouri City, Fulshear, and Fort Bend County have more choices, new construction is throwing incentives everywhere, and resale sellers are competing against homes buyers can walk into without doing a thing. What Realtors actually earn, why new agents disappear, and why knowledge, relationships, and showing up still matter. Plus Houston homes with lazy rivers and barndominiums, and the Plug: Monty's Tastes & Taps in Richmond. But the real story is Rocky Balboa: Stallone betting on himself, rejection, failure, and getting back up when life puts you on the canvas. Hosted by Brad Countryman, Realtor® and Team Leader at Countryman Homes, Keller Williams Southwest Realty, and Ashton St. Jean. Follow Southwest of Normal on Spotify and subscribe on Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode. Stay loud, stay local, stay Southwest of Normal. #southwestofnormal #SWoN #countrymancan #countrymanhomes #mayoroffortbend

    Houston Realtors Aren't Making What You Think | SWoN - Ep. 024 - Rocky Balboa

  6. Sep 11

    Tomas High School Is Changing Fort Bend County Football | SWoN - Ep. 023 - $15 Man Cave

    Fort Bend County is growing fast — and a brand-new high school is about to change more than just Friday night football. Brad Countryman and Ashton St. Jean dig into the arrival of Gene Tomas High School, Paul Scherer Memorial Stadium, and what west-side Fort Bend County growth means for real estate. Then Ashton gets $15 to build the ultimate man cave — and has to choose between a secret lair and a full-blown casino. Mayor Ashton asks if Houston is losing its personality, and the guys relive Friday night football glory days. Then Life & Depth: the six reasons people move — death, divorce, deployment, diapers, diamonds, and debt. Hosted by Brad Countryman, Realtor® and Team Leader at Countryman Homes, Keller Williams Southwest Realty, and Ashton St. Jean. Follow Southwest of Normal on Spotify and subscribe on Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode. Stay loud, stay local, stay Southwest of Normal. #southwestofnormal #SWoN #countrymancan #countrymanhomes #mayoroffortbend

    Tomas High School Is Changing Fort Bend County Football | SWoN - Ep. 023 - $15 Man Cave

  7. Sep 4

    Houston Music, ZZ Top & Addiction in Fort Bend County | SWoN - Ep. 022 - Blue October

    Houston's music scene is weird, loud, and completely underrated — and this week it's personal. Brad Countryman and Ashton St. Jean dig into the bands that built Houston's sound, from ZZ Top to Blue October, and the venues that keep it alive. But this episode goes deeper than a playlist: the real conversation is about addiction in Fort Bend County — what it looks like when it's close to home, and why nobody talks about it until it's too late. Houston music, Texas pride, and the hard conversation this community needs to have. Hosted by Brad Countryman, Realtor® and Team Leader at Countryman Homes, Keller Williams Southwest Realty, and Ashton St. Jean. Follow Southwest of Normal on Spotify and subscribe on Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode. Stay loud, stay local, stay Southwest of Normal. #southwestofnormal #SWoN #countrymancan #countrymanhomes #mayoroffortbend

    Houston Music, ZZ Top & Addiction in Fort Bend County | SWoN - Ep. 022 - Blue October

  8. Aug 1

    How Houston Got So Big | SWoN - Ep. 021 - The Sprawl

    Houston has no zoning — and somehow it works. Brad Countryman and Ashton St. Jean unpack how Houston got so big, and why its chaos is actually the plan. The Mayoral Address: is Houston's growth a feature or a bug? Then Real Estate: how that lack of zoning created the most opportunity-dense metro in Texas — and what it means for buyers and sellers across Fort Bend County, Sugar Land, Richmond, and Katy. The Plug: The Kitchen at the Dunlavy in Houston — the one place in town where the food is genuinely worth the hype, including a brunch worth waking up for. The game is Would You Rather (Houston vs. Dallas), and Life & Depth gets real about the difference between making it and having a life. Hosted by Brad Countryman, Realtor® and Team Leader at Countryman Homes, Keller Williams Southwest Realty, and Ashton St. Jean. Follow Southwest of Normal on Spotify and subscribe on Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode. Stay loud, stay local, stay Southwest of Normal. #southwestofnormal #SWoN #countrymancan #countrymanhomes #mayoroffortbend

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Southwest of Normal is the talk show for Houston and Fort Bend County — real estate, local events, sports, and pop culture, recorded in Sugar Land, Texas, by Realtor® Brad Countryman (Countryman Homes, Keller Williams Southwest Realty) and Mayor of Fort Bend Ashton St. Jean. Every episode: the Mayoral Address, the Market Minute, The Plug, the $15 game, and Life & Depth. Whether you're stuck in traffic on 59 or shopping for a home in Richmond, Sugar Land, or Katy, this is the place for you. Follow Southwest of Normal on Spotify and subscribe on Apple Podcasts — new episodes every week. Stay loud, stay local, stay Southwest of Normal. #southwestofnormal #SWoN #countrymancan #countrymanhomes #mayoroffortbend

Information

  • Creator
    Brad Countryman and Ashton St. Jean
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    28
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026
  • Show Website
    Southwest of Normal