Under Contract

Tim Donovan
  • 5.0 (1)
  • 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. 2d ago

    From Army Pilot to 130 Deals a Year: Walt Crawford's Veteran-Focused Real Estate Playbook

    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: Walt Crawford is a retired Army helicopter pilot with 22 years of military service who transitioned into real estate in 2017 and now leads a growing team in Huntsville, Alabama. He personally closes around 80 transactions a year while his team surpasses 120, with much of his business built on serving fellow veterans through Veterans United and word-of-mouth referrals. Episode Summary: Walt Crawford shares how his military background shaped a client-first philosophy that removed the pressure to chase every deal, allowing him to build trust and long-term relationships instead. He breaks down his relentless follow-up system, his niche strategy of serving veterans and military transplants, and his approach to lead generation without a built-in sphere. The conversation also covers his cautious but practical use of AI, his biggest business bottleneck, and why he believes Huntsville's unique economy will keep booming. What's Covered: Walt explains how retiring as a 100% disabled veteran with military retirement income let him remove financial pressure from client relationships, letting clients set the pace instead of rushing dealsHe details his early lead generation strategy of tabling at hospital intern events and connecting with firemen, police, and other community groups to build a client base with zero local networkWalt describes his highly structured follow-up cadence using Follow Up Boss, including call-text-email sequences repeated 7 to 8 times over weeks to convert leads who don't respond immediatelyHe shares his niche strategy of specializing in veteran clients through partnerships like Veterans United, and his 3-points-of-contact method for building rapport quickly during showingsWalt discusses his current use of AI for listing descriptions and call summaries in Follow Up Boss, while remaining skeptical of AI-generated home value estimates and photo editingHe identifies his biggest growth bottleneck as being a hands-on, start-to-finish operator and explains why doubling his business means learning to hand off more personal leads to trained agents Timestamps: 00:00:29 - Walt's path from Army helicopter pilot to full-time real estate agent 00:04:20 - The turning point of using military retirement to remove sales pressure with clients 00:09:18 - Building a client base from scratch with no local sphere or reputation 00:11:36 - Why veterans and Veterans United referrals are his best lead source today 00:16:27 - Walt's detailed follow-up system for new leads 00:21:15 - His magic wand fix: getting clients and agents to actually answer the phone 00:22:27 - How Walt uses AI for listings, call summaries, and staging 00:26:01 - What needs to change for Walt to double his business in 24 months 00:29:53 - Predictions for Huntsville's real estate market and the industry in 5 years

    From Army Pilot to 130 Deals a Year: Walt Crawford's Veteran-Focused Real Estate Playbook

  2. 3d ago

    From Third-Shift Factory Work to a $120M eXp Mega Team: Geoff Cavender's Playbook

    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: Geoff Cavender leads The Cavender Team, a mega team at eXp Realty operating across North Indiana and North America, projected to close around $120 million in volume this year with roughly 30 agents. He built his real estate career while working third shift in a factory, eventually scaling into the number one Zillow Flex team in northern Indiana while remaining the team's top individual producer. Episode Summary: Geoff Cavender shares how he transitioned from factory work into a full-time real estate career and eventually built a mega team generating over $100 million in annual volume. He breaks down his lead generation strategy, follow-up systems, time-blocking philosophy, and how his team uses AI tools like Claude to run CMAs, scripts, and back-office operations. What's Covered: Geoff explains his origin story working third shift in a factory while building a real estate side business for three years, and the personal circumstance involving his daughter's insurance coverage that finally pushed him to go full-timeDetails on team structure and production, including growing from $82 million with 20 agents to a projected $120 million with 30 agents, and how the team functions as true collaborative coaching and support rather than just a brokerage splitBreakdown of the team's lead generation legs, including sphere of influence and referrals, Zillow Flex leads, and a long-term SEO and Google strategy through Luxury Presence that eventually produced a $144,000 commission from a $7 million home saleSpecific follow-up systems and CRM tactics using FUB, including the three-touch cadence for new leads, a 5-minute talk-time benchmark for qualifying real relationships, and a commission-at-risk smart list that recycles cold leads back into the team pondHis time-blocking coaching method that has agents schedule personal life priorities like golf and family time first, then builds prospecting, follow-up, and appointment windows around thatHow the team uses Claude for email drafting, calendar management, building CMA reports and one-page listing presentation documents, and scripting cold call and price-reduction conversations with sellersPredictions on the future of real estate including the decline of traditional franchise brokerages, the rise of mega teams with 60-plus agents nationwide, and why AI will change the business without replacing agents Timestamps: 00:00:34 - Geoff's origin story starting in real estate while working factory third shift 02:25 - The personal reason behind finally quitting his factory job 03:30 - Current team production numbers and structure 04:54 - Philosophy on providing leads, accountability, and mentorship to agents 06:27 - Biggest turning points and the hire that changed the team's trajectory 08:07 - Advice for a new agent starting over in an unfamiliar market 10:56 - Breakdown of the team's lead generation legs including Zillow and SEO 13:27 - Follow-up cadence and the commission-at-risk smart list system 18:59 - Time-blocking method starting with personal life priorities 20:09 - How the team uses Claude for calendar, email, and CMA automation 23:07 - Predictions on AI, brokerages, and the rise of mega teams

    From Third-Shift Factory Work to a $120M eXp Mega Team: Geoff Cavender's Playbook

  3. 4d ago

    Scott Poe: From 3 Years In Real Estate to $465M in Sales Across 13 Markets

    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: Scott Poe is the founder of a rapidly expanding real estate team operating across 9 states and 13 markets, including New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Memphis, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. In just three years, he went from a $50 million personal production run to leading a team that closed $465 million last year, landing him in the top 75 by units nationally. Poe is a member of Tom Ferry's invite-only inner circle and is known for building automated recruiting, AI-driven lead management, and business-consultant style team leadership. Episode Summary: Scott Poe breaks down how his real estate team scaled from zero to $465 million in production in just three years by going wide across markets before going tall in agent count. He shares his philosophy on consistent activity, AI-driven lead follow-up, and why he treats agents as business partners rather than employees, plus his blunt take on why efficiency beats the old-school relationship-first approach to client service. What's Covered: Scott Poe describes his path from licensed nail technician's husband to closing $50 million in personal production and 200 transactions in his first two years in the Mississippi-Louisiana market.He explains the statistical inevitability behind scaling a team to 50 agents across 9 states and 13 markets, and why he joined Tom Ferry's inner circle to push past the 60-agent ceiling where most teams break down.Poe details his lead follow-up philosophy, including calling leads within the first five minutes, booking a face-to-face appointment immediately, and why 80 percent of agents fail by not booking next steps.He walks through how his team uses AI to automatically reassign leads that go uncalled within 20 minutes and flag any client not followed up with in 30 days, protecting revenue rather than just tracking KPIs.Poe argues that efficiency, not friendship, is what wins clients today, comparing agents to attorneys and asserting that professionals who leverage AI well over the next 24 months could become the next Gary Ashton.He offers a tactical daily framework for agents, including the 25-lead sweet spot for maximizing income without diminishing returns, and stresses that agents must treat their own working hours like a business owner would. Timestamps: 00:00:38 - Scott Poe's origin story: from nail salon husband to real estate agent 00:02:15 - How the team is structured and why 10-30 agents is the hardest range 00:05:06 - Going wide across 13 markets before going tall in agent count 00:07:09 - Poe's number one piece of advice: consistent activity 00:09:00 - What makes his team's infrastructure different for onboarding agents 00:10:27 - Follow-up philosophy: the first five minutes and booking the appointment 00:12:12 - How AI automatically reassigns uncalled or unfollowed leads 00:15:11 - The magic wand question and Poe's time travel answer 00:16:11 - Why AI disruption in real estate is happening now, not in 3-5 years 00:20:57 - Can AI reactivate a dead client database 00:22:12 - The 25-lead sweet spot and why agents must book their own hours

    Scott Poe: From 3 Years In Real Estate to $465M in Sales Across 13 Markets

  4. 5d ago

    Burning the Boats: How Arielle Hays Went From Selling Shoes to a 21-Agent Brokerage

    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: Arielle Hays is the founder of Skyview Realty in the Tri-Cities area of Washington State, where she leads a boutique brokerage of 21 agents. She transitioned from running an e-commerce shoe business into real estate a decade ago, selling 33 homes in her first year after relocating to a market where she knew no one, and has since built her firm toward a $60 million annual sales goal. Episode Summary: Arielle Hays shares how she pivoted from an e-commerce shoe business into real estate after a cross-state move, treating the leap as a burn-the-boats commitment that pushed her to sell 33 homes in her first year. She walks through how she scaled from a solo agent to a 21-agent boutique brokerage, covering lead generation, follow-up systems, content strategy, and how she uses AI tools like ChatGPT to sharpen listing presentations and marketing. What's Covered: Arielle recounts leaving an e-commerce shoe business hit by shipping cost spikes and relocating to Washington's Tri-Cities with no contacts, treating real estate as an all-in bet with no fallback plan.She describes her first year strategy of arriving early, studying every MLS listing, walking vacant houses to reverse-engineer pricing, and picking up every open house she could to learn the market fast.She explains her current team structure at Skyview Realty, including a six-agent internal lead team, office-generated leads distributed and tracked through a CRM, and expectations agents must meet to earn office leads.She details her social media and content philosophy, framing agent marketing as a living resume rather than a credential, and describes mentoring a new agent into a dedicated media role for the office.She shares a client story about a first-time buyer who overcame nine months of a tough entry-level market to buy a home, illustrating why she specializes in harder buyer situations others avoid.She discusses using time blocking as the single highest-leverage habit for agents wanting to scale, and details specific ways she uses ChatGPT for CMAs, sales meetings, and marketing materials. Timestamps: 00:00:42 - How Arielle got started in real estate after an e-commerce business 04:52 - The leap of faith into a new market and starting over with zero contacts 07:50 - The burning the ships mindset behind her first year success 11:22 - Where the business stands today: team size and production goals 15:03 - Lead generation strategy and how leads are distributed to agents 16:29 - Why the office embraces social media as a living resume 20:44 - The follow-up process once a lead enters the system 27:11 - Story of a first-time buyer client and the emotional payoff of the work 32:44 - One tactical tip for agents wanting to scale: time blocking 35:02 - How Arielle uses AI and ChatGPT in her daily business

    Burning the Boats: How Arielle Hays Went From Selling Shoes to a 21-Agent Brokerage

  5. 6d ago

    Kyle Chernetsky: From $1,500 Mobile Homes to a 140-Agent California Mega Team

    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 Chernetsky is a California real estate broker and team leader who took a side door into the industry through mobile home investing before launching a property management company with a childhood friend. Over the last three years he has scaled his team from five agents to 140 and added 1,200 doors to the property management business, and he is now launching PM Grow, a company that installs growth systems for property management firms. Episode Summary: Kyle Chernetsky joins Tim Donovan to trace his path from knocking on mobile home doors to building a 140-agent mega team spanning California, explaining how making recruitment the core function of his business fueled that hockey-stick growth. He digs into his onboarding and offboarding process for filtering agents, his lead generation and nurture philosophy, his use of tightly defined client avatars, and where he's using AI in his business versus where he's deliberately holding back. What's Covered: Kyle describes his side door into real estate, starting with buying and reselling mobile homes on lawnie payments before earning his broker's license and launching a property management company with his childhood best friend's family.He explains how shifting his team's core function from selling houses to recruiting and serving agents drove growth from 5 to 140 agents and added 1,200 doors to property management in three years.He details a strict onboarding and offboarding bootcamp, including a 70-connection CRM requirement by the second Friday and certification deadlines, designed to filter for committed agents rather than trying to pick winners upfront.He outlines his lead generation and nurture strategy, covering speed-to-lead, capturing timeline and motivation on the first call, setting specific next-step appointments, and using Zillow Flex plus proprietary property management leads.He shares his advice for rebuilding a business from scratch in a new market, centered on joining a team with existing systems and inbound leads, hunting listings relentlessly, and going all-in on marketing the first listing.He discusses his relationship with AI, cautioning against 'vibe coding' distractions while highlighting a working AI sales-coach workflow for lead nurture and a new AI-powered dashboard for his property management growth company, PM Grow. Timestamps: 00:00:47 - Kyle's side-door start in mobile home investing 00:04:13 - Launching the property management company with his best friend 00:06:20 - Growth from 5 to 140 agents and 1,200 new doors in 3 years 00:07:03 - Making recruiting the core function of the business 00:08:15 - Lessons from the first bootcamp-style agent onboarding 00:10:57 - Details of the onboarding and offboarding filters 00:17:29 - How to rebuild a real estate business from scratch in a new market 00:20:29 - Getting specific with client avatars like accidental landlords 00:22:37 - Biggest business constraint: recruiting more producing agents 00:27:07 - Kyle's take on AI, vibe coding distractions, and useful AI workflows 00:34:13 - Tactical advice to double production in 12 months via financial stability and listing-focused avatars

    Kyle Chernetsky: From $1,500 Mobile Homes to a 140-Agent California Mega Team

  6. Sep 11

    33 Years in Real Estate: Paul Klenk on Leveling Up, AI Leads, and What Never Changes

    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: Paul Klenk is a veteran real estate agent based in Olympia, Washington, with over 33 years of experience in the industry. A former Marine Corps officer, he began his real estate career in a small Minnesota town before relocating to Olympia, where he has built a long-running independent practice under his own name, paulklenk.com. Episode Summary: Paul Klenk joins Under Contract to reflect on more than three decades in real estate, tracing the industry's evolution from press-hard triplicate paperwork to AI-driven lead generation. He shares the mindset and strategic moves that leveled up his business, his philosophy on lead follow-up and referrals, and why he believes AI will reshape the mechanics of the job without ever replacing the human relationship at its core. What's Covered: Paul recounts his path into real estate after five years as a Marine Corps officer, starting with 80 transactions in 18 months in a small Minnesota town with no MLS, no team, and no home inspections.He identifies switching brokerages to surround himself with top-producing peers, plus attending a Brian Buffini systems course, as the key turning points that leveled up his business.Paul lays out his advice for an agent starting from zero in a new city: target agents nearing retirement for referral business and consider buying leads to jumpstart a database, while acknowledging buyer agency shifts have made this harder than in his early years.He breaks down his current client sources, noting roughly half his business comes from past clients and about 30 percent now comes organically from AI search referrals, a trend he attributes to decades of consistent Zillow advertising and owning his own domain name.Paul describes his simple, professional follow-up process for new leads, contrasts aggressive versus relational follow-up styles, and explains his approach to warmly handing off overflow leads to trusted junior agents at a fair referral rate.Asked what he would change with a magic wand, he says new agents should be required to act as their own transaction coordinators for their first two years to force them to learn how to manage a deal, and he closes by predicting AI will streamline listing paperwork while human relationships remain the unchanging core of the business. Timestamps: 00:00:22 - Introducing guest Paul Klenk from Olympia, Washington 00:00:43 - Paul's path from the Marine Corps into real estate 00:01:24 - Early career in a small Minnesota town with no MLS or transaction coordinators 00:03:29 - How real estate has constantly changed over 30-plus years 00:07:42 - The turning points that leveled up Paul's business 00:10:00 - Leveling up by surrounding himself with top producers and taking a Buffini course 00:12:22 - Thought experiment: building a business from scratch in a new city 00:15:05 - Discussion of an aggressive $60,000 a month lead-buying strategy 00:17:54 - Where Paul's best clients come from today, including past clients 00:20:07 - The importance of owning his own domain and online presence 00:21:11 - Getting roughly 30 percent of business from AI search referrals 00:22:02 - Paul's simple lead follow-up process 00:24:14 - Warm handoff strategy and referral fee philosophy when too busy 00:25:36 - Magic wand answer: making new agents be their own transaction coordinators 00:27:22 - Paul's current use of ChatGPT in his listing business 00:29:10 - Predictions for AI's role in real estate five years from now 00:30:10 - Why the human relationship in real estate will never change 00:31:23 - Where to find Paul Klenk and closing remarks

    33 Years in Real Estate: Paul Klenk on Leveling Up, AI Leads, and What Never Changes

  7. Sep 10

    From Selling a $725K House in 15 Minutes to Running Her Own Brokerage: Jessica Matute's Story

    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: Jessica Matute is a broker-owner in Staten Island, New York, running JMP Properties across New York and New Jersey with about 30 agents. A 23-year real estate veteran, she built her own brokerage from the ground up eight years ago, sold her very first listing within 15 minutes on day one in the business, and has since expanded into new construction, land sales, and development. Episode Summary: Jessica Matute joins Tim Donovan to share the story of her unlikely start in real estate, her journey from top-producing agent to broker-owner of her own boutique brokerage, and the philosophy that has guided her for over two decades. She dives into lead generation tactics, why consistent follow-up separates top producers from everyone else, and why she insists on brutal honesty with clients even when it costs her a listing. What's Covered: Jessica recounts selling her very first listing, a $725,000 detached house in Staten Island, within 15 minutes of opening the open house doors, and how that early win convinced her real estate was her calling.She explains her transition from top-producing agent to broker-owner eight years ago, growing from 12 agents on day one to roughly 30 agents today without actively recruiting, relying instead on reputation and a boutique, hands-on office culture.Jessica identifies opening her own brokerage and moving into new construction, land sales, and development as the two biggest turning points that changed the trajectory of her business.She shares her advice for agents starting from scratch in a new market: buy leads to get moving quickly, get involved in the community, learn the area, and prioritize in-person trust-building like door knocking and open houses over texting.Jessica emphasizes radical honesty with sellers, including telling clients uncomfortable truths about pricing and needed renovations even when it costs her the listing, because protecting her credibility and reputation matters more than winning every deal in the short term.She discusses her lead follow-up strategy, a hybrid of immediate contact, handwritten thank-you cards, and paced follow-up calls, and explains why she believes consistency in follow-up is the single biggest lever most agents are missing, plus her measured, skeptical take on using AI for listing descriptions. Timestamps: 00:00:50 - Jessica's origin story: taking a real estate class on a whim 01:31 - Selling her first listing, a $725K house, in 15 minutes 02:37 - Building her own brokerage: from 12 agents to 30 today 05:49 - Turning points: going independent and moving into new construction 08:01 - Advice for starting over in a new city with no database 11:10 - Why the market shift now rewards agents who actually know their business 12:09 - On having uncomfortable conversations and never lying to clients 14:26 - Losing a listing over honesty about pricing and renovation needs 15:24 - Lead generation strategy: buying leads, door knocking, and postcards 19:06 - Why consistent follow-up separates top agents from everyone else 22:08 - The magic wand question: consistency as the biggest business fix 24:18 - Jessica's take on using AI for listing descriptions 25:20 - Predictions for the industry five years from now

    From Selling a $725K House in 15 Minutes to Running Her Own Brokerage: Jessica Matute's Story

  8. Sep 9

    From Maxed Credit Cards to 650 Deals a Year: Patrick Allison's eXp Growth Blueprint

    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 Allison is a team leader at eXp Realty based in Reno, Nevada, who transitioned from a fifth-generation career in the car industry into real estate in 2014. He built his group from a 15-person team into a 75-agent operation spanning five states, with the team on track for roughly 650 transactions and over 350 million dollars in volume this year. Episode Summary: Patrick Allison shares how he scaled his real estate team from 15 to 75 agents across five states by leaning on brokerage collaboration, disciplined follow-up, and a sales-first mindset. He breaks down his philosophy on client acquisition costs, database building, and why he believes AI will never replace the human salesperson in real estate. What's Covered: Patrick explains his path from a fifth-generation car sales background into real estate in 2014, eventually building a 75-agent team across five states doing roughly 650 transactions and over 350 million dollars in volumeHe credits collaboration with other team leads within his eXp network as the single biggest turning point that helped him escape what he calls the messy middle of team growth between 20 and 50 agentsPatrick lays out his advice for agents starting from scratch, arguing that joining a team to reduce upfront financial risk on client acquisition often beats going it alone and going broke on leadsHe discusses his Zillow lead-driven business model, his five pillars of client conversion, and why simply asking for the sale and picking up the phone separates top producers from the 74 percent of agents who close zero transactions in a yearPatrick argues that shows like Million Dollar Listing mislead new agents into underestimating the business fundamentals required to succeed, and that real estate needs to be treated as a career, not a side hustleHe shares his view on AI in real estate, insisting automation can handle logistics like showing requests and drafted texts but will never replace the human ability to sell, and predicts the industry will consolidate into elite solo producers and larger teams Timestamps: 00:00:33 - Patrick's journey from the car industry to real estate in 2014 00:01:13 - Scaling from a 15-person team to 75 agents in five states 00:02:22 - The turning point: collaboration and escaping the messy middle 00:04:14 - Advice for agents starting over with no database or reputation 00:06:15 - Why client acquisition and follow-up matter more than lead volume 00:10:40 - Contrarian take: Million Dollar Listing and the myth of overnight talent 00:14:06 - Interest rates, affordability, and the ego problem between agents and lenders 00:15:49 - The real challenge: most agents simply do not follow up 00:17:08 - AI in real estate and why sales will never be automated 00:18:36 - Predictions for the industry five years from now

    From Maxed Credit Cards to 650 Deals a Year: Patrick Allison's eXp Growth Blueprint
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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
    30
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Under Contract
  • Show Website
    Under Contract