REality

Jessica Edgerton on Navigating Legal Shifts, DOJ Policies, and Future Growth in Real Estate

• Gary Scott

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Join us for an enlightening conversation with Jessica Edgerton, the Chief Legal Officer at Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, as she sheds light on the turbulent transitions in the real estate industry following the introduction of new settlement rules. Discover how proactive agents, who have enhanced their negotiation skills and effectively communicated their value, are forging ahead and even securing higher commissions. Jessica shares her wisdom on the significance of firm culture and the power of deep client connections, drawing insights from Will Guidara's celebrated book "Unreasonable Hospitality."

 Later in the conversation, the two dissect the DOJ's stance on its settlement with the National Association of Realtors and the implications of new rules like the Clear Cooperation Policy, which demands swift submission of listings to the MLS. 

As we steer towards the future, we delve into marketing compliance and the challenges posed by AI, touching on the updated Telephone Consumer Protection Act and the hazards of AI-generated content. We explore the significance of unconscious bias training in fair housing and the delicate balance of client-driven decisions.

Speaker 1:

Welcome to Reality Podcast. I'm your host, Gary Scott, and a second appearance by Ms Jessica Edgerton. Jessica, how are you?

Speaker 2:

I'm great, gary. It's so fun to be on. It's an honor to be back on. I can't wait to see everybody in person. I feel like we've been hanging out more virtually than anything else, but, man, it's better than anything to get some time on air with you. Thank you so much for having me.

Speaker 1:

Well, we appreciate it. I shared with Jessica before we went on the air that you know we monitor the listenership and Jessica kind of goes neck and neck with another one of our good friends, also a leading RE favorite, mr Mike Staver.

Speaker 2:

I am going to have so much fun telling him that I'm in competition with him, like that's awesome, mike, if you're listening, I gotcha.

Speaker 1:

Well, mike and I had a conversation the Wednesday morning before Thanksgiving, so you know this just shows, I think, your dedication, mike's dedication and the dedication of so many to our industry. And so Mike was on eight o'clock my time, six o'clock his time Wednesday before Thanksgiving. We're going to give it up here today that, jessica, we're on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving Busy busy times, but it is so important for us to keep our listeners well-informed on what's happening in our industry. Jessica I'll probably get the title wrong Chief Legal Counsel of Leading Real Estate Companies of the world, incredible on the platform. Love seeing her speak in person Super energized, great content and always gives us something to think about. So we're going to jump right in. It's going to be a goal of mine to stay within our timeframe, which I've extended to be as long as you and I want to talk. So that is the executive privilege.

Speaker 2:

That's trouble, Gary. I don't know.

Speaker 1:

I can talk, man, All right, so let's go, it is. I'm going to again give it up. Today is December 3rd and we're about 90 plus days into kind of the new way of real estate. So, Jessica, from your perch, from your lens, what have you seen in the last 90 to 100 days?

Speaker 2:

Well, I'm going to start with our network and what I've seen from within the leading our network, because this is sort of the cream of the crop. This is what everybody should be aspiring to and you know, looking especially to Alan Tate, you guys have been killing it. I think what we're seeing in these first 90 days is a real sort of bifurcation of the folks who have been training hard, who prepared, who sat in on lessons, on learning, on training, on all of the stuff that was offered by their brokerages. Gary, you told me before you guys really leaned in 13 prep events in the days and weeks leading up to the initial drop of the settlement rules this summer. You had 92% attendance. I mean, that's unheard of in our industry, right? So we've got those folks. And then we've got the folks who are either sort of covering their ears and eyes and saying, just make it go away and tell me what to do, or we're sort of approaching it as a nothing burger.

Speaker 2:

And now, 90 days in, we are seeing the differences and what I'm hearing is, you know, we've got sort of big national amalgamations of data that are showing that overall obviously not talking percentages here, but just sort of generally buy-side commissions have, in the wake of this settlement, either sort of stayed flat or, in some cases, some reports are saying there's been compression. But what I'm hearing from within the network is those agents who have really leaned into their training and who have really honed their value proposition, who have really honed their negotiation skills, are actually now negotiating higher commissions than ever before because they are articulating their value and, oh my gosh, if we want to look at a market that consumers, especially buyers, need a trusted representative in, it's this one and it's what we're moving into for 2025. So what I'm seeing long story longer is I'm seeing real opportunity for competitive advantage more than anything else, gary.

Speaker 1:

So in your study of the network brokers, have you heard that at least it appears perhaps I call it productivity distribution that some of the higher performers are doing a little bit more business right? And I think it comes from maybe you know historically, you know really being well-prepared and you know, I think it's just it's critically important for everyone listening that whatever changes happen or are happening or will happen, that you understand it and you prepare for it, because you and I are also experiencing interactions with agents who are prepared, who are doing business with those people that you just put your hands over their ears, who are in a little bit of denial of change, and I think that that's dangerous for the industry.

Speaker 2:

I agree, and I want to add one more thing, because I think this is something that your folks lean into so brilliantly because of the culture of your firm, which is it's not just about the training and the mechanics of it, it's a huge part. I'm actually reading a book right now. It's by a guy named Will Godara who's in the restaurant industry. It's called Unreasonable Hospitality and it's about the concept that sure you have to start with excellence, but excellence is just the beginning. After that, you really need to lean into an understanding of how to communicate and how to provide deep connection with your audience, and that is something that I think a lot of folks have also lost. There's been a lot of sort of focus on the rules and focus on the rote mechanics and focus on, you know, panic, a lot of panic, which is not helpful for joyful customer service and for those firms that have really trained towards maintaining culture. I think that's been a huge differentiator as well.

Speaker 1:

So Jessica got ahead of me because I always ask for book recommendations. I love the way you rolled that right in and again I got to believe there's four or five more significant and more long. Lasting. So a great recommendation from Jessica. So, obviously, the lawsuit, big news, the news of 2024. I know last week, on November 26, there was an event, there was the final ruling. Just give our listeners a snapshot of kind of what happened on the 26th, what you think it means, what it doesn't mean and what we need to do going forward.

Speaker 2:

Sure. So that data is significant because Judge Bowe of the Western District of Missouri, who's been overseeing one of the primary cases throughout all of this Burnett, made a final ruling approving the settlement terms that we've all put into place months ago during settlement. So that is, I mean it's obviously significant because it is the end of so much of this litigation. It's from a brokerage standpoint you know anybody that's that was under that two billion marker that's been settled out. We standpoint you know anybody that's that was under that 2 billion marker that's. That's been settled out. We've, of course, got a lot of individual brokerage players that are still in the mix. There are other lawsuits out there. There is other stuff. I know we're going to talk about the department of justice here in a minute Um, but the the final approval of those rules I think allows everybody some room to feel a little bit more expansive about what we've all been putting into place. We've got the mark of approval.

Speaker 2:

The big question, of course, is okay, but the Department of Justice was involved. They were there. They submitted excuse me my personal opinion here, but rather obnoxiously a statement of interest at the 11th hour. That really kind of was a little bit of a curveball for folks. We can talk about the statement of interest and the Department of Justice's other eyes in a minute, but basically what they said was in broad brush strokes. We're still watching you and, interestingly enough, getting back to the settlement itself, judge Bowe said really nothing in his decision to approve the settlement terms about the Department of Justice. It almost felt like a little bit of a snub, you know, felt like a little bit of a snub, you know that.

Speaker 2:

Said so, the judge listened to the Department of Justice attorney that was down there in the final hearing and issued the ruling that the settlement was approved. The Department of Justice, though, is still out there. They are still empowered by a court opinion an appellate court opinion earlier this year that gave them authority once again to investigate certain of NAR's rules, and they've definitely made their feelings known in a number of different ways, so we can talk about that later, but, overall, what happened earlier this or late last month with the final settlement is a good thing. We can, we can feel confident, we can continue to practice what all of us have been training on with a new level of authority and comfort that we are. We are going about with a roadmap, and a roadmap map that has some more infrastructure around it, per Judge Bowe's ruling.

Speaker 1:

Well, it's interesting. You made the comment that almost everybody, if not everybody, was well prepared for that ruling to come down as approved. Right, we all did what we had to do by August 17th to execute what was approved on November 26th. So I think, never say fait accompli in the legal system, you never know what you never know. But I think there's more confidence, as you said. And then certainty. I think there's some certainty. Ironically, and we'll go right to the DOJ is there was certainty with the settlement. There's, I think there's great, a greater level of confidence in the majority of agents that know that. You know the world did not come to an end and we're selling houses and we're listing houses and we're we're being paid, you know, according to to our ability to do a good job. And so the DOJ comes in. And just from your sense, jessica, what's your take on, like their why and their what you know at this stage of the game?

Speaker 2:

So let me back up a little bit, a little historical here, because the Department of Justice has been involved and making noise through, especially statements of interest, throughout this national industry-wide antitrust brouhaha of the last five years. And the things that they've complained about historically are well, first of all, they've been making noise about clear cooperation. We can talk about that in a minute. That's kind of separate and there are a couple of interesting angles on clear cooperation that the Department of Justice may take. But specific to this litigation, they have made clear that they don't like off MLS offers of cooperation and of compensation, which was carve-out, as we all know, of the terms of the settlement. The offers of compensation have to come off MLS. That was a big, big part of the settlement terms. But NAR argued for and the settlement allowed off MLS offers of compensation. So you can put on your yard sign or you can put in an email, whatever you want to do, put in your market. The Department of Justice has made very clear that they don't like that. What is interesting and they have also made a lot of noise around some of the forms, revisions, right, so poor California a few months ago with their seven-page form, the Department of Justice said no, that's an unintelligible, you got to go back and do it again. So the Department of Justice wants clarity and transparency for consumers and they've made that very clear.

Speaker 2:

What was interesting about this statement of interest that was filed at the 11th hour is that they brought up kind of a new angle for what they've been complaining about, which is, they said, we don't like that. The settlement includes a requirement that buyer agreements have to be signed, which was a big part of the settlement. That's what we've all been training on, that's the whole value proposition. So everybody kind of went wait what? Hold on, Am I going to get, you know, scrutinized by the Department of Justice if I'm using buyer agreements? I want to provide, hopefully, what is an additional layer of comfort here.

Speaker 2:

Per my interpretation of the Department of Justice, bring in their you know, sort of new little hammer out. My understanding and my interpretation of their statement of interest is not that they don't want people using these agreements. In fact, plenty of states actually require them. Right, it's built into your legislature in a number of states. Please don't take this as if I'm using a contract to engage my buyer that the Department of Justice is going to come after me, I think the point the Department of Justice was making is that they don't want a flattened playing field, so they didn't so much object to people using these agreements, but the settlement mandating it across the field.

Speaker 2:

And I think what they're really aiming for here in terms of their messaging is they don't like NAR making blanket rules. They just don't. And so please, my agent friends out there, don't start biting your fingernails as you work through your value proposition and present a buyer agreement to your potential clients. That's not what this is about. The Department of Justice is messaging to NAR we don't like you creating large scale blanket agreements that may end up creating a too flat a playing field across competitive models.

Speaker 1:

Interesting, interesting. Let's jump to clear cooperation. You mentioned it a few minutes ago and just expand on that just a little bit. Let's make sure everybody understands who's listening. You know what that is, what the issue is, and you know kind of what you see and how you see it playing out.

Speaker 2:

So clear cooperation is a rule that dropped in 2019, in November, at the National Association of Realtors annual conferences. It was. It's a rule that essentially very sort of short form explanation here requires any agent who has done any public facing marketing on a listing to submit that listing within 24 hours of that public marketing to the fullest inventory of properties out there. It's crucial, right, and the spirit behind that rule is a great rule. Anybody who has tried, for example, to buy a beach house in Portugal we've got amazing members in Portugal, but they don't have an MLS there and so buyers will need to sort of go down broker row asking each brokerage like what you got for me, you know what homes are in your particular portfolio. It's a much less. It's a much less navigable system. Our MLS system is the envy of the world and in part that is because it really creates more access to inventory, to housing inventory, which is particularly important in tight inventory markets, which we are still not out of guys. So that's clear cooperation. The rule dropped and were exacerbated by Merle and Sitzer and all the rest of our antitrust cases because the plaintiffs kind of pointed to clear cooperation. It was made clear through the filings that they viewed clear cooperation as what amounts to a funnel that pushed all of the listings into the MLS and then exposed those listings to this purportedly anti-competitive system that was happening within the MLS, which was, according to the plaintiffs and the judge who decided the case, creating a stifling effect on commissions. Now, though, so that's the history there. So that's the history there.

Speaker 2:

The interesting tension right now and the big question about the NAR's ongoing or, excuse me, the Department of Justice's ongoing scrutiny around clear cooperation is okay. Now that functionality that the Department of Justice was so concerned about, that had to do with commissions, has been removed by virtue of this settlement from the multiple listing service. What is left? What is left is an extremely robust vehicle for consumers to be exposed to all of the listings that might be available to them. That's very pro-consumer, right.

Speaker 2:

So now the functionality of clear cooperation seems to me to actually be more pro consumer, and one of the big concerns around clear cooperation, which is a specific carve-out in clear cooperation that allows for office exclusives right, that remains. So clear cooperation says you've got to put all your listings in unless it's an office exclusive, unless it's a private, some pocket listing, whatever you want to call it right, and that's still there. And so now the question is and the reason that the Department of Justice might not like the pocket listing carve out, is this actually creates opportunities for other anti-competitive activity, right Like hoarding of listings, anti-consumer behavior around listings? So there's a lot of sort of chatter among antitrust wonks around whether now what's left of the clear cooperation functionality is actually going to create the Department of Justice to actually reinforce clear cooperation or the original intent by saying, ok, we're going to leave clear cooperation alone, but we're going to get rid of that pocket listing exception.

Speaker 1:

Right.

Speaker 2:

Which would make some people in our industry's brains explode, right. So it's really interesting what's going to happen. I don't know, but I do believe that the Department of Justice now has its eye on some of the more pro-competitive elements of clear cooperation and is targeting more closely its scrutiny on the office-exclusive carve-out.

Speaker 1:

And you know the good news. You and I spoke about it All of this really important. But what's nice, certainly from my vantage point, is I look at a report that showed we sold a lot of houses last week. We closed a lot of houses and we've got sellers listing their house, even at a time when interest rates might suggest I'm not going to sell my house. So the beauty of it all is there's a lot of noise that we can control. Excuse me, there's a lot of noise we can't control and I think what we're finding is those agents that are totally in control of the things they can control. They're doing business and we just have to make sure.

Speaker 1:

I quote a good friend of mine. Often he's a football coach. He says you got to have poise in the noise. You just have to have poise in the noise and you think about that. So one of the things that I think is really interesting is the headlines, doj the headlines, the NAR settlement, you know, the legal issues that surround our industry in any and all industry is way more than those two things, two things. But I think if you were to poll real estate professionals and said give me the top three legal issues of 2024, they would only have two. They would only have two. And yet there are other things happening that will impact and influence what we do, how we do it, how well we do it, and so I think it'd be great and you shared a couple with me earlier If you just share what are some of those other things that are kind of a functional part of our business that we think are going to impact 2025?.

Speaker 2:

I love this discussion point because I actually have a name for this list, which is the while we were out list. We've all been so hyper-focused on antitrust and on all of the implications and all the there's other stuff going on, and I love that you're asking about this, gary, um, because there's some hot issues. So I, um, if, if I had to sort of guess what some of the hottest button issues yeah, antitrust is going to keep going. These cases are going to keep going. The buy side cases are going to, you know, have to play out all the rest of it. But, um, telephone consumer protection act TCPA is a hot one. We are all going to be so focused on marketing and, um, the FTC is actually excuse me, the FCC is actually dropping a new rule or a new addition to the TCPA in January and they made a couple of updates this year as well, and we've all kind of been just floating along.

Speaker 2:

These are huge issues because the TCPA comes with hefty fines and a lot of public embarrassment. We don't want to be annoying our consumers either. It's bad press, right, embarrassment. We don't want to be annoying our consumers either. It's bad press, right. So we all need to stay really cognizant of our marketing and I would ask everyone to do a couple of things. I'm not going to go into sort of a diatribe on all of the minutia of the rule, but be hyper cognizant of your text-based marketing folks. And so, first of all, make sure that you have a really easy opt out functionality, um, that you know. If you don't want to hear from me, hit stop. Make sure all of that is working like gold, um.

Speaker 2:

And make sure you know where you are getting your lists from. If you're working off of marketing lists and the and the reason for this is especially because of a new reinforcement. There was kind of a loophole in the TCPA that allowed, like if a consumer gave consent and then that consent was kind of sold to other marketers that was allowed. That's been ixnayed by the new set of rules, and so you want to make sure. And also, even if that marketing let's say, a marketing company gets your consent for marketing marshmallows right, and then all of a sudden you're marketing I don't know scooters to them, it's the same company, but you're not getting marketed about marshmallows, you're getting marketed about scooters. That's problematic under the new rules as well. There has to be a reasonable tie to the consent given and whatever that product is, that that's being that vehicle that email or that text message is text number is being used for. Anyway, know your source for your lists. Make sure that the consumer has consented, based on what that original list was, and be really careful as you connect names or collect names, that you are not violating any internal or external. Do not call lists. There's more. I'm going to be putting out a risky minute on this, so I got you covered, guys. So that's one.

Speaker 2:

Another one is AI. I want everybody staying very cognizant of AI risks and let's all use it it's fabulous, it's wonderful but I want everybody staying really cognizant of what information you are putting into AI as you are looking for inspiration or copy or whatever, and stay aware that what you put into a AI platform is not private. I mean, if you're using an internal AI system, check the terms on that. That's different. But the big chat, gpt and all the things that we love playing around on online do not enter private information, personal information, non-public information. It will get sucked into their algorithm and could get spat back out, which is a huge risk when it comes to privacy and confidentiality. So if you're using like if you're generating information for a listing, don't accidentally put listing information that shouldn't be out there into that machine. So that's on the input side. On the output side, you get inspiration. A few recommendations there. Make sure that you are changing that copy a little bit, that you're reading through it.

Speaker 2:

We all know that AI can have hallucinations and it can be a little off color sometimes. I mean there's if they're scraping material off the internet, there could be fair housing violations built in. There could be flat out wrong information. So review it. And one more thing on AI I'm reading about companies that actually generate testimonials from consumers and if you're listening to this and you're not seeing the video, I am making big air quotes with my fingers. So I want to caution you against using that kind of like fake testimonial AI machines, because there's real risk around that it's not truthful, it's not authentic and there could be actual legal issues around using that kind of fake testimonial AI. So I mean those are a couple of the biggies.

Speaker 2:

I also want everybody to just stay cognizant, also on the fair housing stuff. When it comes to doing your unconscious bias training, your unconscious bias training, there are I'm not going to go. I feel like I'm fire hosing y'all, but there are a lot of you know potential fair housing issues around the new rules. So please do your unconscious bias training and also when it comes to clear cooperation, guys, no matter what happens with it.

Speaker 2:

I think with clear cooperation, I think the main thinking for you guys is pocket listings and off MLS listings can be fine for the right client, but it has to be the right client right. I mean publicly marketing a listing and making sure the broadest audience gets to it. You know there's stats behind what. You know what, what you're going to get for an off MLS listing versus a public listing. Do your research and that you may have a client that's you know. Maybe my example is Angelina Jolie going through a divorce who really needs to make sure that that listing is private. But make sure it's your client who's driving that decision and that you're not sort of pushing them towards one decision or another. I got more, gary, but I'm going to stop now.

Speaker 1:

Well, we might come back because you know I think you know it's so interesting these are the things that we don't talk about a lot. You know we talk about kind of marketing and prospecting and doing open houses and you know how do we leverage a mailing list and you know ninja selling and all of those things. But you know there's a lot of things. I always say it's critical to have an awareness of everything, without being intimidated or dominated by anything other than the things that I have absolute control of in that day. But I think sometimes we wear such blinders like this text thing is very interesting. I made a note here. I'm going to age myself a lot.

Speaker 1:

You know, I think about the do not call us and then I think about the fact that I get called every day by multiple people like where am I? And then I think about and you just mentioned it is I'm sure I gave someone permission and they sold my permission to someone else. What is interesting, I did know I just looked at my phone If you noticed like everything I'm getting text message has an opt out. And I think the other thing that everyone has to remember is you know not all of what you and I get email and text message is legit, and you better be darn careful before you hit on anything to make sure that you don't create a huge security challenge for yourself and your enterprise because it's one wrong click on what I thought was Wells Fargo, but it wasn't Wells Fargo.

Speaker 1:

I hit on it and then I called the number because I was concerned that somebody got my bank account. Well, we cannot be too careful. Today we were doing a panel discussion about things that we don't think about often but we have to think about always, and that is, boy, when you get that. I was talking to our head of IT today and he was sharing with me, jessica, just the number of agents that have these connections with people all over the world in doing certain things that feel right, but they don't realize that now that individual who might be a virtual assistant in another country, like now, has access to everything in our company.

Speaker 2:

A hundred percent. I know it's terrifying. It's terrifying.

Speaker 1:

So 2025, you know, this is a great, great, great time of the year for you and I to chat. I I love the end of the year Cause you kind of look back, you reflect, you know, ultimately, in about 30 days, we'll tie a bow around it and 24 will be what 24 was, yes. What do you think about 25? What do you and I'm going to you know you're so in tune with the business and the market what? Some next Monday, our team does our tape talk live where we'll be doing our predictions for next year. So I'm going to do a little recon. What do you think the real estate market is going to look like next year? What does your gut tell you?

Speaker 2:

I think it's going to be a year where it's going to be. It's going to be a year where those who are doing it Sorry to keep harping on the training, but it's going to be the year where those agents who are prepared, those agents who are prepared, who are confident, who are able to really connect with their clients are going to reach new heights. Those who are not those sort of lower middle tier agents and those who just aren't ready to lean in are going to find other things to do outside of the industry. It is going to be the year of competitive edge, and I think the same goes for brokerages. I think we're going to see brokerages like you guys, like our members in leading real estate companies in the world, who are taking advantage of all of the things that we've learned of the importance of consumer clarity and transparency and trust and integrity finding new levels of success in the market.

Speaker 2:

It's going to be a tough year. I think that we are going to start seeing some real movement in the market in the second half of 2025. I think the spring market is going to be a little challenging for us, but we're going to keep moving in the right directions. Rates are going to keep going down, inventory is going to keep loosening up and I think what we are going to see is the second half of 2025, those who have thrived success, leaned in, done all of the things they need to do in the first half of the year, are going to be at new levels of success. But you got to have patience and you got to keep training to get there.

Speaker 1:

Oh, one of my favorite words but one of the things I'm least good at.

Speaker 2:

Patience, patience, I know.

Speaker 1:

You had a feeling Well, but I think you know whether it's trust, the process, patience, consistency. You know we are built as humans on this need for instant gratification and gosh knows our business has never provided that. But really it's about I love four times. Today you've used the term lean in and I really want the listeners to think about what does that mean for you? What lean in for me might mean this. So everybody listening today, take a moment and say what do I need to lean in on? Who do I need to lean in on? What programs in our company do I need to lean in on? What might I have to lean in on personally? That will help me professionally. I think this is that incredibly important time of the year where every single person must work on your business, not just in it.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely.

Speaker 1:

Some of us have some time to do that because the market maybe is we're getting a little seasonality against some rates and things like that. But, as I said to you a little earlier, I look at the reports. We're listing, selling and closing and that feels good. And one of the interesting data points is our fall through percentage is declining pretty rapidly, and which I really like. You know you. Just you always wondered, wondered. It elevated itself a little bit in 23 and not so much. So let's go back to some books. Let's kind of shift gears off the legal system. You gave a great recommendation Unreasonable Hospitality. I know you're a reader. I know you're always sharpening the saw and really getting you know, getting better at your craft. What other recommendations for our listeners? Grab a book, grab one, grab two. Take some time over the holiday to really jumpstart 2025.

Speaker 2:

So this is a guy who spoke at our conference this past year. His name's Ozan Varol and he's got a bunch of books. The one that I read most recently is called Awaken your Genius. It's a quick read. This guy's literally a rocket scientist. He's a Harvard professor. He's just amazing and his whole thing. He doesn't have a whole thing, but one of the lessons from this book is you really need to question everything, right?

Speaker 2:

We are so used to sort of working within our own tropes, and one of his teachings and I'm making it a word, one of my words for 2025, is to stay curious. You hear something from a trusted source that fits within your norms, that fits within sort of the four corners of your thinking. You need to really play in that space. You need to really sort of look at yourself and think why do I believe that, why am I thinking this way? And that then really inspires what he calls genius.

Speaker 2:

You can think of it as creativity. I'm thinking of it as curiosity. Right, keep questioning, keep questioning your patterns, keep questioning your fears, which is my other word for 2025, which is fearlessness, and I think, and I think with a combination of curiosity and fearlessness, and the curiosity sets sort of the safety parameters in place. Gary, you mentioned it before like to really be able to understand how we can get creative as business people. We have to understand you know the boundaries, the risks that are out there, but then don't fear those. Just be aware of them so that you can sort of take those the way an Olympic athlete will take hurdles right Avoid them, don't knock them over, don't run into them. Know where they are so that you can overcome them and move towards whatever those goals, those finish lines are, that you have for 2025.

Speaker 1:

Well, I love the title of the book, awaken your Genius, and it's interesting. You know, my word of 2024 was curiosity. Right, that was last year. Because, like, I think that we think we know what we know and we're one or two questions away from really peeling the onion back and learning something you know and I've tried to, we've tried to tell our people. Just when you think you've asked enough, ask one more, like one more, clarifying one more, and you know, again, this is a something we all read about and we talk about, but, you know, listen to understand and not to be prepared to share your thought and this concept of listening versus hearing versus, but curiosity. I love your word, fearlessness and I think that you know I'm a huge proponent of everybody having a word of the year. I just think that keeps us focused, so I'll share with you mine. I'll give our listeners who listened to you last time.

Speaker 1:

A year ago, we did a home-at-home game, if you remember. I interviewed you and half an hour later you interviewed me, which was great. So get me on next year, got it? I want to be on, but the word that I have and we're going to use the word growth, yeah, and I think that it's really important, that it isn't about just growing our business, but I want everybody to. I want to grow personally, I want to grow familially. I want to grow spiritually, if it's important. Growth means a lot of things, and I'm not talking about another listing, another sale, another closing, another more. That's part of your equation. But if you simply look at growth and you say to yourself, I'm going to grow here, I'm going to spend more time with those three grandchildren of mine, like that's growth, right, I'm going to make sure that I stay true to reading or whatever that growth may be. And and so I do recommend I think you do too everybody listening I want you to pick a word and I want you to stay true to that word throughout the course of the year and then reflect on it.

Speaker 1:

Like we are today, on December 3rd, I can reflect on curiosity and say to myself well, I did a really good job, Boy, I did a good job. Sometimes I can actually identify the time when I should have been more curious, because I was three questions away from really unearthing something super cool, right, so really super interesting. So, as we wrap a bow around Jessica Edgerton obviously an amazing, I love. Awaken your Genius. I love Unreasonable Hospitality. I love While we Were Out. Yeah, I want everybody to think about that. What happened while we were out navigating, really from March 15th to today? Yeah, so one of my very favorite questions you might have already touched on it because you shared some of your key words. You might have already touched on it because you shared some of your key words the one recommendation, the one thing for our listeners, for them to think about change for 2025. The one thing.

Speaker 2:

So this probably sounds kind of weird coming from a lawyer, but I want everyone to stay joyful, to have fun. We are in a business that brings so much joy, so much fulfillment to families. Be proud, have fun, get silly with yourself. Don't take yourself too seriously, guys. Connect with your clients In joy, in finding joy within yourself, you are going to find connection on new levels with your clients and your customers and your prospects. So let's not take ourselves too seriously, folks. We've been so serious. I mean, antitrust has been a word that comes up daily in our industry. For heaven's sakes, let's go have fun in 2025.

Speaker 1:

I love it. You remind my father, and my father said to me a couple of things he shared that speak. He says number one, you better be able to laugh at yourself, number one. Number two is and he would say this all the time and you were where he could say you always say enjoy the trip, yes, yes, enjoy the trip. And no matter what I was doing, like I'm talking about for years, like I'd be all razzled about something in my first year in the real estate business and he'd be like, just enjoy the trip.

Speaker 2:

I love your dad, I love your dad. I love that message. He sounds like an amazing man.

Speaker 1:

Well, that was your message that I just piled on. So, anyway, happy holidays to you and yours. Thank you for joining us A treat for us and look forward to seeing you sooner than later. Jessica, take care.

Speaker 2:

Thank you, thank you.

Speaker 1:

See you, bye-bye.

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Gary Scott

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