Work Hard, Play Hard, and Give Back - A Real Estate Podcast

S3E2 - Power Couple Playbook - Time, Teams & Giving Back with Richie & Taleen Krug

• Coldwell Banker American Homes • Season 3 • Episode 2

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Meet Richie Krug Jr. & Taleen Krug, the husband-and-wife powerhouse behind the RTK Realty Group at Coldwell Banker American Homes (East Meadow). In this episode, Mike digs into the exact habits and systems that fuel their growth: color-coded shared calendars, rigorous CRM discipline, clear “ops vs. outreach” roles, and a content-first social strategy that actually converts.

We also get personal—raising kids, phone-free dinners, pickleball, and how community service (Trunk-or-Treat, food drives, cleanups) became part of their family DNA. If you’re stuck between “individual agent” and “building a team,” or you’re trying to balance work and life without dropping the ball, this one’s for you.

What you’ll learn

  • The “calendar or it doesn’t exist” operating system for busy teams
  • When to expand services (property management!) and when to refer out
  • Social media that works: daily posting, video/reels, and human content mix
  • AI as a team member: content, emails, and time saved—without copy/paste traps
  • Community service as brand, culture, and the next-gen lesson

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SPEAKER_01:

Welcome to the Work Hard, Play Hard, and Give Back, a real estate podcast. I'm Mike Litzner. I'm here at Franklin Square, the studio at American Homes. In today's episode, we have Rich and Tallinn Krug as part of the I got this right, RTK Realty Team Group. So welcome, guys. Glad to have you on the show. Welcome, Mikey. Thank you so much for having us.

SPEAKER_03:

Thank you for having us. We're excited to be here.

SPEAKER_01:

Great, great, great. So for our audience who maybe doesn't know that much about the two of you and your team, so uh Rich and Tallinn run the top team in the East Metal office of Cobalt Bank or American Homes and are very, very strong professionals. So I think they have a lot of industry insights to offer our audience today. So we're going to dig into that real real deeply. Before I do, I just want to give them a little bit of background just to speak to the credibility. So becoming a top agent slash team, a lot of people throw that around, but um to their credit, Rich and Tallinn have a uh a host of um achievements which include the President's Elite Award this past year at Cowell Banker, which is one of the highest awards for production that is out there. Tallinn's won the New York State Woman of Distinction Award. Richie's won the top 40 under-40 for a Long Island Real Producers Award. Both of you have been honored by LIBAR as the top 20 under 20, which is also impressive. Richie's been the past president of the East Meadow Chamber of Commerce. Tallinn's currently the treasurer of the East Meadow Chamber of Commerce, and yes, I'm getting tired of this. And there's more. Wait, there's more. So uh Richie's the incoming president of the YPN chapter of LIBOR, which is the Young Professionals Network. That's a great group of people, too. I'm really looking forward to seeing what you guys do with it this year coming up. Both of them have been acknowledged as winning the New York State Empire Award. And uh the town of Hempstead Make a Difference Award. So I'm exhausted just uh going through the awards. How do you find the time to commit to community and balance that against running one of the top teams in real estate, which by the way is a full-time job. It's a it's not an easy job, but you guys seem to make it look easy. So who wants to run with that question?

SPEAKER_00:

I will start and then you can you could certainly take over. Uh but effective time management is is definitely key. Uh one of the things that I I was always told when I first started in the industry is Rich, you just need to concentrate on doing the right thing by people, and good things will just happen.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

So as much as real estate is always a focus for us, yeah, uh doing good and giving back in the community, which we will get to in a little while, yeah, is very important to us.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, absolutely. And it shows, it shows. So any good tidbits you want to share with our audience, that you know, we have a lot of realtors that follow this uh podcast. You know, want to share what's one of your better time management tricks or tips that you want to share? How about you telling?

SPEAKER_03:

Even though we we run um uh a team, right, and we're full-time real estate agents, we also have kids who are who uh have us extremely busy as well. But like Rich said, the time management aspect for us is is one of the most important things to stay on track and be successful. We live by our calendars, we have a shared calendar.

SPEAKER_00:

If it's not in the calendar, then it doesn't exist.

SPEAKER_03:

Um we we make sure that we stick by that calendar, and like he said, if it's not in the calendar, it doesn't exist. Um that to us is is Bible, right?

SPEAKER_01:

That takes discipline, by the way. It does. I I swear by the calendar too, but I see agents sometimes struggling, and I'm like, all right, where's your calendar? Why aren't you using it? It's part of our jet platform. Correct. It's insane not to use it, but I'm glad to see you're getting value out of that.

SPEAKER_00:

It's really getting to the point where uh Italian will ask me, Well, when did you put that in the calendar? And I'm like, Well, I did a week ago. It's like, well, I didn't see it until just now.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, and we even put like client follow-up in the calendar. We put you know, everything every single kid stuff on there too.

SPEAKER_00:

If it involves you, right. And it's and and Mikey, it's all color-coded. Yeah, you know, so green is Christian, red is McKenzie, uh uh Aqua is everything that has work-related. Yeah and it all syncs with our CRM and and uh we just manage it that way.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, smart, smart, that's great. So I want to get into a little bit because uh you guys are running a team, and there's always this discussion in the industry about the difference between being an individual producing agent and running a team. So um I want to start with Richie because Richie, you have a you come from a uh a bloodline of uh real estate uh brokerage in the family. With the foundation built over decades, how does that legacy influence how you lead and structure the RTK Realty Group team?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, you know, um growing up, uh this was always dinner time conversation.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Uh where we sat around the table and and uh everybody, mom and dad would talk about it, and as kids, we would we talk about something else.

SPEAKER_01:

And the answer was no.

SPEAKER_00:

Right, and now we find ourselves talking about it at dinner, and and the kids want to talk about something else. So my my how it goes full circle.

SPEAKER_01:

Am I supposed to be starting to recruit Christian right now? Yes. Right now, what is he? Ten?

SPEAKER_02:

Yes.

SPEAKER_00:

Christian Christian is ten and um a lot of times he's uh an expert negotiator around the house. And I need to remind myself sometimes that uh this isn't a negotiation. I'm I'm dad. You're the kid, and and you need to do exactly what it is that we're telling you to do.

SPEAKER_03:

Eight more years and he's ready to go.

SPEAKER_01:

Without a doubt. What other tidbits and stuff could you do, you know, growing from that from that experience that helped give you the guidance, you know, to run your own team?

SPEAKER_00:

When I first started, I got my license in 2011. Okay. Uh, I really started to take uh uh real estate a bit more seriously in in uh 2015. Okay. Uh but having that experience and that backing, especially when I first started out, uh, was crucial to my success early on in the industry.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Uh if it wasn't for uh my parents telling me, Rich, watch out for this. Uh when when somebody says this, you should respond this way. Uh it led me down a path to succeed quicker.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Um, so the the tidbits that I I would tell people that are first starting out in this industry is is become one, become a sponge. Uh and learn from as many seasoned agents as you possibly can. Uh to this day, I'm still taking partnerships and learning from others within our company.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Uh I I will call and and speak to many other agents just to find out what their take and their perspective is on it. Uh, even though we do a significant amount of volume, we leap, but we also lean on the other agents within our company, and even more importantly, the upper management in the company.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Uh having a fantastic relationship with your manager uh will help lead to success quicker.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. Well, you also have Sheila Olson, right? So come on, you gotta give her a shout out for Sheila. She's amazing.

SPEAKER_00:

Absolutely. Sheila is and I and I always joke around with her. I said, Sheila, you are the best office manager in East Meadow. In East Meadow.

SPEAKER_02:

She is great.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, there's a reason why she's Tom and mine's longest-standing employee. There you go. She's a uh a staple of the uh American homeless family, in a sense, a foundational piece.

SPEAKER_03:

Yes, she is. I just want to touch on a few points that he that he mentioned. So when I first started uh real estate, what year did you get in? So 2017, I went to FIT, I graduated from there, and I was in uh a completely different industry for 10 years. Uh started having our kids, uh, he started getting very busy. He was going for his broker's exam for almost a year. It was at that point where it was about to expire. He didn't finish it, and he was getting busy and said, you know, I could really use help. And um I said, All right, how about this? You finish your broker's exam, I will go get my real estate license. He finished that exam. Negotiations. He he finished that in in in a week. And I looked at him and he's like, Well, you said you would get your your license. So I did. I did mine in um two months. It was still when they had the standing locations where you had to go in and take the classes. It wasn't online yet. So I did that and we jumped in two feet uh and started running uh with marketing and uh building our sphere and clientele, and and it was uh honestly one of the best decisions I've ever made. I know people always say, Oh, I did it for flexibility. Well, you don't really have that, but that's okay.

SPEAKER_01:

It's an illusion.

SPEAKER_03:

It's an illusion, but you know what? Here's how I look at it. I get to drop my kids off and pick my kids up from school every day. Whether I, you know, go back to the office and go to appointments till, you know, 8 p.m., that's okay. At least I get to do those two things and I'm I'm happy for that, you know. When he first started, I remember for the first year, I don't think I spoke to a client, spoke to an agent or or or anybody. I just listened. I listened to his conversations, I asked him to put things on speakerphone. I wanted to understand how to talk to clients and agents.

SPEAKER_01:

Communication.

SPEAKER_03:

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01:

Effectively communicate. Just not having an idea. Sometimes it bounces around in your head and you say, okay, how do I articulate this to a consumer in in a way that they understand?

SPEAKER_03:

Yes, because everybody's di everybody's different too. So it's the way that you say it to certain people, um, how they interpret it are two different things. So I I just listened to him.

SPEAKER_01:

And I and great idea.

SPEAKER_03:

And that goes Yeah, and that goes back to the team piece, right? If you're a new agent in this industry, how are you learning unless you're shadowing someone like Richard? So joining a team that's well seasoned and well-versed in in many different facets of this industry is super important. And I urged all of the our agents on the team, I said, just come to the office. You don't have to have anything in your pipeline yet. Just sit there and I will put all of my my calls on speakerphone, I'll let them know that I have you here, and just listen, just listen to how everybody uh converses.

SPEAKER_01:

Exactly.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

So that's that's a great takeaway. I often talk about like the training, and you hear so much in this industry, you know, training, training, training, training. And what is always missed is is first of all, what type of training and what's the quality of it. Uh right. So um, but what's missed is it's not always the information, it's the application. What did you learn and how am I going to apply this in business to get meaningful results? Right. What have you? So I kind of see that as the dynamic that's going on and and and the team function.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes.

SPEAKER_00:

And I I would implore anybody to listen to multiple agents, multiple people, and see how they do it. And you take a little bit of what Mikey does and mix it with a little bit of what Tallinn does, and you come up with Richie and your own thing. Right. Uh, because I think that's the best way uh to grow.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

That's fantastic. Fantastic. So can you share with our audience, you know, what is the vision for your team? What what specific role and what specific roles do you play to ensure a cohesive and highly effective unit?

SPEAKER_00:

There's a vision for the entire team. Uh, then there's the uh a vision for the growth of each individual agent, and then there's the the vision for for our growth.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

So uh that's a lot to unpack in one question. I know, that's a loaded question, right? But I I love the question. So we'll start with the team itself. Yeah. Uh the the vision for the team uh is to create an environment uh where agents can learn and thrive. Right. Okay, good. Uh but at the same time, uh it's also it was was also important to us when we first started it that it's multifaceted, that it's not singular, uh something where it's just commission-based sales um or or purchases. Uh we saw in 2019 with many of our clients uh a need, uh, and the need was for property management.

SPEAKER_01:

Right.

SPEAKER_00:

Uh so we we uh started a property management company at that time to fit that need because we have our our own properties as well, so we said, well, why why not? So now when when we walk into a listing appointment, we have the ability to not only just speak and articulate uh what it would be like for the the uh the sale or the purchase, but give them another option. Uh because as you know, I'm I'm a big fan of options, and I just like to lay them out for everyone uh and then allow them to choose what's going to be best from there.

SPEAKER_01:

Great.

SPEAKER_00:

Do you guys fight about the direction of the company?

SPEAKER_03:

We don't. We don't. We're we're actually very much on the same page with with a lot of our business strategies and trajectories, um, which is awesome. It's not always easy to work with your with your spouse, but I think you know, we I think we do it very well, I have to say.

SPEAKER_00:

I I would wholeheartedly agree with you. And and eventually we can get into where where the little bickers do occur because that's that's fun stuff.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. How do you guys divide you know task management for for the teams?

SPEAKER_00:

Uh so uh Tallinn, as she had mentioned previously, uh her background was in operations and logistics. Okay. Right? So I find myself doing a lot of the networking, a lot of the customer-facing aspect of it, uh, with uh business-to-business partners as well as uh that we both do the consumers together. Uh but I try to bring in as much of the business as I possibly can. And then once it's there and it's in the net, operations and logistics superstar over here takes over. Uh and it what I'm telling you right now, uh you can bring as much as you want into that net, but if if the net isn't properly being held, uh it we're we wouldn't have the volume that we do. So uh the the credit certainly goes to you on that one.

SPEAKER_03:

No, I'm I'm a processes and procedures type of gal. Um I think that that is how you run a successful operation in whatever you do.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

So we have a process for everything. You know, let's say a lead comes in, it goes into the system, and then there's a trickle-down effect. And and if it's not being done that way, then it's not right. Right. And if you just train uh yourself to do it that way, everything will stay on track.

SPEAKER_01:

It's a f it really is a fundamental though, because I I'm shocked. We have obviously company provided CRM for every agent as part of the value package in in our jet platform.

SPEAKER_03:

Which is very easy to use, by the way.

SPEAKER_01:

As it should be user-friendly. Yeah. And I'm shocked at how many times I see an agent who's struggling, and I'm talking to something who's like, Well, yeah, I never really started with a CRM. I mean, like, how do you run a sales organization with not have using a CRM? I mean, you have to be in the right place at the right time. Unsuccessful agents look at agents that are successful and they go, and I've heard this by the way, oh, look at that. She's she's so lucky. She's always in the right place at the right time. And I always say, it's not luck, right? We we we have an opportunity to to work with people on a on one of the most expensive items that they ever have to transact on. And it doesn't happen on a knee-jerk. You don't wake up in the morning and say, what do you think, honey? Let's sell the house today, right? It's it's an event, so it's being in the right place at the right time is important because it's a timing issue, but it's not an accident that you're in that place. So having processes and procedures to me is that that to me is a huge takeaway there.

SPEAKER_00:

But you know what, Mikey, the more and more I uh am exploring uh Delta Net and the back-end system, yeah. Uh listen, I I have a background in technology as as you know. Yes. Uh I worked for Apple for 14 years. Right. Uh and and there are still some things that I struggle with. But if you ask your office manager, if I ask Sheila, she'll either have the answer or or get me the answer, and it has made the processes much more seamless uh than previous. So uh I would uh implore everybody to use the the systems that we have in place.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, that's fantastic. I appreciate you sharing it. Obviously, you know how much work we put into putting our platform together. It's it it it's it's been 37 years in the works, yeah. You know, so to get there.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, but you know what, Mike, you you don't you don't do it and then stop and then it's just there. Yes. It's it's constantly evolving. So it doesn't matter if you log on on Monday or Friday, something might be different.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. Because if you get complacent, time will leave you at the curb, you know. Constantly have to be working on it to make sure our agents have the uh the best, the best available tools to be successful.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

So it's great. So your team is can is a consistent high performer in the East Meadow and Long Island area. What is the not negotiable lead generation and marketing strategy that you credit with fueling your your team's growth?

SPEAKER_00:

I I would have to say that it goes back to one of the original things that I I had said to you. Uh that you concentrate on doing the right thing by people and good things just happen. Yeah. Uh so getting out there into the community uh and and um giving back and concentrating on uh building your name within the community, uh not only just as a real estate agent, uh you just build your name as you. Right. And then people will always ask, uh hey Mike, nice to meet you. What do you do for a living? Right. That that's just that that just happens.

SPEAKER_03:

It's an organic conversation that always and you don't know where you're gonna be, and it's just it just happens. Yeah. I mean you're at the gym, you're talking with someone, and it's it's a natural progression of what do you do? And now you just now you just created and opened up your sphere even further. Exactly. Yeah. Exactly.

SPEAKER_00:

Uh but I want one non-negotiable, and and you can tell me if you agree or you disagree. Uh, but um I would say uh uh besides that would be uh digital uh and social media. Uh that's that's absolutely a non-negotiable. And you you do that very, very well.

SPEAKER_01:

Ah, so so Tallinn's the uh the the social media guru behind the scenes.

SPEAKER_03:

I am the behind the scenes uh social media guru, yes.

SPEAKER_01:

All right.

SPEAKER_03:

But I'm I'm good behind the scenes. That's just like he said, you know, um the processes, procedures, and and all of that marketing, um it has to be done. And and I implore any agent, no matter what age you are, because we we just had an office meeting and and and half of the agents are saying, Oh, I'm too old to be doing that. No, you're not. You know, you have to do video, you have to make reels, you have to post on social media. Um that's the way you stay relevant.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. So how much social media is too much?

SPEAKER_03:

That's a good question. Probably not probably not.

SPEAKER_01:

I mean we haven't figured that out yet.

SPEAKER_03:

We haven't figured that out yet. No, I mean you have to be you have to be consistent. I mean, that's what's important. Um at least posting every day. But I guess I guess everybody, you know, knows the video is is king right now, and you have to make videos and or reels, um, which is where it's where it's moving to.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, but your sphere, yeah, they they want to hear about you, uh, not just necessarily about real estate. So I mean we we do try to concentrate on uh like a uh 70%, uh 60% uh us, 20 to 30 percent is is work-related, uh, and then 10% is funny stuff.

SPEAKER_01:

Right.

SPEAKER_00:

Uh and or personal. Yeah. Uh and people love that. And and people come up to us to talk to us about things that that we we have have done and have posted on social media.

SPEAKER_03:

So a couple years ago, uh two years ago maybe, I think I made him um get in a suit and basically belly flop into a pool.

SPEAKER_00:

I see people still talk to me about it.

SPEAKER_03:

They still talk about that.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

Everybody, anybody, and and then I'll repost it and it will come back and I will get nonstop messages, text messages, DMs about him in the pool.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. When are you doing it again?

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah. See? So I said, Oh, I have to get him back in that pool with the suit on.

SPEAKER_01:

She's waiting for the winter. Yes. Yes.

SPEAKER_03:

See, that's a good one.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. So that must have been bad this year. So uh if I'm a new agent starting out, right, is there some advice you'd give them on where how do I get started in social media to as it relates to real estate sales? Yes. What advice would you give a new agent?

SPEAKER_03:

Sure. Um, I say at least post something once a day. And look, n you could be walking in front of your own house and take a video of your house. Nobody knows it's your house.

SPEAKER_02:

Right.

SPEAKER_03:

Right? But it's content. Just create content. Video, a conversation with you on a phone, make a funny TikTok, make a funny reel. As long as you're posting once a day, I think that that will just get you ahead of the curve uh ahead of everybody else.

SPEAKER_00:

Right. Well when I first started out um and I had nothing to do, uh, especially in during the the warm months, I created a flyer uh that said uh someone in your neighborhood just listed their home. If you want to know the value of your house, contact a generic flyer. And I had taken a um a uh a course actually right here with Randy Sa. Yeah uh and uh he had told me and he had told the class that typically when one house shows up on a block, another one or two are going to pop up. And I said, hmm, if I have nothing to do, why don't I take these and go put them in the in the mailboxes? Now there was no uh do not uh call and and do not knock at that time, so um, but I I found some success in that because it actually worked. Uh another thing that was told to me during uh an another one of the trainings that we did uh was that we we replaced the word I with the word we. Uh because you're part of a a uh a great organization that you could say yes, we have listings there. Yes, we have a listing in in uh Southampton. My business is in in Southampton, but if I could say yes, we do, right, instead of oh no, I've never sold in Southampton before.

SPEAKER_03:

And we our marketing assets at Global Banker are amazing. There's a post every day. So just if you're a new agent and you don't have anything to post, at least if you post a marketing asset that we provide, you have something.

SPEAKER_01:

You're now in business.

SPEAKER_03:

That's it.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, it's as simple as that. How far away is too far away the the team to do business now? Because let me give you context. You know, twenty-five years ago, um, you know, East Meadow would be East Meadow 11 Town. You'd be like, you know, within a couple of towns, but it seems like it's been regionalized more and more. I guess technology has made a huge impact on it. So how how far away is too far away?

SPEAKER_00:

Uh the rule of thumb when I I first started was that uh if I cannot jump in the car and be there in an hour to service the property, then I probably shouldn't take the listing. Right. Uh I I would probably keep that as a rule of thumb, but when you have a a team that is broader and farther out I I I I'll go as as far as Brooklyn Queens. Uh I don't go into Manhattan. Uh I just I don't think that uh the time value is there. I I think it would be better off to uh refer the business out. Um I don't particularly like to go to the Bronx, but um I uh all the way from from Montauk through uh Brooklyn Queens.

SPEAKER_01:

All right. So if there's somebody out there that wants to do business with the uh you know the R RTK Realty team, um if if it's beyond that, if it's it's beyond where you feel comfortable, obviously you're comfortable using your referral network. Oh you have to.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Yeah. I mean uh and uh to your point, and if it's not specifically me, uh I will go that distance. That's my proximity. Uh but my business can span much farther than that. I mean, technically I just closed one in North Carolina, but I I did it through a referral. I mean referral network. Correct. We have a referral network with a fantastic head of the referral network in Dana. So I I would implore any agent to do that also. You're not just working with all your license is here in New York State. You have the ability to refer all over because we are associated with Coldwell Becker.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, you know what? Maybe this goes back to what you had said before with the week. Going from eye to week could be um we sell everywhere, but it also could be like an extension of your team. So you have you know, yeah, like you just said, I have Dana, we have a who's the relocation coordinator for the entire company. Yep. And we have a network of um resources in in all 50 states. So so is Dana part of your team? Yeah. Dana, yes, yeah, yes, exactly. Yes, exactly. What about Sheila? Sheila's on your team, Sheila's part of the team. Yeah, our technology guy, Chris, if you need something, he's on our team. So I think that's another aspect. I didn't even think about it, it's kind of hit my brain here. It's like, so you know, um, there is a really we and us culture over at American Homes that I'm pretty proud of. I think it really is effective. So that's a great uh everybody's looking out for each other.

SPEAKER_03:

Yes, it's definitely a big uh a big family, uh, and you feel you feel that being part of it. Yes, you do.

SPEAKER_01:

Exactly. Yeah. What is the single most important technology your team uses to stay ahead? You're using AI.

SPEAKER_03:

I was gonna say, so chat chat GPT. I'm gonna get so we were just we were just in qu in Vegas, right, together at the conference, and there were a lot of uh AI classes. Yeah. Uh I took a bunch of them, Rich also took a bunch of them. And I I was resistant for a while. I said, no, I can do that myself. I don't need the computer to tell me what to write and what to type. I noticed the minute that I started using Chat GPT, my content became elevated. I I definitely did adjust, right? I I I put it in to the system. I it spit out something. I did uh adjust to my own words just because maybe they didn't understand the way I speak, but I definitely felt uh AI elevated a lot of our content.

SPEAKER_01:

Did it help your time management as well?

SPEAKER_03:

100%. I wasn't sitting there thinking about what to write.

SPEAKER_01:

Right.

SPEAKER_03:

I I put in my cliff notes and then it spit out a beautifully uh f formulated sentence or paragraph.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes.

SPEAKER_03:

And uh my time management, I was able to focus on other things, which you know I think I urge people don't be resistant, move with the tide, and uh and start learning that these technologies to to help you better your career and and your your goals.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes.

SPEAKER_00:

AI is is absolutely a game changer, and it is something that is going to be here to stay in our industry. Uh how you choose to use it is going to be up to you. Yeah. But uh I would go back to even saying that it's another member of your team.

SPEAKER_01:

Right.

SPEAKER_00:

Right? So even if you're an individual agent, that's a team member. Uh it is important that you're checking everything that is coming out and not just copying and pasting because there are some nuances that you may need to change. Uh but as far as time saver is concerned and effective time management, yeah, uh, it can take your thoughts and write an email much faster than you could. Yes. Uh and then you could proofread it and then put in the little pieces that you may need uh and and move along.

SPEAKER_01:

Now, uh as far as old school Before you wait, before you jump, hold that door. Yes, I want to make a little shameless plug here because we believe in AI so much that as part of our Jet platform, we've now invested in the pro version of Gemini, which is the Google AI. My opinion right now is that to any agents that are out there, if you're gonna use AI, don't use the free versions. Anything you say or put into that on the free version goes back to AI. Your your personal information that you put in there is not yours. On the pro versions that you that have paid, the upgraded versions, it retains and communicates your it remembers it for you, but it doesn't share it back. Right. So so much so that the Gemini feature is now part, the pro version is now part of the Jet platform. So if you guys like the chat, I mean you can pay for it and stuff, but if you're using a free one, switch over. That's that's my advice on that one.

SPEAKER_00:

So I just from Gemini and chat chat GPT, they're really one and the same, it's just two different companies. Correct. They're both gonna give you the same concept and they're all they're both going to do the same efficiencies works for work for you. Uh it it it can do everything from from your your posts on social media and the content and building you a calendar for what you should post and when you should post, and giving you ideas for uh a podcast, right? Anything like that. So uh it can generate um your marketing material. It's it's uh a fantastic resource to help with your time management. Yeah. Uh from an old school perspective. Yeah, let's go old school. Come on, let's go old school. Uh face-to-face, yeah, uh business to business, I think is a uh a lost art. They'll belt buckle the belt buckle. Making connections with other business owners uh and and sharing referrals back and forth, I think is something that uh doesn't happen as much.

SPEAKER_01:

Still a people business. I think too many agents get lost in the computer, right? And they forget about the face-to-face, correct, look them in the eyes, shake the hand, connection.

SPEAKER_03:

And and real estate is a personal having a personal connection for the most part.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

People want that. This is one of the biggest investments and or sales uh of their lives, right? Yes. And they want someone that they can connect with, yes, not just someone behind a keyboard, right?

SPEAKER_01:

Right. It's like that old saying that they say, right? That people don't care what you know until they know that you care, right? Which is great. So I want to kind of pivot a little bit here. You guys gave our audience a lot of good tidbits about our industry and uh how to better navigate the landscape of being a real realtor, you know, which again, uh I think too many times on TV you see these agents, you know, they they simplify and make it seem like it's an easy business. And I'm sure you'll attest to the concept that is way harder than most people realize.

SPEAKER_00:

So hey, listen, we've watched the shows before and and you laugh at that. Right, it's it's nice to watch. And and yes, a lot of it is part of a real estate transaction, but there's a lot in between that nobody actually knows.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, exactly. Exactly. So I appreciate you guys' expertise and sharing you know your path and and your struggle through it. But let's get a little more personal. So, you know, obviously leading a successful uh group like RTK requires intense focus. But what is the Richie Krube Tallinn recipe for truly disconnecting and how do

SPEAKER_00:

Disconnecting is difficult. Because in our industry, uh for real estate professionals, it's when you have your phone with you all the time and and somebody can call you at any moment, uh it it becomes difficult. Uh but one thing that we we usually always do is make sure that there's something on the calendar within the next month or within the next quarter uh that we're really looking forward to. Uh whether it be um last night going to uh a Broadway show. Nice. What'd you say?

SPEAKER_01:

What'd you say?

SPEAKER_03:

Mama man, it was great.

SPEAKER_01:

First time you saw her?

SPEAKER_03:

It was he's seen it and I've seen it a long time ago, but this it just came back and it was phenomenal.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Uh or a trip uh that you have planned, uh just something on your calendar that you're looking forward to that you know uh you're going to be doing and that you can use as your time to disconnect.

SPEAKER_03:

Right. Um, the other thing too, uh we as you know, we have two kids, we don't use our cell phones during dinner.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay. We I like that.

SPEAKER_03:

Yes, we put it to the side and we probably have dinner together, what, five nights out of the out of the week? Because that's something that is important to us to try to do. Obviously, we're running around, but you know, we make time for it. Yeah. Um and he always asks the kids um what was something different that happened today at school.

SPEAKER_00:

What was something what was something that happened today that doesn't normally happen every day at school? Yeah. Uh tell me something that you did uh that was nice for somebody else. Yeah, yeah. And tell me and tell me something uh that somebody else did that was kind for you. Uh and this way it gets them in the habit of of uh looking out for and committing acts of kindness. Right. Uh and it also kind of keeps us in the know of what's going on at school because it it's usually monotonous and the same thing, the same classes and things that that don't normally happen. I kind of want to know about it. But it gives us the opportunity when we're putting our phones down and and disconnecting, even for that hour, uh, to make sure that we're connecting as a family unit uh and make sure that the kids know that we're here and we're present.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. I like the way you rephrase that because I can't tell you how many times you got like, yeah, how was school today?

SPEAKER_02:

He was like, Good, good, fine, one word.

SPEAKER_01:

And it's more guys than you know, boys than girls, I'm sure, because I don't have girls in the house. But so i is your daughter a little bit more verbal.

SPEAKER_03:

Yes, very very much so. But still, you know, how was school fine? What did you do nothing? You know, um, but when he he says those, they look forward to that. They look forward to us sitting down, no phones, and talking about our days.

SPEAKER_00:

Dad, aren't you gonna ask the questions?

SPEAKER_03:

Yes, that's what they say. It's so cute.

SPEAKER_01:

You're a little slow on the up. Dad, you're a little slow on the uptake today.

SPEAKER_03:

Come on.

SPEAKER_01:

I got a story.

SPEAKER_03:

All right, all right, they're waiting for it.

SPEAKER_00:

Do you allow your kids on social media? Uh no. Uh they have like uh kids messenger where we can see uh and approve who it is that they're talking to. Uh during the week, they don't, they're not allowed to be on any type of electronic device. Uh on the weekend, we will um we will we will allow them to. Uh but typically it's a it's a currency, right? Uh and and we trade it. Uh so for every uh thirty minutes of uh 15 minutes of reading uh and 30 minutes of playtime outdoors, they can have 15 minutes of their iPad. Okay. Uh so they get some out of the house, they're shooting hoops in the front, they're uh they're playing uh baseball in the backyard. Uh and uh it's just a way to make sure that our part for the the younger generation that they grow up and they they know how to make eye contact, they know how to look somebody in the eyes and shake their hands before they're here. Hi, how are you, Mike?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. I I'm uh you know, a a dog family, so we we we we walk our dogs three times a day because my wife's a little crazy that way, even though we have a fenced in yard, the dogs need to feel and experience the outside world, so we have to walk them. And I can't tell you how many people walk around the block where they're looking down at their phones while walking, and like you try to say hello and they don't even look up. It's like I don't know if they got earbuds on and stuff, but it feels like the next generation is losing that people skill. So I love that you really brought a focus on it for your own children and stuff. So that's gonna be I think that's gonna pay dividends for them long term.

SPEAKER_00:

So when they get their licenses in.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, exactly. They're they're definitely gonna be prepared. Yeah, great lessons there. What is one non-business related aspect of working together that always brings a smile or a good laugh to your day?

SPEAKER_03:

Non-business.

SPEAKER_01:

Non-business related aspect of it.

SPEAKER_03:

So we're avid pickleball players. Ah, here we go. So um that is something that we do together. Okay. Um we can play together. So that's something else other people say. How do you play with your how do you play with your husband or how do you play with your wife? We actually play very well together.

SPEAKER_00:

But we we know many couples that play pickleball and they say, Well, I can't, I would never. I would never. And and when we do, uh I'll sometimes make a joke, oh well, we drove in separate cars today, so it's okay if we play together because uh we don't I don't need to deal with it on the way home.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, so so that's something that's non-work related that we we very much enjoy. We basically play every day. Um and yeah, it's something that and even our kids play.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay, good. Good. Who's the more competitive one on the at the two of you on the court?

SPEAKER_00:

Um I I think we both are. I and and and if if I said me, she would say her, and then you'd start seeing us get competitive right here in the chairs. So I think we both are. Yeah. Uh we're we're equally as competitive, I think, in in pickleball as we are in in real estate. And and that'll bring me to the the uh the thing that we were talking about before about uh how how we um kind of pick on each other sometimes. Uh it it it's do tell. Yes. With um when it comes to dual agency with designated sales agents. Yes. Uh when we're on opposite sides of a transaction. Oh, that does. And I'm that's right. And I'm and I'm representing the seller agent. And if the sides come out. Yes. Correct. Yes. Uh and and you know who normally wins. But what I will tell you though, uh, is that there there are times where she's representing the buyer. And I'm I'm saying to myself in my head, you know, I would never let a buyer's agent talk to me like that ever. But somehow she gets away with it. So yes, it gets to be competitive in that aspect too, because we're both doing our absolute best to negotiate for our clients. Absolutely. But it's very that's an interesting dynamic. Yes.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay. Any any cute or non-cute nicknames you you or that you or go to uh names that you uh go to?

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, that's TT.

SPEAKER_03:

TT, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes. What's TT?

SPEAKER_00:

That's that that Tallinn. Just for Tallinn. Oh, okay Yeah, that's just a a a nickname that was given to her by our nephew, and it's kind of we've kind of adopted it.

SPEAKER_01:

I kind of saw the Tallinn connection. I thought there was something else there I was going for. Like, come on, tell me. No, there's no there's no other dirt.

SPEAKER_03:

No, he wants the tea.

SPEAKER_01:

The inquirer minds want to know.

SPEAKER_03:

Yes.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, you actually touched on it, so outside of real, you should do you share passion or hobby? So is pickleball a hobby, or do you have any other hobbies that you like to share?

SPEAKER_00:

I do enjoy uh golfing from time to time. Sometimes I'm better off picking up the ball, as you know, and throwing it down the fairway. Uh but I still enjoy being out there and it's the good shots that keep you coming back. Uh I used to be when I was younger, uh very big into collecting baseball cards. Okay. Uh and now that Christian is of age, ten years old, uh, I find myself um re-associating with that passion.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Um but it's not it's not good because uh now I'm an adult and I I I have the financial means to to really do it. Uh so so uh we're finding ourselves often buying uh not just packs but uh boxes, boxes of cards, uh which is another but it's good because we him and I get to connect on it. Uh and um we also use that as a reward system.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, right?

SPEAKER_00:

Absolutely. We get a pack of cards out of the box. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

So Talian, what about you? Do you I'm sure you're not into the baseball game?

SPEAKER_03:

I'm not, no.

SPEAKER_01:

So do you share something, and maybe you share that with your daughter as well?

SPEAKER_03:

Yes. So uh we like to go get our nails and toes done. That's something that her and I always do.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, Richie doesn't do that?

SPEAKER_03:

No, he doesn't. He doesn't no pedicures for him. Um I I'm an avid gym goer. I think that that's very important for your mind and body, you know, all of it.

SPEAKER_00:

Um just check out Tallinn's stories uh at 5 55 in the morning. You'll see a picture of the gym floor and her feet.

SPEAKER_03:

But so that's that's the discipline, right? You you get up, you go work out, I I work out and then I go play pickleball, then I come home, the kids go to school, I go to the office, and um it's the routine for me. I mean that that to me is like super important, and that's how you keep the well-oiled machine operating.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, it does. Yes, it does. So, all right, so you guys are uh uh long-standing East Meadow residents. Yes, we are. Yeah, so born and raised.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Both of us.

SPEAKER_00:

Both of you live there, we work there, we give back to us.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, you just open the door now for like giving back and stuff. So why don't we lean into that a little bit? Because uh, as we opened the podcast, we talked a bit about your contribution. So you can see from the uh recognition awards you've received, you're very committed to community service. So what does community service really mean for you?

SPEAKER_00:

Community service to me is is uh going into something looking to give more than you take. Yeah, to give more to the person beside you uh and and and then the planet. Um it's important that we think about not just the community that we're living in now and the island that we're living on now, uh but what that is going to be for the next generation. Uh and uh the improvements that we start to make today, hopefully by the time they're they're uh adults, uh they're going to uh benefit from it.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. So running a b uh uh obviously uh a busy team, you know, and it's all you know, real estate can be all-encompassing, and then you have the children and what have you so you so time is tight, you know. So how do you choose on how to leverage your your time and where it goes to with different community services? Well the other thing is that the question is.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, and and it's a great question, but what I'm gonna tell you is that we have um we have instilled a spirit of of community service within our children. So there is a lot of stuff that we do uh that is with them, uh whether it be uh Earth Day cleanups or uh the uh uh any type of volunteering that we do for Kowanis. Yep. Uh we started to when we fur when I first started with some of the the local organizations, uh I thought about how I could um inject more more family atmosphere within the organizations, right? And we started the uh the trunk or treat for the kids. Right.

SPEAKER_03:

With the East Meadow Chamber of Commerce. Correct.

SPEAKER_00:

Correct, with the East Meadow Chamber of Commerce.

SPEAKER_03:

But our kids are at most of these functions. They they um they want to be there, they want to help, they want to give back, and and I love that. I mean there's I think that that's the problem with the the phones and technology that the kids don't want to go out and do because they want to be on their phones or or playing video games. And I think it's important don't get me wrong, that's the way of of the generations. I mean that's gonna that's gonna happen. But I also think that doing these community service um, you know, being involved in community service and these projects are gonna really help drive the next generation, like Rick said.

SPEAKER_01:

I think it's never too early to get them involved. Never. I always love the uh the East Middle Koanas, uh, you know, the food deliveries for the holidays and Thanksgiving. Yep. And I always made sure my kids came with me to deliver, you know, the baskets, yeah. Baskets, you know, for for for Thanksgiving, for the holidays.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, the food drive in front of the supermarket. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

They love collecting it and organizing it and you know and quite honestly, Mike, I'm not sure uh that these are conversations that I would have ever had with them had it not have been for uh these these local organizations. Yeah. So I mean Christian at five or six years old, why are we going uh to stop and shop to collect food? We have food. Right. And all of a sudden that sparks a conversation about well, well, kiddo, there there are some people that are maybe not be as blessed as as uh we are. Right. Uh and it's it's important that we're giving back to them. So if it wasn't for a lot of the uh local organizations that we're a part of, I'm not sure that the conversations would have happened when they happened or if they would have even happened. Right. So uh it it's very important. It's it's very, very important.

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely. I l I love that part of it. I definitely feel like you're setting your kids up for success by including them that it's important that they see need. Sometimes we we oversanitize things for the kids, and it's like this thing with safe spaces. Yeah, yeah. They need to be safe physically and emotionally, but at the same time, there's challenges in the world and they shouldn't be, you know, it they shouldn't have a polyanner type uh outlook on things and know that they can get involved and make a difference.

SPEAKER_00:

You know what I hope we're doing it right, but uh guess what? This is the first time we're doing it, so okay.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, can you share a story about a time maybe when your team's involvement made a genuine impact that was more rewarding than any commission you ever had?

SPEAKER_00:

I would probably say uh the um the the trunk or treat that I I had alluded to uh a minute ago. Uh back during COVID, right, uh there was an order that we weren't allowed to go door-to-door trick-or-treating.

SPEAKER_02:

Right.

SPEAKER_00:

Uh and everybody uh in the community was like, well, what what what do we do? Yeah, yeah. What do we do with our with our kids?

SPEAKER_03:

Right. We were I was getting text messages, right? Are you guys going trick-or-treating this year? What are you gonna do? Are you gonna let them eat the candy? And that was really the the driving factor. I said, you know what? How are we gonna let all these kids in the community, if I'm getting these text messages, so is so is everyone else, right?

SPEAKER_01:

Right, right.

SPEAKER_03:

How are we gonna allow these kids to go trick-or-treating safely, right? So we um we hooked up with um the commissioner over at the ball fields in East Meadow, and he said, use the space, do what you need to do. And uh we had businesses come and donate candy uh and give out candy, and we we we sectioned it off, everybody wore a mask, they were they were you know six feet apart. And the parents knew that the candy was safe from local business organizations. They weren't going to, you know, houses that it they could potentially feel unsafe with. This year is the sixth, sixth year we're doing it, and it's still running strong. We get like 3,000 people coming out to the to ball fields and still have over 25 businesses donating candy for for the community. It's really cool.

SPEAKER_00:

This was something that we were just doing one time because for COVID. But for that year they said you weren't allowed to go door-to-door trick-or-treating for for fear of the spread of COVID. And so, yeah. Everybody took to it and and it's still having an impact.

SPEAKER_03:

I get phone calls from even last week before we put any communication out. Hey, when is um the trunk or treat gonna be going on this year? So now people wait for it and look forward to it.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

That that's cool.

SPEAKER_01:

It's like now a community thing.

SPEAKER_03:

Absolutely, and everybody everybody waits for it. There was another one uh which Rich had started the Easter egg hunt. Okay. Uh, with the Chamber of Commerce as well. Similar um concept, but yeah, with the Easter bunny and uh all the officials come out and it's it's a really nice day for for for the kids. Yeah. And that's what it's about, you know, the next generation, the kids seeing that the the chamber and or other local organizations are involved with with kids and businesses and bringing everyone together. That's that's important.

SPEAKER_01:

That's great. Yeah. So I like how out of challenging times we create new solutions that turn out of they don't just meet the needs of the community in the challenge, it it survives the challenge and becomes the new norm. So that's wonderful. I like that a lot. So, guys, that at this time uh of the program, we actually get to one of my favorite parts. It's time for the drop the mic question. We did not share these questions with you because we want to get authentic answers and have a little bit of fun with you guys.

SPEAKER_00:

Mind you, you didn't share any of the questions. No, that's true.

SPEAKER_01:

For those who are keeping score at home, we did not receive any of these questions prior to this. So before we have to drop the mic, I just want to remind our audience if you like what we're doing here, we'd love to have you like, subscribe, and share our content for this podcast. So, for the drop the mic question, you guys mentioned earlier that you're competitive.

SPEAKER_00:

Hmm.

SPEAKER_01:

We're gonna find out how competitive you are.

SPEAKER_00:

Let's do it.

SPEAKER_01:

Alright. So, let's play who's best at? Out of the two of you, who's a better negotiator?

SPEAKER_03:

Me.

SPEAKER_01:

Negative. That would be me. Alright, who's who's master of real estate gossip?

unknown:

Me.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, yeah. Tom's got the I stay on that.

SPEAKER_01:

Not even close. Okay, yeah, no. Alright, if you're late for appointment, who's the better driver to get you there? Trying to say me? Me. Alright, who's more likely to answer a text message from a client at 11 p.m.? Me. Tell him. There we go. Alright, who's better at choosing the perfect closing gift? Tell him. Not even closing out. Who's the one that's better at turning a one-minute conversation into a 10-minute conversation?

SPEAKER_00:

Not true. Like, why did you rush him off the phone? I'm like, I didn't rush him, I turned a 10-minute conversation into a one-minute conversation.

SPEAKER_01:

Do we have a counterpoint on that argument?

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, it's him.

SPEAKER_01:

Because she said so. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Who's the better chef in the kitchen at home? Okay, not even close. No. Alright, who's the one that is truly better at leaving work at work and turning the business brain off?

SPEAKER_00:

That would be me.

SPEAKER_02:

Him.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay. There we go. Alright. It wasn't as contentious as I thought it could be, but that's alright. You guys said you were a good working team together, and I think you proved it for our audience. You passed the tests.

SPEAKER_02:

Awesome.

SPEAKER_01:

Sweet. Alright. So I wanted to thank you guys for sharing your real estate expertise and a little bit of your personal life with our audience here. We really appreciate you guys being here. You guys do a great job, and I know you have big things coming in the future. So we look forward to seeing where your career continues to build. So thank you for being here.

SPEAKER_00:

It is our absolute pleasure, and I'm looking forward to uh coming on again and providing more updates of what happened since the last time we were here. Yes.

SPEAKER_03:

Thank you for having us. Awesome.

SPEAKER_00:

Hi five.