Good Neighbor Podcast: Frisco

EP 386: From Ranches To High-Rises: How A Referral-Only Agent Thrives In DFW

• Sophia Yvette

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What makes Josh Simmons with Southwestern Real Estate a good neighbor?

 Josh believes headlines don’t buy or sell homes—people do. In this episode, we sit down with the referral-only real estate advisor behind Southwestern Real Estate to unpack what’s actually happening in the DFW housing market and how buyers and sellers can make smarter decisions without panic or hype. From 300-acre tracts to city condos, Josh explains why trust, results, and clear expectations matter more than gimmicks, cold calls, or clickbait.

We dig into the myths that trip people up, starting with the idea that everything should sell instantly and that a 20 percent down payment is mandatory. Josh explains how days on market have normalized since the pandemic surge and why context always beats headlines. He walks through the first questions every buyer should ask: budget boundaries, neighborhood and school priorities, commute realities, and the critical difference between wants and needs. Expect practical, real-world guidance—not fluff.

The conversation also gets tactical about what truly sells a home. Kitchens set the social tone, closets determine how fast you outgrow a space, and bathrooms shape daily calm. Josh shares stories that show how preferences evolve once you stand in a room and imagine real life unfolding there. We also talk about why local expertise matters—contracts, comps, and expectations look very different in Oak Lawn than they do in Wise County—and how authentic social media presence attracts clients who value honesty over hype.

If you want to make a smart move in a noisy market, this conversation helps you slow down, think clearly, and act with confidence.

To learn more about Southwestern Real Estate go to: https://swrealestate.com/agent/josh-simmons/

 Southwestern Real Estate

713-470-2161


SPEAKER_02:

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Sophia Yvette.

SPEAKER_03:

Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of a real estate agent? Well, one may be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, Josh Simmons, with Southern Real Estate. Josh, how are you today?

SPEAKER_01:

I'm doing fabulous, Sophia. How are you day after Christmas or a couple days after Christmas?

SPEAKER_03:

I am doing great. Now we're excited to learn all about you and your business. Please start off by telling our audience today just a little bit about your company and your background.

SPEAKER_01:

Sure. So I work with Southwestern Real Estate. We're a boutique real estate brokerage. And here in DFW, we specialize in everything from farm and ranch properties in the surrounding counties all the way to condos and townhomes in the middle of the heart of the city. And so a little bit of everything in between. We started our office here in 2017, and we have 13 offices throughout the country in most of the major pub metropolitan areas.

unknown:

Wow.

SPEAKER_01:

We used to have one in Monte, Mexico, but uh alas, that one is a whole nother story.

SPEAKER_03:

Do you see further expansion in the future?

SPEAKER_01:

Uh yes, I think we will see that. Uh so our origin story is we're the oldest internship in the country. So students, college students, will go to an internship where they sell books door to door, and then those students will learn how to build a business. And that is our influx model. We bring those students as they graduate out into one of our 23 different sister companies. So Southwestern Real Estate is just a division of that conglomerate of companies. So as more students graduate out, we have 25,000 living alumni all over the country. So we're actively recruiting in Arizona, um, I believe Iowa, Florida, Texas, um, to open new offices as well.

SPEAKER_03:

Wow. Well, what a beautiful thing your company is doing for the next generation. Now, getting into things a little bit further here, what is the most common myth or misconception you come across in your industry?

SPEAKER_01:

The most common myth or misconception is really dependent um on the buyer or seller. The one that I get probably the most often is how much do I have to put down? Or is the sky falling? Are kind of the two big misconceptions. Right now, real estate's in the news a lot, and it seems as though the sky is falling, the market is crashing, that's just not the case. But perception is reality. So over the last three or four years, everything has sold like hot cakes. You know, uh, the really crummy properties only spent three weeks on the market, where an average today is probably closer to 45 or 60 for a really nice, well-intentioned home. It's just finding the right buyer. So this is coming back to a normal that has stood the test of time over decades, but COVID market really throws off the perception of what is fast versus slow.

SPEAKER_03:

Now, Josh, uh, we'll go ahead and dive in here deeper in just a second, but switching gears for just a second. We know marketing is the heart of every business. Speaking of staying in front of your audience, who are your target customers or clients? And today, how are you attracting them?

SPEAKER_01:

So I've run my business. I've been very fortunate that I've run everything as a referral-based system. And so I work with friends and family and you know, business leaders, uh, other folks that I vendors of mine, and we are reciprocating uh referral relationships. And so I don't spend a lot of time doing cold outreach or you know, calling for sale by owners. And what I do is I focus all of my time and energy on the clients that I'm working with. And then if they have a great service or they feel like they had a good experience, I ask them to refer me to other individuals that would like my kind of service. And it makes my job so enjoyable, Sophia. I constantly get compliments from my vendors, lenders, inspectors, folks that I work with day in and day out. And they tell me that my clients are the best simply because they trust me and they are coachable and they're not lunatics. And that's not always the case in today's day and age, right? And so having a high level of trust with my clients is the best part about it because it feels like I'm already working with family.

SPEAKER_03:

That is amazing. Now, in terms of your online footprint, how do you stay in front of your audience?

SPEAKER_01:

My beautiful bride does the best job of it. So we do um primarily on Instagram, right? We'll post new listings and things of that nature. She has started doing these videos of us around the office, and half the time I don't even know she's recording us. She's just, it's me talking to my apprentice or on the phone with a client or um stuck outside of a front door trying to get the key to work or something like that. And then she's putting it together into a very presentable way where it's the real life look of what a real estate agent's career looks like on a day-to-day basis.

SPEAKER_03:

Now, where is your beautiful bride today? Why is she not on the interview with you?

SPEAKER_01:

So, my beautiful bride is watching over our two kids, and she is every bit of eight and a half months pregnant at the moment. And so she is reveling in uh being full-time mom right now, also. So she's the she's the definite talent out of the two of us.

SPEAKER_03:

Well, that definitely is a big job.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, yes.

SPEAKER_03:

Have you ever thought about having your own podcast for the company?

SPEAKER_01:

I have, my wife has tried to talk me into it several times, and I feel very awkward even in this interview talking to you right now. I get very self-conscious, and so I've just not really pursued it very much. You think I should do it?

SPEAKER_03:

I think if you have the desire to do it, you know the sky is really the limit.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, obviously, it's going really well for you guys. This is a cool podcast.

SPEAKER_03:

Now, let's go ahead and switch gears for a second again. Please tell our listeners one thing they should remember about southern real estate.

SPEAKER_01:

Um, well, at Southwestern Real Estate, our big emphasis is to roll out the red carpet treat you like family. Everyone's gonna give you that two pieces, right? So I think that the biggest piece of it is you want someone that you can trust, you want someone that knows their stuff, has a high level of competency, and is gonna treat you like you're gonna they're getting invited to Christmas dinner. So if you get a bad deal, I don't need to be catching side eye at the Thanksgiving table. It's kind of how I approach it. If you were my sister, would I negotiate this the same way? Would I want you to live here if you were my family? And so I'm not smart enough to keep all the lies straight to lie to people, so it's just way easier to be very honest with them, forthcoming, even when it's bad news.

SPEAKER_03:

Transparency is key.

SPEAKER_01:

Transparency is way easier than the alternative.

SPEAKER_03:

Now, final question for you today. Um, what is the most important question for a client to ask their real estate agent in your opinion before choosing the best property for them and you know for their family or their future family?

SPEAKER_01:

Sure. I would say it's less of a question that they should ask their agent, and more of a question they should ask themselves is do I trust this guy? Because, or or lady, right? There's a bunch of really good real estate agents through DFW. We I think have 35,000 across the Metroplex. I'm not the only good one by any means, but that person will have to tell you good news and bad news. And so you want to have a high level of trust with that individual so that whenever they give you the bad news, you can hear them out and know that they're not fabricating anything, that they're not hiding anything from you, they're not doing what's in their best interest, but what's in the best interest of the client, right? Every family is so different, you know. I've got one client that has literally 11 children, right? The needs of a 13-person family is vastly different than someone who's just getting started and buying their first property. Or if you're starting an equine ranch, it's a vastly different need set than someone who wants to be 10 minutes to the office in Oak Lawn. And so you want that person to be competent in whatever area you're going for, whether that's a town home in downtown Dallas or if it's you know 300 acres out in Wise County, but either way, you want them to know what they're talking about, and you want to ultimately ask yourself, can I trust this guy or gal to really be honest with me whenever um the you know the tires meet the road, so to speak.

SPEAKER_03:

Now, in terms of asking the right question, you know, you said it's more about something they ask themselves in terms of picking a property. What is that question they need to ask themselves?

SPEAKER_01:

Ooh, so series of questions. Um first, I always start with what are our constraints, whether that's budget or area, um, if it's a school district, like what are the boxes that we have to stay within, right? Because everybody has a budget, um, everybody has a desire, and then separating out the wants from the needs. So once you're inside of your container of what is plausible for us, then it's what do we really want? And then what are the things that are gonna sneak up on us that we didn't know we cared about that we actually care a lot about, right? I for instance, I had a bachelor, um, single guy, ate out every single meal. He said, I don't care about the kitchen at all. And I showed him one that the house was amazing, but the kitchen was basically a closet. I mean, it was tiny. He said, Well, I don't cook a lot, but I do want a nice kitchen that like I can have all my friends around. And so all of a sudden the thing he told me he didn't care about at all was pretty important to him. And so, um, as a generality, I would say kitchens, closets, and bathrooms are the three biggest sellers of homes because kitchen is where everyone gathers around. Closets is more about storage and not outgrowing your house too fast, especially with young families like myself. Um, and then bathrooms, that's the feeling of elegance when you're at your most intimate and you're start naked, getting in and out of the shower. You want it to feel like a place you really enjoy coming home to every day, you know.

SPEAKER_03:

Now, where can our listeners go to learn more about Southern Real Estate?

SPEAKER_01:

Um, so you can follow me on Instagram. Uh, that is at Joshua5225 Clark C L A R K on Instagram. You can also go to our website, uh SWRealestate.com. Um or reach out to me. I mean, my phone number is plastered all over the internet, and uh the telemarketers certainly know that. So feel free to reach out to me. Our catchphrase over here is oh my gosh, you gotta call Josh.

SPEAKER_03:

Well, Josh, I really appreciate you being on the show today. We wish you and your business the best moving forward.

SPEAKER_01:

Thank you very much, Sophia.

SPEAKER_02:

And a happy thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpfrisco.com. That's gnpfrisco.com or call four six nine two two one nine three four four four four four five.