Mountain Broker Podcast
Mountain Broker delivers straight-from-the-mountains real estate insight with longtime Lake Arrowhead resident and 35-year broker Steve Keefe, owner of Coldwell Banker Sky Ridge Realty. Each episode breaks down hyper-local market trends, mountain-specific issues, and practical strategies for buyers, sellers, and homeowners in the San Bernardino Mountain communities. From lake rights and private roads to insurance challenges, snow-season logistics, and market shifts, Steve brings unmatched local knowledge and real-world experience to help you navigate mountain real estate with confidence.
Episodes
43 episodes
FinCEN 2026: The "No-Panic" Guide to New Real Estate Reporting Rules
Dive into a plain-English breakdown of the new FinCEN rule launching March 1, 2026, designed to stop criminals from using the housing market to hide illicit funds. This episode clarifies why regular homebuyers with traditional mortgages can mos...
The 3% Rule: Mastering Liquidated Damages and Deposit Caps In the California Real Estate Contract.
Deep dive into the essentials of the Liquidated Damages (LD) clause, a critical component of the Residential Purchase Agreement that dictates what happens to a deposit if a buyer defaults without a valid reason. This overview expl...
The Bitter Aftertaste: How Starbucks Lost the "Third Place"
This podcast explores the dramatic trajectory of the world's most famous coffee chain, from its 1971 beginnings as a small Seattle shop that only sold beans and equipment to its current struggle with a fading brand identity. You will lea...
Domestic Relics: 10 Forgotten Features of the American Home
Step back into the past to explore the architectural ghosts of the pre-modern home. This audio overview examines ten once-common features that technology and social shifts have rendered obsolete, from the manual labor of stocking iceboxes
Compass International Holdings: A New Chapter of Unity and Independence for Coldwell Banker
Following the historic completion of the merger between Compass and Anywhere, Compass International Holdings (CIH) CEO Robert Reffkin addresses Coldwell Banker affiliates to outline a shared vision for the future. This overview highlights the f...
New Laws California 2026: The "War on Plastic," Robot Overlords, and $35 Insulin
Welcome to California in 2026, where the state’s "escalating war on plastic" now means banning those "reusable" thick grocery bags that everyone just treated like single-use trash anyway. This audio overview breaks down the state’s latest legis...
Defending the Deed: Detecting and Preventing Vacant Land Scams
This podcast provides a comprehensive overview of the California Department of Real Estate's (DRE) guidance on identifying and preventing real estate fraud involving bad actors posing as owners of vacant land. It outlines the specific tactics c...
George Washington’s Farewell Address: Warnings on Unity, Factions, and Foreign Policy How it Applies To Today.
This podcast examines George Washington’s 1796 Farewell Address, a written announcement of his decision to decline a third term as President and enter retirement. The discussion highlights Washington’s plea for Americans to prioritize their nat...
California’s "Mass Exodus": Challenging the Narrative on Population Growth
This podcast analyzes a presentation by the Chairman of Reform California, who argues that the state administration and media are misleading the public regarding population statistics. The speaker contends that while reports show a slight total...
The Timeshare Trap: Hidden Costs, Buyer’s Remorse, and the Battle to Exit
Dive into the complex reality of the $10.5 billion timeshare industry, a sector that saw a 30% price increase in just five years despite 85% of owners regretting their purchase. This overview explains how major hotel brands like Marriott, Hilto...
Home Seller Deal-Breakers: 12 Critical Mistakes to Avoid for a Successful Sale
This podcast encapsulates essential advice from Broker Steve Keefe regarding the specific questions and statements home sellers should avoid to ensure a successful transaction. It details why "time is not your friend" and explains h...
Money, Myths, and the Mechanics of Wealth: How it all works…
Dive into this podcast to demystify the "invisible forces" that govern your wallet, starting with the modern ritual of taxes—the cost we pay for civilization. Learn why banks are not actually vaults guarded by dragons but are simp...
The "Side Deal" Trap: Navigating Lender Limits on Seller Credits
This podcast analyzes a specific real estate scenario where a lender allows only $10,000 of an agreed-upon $15,000 seller credit, leaving a $5,000 gap. Based on Paragraph 5E of the California Residential Purchase Agreement, listen...
Market Movers: 2025 Lake Arrowhead Woods Real Estate Rankings
This podcast analyzes the residential real estate market share for single-family homes in Lake Arrowhead Woods over the 12 months ending December 20, 2025 as reported to CRMLS. It details the competitive landscape where C...
Housing Crash Hysteria: Debunking Price Plunge Predictions and the 2026 Forecast
In this deep dive into the real estate market closing out 2025, experts analyze why interest rates have stabilized below 6.5% and systematically dismantle the "housing crash hysteria" currently circulating on social media. The discussion refute...
Realtor.com’s 2026 Housing Forecast: Mortgage Rates, Regional Shifts, and the Path to Affordability
This podcast unpacks the housing market projections for 2026 provided by Realtor.com’s economic research team. Following a year of highly accurate modeling, the forecast predicts a period of "slow recovery," with mortgage rates expected to stab...
Mastering the New CRMLS Digital Image Policy: Compliance, Captions, and AI
This podcast breaks down the upcoming CRMLS rule changes regarding digitally enhanced listing photos, set to take formal effect on January 1, 2026. We explore the essential requirement to include original, unedited images alongside any photos a...
Mountain Retreats, City Roots: The Lake Arrowhead Connection
Dive into a comprehensive analysis of 6,865 records that reveal the geographic footprint of Lake Arrowhead property owners. This overview maps the strong tether between this alpine community and Southern California’s major urban hubs, identifyi...
California Estate Planning Showdown: TOD Deeds vs. Living Trusts
This Podcast explores the critical decision California homeowners face when trying to avoid probate: choosing between the simple Transfer on Death (TOD) deed and the comprehensive Revocable Living Trust. We examine why the TOD deed, while inexp...
California Squatter Crisis: Eviction Strategies, Scams, and Legal Protection
This Pod Cast explores the high-stakes challenge of removing unauthorized occupants in California, dissecting the critical legal boundary between criminal trespassers and civil squatters. It explains how savvy scammers utilize loo...
Big Bear City Real Estate (92314) Update: Rising Inventory and Stabilizing Prices in November 2025
Discover the latest market shifts in Big Bear City, CA (92314) for November 2025, where the median sold price has settled at $438,500. This report highlights a potential opportunity for buyers as inventory levels rise to 5.85 months and the med...
Big Bear Lake Market Watch: Heading into the Winter (Nov 2025)
This Podcast unpacks the complex real estate dynamics of Big Bear Lake (92315) for November 2025. We explore a market of contrasts where the median sold price has jumped over 4% to $667,000, even as the pace of sales slows significantly with a ...
Unlocking Inventory: The Bipartisan Proposal to Double the Capital Gains Exclusion on Home Sales
Explore the bipartisan push to update the 1997 tax code by passing the More Homes on the Market Act (H.R. 1340), which proposes doubling the capital gains exclusion to $500,000 for single filers and $1 million for couples. This legisla...
The Fed’s "Neutral" Pivot: Third Straight Rate Cut and the 2026 Shake-up
This podcast analyzes the Federal Reserve's decision to slash the funds rate by 25 basis points in its final meeting of 2025, marking the third consecutive cut to a range of 3.50% to 3.75%. Listeners will learn about the divided votin...
Running Springs, Ca Market Update Through November 2025
The Running Springs (92382) market is experiencing market volatility, registering firmly in a Buyer's Market territory. This status is supported by the high inventory, which stands at 7.75 Months of Inventory. The key challenge fo...