John Lee Real Estate - Here We Talk About the Community and Local People

Hosted by John Lee

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Aug 2026

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Have you ever ran into someone and said "that guy/girl looks familiar?" Here we talk about local people and what they do and how they support the community in the Philadelphia/Greater Philadelphia Area. On the surface, we may appear to have "normal" lives, but I strongly believe each person interviewed has been called to do something GREAT!

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August 27, 202610 min

The ONE Thing: How I Stopped Using Work as an Excuse | John Lee Real Estate

If somebody looked at your calendar, your phone, and where your best energy went last week, would they be able to tell what actually matters to you? I have always said my family is the most important part of my life. For a long stretch, my actions were telling a different story. Work was not creating freedom for us. Work was competing with us, and I was using my family as the reason I kept choosing work. In this episode I break down The ONE Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan, but not as a productivity book. I use it as a mirror. Not everything matters equally. Twenty things on a list is usually avoidance wearing a costume. The focusing question: What is the ONE Thing I can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary? Success is sequential, not simultaneous. Knock over the right first domino and the next move gets clearer. Staying busy with real work is the easiest way to hide from the most important work. Delegation is not about whether you can do the task. It is about whether you are the only one who can. ⬇️ CONNECT WITH ME ⬇️INSTAGRAM: @johnlee_realestate FACEBOOK: facebook.com/jl.johnleee TIKTOK: @johnlee_realestateWEBSITE/NEWSLETTER: https://johnlee-realestate.com/

August 13, 202614 min

Should You Buy a House in 2026, or Keep Waiting? | John Lee Real Estate

If you are waiting for home prices to crash and mortgage rates to drop at the same time, you may be waiting for a market that never shows up. I am a Realtor, and it would be easy for me to tell you it is always a great time to buy. I do not believe that. For some buyers, 2026 is a genuinely good year to purchase. For others, buying right now would be a bad financial decision. The difference has almost nothing to do with predicting the market and almost everything to do with your payment, your timeline, your job stability, and why you are buying in the first place. Freddie Mac put the average 30 year fixed mortgage rate at 6.69% as of August 6, 2026. Fannie Mae's July forecast has rates averaging around 6.3% through 2027, not returning to 3%. The Federal Reserve does not set your mortgage rate. Mortgage rates track the longer term bond market, especially the 10 year Treasury. Nationally, prices are still rising. NAR reported a June median existing home price of $440,600, the 36th straight month of year over year growth. The Philadelphia metro median sold price hit a record $430,000 in June with a median of 10 days on market, and inventory is still only 53% of 2019 levels. Waiting a year for a 6% rate on a $500,000 home saves roughly $141 per month, but you borrow about $10,350 more to get it. ⬇️:CONNECT WITH ME ⬇️INSTAGRAM: @johnlee_realestate FACEBOOK: facebook.com/jl.johnleee TIKTOK: @johnlee_realestateWEBSITE/NEWSLETTER: https://johnlee-realestate.com

August 5, 202612 min

Would I Buy 20 Rental Units Again? | John Lee Real Estate

On paper, cash on cash returns in rougher neighborhoods look incredible. In reality? They can cost you your peace of mind.In this episode, I reflect on my journey building a portfolio of 20+ rental units from my very first house hack to scaling up through cash-out refinances. While real estate helped build my wealth, it also taught me a hard lesson: rental income is not always passive income. The "Paper" Return Trap: Why high cash-on-cash returns in rougher areas often fail to account for hidden turnover and repair costs. Return on Time vs. Money: How your investment priorities naturally evolve as your business and family grow. The 20 vs. 5 Rule: Why owning fewer, higher-grade properties in prime locations can outperform a large, high-maintenance portfolio in overall quality of life. Life Stage Alignment: Ensuring your real estate portfolio supports your life, rather than becoming a second job or your identity. ⬇️:CONNECT WITH ME ⬇️INSTAGRAM: @johnlee_realestate FACEBOOK: facebook.com/jl.johnleee TIKTOK: @johnlee_realestateWEBSITE/NEWSLETTER: https://johnlee-realestate.com

July 29, 202613 min

The LeBron Effect Is Real. It Stops at 1 Mile | John Lee Real Estate

LeBron James is officially a Philadelphia 76er, and somebody is already using that to sell you a house in South Philly. Slow down.Economists have actually measured what happens to a local economy when LeBron James arrives. A Harvard Kennedy School and American Enterprise Institute study tracked his moves between Cleveland and Miami and found something specific: the number of restaurants and bars within one mile of the arena rose roughly 13 percent, and employment at those businesses jumped about 23.5 percent. The LeBron effect is documented, but it is a foot traffic story, not a home value story Restaurants within one mile of the arena rose about 13 percent, employment about 23.5 percent (Shoag and Veuger, Harvard Kennedy School, 2017) The measurable effect disappears past roughly seven miles from the arena LeBron signed a two-year, 8 million dollar deal with a player option in year two, so the timeline could be as short as one season The real asset is the district, not the player: the Stateside Live expansion, a planned new arena targeted for 2030, a WNBA franchise debuting in 2030, and a 2.5 billion dollar sports complex master plan The new arena still needs legislative approval, which is exactly why you time decisions to shovels, not headlines The rule: never buy a long-term asset based on a short-term narrative with an expiration date ⬇️:CONNECT WITH ME ⬇️INSTAGRAM: @johnlee_realestate FACEBOOK: facebook.com/jl.johnleee TIKTOK: @johnlee_realestateWEBSITE/NEWSLETTER: https://johnlee-realestate.com

July 22, 202613 min

The Only Thing AI Can't Do in Real Estate | John Lee Real Estate

Several times a week I pay money to let grown men try to choke me. It might be the most honest hour of my week, and it explains everything I think about where this industry is headed. Every listing description reads perfectly now. Every photo set is flawless. Every agent has automated follow-up and the same five hooks with the same drone shots. Scroll real estate content for two minutes and be honest: can you tell any of us apart? Here's the rule that applies in every market including this one. When something becomes abundant, it becomes cheap. Polish used to take a team and a budget. Now it's free, which means it's worthless as a differentiator. When polish becomes free, polish stops telling you anything about who you're hiring Technology didn't shrink this profession. It stripped away everything but the core The tools handle the information. The human handles the fear Real vulnerability has a price. If it costs you nothing, it's performance Ask your agent: have you ever told me something that cost you money? Look for the receipt The machines hand you back time. Your job is spending it being more human, not more productive ⬇️ CONNECT WITH ME ⬇️INSTAGRAM: @johnlee_realestate FACEBOOK: facebook.com/jl.johnleee TIKTOK: @johnlee_realestateWEBSITE/NEWSLETTER: https://johnlee-realestate.com/

July 15, 20267 min

What's Really Happening in the Philly Housing Market | John Lee Real Estate

The news says the housing market is slowing. Then 30 people show up to an open house in Bucks County. So which is it? The truth is there isn't one housing market. Even here in our own backyard, Philadelphia, Bucks, Montgomery, Chester, and Delaware Counties are all telling different stories right now. In this episode I break down all five, what each one means if you're buying, and what it means if you're selling. There is no single housing market. Five neighboring counties are behaving five different ways Philadelphia County is the most balanced, with more negotiating power for buyers Bucks County inventory stays low, so good homes still move fast In Montgomery County, correctly priced homes move and overpriced homes sit A lower price in Delaware County doesn't automatically mean better value. Check taxes, condition, and location Stop making decisions off national headlines. Real estate is local, sometimes street by street ⬇️:CONNECT WITH ME ⬇️INSTAGRAM: @johnlee_realestate FACEBOOK: facebook.com/jl.johnleee TIKTOK: @johnlee_realestateWEBSITE/NEWSLETTER: https://johnlee-realestate.com

July 8, 20269 min

Buy Back Your Time: The Trap No One Warns You Of | John Lee Real Estate

What is your actual hourly rate? Most people can't answer in ten seconds, and that's exactly the problem. I just finished Dan Martell's Buy Back Your Time , but this isn't a book report. It's what happened when I ran my own numbers against my real income, my real calendar, and my real excuses. I walk through the Buyback Rate, the simple rule that anything you do for less than 25% of your hourly rate is costing you money, and the two hires that came out of it: a virtual assistant that changed how I think about delegation, and a house cleaner we refused to cut even when money got tight. Your Buyback Rate is 25% of your hourly rate. Below that line, doing it yourself loses money The first delegation isn't about the task. It's proving to yourself that things don't fall apart The real test of the Buyback Rate is honoring it when money is tight, not when it's easy Buying back time doesn't make you present. It only gives you the option to be Decide what you'll do with the hours before you free them, or you'll refill them with work ⬇️ CONNECT WITH ME ⬇️INSTAGRAM: @johnlee_realestate FACEBOOK: facebook.com/jl.johnleee TIKTOK: @johnlee_realestateWEBSITE/NEWSLETTER: https://johnlee-realestate.com/

July 1, 20260 min

How to Build Equity Faster With New Construction | John Lee Real Estate

Most buyers see new construction as a nice home with less maintenance. In the right market, it can be a strategy that builds equity faster. Builders release communities in phases and often raise prices as those phases sell out. Buy early, and you may get the same model for less than someone who buys later, which means your home can gain equity faster than expected. In this episode I break down the move-up play: how getting in early can let a growing family roll that equity into a bigger home or better location without starting over financially. Builders raise prices as communities sell out, so buying early can mean paying less for the same model The move-up play lets you roll early equity into the next new community Recorded, closed sales are the truth. Marketing and sales-office claims are not Builder incentives can hide an overpriced home. A low rate doesn't fix a bad price The model home is loaded with upgrades. The base price is rarely the real all-in cost ⬇️ CONNECT WITH ME ⬇️INSTAGRAM: @johnlee_realestate FACEBOOK: facebook.com/jl.johnleee TIKTOK: @johnlee_realestateWEBSITE/NEWSLETTER: https://johnlee-realestate.com/

June 17, 202613 min

Are Realtors Worth the Commission? Honest Take | John Lee Real Estate

Are real estate agents actually worth the commission? Here's the honest answer most realtors won't give you. I'm not here to defend every agent. The truth is some are worth the fee and some aren't, and a license doesn't make anyone valuable. This goes back to a book I read in high school economics, Freakonomics , which raised an uncomfortable point about incentives: a seller's extra $10,000 matters enormously to them, but the commission on it is small to the agent. So is the agent really motivated to fight for every dollar, or just to close fast and move on? That's a fair question, and it forces agents to look in the mirror. A license doesn't make an agent valuable. The work, judgment, and preparation do Exposure means people can see your listing. Marketing means you shape how they see it The Freakonomics incentive gap is real, and good agents have to choose against it An advisor asks what's right for the client. A salesperson asks how to close Ask an agent: what would you tell me that another agent might be afraid to say? ⬇️ CONNECT WITH ME ⬇️INSTAGRAM: @johnlee_realestate FACEBOOK: facebook.com/jl.johnleee TIKTOK: @johnlee_realestateWEBSITE/NEWSLETTER: https://johnlee-realestate.com/

June 10, 20267 min

Trust Before Price: Picking Who to Hire | John Lee Real Estate

How do you know you can trust someone with a huge financial decision before they've done any work or shown you a single number? Most people answer that question by looking at price. The cleanest breakdown, the lowest fee, the most transparent quote, and they assume that's the most honest person in the room. After eight years in real estate and ninety-plus homes closed, I've watched what actually happens when people decide who to trust with their money, and it's the opposite of what most people expect. Transparency by itself doesn't build trust. It only works when trust already exists A referral is trust transferred before you've shown a single number Confidence in your own value is information. So is caving on it The cheapest, most transparent quote rarely produces the best experience Start with trust, let the numbers confirm it. That's the order it actually works in ⬇️ CONNECT WITH ME ⬇️INSTAGRAM: @johnlee_realestate FACEBOOK: facebook.com/jl.johnleee TIKTOK: @johnlee_realestateWEBSITE/NEWSLETTER: https://johnlee-realestate.com/