The REI Agent

Hosted by Mattias and Erica Clymer

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Episodes

228

Latest episode

Oct 2026

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EN-US

About the show

Welcome to The REI Agent Podcast, where real estate meets holistic living! Hosted by Mattias and Erica, this podcast is your go-to source for insights, inspiration, and strategies from top agents and investors who are living their best lives through real estate.

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60 recent

October 27, 202634 min

Secondary Market Real Estate: Moises Garcia on Selling Idaho to Out-of-State Buyers

Moises Garcia — Moe — was working a casino on the Idaho–Nevada border when the economy turned. He moved across to dealing blackjack, then ran the pit, and it still wasn't for him. A friend who'd just got his licence talked him into following. That was fifteen years ago. He now runs Forever Idaho Real Estate, a team inside Westerra Real Estate Group, serving Twin Falls and the Magic Valley. The heart of this one is AI, and it's the most clear-eyed take the show has had. He has automated his daily newsletter almost end to end: Gemini reads his morning email and drafts it, Claude tightens the writing, he picks which stories survive. Half an hour at most. Then he draws a hard line — the AI assistant that answers his inbound leads gets switched off as fast as he can reach it, because "I've seen them get frustrated and then opt out of communication before I have had a chance." Use it on your own work; never put it between you and a person. Also: a clear read on the Idaho migration, the cheap deal he talked a client out of because there was nothing in the town, why days on market lies in his market, the bridge-loan route instead of a contingent offer, and why agents who treat a transaction as winners and losers were never properly mentored. Find Moe: @foreveridahorealestate on Instagram · foreveridahorealestate.com Also mentioned: The Pumpkin Plan by Mike Michalowicz Full show notes and a free weekly newsletter at reiagent.com

October 20, 202631 min

From Nigerian Chemical Engineer to a $100M Houston Portfolio with Wale Lawal

Wale Lawal came to the United States from Nigeria to study chemical engineering, took the master's, and spent five years in oil and gas before going looking for something that would fund a retirement. Everything pointed at real estate. He went to crypto instead, then Forex, then transportation, lost money in all three, and went all in on real estate in 2020. Today he owns 30+ rental units, has closed over $100 million, and has helped 400+ investor clients buy their own. He is refreshingly unwilling to sell anyone a strategy. He has had clients spend $50,000 on coaching programs and own zero properties. His own BRRRR ended with the city condemning a fourplex that has been an empty lot since 2021 — and the lesson he draws is cheap and specific: the structure has to be good before anything else is true. The most actionable minute is about builders. He buys new construction directly and times it to their fiscal year — September, October, November, when D.R. Horton and Lennar are discounting to hit annual targets. Mattias calls it a golden nugget on tape. Also: a clear read on Houston after the 2020-21 run, a duplex closed $35,000 under appraisal, the ON FIRE acronym for picking an agent, why new agents should gladly hand over 50% of their first commissions, and the book he gives people — The One Thing. Find Wale: @wale_lawal on Instagram · networthbuilders.com His coaching program: networthbuildersacademy.com Also mentioned: The One Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan Full show notes and a free weekly newsletter at reiagent.com

October 13, 202645 min

Above Asking: How Roddy de la Garza Built a $450M Career at Epique Realty

Roddy de la Garza grew up in his family's brokerage in the Rio Grande Valley, went to film school to get away from it, and came back anyway. Thirty years and 800+ transactions later he leads the largest team by volume in his Southern California market at Epique Realty — with nothing spent on portal leads. Roddy and Mattias get into the advice from his father that shaped everything ("if you chase checks, you're always going to chase checks"), what agents actually owe a client who asks what they're worth, why he calls the old model "the $30,000 lockbox," and how he assigns new agents roles that fit them instead of expecting everyone to be a star producer. Also: the myth of work-life balance and what he replaced it with, the mindset shift from "what new hell is this?" to "what new gift?", the AI receptionist that failed, and the daily devotional he wrote for agents after his father died. Golden nugget: "You are a real estate agent when you start doing the actions of a real estate agent. Don't wait for the perfect time." Find Roddy: @roddy4real on Instagram · roddy.realtor His book: Above Asking: Daily Mindwork for Real Estate Professionals Also mentioned: Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki Full show notes and a free weekly newsletter at reiagent.com

October 6, 202653 min

From Behind the Iron Curtain to $80M in Real Estate with Vessi Kapoulian

Vessi Kapoulian grew up behind the Iron Curtain, in a Bulgaria where travel was almost impossible and every apartment belonged to the government. Her mother made her a promise with no obvious way to keep it: if you learn English, I'll send you abroad. Then the wall fell, and Vessi studied her way to a full scholarship in the United States. She did the conventional thing after that — school, job, corporate ladder, and most of a career in commercial lending, managing over a billion dollars in commercial credit portfolios. Then she walked into her office one morning with no notice and learned that 70% of her immediate team had been let go. "You're an employee, and you may think you're the greatest person in the world, but you're disposable, you're replaceable. And that's kind of harsh to say. It's also very harsh to hear, but that's the reality." She was spared, and is careful to say it was not because she was smarter. These are cost decisions. So she asked what she could actually control, and the answer was real estate: a turnkey rental in Memphis, then a duplex, then an 11-unit, and now 150-plus-unit apartment syndications. DBA Capital Group — Dream, Believe, Achieve — runs approximately $80 million in assets under management across Florida, Tennessee and Georgia. The second half of this conversation is a former commercial lender explaining, plainly, how syndications work and where they go wrong. Why a preferred return is not a promise of monthly cash flow. Why you should plan on your money being locked for five to seven years and not invest if you might need it. Why the bridge-debt extensions are running out. And why the 2011–2021 run, when falling cap rates bailed out even bad operators, is not coming back — the next decade, she says, belongs to the operator. Her golden nugget flips a famous line. Reagan said trust but verify. She says verify before you trust, and the first question she asks on any deal is not what it returns, but how she loses money on it. A holistic approach to life through real estate.

September 29, 202645 min

From Two Houses in Five Months to $45M a Year with Bunny Terry

In 2012, three months after moving to Santa Fe, Bunny Terry was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. She has a letter from that year, written so she could cash out her life insurance, saying she had twelve months. This is what she built afterwards. She sold two houses in her first five months at a new brokerage and borrowed money from her son to attend a conference. Today she is on a pace of roughly $45 million a year — $12.5M in 2023, $18.5M in 2024, just over $30M in 2025 — and more than 85% of it comes from her digital presence. The mechanics are unglamorous and she says so. 5,700 Instagram followers. B-roll bought from a local kid with a drone. A Thursday email listing three things happening Friday, three Saturday, three Sunday, with the weather and a reminder to bring a jacket. Nobody has unsubscribed in three months. The principle: "We're not talking about how we do real estate. We're talking about how you live in our city." There is also a 67-year-old on her team who told her he did not want anyone to see his face. He now posts four or five videos a week and gets a call a day from them. CHAPTERS 00:00 Cold open 00:22 Welcome 01:06 Meet Bunny Terry — Santa Fe, 22 years, $45M pace 01:23 A paralegal who became a realtor out of necessity 02:19 Ranches and lake property in a town of 1,100 05:05 Moving to Santa Fe — and a stage 4 diagnosis 07:05 The partners who kept splitting commissions 08:34 Showing up every day in a market where she knew nobody 09:46 Two houses in five months, and borrowing from her son 10:45 Building community before building a pipeline 12:10 Her father's answer: "I'd have to be two people" 14:03 A prognosis letter, and choosing your perspective 17:35 The red notebook and the daily top three 20:58 Your brain finds what you tell it to look for 24:02 Breaking into a closed market with a blog 26:09 "I'm not 22" — putting her face on video at 60 28:04 The numbers: $12.5M to $30M to a $45M pace 28:42 Hiring a full-time marketing director 29:39 Why Santa Fe is a second-home market 31:16 The 67-year-old who refused to be on camera 31:56 Sell the city, not the house 32:54 The Thursday email nobody unsubscribes from 34:07 Consistency wins — and no marketing is bad marketing 36:01 "I am an expert at starting over" 36:30 Golden nuggets 39:29 The question that changed after loss 41:31 Favorite book: U Squared by Price Pritchett 43:20 Being purposeful, and nearly quitting 44:08 Where to find Bunny FIND BUNNY Instagram: @therealbunnyterrysantafe Book: Lifesaving Gratitude, on Amazon THE REI AGENT Newsletter and episode blogs: reiagent.com A holistic approach to life through real estate.

September 22, 202652 min

From Nuclear Submarines to 400 Land Deals with Justin Piché

Justin Piché spent five years as a nuclear submarine officer before walking away from an engineering career at ExxonMobil to buy raw land. He has now closed over 400 deals. His model is simple to describe and unglamorous to execute: buy a large rural tract, split it into smaller parcels, and sell those to buyers who want land without the price of a finished home. The margin comes from arbitrage — a 50-acre tract at $5,000 an acre is worth double as 10-acre lots at $10,000. Justin walks through exempt splits, the provision in many county codes that allows a division with nothing more than a survey. He explains the two numbers he screens a market for before looking at any property, why water lines sized for a single home are his biggest deal killer, and the roughly $70,000 a year he loses in earnest money on deals that don't work. There's a direct message for agents in here too: listings marked "development potential" are usually priced as though the development were finished, and that markup is the developer's entire margin. He closes with three golden nuggets on scaling, keeping your word, and the contract he tore up the moment he learned the seller had dementia. A holistic approach to life through real estate.

September 15, 202638 min

Inside the Niche Most Agents Avoid: Divorce Real Estate with Randi Dukes

Randi Dukes has done over $32M in volume across 85+ transactions in the niche most agents route around — divorce listings. She got there through her own divorce nine years ago, when she realized the proceeds of a good sale are what let two households actually start over. Randi and Mattias get into how you stay neutral when both parties want you on their side, why she refuses to source clients from court records, what separates a well-written court order from a useless one, and the SEO skills she carried over from twelve years of blogging before real estate. Golden nugget: "There are no emergencies in real estate. We aren't saving lives. Don't give it all of your emotion." Find Randi: @randidukesrealtor · randidukesrealtor.com Book mentioned: Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara Full show notes and a free weekly newsletter at reiagent.com

September 10, 202637 min

Turn Tax Knowledge Into Lasting Wealth Through Cost Segregation with Yonah Weiss

Yonah Weiss reveals how cost segregation, accelerated depreciation, smarter tax planning, opportunity zones, professional relationships, continuous learning, and intentional networking can help investors keep more capital working while building wealth with greater knowledge and purpose. (00:00) - Introduction to Yonah Weiss and the Power of Cost Segregation (05:00) - Mattias Shares How a $50,000 Investment Created Major Tax Savings (10:00) - How Cost Segregation Can Turn a $30,000 Deduction Into $300,000 (15:00) - Why Investors Need Accountants Who Understand Property Tax Strategies (20:00) - Real Estate Professional Status, W-2 Income, and the 750-Hour Rule (25:00) - Opportunity Zones and Strategies for Deferring Capital Gains Taxes (30:00) - Yonah’s Golden Nuggets on Networking, Humility, Teaching, and Giving (35:00) - Who Not How, Connecting With Yonah Weiss, and Final Thoughts (37:10) - Closing Disclaimer Contact Yonah Weiss https://yonahweiss.com/ https://www.facebook.com/yonah.weiss.1 https://www.instagram.com/yonahweiss/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/cost-segregation-yonah-weiss/ https://www.youtube.com/@YonahWeiss1 Wealth is not only about earning more. It is about understanding the tools available to you, surrounding yourself with people who know what you do not, and putting that knowledge to work. Keep learning, keep building your network, and remember Yonah Weiss’s simple challenge to help one person every day. To discover more strategies for building wealth while creating a life that matters, visit https://reiagent.com Is success destroying your peace? Most pros grind until they break. Download The Investor’s Life Balance Sheet: A Holistic Wealth Audit to see if you are building a legacy or heading for burnout. Presented by The REI Agent Podcast & United States Real Estate Investor® https://sendfox.com/lp/m4jrl

September 8, 202636 min

Keep Showing Up in Residential Real estate Sales Until Everything Changes with Christian Givens

Christian Givens reveals how early investing, painful setbacks, grief, mentorship, social media consistency, authenticity, personal boundaries, and holistic success helped him turn imperfect beginnings into a thriving business and a life built with greater intention. (00:00) - Introduction to Christian Givens and His Early Start in Real Estate (05:00) - Returning to Maryland, Losing His Father, and Choosing a Bigger Vision (10:00) - Losing Money, Investing in Coaching, and Building Through Social Media (15:00) - Staying Top of Mind Through Authentic Relationships and Technology (20:00) - Luxury Home Tours, Comedy Content, and Building an Authentic Personal Brand (25:00) - Social Media Boundaries, Family Privacy, and the Danger of Oversharing (30:00) - Beating Perfectionism, Protecting Your Health, and Showing Up Consistently (35:00) - Who Not How, Building the Right Network, Social Media, and Closing Thoughts (36:52) - End of Episode Contact Christian Givens https://www.facebook.com/ChristianGRealtor/ https://www.instagram.com/christiangrealtor/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-givens-a667235a/ https://www.tiktok.com/@christiangrealtor https://www.youtube.com/@ChristianGivensRealtor Christian Givens proves that the people who win are not always the ones who start with the best skills, biggest audience, or perfect plan. They are often the ones willing to keep showing up, keep learning, protect what matters most, and give their efforts enough time to compound. If you are building a business, an investment portfolio, or simply a better life, do not let imperfect beginnings convince you to abandon a powerful future. Keep getting the reps, keep building your foundation, and keep becoming the person capable of reaching the next level. For more conversations about building wealth without sacrificing the life you are building it for, visit https://reiagent.com Is success destroying your peace? Most pros grind until they break. Download The Investor’s Life Balance Sheet: A Holistic Wealth Audit to see if you are building a legacy or heading for burnout. Presented by The REI Agent Podcast & United States Real Estate Investor® https://sendfox.com/lp/m4jrl

September 3, 202646 min

Take Control of Your Future Through Multifamily Investing with John Casmon

John Casmon reveals how a corporate wake-up call, house hacking, multifamily syndication, mentorship, cash flow discipline, and aligned family goals helped him build financial control while growing from a duplex into thousands of apartment units. (00:00) - Introduction to John Casmon and Building Wealth While Working Full Time (05:00) - From Corporate Uncertainty to Taking Control of Your Financial Future (10:00) - Choosing the Right Investment Strategy for Your Goals and Lifestyle (15:00) - House Hacking, Building Equity, and Discovering the Power of Partnerships (20:00) - How Multifamily Syndication Works as a Business Investment (25:00) - Why Multifamily Housing Can Offer Stability Through Changing Markets (30:00) - Midwest Investing, Local Knowledge, and the Hidden Risks of Cheap Properties (35:00) - Balancing Family, Career, and Investing Through a Shared Vision (40:00) - Mentorship, Personal Growth, and Three Principles for Successful Investing (45:00) - Atomic Habits, Multifamily Insights, John Casmon’s Resources, and Closing Thoughts (46:00) - Final Sign-Off and Investment Disclaimer Contact John Casmon https://casmoncapital.com/ https://www.facebook.com/p/John-Casmon-100028409780377/ https://www.instagram.com/jcasmon/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/multifamily-apartments-john-casmon/ https://www.youtube.com/@JohnCasmonMultifamily https://x.com/Casmon_Capital John Casmon's journey is proof that financial freedom doesn't begin when everything is perfect. It begins when someone decides to take ownership of their future, build the right habits, find the right people, and keep moving forward. Start where you are, focus on cash flow, learn from every mistake, and build a life where you have more choices tomorrow than you have today. For more inspiring conversations about investing, wealth, and creating a life on your terms, visit https://reiagent.com Is success destroying your peace? Most pros grind until they break. Download The Investor’s Life Balance Sheet: A Holistic Wealth Audit to see if you are building a legacy or heading for burnout. Presented by The REI Agent Podcast & United States Real Estate Investor® https://sendfox.com/lp/m4

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