Episodes

  • Buyer advocacy and beyond with Realtor.com CMO Mickey Neuberger
    Jul 25 2024
    This week on the Power House Podcast, we are bringing you a sponsored interview between Clayton and Mickey Neuberger, the Chief Marketing Officer at Realtor.com. Before joining Realtor.com, Mickey was VP of Global Marketing at eBay for 9 years, where he built the company’s CRM platform from the ground up. He also has extensive experience in marketing, CRM, product and technology from previous roles at Travelocity, Loyalty Lab, and 24 Hour Fitness. Clayton and Mickey start by discussing Mickey's career journey, his expertise in data management, and how he got into the marketing landscape. But, the real meat of this conversation is about one of Realtor.com’s biggest current initiatives: their buyer advocacy campaign. The campaign spans several advocacy initiatives, including the development of a self-serve tool kit for buyer’s agents. This kit features tools and assets that can be customized and shared with one’s network to highlight everything agents do for consumers before, during and after the home-buying process. They’re also working on highlighting and empowering underserved and underrepresented buyers to ensure equitable opportunities in the housing market. Clayton and Mickey dive deep into this campaign and its vital importance in today’s industry, Realtor.com’s efforts to bring together housing professionals, home buyers and policymakers to understand the power that housing and real estate hold in the larger American economy. Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: How Mickey's career path from computer science to marketing has helped his experience in driving results at scale, The importance of brand presence and the use of strategic data and analytics in marketing. The why behind their buyer agency advocacy campaign, the Buyer's Agent Tool Kit and the efforts to educate consumers and policymakers. Where the future of Realtor.com is headed and their marketing objectives for the second half of 2024. Related to this episode: Mickey Neuberger | LinkedIn Realtor.com | LinkedIn Realtor.com Buyer's Agent Toolkit America's Housing Problem: The Dream of Homeownership Is Further Fading for Underserved Buyers—but Here's How To Navigate the Market | Realtor.com Realtor.com announces update to buyer’s agency ad campaign HousingWire | YouTube Enjoy the episode! The Power House podcast is a show about leadership, markets and entrepreneurship in the housing industry. Each Thursday, Clayton Collins speaks with CEOs and founders from the mortgage and real estate sector to reveal how housing executives think about business growth, operational strategy, and leadership. The Power House podcast reveals the full picture through the stories of the industry’s most impactful leaders. Clayton Collins is the CEO of HousingWire, and the Power House podcast is produced by HousingWire’s Content Studio. Initially launched in 2019 as the Housing News podcast, the show was relaunched as Power House in 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    42 mins
  • Craig Montgomery on Lower’s journey to becoming a top-five lender
    Jul 18 2024
    On today’s episode of Power House, we had the pleasure of speaking with Craig Montgomery, the Chief Strategy Officer at Lower. Craig joined Lower this past June with plans to drive the company towards the goal of becoming a top five national mortgage lender. Today’s conversation is all about Craig’s vision for building Lower’s ambitious plans for growth, including a focus on an originator-first mindset and platform, as well as finding real value in strategic partnerships. Lower is also ramping up mergers and acquisitions to help achieve this goal with two different acquisitions within the past year. He shares their unique growth plan for today’s higher-rate, low volume environment. Enjoy this episode with Craig Montgomery, Chief Strategy Officer at Lower! Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: Providing originators with the tools, resources, and support they need is crucial for their success. Listen to originators to truly understand their needs and shortcomings. Transparency and communication are key in successful M&A integrations. A coaching program can be a game changer in elevating originator performance. Becoming a top-five lender requires aggressive recruiting and a focus on providing a platform for originator success. Related to this episode: Lower hires Craig Montgomery as chief strategy officer | HousingWire Craig Montgomery | Linkedin Lower | Linkedin HousingWire | YouTube Enjoy the episode! The Power House podcast is a show about leadership, markets and entrepreneurship in the housing industry. Each Thursday, Clayton Collins speaks with CEOs and founders from the mortgage and real estate sector to reveal how housing executives think about business growth, operational strategy, and leadership. The Power House podcast reveals the full picture through the stories of the industry’s most impactful leaders. Clayton Collins is the CEO of HousingWire, and the Power House podcast is produced by HousingWire’s Content Studio. Initially launched in 2019 as the Housing News podcast, the show was relaunched as Power House in 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    33 mins
  • Anthony Lamacchia: Entrepreneurial leadership pumping through his veins
    Jul 11 2024
    Anthony Lamacchia shares his journey from working in his father’s landscaping business to building Lamacchia Realty. He discusses the importance of marketing, branding, and consistent content creation in attracting clients and media attention. Lamacchia emphasizes delegating responsibilities and hiring experienced professionals for growth. He delves into his M&A strategy, market expansion, and his approach to marketing and recruiting agents using billboards and other methods. He addresses industry challenges, like the commission lawsuit and changing market conditions, and shares how he prepares his agents for success, concluding with his optimistic outlook for the future of real estate. Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: •The importance of marketing, branding, and consistent content creation for attracting clients and media attention. •Strategies for delegating responsibilities, hiring experienced professionals, and executing a successful M&A strategy for business growth and market expansion. •Effective marketing and recruiting techniques, such as the use of billboards and other advertising methods. •Insights into industry challenges like the commission lawsuit, changing market conditions, and how to prepare agents for success, along with Anthony’s optimistic outlook for the future of real estate. Related to this episode: 2024 RealTrends GameChangers saw tremendous growth over last five years RealTrends Verified: Lamacchia Realty Anywhere senior executive makes the move to Lamacchia Realty Commission lawsuits: The actions to take right now from brokers who are doing it HousingWire | YouTube Enjoy the episode! The Power House podcast is a show about leadership, markets and entrepreneurship in the housing industry. Each Thursday, Clayton Collins speaks with CEOs and founders from the mortgage and real estate sector to reveal how housing executives think about business growth, operational strategy, and leadership. The Power House podcast reveals the full picture through the stories of the industry’s most impactful leaders. Clayton Collins is the CEO of HousingWire, and the Power House podcast is produced by HousingWire’s Content Studio. Initially launched in 2019 as the Housing News podcast, the show was relaunched as Power House in 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    46 mins
  • The secrets to unlocking data efficiency with Rocktop Technologies’ Jason Pinson
    Jul 4 2024
    This week on the Power House podcast, we sat down with Jason Pinson, the founder and CEO of Rocktop Technologies, a suite of fintech applications driven by AI and machine learning designed to manage risk on behalf of its clients and partners. Rocktop — and Jason himself — are on a mission to tackle two significant issues in housing: the influx of poor and poorly managed data, and the error-prone processes that undermine asset quality and value. Today we are delving into Jason's career journey and thesis, starting from his days at Bear Stearns to his multi-decade crusade to enhance efficiency and returns for investors in the mortgage industry. Clayton and Jason talk about Rocktop’s efforts aimed at preventing the errors and inefficiencies that reduce mortgage investors’ yields, a problem that ultimately makes housing less efficient and more expensive. They also talk about data standardization, the role of organizations like MISMO, and the expertise and talents behind successful AI and machine learning implementation. Rocktop Technologies will be joining us on stage in Dallas on July 23rd for HousingWire’s AI Summit to explore even more of their focus on machine learning and how they plan to revolutionize the industry. Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: The mortgage market is hindered by poor data management and manual error-prone operations. Data standardization is crucial for improving efficiency in the mortgage market. A strong data strategy is essential for implementing AI and machine learning. Combining domain expertise with technical talent is key to success in the mortgage industry. Leading from the front and investing in employee upskilling are important for growth in a volatile market. Related to this episode: Jason Pinson | LinkedIn Rocktop Technologies HousingWire's AI Summit HousingWire | YouTube Enjoy the episode! The Power House podcast is a show about leadership, markets and entrepreneurship in the housing industry. Each Thursday, Clayton Collins speaks with CEOs and founders from the mortgage and real estate sector to reveal how housing executives think about business growth, operational strategy, and leadership. The Power House podcast reveals the full picture through the stories of the industry’s most impactful leaders. Clayton Collins is the CEO of HousingWire, and the Power House podcast is produced by HousingWire’s Content Studio. Initially launched in 2019 as the Housing News podcast, the show was relaunched as Power House in 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    28 mins
  • Sierra Interactive CEO Peter Maglathlin talks real estate tech in a post-settlement world
    Jun 27 2024
    This week, we welcome Peter Maglathlin to the Power House podcast. Peter is the CEO of Sierra Interactive, an end-to-end real estate platform developing software and services for residential real estate agents, teams and brokers. Originally founded in 2007, it was acquired by Alpine Software Group in 2022. Today’s conversation with Peter is for all the real estate tech, entrepreneurship and investing nerds out there. Clayton and Peter geek out together about Peter’s entrepreneurial journey and the ins and outs of running and developing a successful SaaS business in the real estate and mortgage ecosystem. They also talk about the changes on the horizon for housing now that the NAR-settlement is close around the corner. Listen to gain better insight into how those changes are not only directly affecting real estate professionals, but also the technology and investing spaces that have built the industry’s foundation. Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: Entrepreneurship involves a willingness to sell and the ability to meet customers where they are. The cyclical nature of the real estate market is managed by holding assets for long durations, which typically leads to better performance. Customer segmentation is important for prioritizing KPIs, as different segments have different needs. The NAR settlement raises the bar for professionalism in the industry and may lead to a decrease in agent count. Real estate software should focus on generating seller leads and creating connectivity between agents and consumers. Related to this episode: Peter Maglathin | Linkedin Sierra Interactive | Linkedin Top 23 real estate apps for agents in 2024 | HousingWire Real Estate Software Leader Sierra Interactive Joins ASG to Fuel Next Phase of Growth and Innovation | ASG HousingWire | YouTube Enjoy the episode! The Power House podcast is a show about leadership, markets and entrepreneurship in the housing industry. Each Thursday, Clayton Collins speaks with CEOs and founders from the mortgage and real estate sector to reveal how housing executives think about business growth, operational strategy, and leadership. The Power House podcast reveals the full picture through the stories of the industry’s most impactful leaders. Clayton Collins is the CEO of HousingWire, and the Power House podcast is produced by HousingWire’s Content Studio. Initially launched in 2019 as the Housing News podcast, the show was relaunched as Power House in 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    55 mins
  • Constellation’s Bonnie Wilhelm on their “buy and hold forever” strategy
    Jun 20 2024
    On today’s episode, we have an exclusive, behind-the-scenes conversation with a guest who has an amazing perspective and depth of knowledge in investing and business operation strategy, Bonnie Wilhelm. Bonnie is the CEO of the Andromeda Group and COO of Perseus inside of Constellation Software. Constellation acquires and operates Vertical Market Software (VMS) throughout a broad target of industries, including housing. In 2023, Constellation acquired two of the most important technology assets in housing: Optimal Blue and Dark Matter, which was formerly Black Knight. Their influence spans far and wide across many facets of the housing and mortgage ecosystem, even if the name isn’t one that you may recognize at first glance. Bonnie’s conversation with Clayton gives us a glimpse into the intricate investing and operating strategy at Constellation, where they strongly believe in holding acquired businesses into perpetuity. She also talks about decentralizing operations down to day-to-day minutia and how they’re leveraging artificial intelligence to do things such as reduce loan origination time. Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: Constellation follows a buy and hold forever strategy, investing in businesses for the long term and understanding customer needs. The company focuses on acquiring businesses in vertical markets and adjacencies, allowing management teams to run autonomously. The company is particularly interested in the mortgage space and is investing in AI to reduce loan origination time. Constellation emphasizes the importance of patience, being prepared for different scenarios, and making rational decisions in cyclical businesses. Related to this episode: Bonnie Wilhelm | LinkedIn Perseus Group | LinkedIn HousingWire's AI Summit HousingWire | YouTube Enjoy the episode! The Power House podcast is a show about leadership, markets and entrepreneurship in the housing industry. Each Thursday, Clayton Collins speaks with CEOs and founders from the mortgage and real estate sector to reveal how housing executives think about business growth, operational strategy, and leadership. The Power House podcast reveals the full picture through the stories of the industry’s most impactful leaders. Clayton Collins is the CEO of HousingWire, and the Power House podcast is produced by HousingWire’s Content Studio. Initially launched in 2019 as the Housing News podcast, the show was relaunched as Power House in 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    34 mins
  • Using AI in all the right places with Rick Roque and Andrew Maas
    Jun 13 2024
    Today, we welcome two wonderful guests to the Power House podcast: Rick Roque and Andrew Maas. Rick is the EVP of Retail Growth and Strategy at Sierra Pacific Mortgage with 20+ years in retail mortgage banking, acquiring, managing and growing production volume & market share in companies across the US. Andrew is the Co-Founder & CEO of Pointable, focusing on large-scale deep learning for spoken and written language tasks and has previously worked on data-centric deep learning approaches at Apple. Both Rick and Andrew are going to be joining us as speakers in July for HousingWire’s AI Summit. Clayton’s conversation with Rick and Andrew focuses on the adoption and use cases of artificial intelligence in the mortgage space. According to Rick, current mortgage boardroom sentiment toward AI is “complete confusion” and full of worry about how it will affect the bottom line. They want to demystify that. Strategic AI adoption will split lenders into two groups: those who leverage efficiency tools and those who don’t. They also discuss practical use cases for AI in lending spaces, including streamlining lending workflows, time spent coaching and training, and even how consumers can benefit in discovering and understanding their loan options and application processes. Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: AI's impact on the mortgage industry is significant, offering opportunities for efficiency and profitability. The confusion of implementing AI in mortgage is rooted in confusion and a lack of focus on future demands. AI has the potential to revolutionize the mortgage industry by addressing systematic inefficiencies and streamlining processes. There is a need for a shift in executive mentality and budgeting to incorporate AI into critical business needs. Related to this episode: Rick Roque | LinkedIn Andrew Maas | LinkedIn Sierra Pacific Mortgage Pointable HousingWire's AI Summit HousingWire | YouTube Enjoy the episode! The Power House podcast is a show about leadership, markets and entrepreneurship in the housing industry. Each Thursday, Clayton Collins speaks with CEOs and founders from the mortgage and real estate sector to reveal how housing executives think about business growth, operational strategy, and leadership. The Power House podcast reveals the full picture through the stories of the industry’s most impactful leaders. Clayton Collins is the CEO of HousingWire, and the Power House podcast is produced by HousingWire’s Content Studio. Initially launched in 2019 as the Housing News podcast, the show was relaunched as Power House in 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    43 mins
  • Phil Defronzo on how to maintain a multi-decade mortgage legacy
    Jun 6 2024
    Today we are chatting with Phil DeFronzo, the founder, president and CEO of mortgage wholesaler TPO Go. Phil, who has been in the mortgage business since 1989, was the former CEO of Norcom Mortgage before he sold the retail business to CMG Financial and pursued the wholesale business. Phil and Clayton talk about his career journey over the past three decades, how he got to where he was today, and the interesting people he met and learned from along the way — including the mentorship of the late Dave Stevens. They also talk about TPO Go’s strategy to differentiate itself and where he sees growth for the industry in the coming years in spaces like renovation loans and automation processes. Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: Opportunities for growth often arise in challenging times. Focusing on profitability is key to weathering market changes. Renovation loans offer significant market potential, especially in aging housing stock. Brokers with strong product knowledge have a competitive advantage. Automation can improve turn times and enhance the customer experience. Related to this episode: CMG acquires Norcom Mortgage’s retail assets - HousingWire Phil DeFronzo | LinkedIn TPO Go | Linkedin TPO GO HousingWire | YouTube HousingWire | YouTube Enjoy the episode! The Power House podcast is a show about leadership, markets and entrepreneurship in the housing industry. Each Thursday, Clayton Collins speaks with CEOs and founders from the mortgage and real estate sector to reveal how housing executives think about business growth, operational strategy, and leadership. The Power House podcast reveals the full picture through the stories of the industry’s most impactful leaders. Clayton Collins is the CEO of HousingWire, and the Power House podcast is produced by HousingWire’s Content Studio. Initially launched in 2019 as the Housing News podcast, the show was relaunched as Power House in 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    35 mins