The market is tough, agents are stressed, and if you have been in real estate for more than five minutes lately, you know that claws can come out. But community over competition in real estate is not just a feel-good phrase. It is a real strategy, and in Episode 360 of the Hustle Humbly Podcast, Katy and Alissa are sharing the stories that prove it works.
Why We Needed a Feel-Good Episode
Alissa and Katy have recorded a lot of episodes about what is going wrong in the market right now. The tough conversations, the mindset shifts, the hard truths. And those episodes matter. But sometimes you just need a pep talk. A reminder that there are genuinely good people in this industry doing genuinely good things. That is exactly what Episode 360 is.
We are deep in summer. Things feel hard. And the best thing we know how to do when that happens is turn toward each other instead of away. That is the whole idea behind community over competition in real estate, and this episode is packed with real stories that show what it actually looks like in practice.
Speed Dating Listings and a Group Email That Changed Everything
Katy had a listing that was sitting. Instead of hosting an expensive agent tour that nobody shows up to, she emailed five agents whose listings were nearby and comparable. She proposed something simple: a speed dating tour. They would spend five to eight minutes in each house, give honest feedback, and compare notes. Four of the five agents were strangers to her.
They all said yes. They spent less than two hours touring all the listings, ended up riding in each other’s cars, and then went to lunch. Katy walked away with valuable feedback for her seller, real data on how her listing stacked up against the competition, and four new professional relationships she did not have before. One of those agents later did a $45,000 price reduction based on the feedback from that day. And they are still checking in on each other months later through a group email chain.
Reaching Out to Strangers in the MLS Is Not as Scary as You Think
Alissa had buyers with very specific needs who could not find what they wanted in the active listings. So she went into the MLS, pulled up agents who had listed that type of property in the past year, added a few agents she knew who worked that price range, and sent them all an email. She told them what her clients were looking for and asked if they had anything coming up.
There were ten or twelve agents on that list. She was not sure any of the busy ones would respond. Almost every single one did. Yes, no, maybe, keeping you in mind. That is community over competition in real estate showing up in a simple prospecting email.
The Story That Went Viral-ish
This is the one that got over 1,000 likes on Instagram and had Katy’s phone buzzing for days. She took over a listing that had expired from another agent, a friend of hers. When she posted a photo of the front porch, the original agent saw it and commented. Instead of things turning awkward, they turned collaborative. He told her things the sellers had not mentioned. He cheered on the pool removal and the new sod. He sent encouraging messages about the staging.
And then, right before the staging furniture was scheduled to be picked up, he sent Katy a showing request. His buyers were interested. They went to see it. They loved it. He submitted an offer, and his email closed with the line: “Let’s get this done for the Smiths.
They closed. Katy made a carousel post. His broker reached out to thank her for the shoutout. A woman who went to high school with him messaged privately to say he was just as kind back then as he is now. The amount of people who responded to that post reminded Katy that we are simply not sharing enough of the good. People are starving for it.
Being a Good Co-Op Agent Means Making the Call
One of the most practical things Alissa and Katy discuss in this episode is what it means to be a thoughtful co-op agent on a day-to-day level. If you walk into a vacant listing and notice the AC is blowing hot air, you call the listing agent. If there is a hole in the ceiling, you call. If the smoke detector is chirping, you call. It costs you nothing. And it means everything to the agent on the other side.
Katy shared a story where three showings went through her listing in one weekend, the AC was broken the whole time, and only the last agent bothered to let her know. The other two went on their way without a word. Be the agent who makes the call. That is what being a good co-op agent looks like, and it is one of the simplest ways to build your reputation in this industry.
Competing Listings, Shared Balloons, and a Group Text Full of Showing Alerts
Katy has a luxury listing in a neighborhood where three other agents also have listings. Instead of treating each other as competition, they have been running open houses together, sending showing alerts through a group text, and Katy even made a flyer featuring all three listings, unbranded except for each agent’s contact info, and sent it to her database. One of the agents stops to buy balloons for all of them on open house days. He even brought Katy a battery when her smoke detector started chirping right before an event.
These are competing agents. And they are rooting for each other anyway.
What Happens When Agents Leave a Brokerage
Katy also talks about something that does not get discussed enough: how to handle agent departures gracefully, whether you are the agent leaving or the broker watching someone go. The way you exit matters. The way brokers respond matters. Katy’s office has had agents leave, come back, leave again, and come back again. And the ones who return are almost always the ones who were given a gracious send-off the first time.
There is a Christmas party story in this episode that is genuinely one of the sweetest things you will hear. It involves an agent who left for a big opportunity, an invitation to a party at her old office, and a group of colleagues who just wanted her around even when she was technically the competition.
Your Reputation Is One of Your Best Business Tools
Community over competition in real estate is not about being naive. It is not about ignoring the fact that you and the agent down the street are both going after the same listings. It is about understanding that your reputation travels with you everywhere, into every transaction, every referral conversation, every office party you did or did not get invited to.
Be the agent people want to work with. Give the honest feedback. Make the awkward call. Invite the competing agent to the open house. Congratulate your friend when they get the listing you wanted. You never know who is going to bring you the buyer.
Tune in to Episode 360 of the Hustle Humbly Podcast wherever you listen. This one will leave you feeling good and ready to go be a better Realtor.
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Music:
Straight A’s by Connor Price
The Good Life by Summer Kennedy
Be The One by Matrika
