Real Talk with Leigh Brown

Two years after Hurricane Helene, the headlines have moved on. Western North Carolina is still dealing with what Helene left behind. And some of the consequences are things most of us would never consider until they happen to our own property. What happens when the river moves? What happens when the tree, rock, stream or other landmark people have relied on to understand a property boundary is gone? What happens when land itself has been washed away—and a family that has lived there for generations is trying to figure out what they own, what they can rebuild and how they stay? In this special episode of Real Talk with Leigh Brown, I sit down with my friend and One Community Real Estate partner Starr Franklin to talk about what we saw after Hurricane Helene and what Western North Carolina is still dealing with two years later. We talk about The chaos of those first days Churches and volunteers becoming relief hubsBuilding temporary shelter so people could stay on their land Rivers changing course and property markers disappearing The surveying and real estate questions that followed Families who are still working to get home Resources mentioned https://www.patriotrelief.org/ https://www.onecommunity.realestate/ A Million Miracles: Life After Hurricane Helene by Stephanie Johnson | Paperback Join the Conversation Live Thanks for spending part of your day with me. Every Thursday at 9:00 AM ET, I go live on YouTube to talk through the week's biggest housing and real estate headlines. The best part is hearing your questions and perspectives while we're live. I'd love for you to join the conversation. Subscribe and turn on notifications here: 👉 https://www.youtube.com/@LeighBrownSpeaker I'll see you From the Rooftops. About Starr Franklin Starr is a North Carolina native with more than 25 years of real estate experience. Based in Western North Carolina, she specializes in residential, new construction, commercial, multifamily, land sales, and relocation, with a special focus on serving military families. For more than 13 years, Starr has worked alongside a team of top professionals, helping clients make informed decisions through honest, knowledgeable, and relationship-driven service. Connect with Starr Website: Starr Franklin | OneCommunity.realestate Facebook: Starr M Franklin, Real Estate Broker | Hickory NC About Leigh Brown Leigh Brown is a keynote speaker and leadership expert who helps organizations navigate growth, conflict, and change with clarity and courage. Her message resonates with leaders facing real-world pressure—whether that's housing challenges, organizational friction, or cultural shifts. Her latest book, Next Is Now, equips leaders to stop reacting and start leading with intention. 👉 https://amzn.to/48FKenF 👉 Bring Leigh to your stage: https://leighbrown.com DM Leigh on Instagram: @LeighThomasBrown

Buying a home involves more than the price of the house. Buyers and sellers are navigating transaction fees, increasingly sophisticated real estate scams, changing technology and a housing market where the cost of building enough homes remains a major challenge. This week on From the Rooftops, I'm looking at several real estate headlines that raise an important question: Who is watching the consumer's money? NPR is reporting on so-called real estate "junk fees," including administrative and document-storage fees charged during a transaction. CNN is reporting on two homebuyers who lost $66,000 in a suspected voice-cloning scam, highlighting the growing threat of wire fraud and AI-assisted fraud in real estate transactions. Then there's Airbnb. The short-term rental company has announced a $250 million Housing Accelerator designed to provide last-dollar financing for housing developments that are ready to build but still need capital. Airbnb says the initiative could help unlock more than $5 billion in housing investment over the next decade, alongside efforts involving zoning reform, permitting, building codes and construction technology. For REALTORS®, these conversations matter because consumers rely on us to help them understand the people, processes and costs surrounding one of the largest financial transactions of their lives. How do we help consumers recognize questionable fees? What happens when AI makes real estate fraud harder to detect? And what should we make of Airbnb investing directly in housing construction? Join me Thursday, September 17 at 9:00 AM ET for From the Rooftops. Bring your questions and tell me what you're seeing in your market. Leigh Brown is a REALTOR®, national speaker, author and real estate industry leader who helps real estate professionals understand the issues shaping their business, their communities and the consumers they serve. 🎤 Book Leigh to speak: https://www.leighbrown.com/speaker?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=remainder-lf&utm_content=4yS6g4qIG08 🏠 More from Leigh: https://LeighBrown.com?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=remainder-lf&utm_content=4yS6g4qIG08

The real estate business is changing in ways that affect how consumers find homes, how borrowers qualify for mortgages, and how property owners understand their rights. This week on From the Rooftops, I'm digging into several housing and real estate headlines that REALTORS® should be watching closely. One conversation centers on the MLS and the growing use of private or delayed listings. As brokerages experiment with different ways of marketing homes, buyers may need to understand which properties they can actually see and whether the agent or brokerage they choose affects their access to available inventory. For REALTORS®, that brings us right back to transparency, cooperation and our responsibility to the consumer. There's also a significant development in mortgage lending. FHFA has approved VantageScore 4.0 for lenders originating Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgages, giving us another reason to pay attention to how changes in credit scoring could affect future homebuyers. Then there's property ownership itself. More than 2,600 landlords are reportedly slated for compensation related to losses stemming from a COVID-era eviction freeze. The legal fight raises a larger question about property rights and what happens when public policy restricts an owner's ability to use private property. And Washington is talking about housing, technology and affordability. One idea being discussed is whether greater digitization could help address some of the friction and expense involved in buying a home. These stories touch different corners of real estate, but every one of them matters to professionals who advise consumers about buying, selling and owning property. What changes when the systems underneath a real estate transaction begin changing too? Join me Thursday, September 10 at 9:00 AM ET for From the Rooftops. Bring your questions and tell me what you're seeing in your market. Leigh Brown is a REALTOR®, broker-owner, auctioneer, national keynote speaker, and author whose work helps professionals lead with confidence, communicate with purpose, and build businesses rooted in trust and relationships. 🎤 Book Leigh for Your Conference or Event https://www.leighbrown.com/speaker 🎙️ Watch Real Talk with Leigh Brown and From the Rooftops https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-9nEf0QTnKTBSf9lF5n5dbbHSK-65KWd 🌐 Learn more https://LeighBrown.com

Athena Brownson is a REALTOR®, home staging expert, former X Games athlete, and apparently someone who has enough stories to keep us talking all day. We talk about what staging really means, why sellers don't always see their homes the way buyers do, and how AI is giving agents some surprisingly useful tools for preparing a property without spending a fortune. You're going to want to hear this. Key takeaways to listen for Why good staging isn't about making a house look expensive How AI can help agents show sellers what's possible with the home they already have What Athena learned from her years as a professional athlete Why emotional attachment can make preparing a home for sale difficult How agents can find good staging and design professionals in their own markets Join the Conversation Live Thanks for spending part of your day with me. Every Thursday at 9:00 AM ET, I go live on YouTube to talk through the week's biggest housing and real estate headlines. The best part is hearing your questions and perspectives while we're live. I'd love for you to join the conversation. Subscribe and turn on notifications here: 👉 https://www.youtube.com/@LeighBrownSpeaker I'll see you From the Rooftops. About Athena Brownson Athena brings a wealth of firsthand insight to the dynamic world of real estate. With nine years of unwavering commitment to her craft, Athena has meticulously refined her negotiation prowess, ensuring that she tirelessly advocates on behalf of her clients to secure the most profitable deals possible. Connect with Athena Website: athenabrownsonrealtor.com Email: [email protected] Contact Number: +1 (303) 919-9344 About Leigh Brown Leigh Brown is a keynote speaker and leadership expert who helps organizations navigate growth, conflict, and change with clarity and courage. Her message resonates with leaders facing real-world pressure—whether that's housing challenges, organizational friction, or cultural shifts. Her latest book, Next Is Now, equips leaders to stop reacting and start leading with intention. 👉 https://amzn.to/48FKenF 👉 Bring Leigh to your stage: https://leighbrown.com DM Leigh on Instagram: @LeighThomasBrown

Buying or selling a house doesn't end at the closing table. There are still codes to exchange, utilities to transfer, questions to answer, and a whole lot of little details that can turn into a headache. Cody Bartkoski saw the same problems happening over and over and decided there had to be a better way. We talk about what happens after closing, how technology can make that handoff easier, and why a smoother process is better for everyone. Key takeaways to listen for What happens after the closing that nobody thinks about How Home Handoff makes the buyer/seller transition easier Why agents don't need to be involved in every post-closing detail What Cody learned from his own home-buying experiences Why a better handoff creates a better client experience Join the Conversation Live Thanks for spending part of your day with me. Every Thursday at 9:00 AM ET, I go live on YouTube to talk through the week's biggest housing and real estate headlines. The best part is hearing your questions and perspectives while we're live. I'd love for you to join the conversation. Subscribe and turn on notifications here: 👉 https://www.youtube.com/@LeighBrownSpeaker I'll see you From the Rooftops. About Cody Bartkoski Cody Bartkoski is the founder and CEO of HomeHandoff, a platform designed to make the transition between buying and selling a home easier. Before building the company, Cody worked as a mining engineer and CEO in the coal industry. Connect with Cody Website: https://home-handoff.com/ Email: [email protected] Contact Number: 610-349-1810 About Leigh Brown Leigh Brown is a keynote speaker and leadership expert who helps organizations navigate growth, conflict, and change with clarity and courage. Her message resonates with leaders facing real-world pressure—whether that's housing challenges, organizational friction, or cultural shifts. Her latest book, Next Is Now, equips leaders to stop reacting and start leading with intention. 👉 https://amzn.to/48FKenF 👉 Bring Leigh to your stage: https://leighbrown.com DM Leigh on Instagram: @LeighThomasBrown