Unbiased Truth: Recent Episodes
Sid Lucas
This podcast explores business ownership, marketing, development, leadership, and all things real estate in a casual yet informative environment. With a revolving guest list, we offer different perspectives from different industries and companies as well as provide insightful conversations about the topic of the day and maybe crack a joke here and there.
Real estate's supposed to be about homes, but somewhere along the way, it became all about numbers. In this episode of The Unbiased Truth, Mandy and Sid talk about how the industry lost its human touch and what it’ll take to bring it back. Real stories, real talk, no sales pitch.
Hosted by Sidney Lucas and Mandy Whitlock
Produced by Courtney Kerst
The real estate world is changing—fast. In this episode of The Unbiased Truth, Mandy and Sid explore the powerful shifts happening across the industry. From new ways of working to unexpected business models gaining traction, something big is on the horizon.
Hosted by Sidney Lucas and Mandy Whitlock
Produced by Courtney Kerst
In this episode of The Unbiased Truth, we sit down with Molly Grube, a young and ambitious real estate agent who's making big waves in the industry. She shares her story of getting started in real estate after college, as well as the challenges she faced.
Hosted by Sidney Lucas
Produced by Courtney Kerst
In this episode of The Unbiased Truth, Mandy and Sid break down why understanding your clients is essential to building strong relationships. Mastering this art will transform the way you work.
Hosted by Sidney Lucas and Mandy Whitlock
Produced by Courtney Kerst
Are you undercharging for your skills and time? You're not alone. In this episode of The Unbiased Truth, Mandy and Sid dive into why valuing yourself is the first step to pricing your work right—and how to stop settling for less than you deserve.
Hosted by Sidney Lucas and Mandy Whitlock
Produced by Courtney Kerst
In this episode of The Unbiased Truth, Mandy and Sid break down what accountability looks like in a professional setting, why it matters, and how it can transform teams and leadership. Whether you're managing a company, leading a team, or building your brand, taking ownership of your actions drives better results.
Hosted by Sidney Lucas and Mandy Whitlock
Produced by Courtney Kerst
In this episode, we sit down with Alden Echols, the co-owner of SlopePro. He shares how family has shaped every part of his business journey, from early beginnings to running a thriving company.
Hosted by Sidney Lucas
Produced by Courtney Kerst
In this episode of The Unbiased Truth, Mandy and Sid discuss tipping culture and the gray area of realtors being 1099 employees. They also give some business updates.
Hosted by Sidney Lucas and Mandy Whitlock
Produced by Courtney Kerst
In this episode of The Unbiased Truth, Mandy and Sid bring Nathan Mccomsey to talk about insurance. They talk about different experiences with insurance, as well as ask many questions about it.
Hosted by Sidney Lucas and Mandy Whitlock
Produced by Courtney Kerst
In this episode of The Unbiased Truth, Mandy and Sid do a deep dive into commissions... well at least what they can legally talk about regarding them.
Hosted by Sidney Lucas and Mandy Whitlock
Produced by Courtney Kerst
In this episode of The Unbiased Truth, Mandy and Sid discuss the importance of reading contracts, reports, and agreements yourself. They also spend time talking about self-checkouts and the debate behind it.
Hosted by Sidney Lucas and Mandy Whitlock
Produced by Courtney Kerst
In this episode of The Unbiased Truth, Mandy and Sid discuss the past and describe in detail the steps that have brought them to where they're at today.
Hosted by Sidney Lucas and Mandy Whitlock
Produced by Courtney Kerst
In this episode of The Unbiased Truth, Mandy and Sid predict what the market will look like this year using their "broken crystal ball." They also discuss the preparations that should be taken to get ready for the new market.
Hosted by Sidney Lucas and Mandy Whitlock
Produced by Courtney Kerst
In this episode of The Unbiased Truth, Mandy and Sid discuss marketing strategies. They also talk about the upcoming holidays, and Courtney shares a hot take on food.
Hosted by Sidney Lucas and Mandy Whitlock
Produced by Courtney Kerst
In this episode of The Unbiased Truth, Mandy and Sid discuss the differences between inspections and appraisals. Sid details inspections, while Mandy conveys an agent's job regarding both.
Hosted by Sidney Lucas and Mandy Whitlock
Produced by Courtney Kerst
In this episode of The Unbiased Truth, Mandy and Sid disagree about pre-listing inspections. Sid is all for them, while Mandy thinks the bad outweighs the good.
Hosted by Sidney Lucas and Mandy Whitlock
Produced by Courtney Kerst
In this episode of The Unbiased Truth, Mandy and Sid discuss realtors and agencies doing other things in the industry. They also talk about companies buying up smaller ones.
Hosted by Sidney Lucas and Mandy Whitlock
Produced by Courtney Kerst
In this episode of The Unbiased Truth, Mandy and Sid discuss business burnout. They talk about setting boundaries, generational wealth, having a legacy, and more!
Hosted by Sidney Lucas and Mandy Whitlock
Produced by Courtney Kerst
In this episode of The Unbiased Truth, Mandy and Sid dive into all the misconceptions that come with new construction homes. Mandy talks about the importance of having an agent, while Sid details the different inspections associated with new builds.
Hosted by Sidney Lucas and Mandy Whitlock
Produced by Courtney Kerst
In this episode of The Unbiased Truth, Mandy and Sid address a question that Courtney asked in the previous episode. They go through different topics that should be discussed when interviewing realtors. They even give specific questions to ask.
Hosted by Sidney Lucas and Mandy Whitlock
Produced by Courtney Kerst
In this episode of The Unbiased Truth, Mandy is here to stay! She is no longer a guest but a co-host. They talk about owning a business and creating a team. They detail having others a part of your business and the highs/lows that come with that.
Hosted by Sidney Lucas and Mandy Whitlock
Produced by Courtney Kerst
In this episode of The Unbiased Truth, Sidney and Mandy discuss things to consider when picking your real estate agent. They detail the qualities of good realtors and rant about the qualities of bad ones.
Hosted by Sidney Lucas
Produced by Courtney Kerst
In this episode of The Unbiased Truth, Sidney and Mandy talk about the work that goes on behind the scenes of a real estate transaction. They also discuss the value of having a good agent.
Hosted by Sidney Lucas
Produced by Courtney Kerst
In this episode of The Unbiased Truth, Sidney and Austin discuss being a real estate agent and having a team. They describe what it's like to hire, fire, and have people quit from a leader's perspective.
Hosted by Sidney Lucas
Produced by Courtney Kerst
In this episode of The Unbiased Truth, Sidney and Megan talk about being a real estate agent. They go into detail about what it's like to be one, the percentage that agents get, and how that might change and affect the industry.
Hosted by Sidney Lucas
Produced by Courtney Kerst
In this episode of The Unbiased Truth, Sidney and Doug do NOT talk about the market and how "it sucks and nobody likes it." They do talk about going to open houses together and a bunch of other nonsense.
Hosted by Sidney Lucas
Produced by Courtney Kerst
In this episode of The Unbiased Truth, Sid talks with ReMi, who is a hip loan officer from Los Angeles. ReMi and Sid dive into money, rates, and buying houses. They predicted what the market is going to look like this year and Courtney will be winning donuts... hopefully.
Hosted by Sidney Lucas
Produced by Courtney Kerst
In this episode of The Unbiased Truth, Sid and Cassie discuss being a real estate agent. They talk about just starting and the effects of being a young agent. They also goof around and make a lot of polls...
Hosted by Sidney Lucas
Produced by Courtney Kerst
In this episode of The Unbiased Truth, Sid and Barbara discuss brand strategy. Barbara goes into detail on the importance of branding your business and the steps to get started.
Hosted by Sidney Lucas
Produced by Courtney Kerst
In this episode of The Unbiased Truth, Sid and Patrick discuss the ins and outs of marketing your business. Patrick gives tips and tricks every business needs to know when marketing online. Hosted by Sidney Lucas Produced by Courtney Kerst
In this episode of The Unbiased Truth, Sid and Brinlin talk about cancer awareness. Brinlin describes how cancer has affected her life and the battle that it is. "B Strong" and hopefully with Brinlin's humor(even though it is on the dark side) and positivity awareness can be spread. Hosted by Sidney Lucas Produced by Courtney Kerst
In this episode of The Unbiased Truth, Sidney, April, and Courtney shoot the breeze. We give a glimpse into our day-to-day conversations as April tells bad jokes and Courtney nonstop talks about Halloween. Hosted by Sidney Lucas Produced by Courtney Kerst
In this episode of The Unbiased Truth, Sidney LaToya and Dr.K discussed investing with a live audience. They go into detail about what to expect when you start investing and give a few tips for new investors. The live audience provided questions to the table that sparked conversations.
In this episode of The Unbiased Truth, Sidney and Valerie discussed the importance of a structural engineer. Valerie goes into detail about doing a side hustle and being a woman in a male-dominated field. They tell fun/ horror stories about the structural failures they've witnessed on the job. Hosted by Sidney Lucas Produced by Courtney Kerst
In this episode of The Unbiased Truth, Sidney and Holly discussed unrealistic expectations from clients. They also go into detail about the differences between a corporate job and realtors.
In this episode of The Unbiased Truth, Sidney and Holly discussed unrealistic expectations from clients. They also go into detail about the differences between a corporate job and realtors.
In this episode of The Unbiased Truth, Sidney and Viva discussed how loans have changed over the years. They talked about new home buyers and the seminars that are out there for them. Virginia Housing is a resource for new home buyers. Viva goes into detail about the program. Hosted by Sidney Lucas Produced by Courtney Kerst
In this episode of The Unbiased Truth, Sidney and JB discussed owning a business and being friends with your competition. JB is the owner of Mongrel Fitness & BJJ and is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black belt. Aka he can kick butt and can teach you how to as well! They talk about self-defense and how important it is. They also give pointers that should be used on the daily and tips for real estate agents during their showings. Hosted by Sidney Lucas Produced by Courtney Kerst
In this episode of The Unbiased Truth, we discussed all things radon! April Leslie, a radon measurement specialist, gives us insight into what radon is. April is also a business owner that we partner with all the time, so we discussed teamwork and the unexpected things with being a business owner. Hosted by Sidney Lucas Produced by Courtney Kerst
In this episode of The Unbiased Truth, we talked about leadership, using conversation types, and all the generations in today's workforce. Bryan teaches leaders better ways to communicate with their teams. Nowadays teams can have about 4 different generations in it. Each generation has a different communication style. As a leader, being able to identify those styles and the conversation types of each individual person is an important skill to learn.
In this episode of The Unbiased Truth, we talked about how using social media to highlight other businesses in the community can create a following, and how that can set you apart from others. Jennett showcases fun things/ businesses in the Richmond area on her social media as well as reaches out to her clients past and present with suggestions for a date night or even a pet shop. Being able to make these connections with others is highly impotent to your success, especially when the market is shifting. Attitude is also something that could make or break you. Staying positive and helping others is the way to success!
Hosted by Sidney Lucas
Produced by Courtney Kerst
360 Home Inspections went to REALTORfest for the first time and did some amazing interviews! In these interviews, we discussed the events of the convention, today's market, and learned more about what our guests do. We met many new people and got to catch up with those we hadn't seen in a while. Thank you to our guests for joining us in this episode Susan Dantonio, John A. Maghamez, Brinlin Maki, Steve Parks, Daniel Keeton, Sonya Saunders, David Hebel, Jenn McMurdy, Holly Bess, Avonta' Canady, and Keia Evans
In this episode of The Unbiased Truth, we talked about the balance between life and work as a single mom with 4 kids and the importance of that balance. Latoya manages a tight ship with her time management between school events for her kids and showing houses to her clients. She sets high expectations for herself and plans them out to make them happen, even in a market that is slowing down. We also talked about negotiations, navigating the waters with clients, and the importance of reinspections, especially when the negotiation has been... difficult.
Hosted by Sidney Lucas
Produced by Courtney Kerst
Our guest today is the world-renowned…ok, maybe locally renowned...maybe more like a lot of people know him renowned…but we are talking about A LOT of people…Ben Handzel of Restoration 1! We talk about his decision to start a business, the benefits of operating under a franchise, and how networking has helped him grow. As well as discussing the challenges of growth and being able to work with your “competition. And we talk about the dreaded ‘M” word and Ben has a “hot take” on whether the crawlspace vents should be open or closed…hint…he agrees with us!
Hosted by Sidney Lucas
Produced by Courtney Kerst
On this episode of the Unbiased Truth Podcast, we talk to Danielle and Jimmy of RBI Services about networking, all things insurance, and the importance of relationship-based business models, especially when choosing insurance companies. We also dive into the world of professional liability, also known and Errors and Omissions, what it is, what it’s for, how it actually works, and discuss the difference between general and professional liability.
Hosted by Sidney Lucas
Produced by Courtney Kerst
In this episode, we have the ever amazing and talented Latoya Washington, team leader of Morgan and Co as we discuss her real estate journey, the decision and challenges of starting her own team, and thoughts on the state of the industry as we are in "full shift" mode. AND she may or may not have admitted to having more fun on our podcast than her husband's...but that was off camera soooo...
Hosted by Sidney Lucas and produced by Courtney Kerst
In this episode of the Unbiased Truth Podcast, we talk to Curt and Heather of Clocktower Realty about the importance of marketing as realtors, how they come up with their unique brand of marketing along with diving into various areas of the real estate industry, and how they became the real estate power couple they are...we also prove Heather right...that Curt has a lot to say. Don't miss it!
We are joined by Logan Melton, owner of KBM Home Inspections in this episode of the Unbiased Truth Podcast. Logan is an industry veteran, and unlike Sid who started out on his own making it up as he went, Logan worked for another company before leaving the industry just to return to try his hand at starting his own business. We talk about the challenges of the industry, what it's like stepping away for a year (hint: all your realtor connections have moved on), and the differences between working for someone and being the one in charge.
On this episode of the Unbiased Truth Podcast, we talk to the CEO and owner of Talking Monkey Media, Blair Neher and discuss all things marketing! From the importance of marketing and why your marketing budget shouldn't shrink when business slows to why reviews are important and how to leverage social media. Oh, and when to figure out its time to hire someone...hint...just call Blair.
On this episode, we had the distinct pleasure of speaking to the amazing Tara Adams of Keller Williams, Richmond West. We discuss her amazing journey from working in the corporate world to being laid off to working at a grocery store to struggling to get started as a realtor before finding her footing and launching her real estate career to become one of the top producers of her office. We also discuss leadership challenges that come with being a top producer and the many charities that she runs and/supports! An inspiring episode you won't want to miss!
In this episode, we welcome Bryan Dorsett, owner of C3 Heating and Air. We had a blast talking to Bryan on our first “After Hours” podcast as we discussed the decision-making process from being in a stable job to starting your own company. We also discuss how to manage unrealistic expectations from clients, the true costs of running a business, and the importance of reviews! In true “after hours” form, the camera battery dies, we go off course, and we go a little longer than expected…and not entirely sure anything we say makes sense…but we enjoyed making this episode and are sure you will to!
We are excited to have the team leader of the Wright Group, powered by KW, Kim Wright Sebrell join us for Episode 5. We discuss navigating the real estate waters and the challenges of going from starting as a solo agent to starting and building a team to establishing a culture where people seek you out. We also talk about the challenges of having so many ideas that those tasked with bringing these ideas to life stop answering our calls and texts.
In this episode, we talk to Kristin Murphy of Mission Realty and ask the question that everyone wants to know…why are realtors late? In addition, we discuss her journey from the medical field to a top producer of Mission Realty, how she has learned to balance her work and personal life, how she manages multiple clients, the importance of networking, and much more!
Lend your ear to the knowledge brought to by Greg Cowart and a little bit from Sidney Lucas as they talk about building a team, different types of loans, the bubble, and more.
Sometimes you wake up and decide you want to kill bugs for a living. We bring in Jeff Zalinski, owner of PestNow, to discuss his transition from a U.S. Army officer to his rise through the ranks of PestNow to become an owner of one of the fastest-growing pest companies in the Metro Richmond area. We also discuss the challenges of being an owner while still working in the field, delivering bad news to clients, and managing relationships and networking.
360 Home Inspections presents The Unbiased Truth, produced by Courtney Kerst.
Growth in business sometimes means buying your competitor. That's exactly what Central Virginia Home Inspector and owner of 360 Home Inspections, Sidney Lucas, recently did. With the purchase, he not only gained a few vans, a new office, and other tools of the inspection trade, he also gained a few employees and everything that goes along with helping to integrate them into his business model. We thought you'd like to meet them and hear a little about their history, as well as how they feel about the acquisition. Up first, our very own magic working, metal bending, car fixing, bearded wonder.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Inspector Justin Bailey.