Be the Solution with Maria Quattrone

Doing the Work: How Britt McLaughlin Built a Real Estate Powerhouse from Scratch

• Maria Quattrone • Season 1 • Episode 349

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In this episode of the Be The Solution Podcast, Maria interviews Britt McLaughlin, founder of She Moves Philly, who went from tech operations to building a thriving real estate business known for systems, excellence, and grit. Britt shares how she started from zero, built her brand through rentals, and eventually managed the lease-up of a 250-unit portfolio generating millions of dollars in revenue 

Her journey is one of discipline, personal growth, systems thinking, and the truth about what it really takes to succeed in real estate today.


KEY TAKEAWAYS

1. From Tech to Real Estate—Systems Were the Bridge

Before real estate, Britt was Director of Ops for a SaaS company, where she mastered systems, automation, and customer experience—skills that transferred directly into building a scalable real estate business. 

2. “Trial by Fire” Lease-Up That Changed Everything

Britt’s early break came from handling 350 leads per week and leasing 250 units—forcing her to build automation, follow-up systems, and showing processes at lightning speed. “Tenants will call 20–30 places… whoever answers the phone gets the showing.” 

3. Real Estate Success Takes Actual WORK

She says the industry’s real problem is simple:

“People don’t want to do the work.”
 Hard markets separate hobbyists from professionals. Consistency, follow-up, and daily action matter far more than Instagram glamour. 


4. Her Business Cadence Today

Britt follows a structure built on human connection:

  • 30 touch points/week to past clients & database
  • 3 listing appointments/week
  • 1–2 buyer consults/week
  • Daily meetings with her admin
  • 1–2 networking events/week
    This cadence keeps her pipeline healthy—even in tough markets. 

5. The Market Reality (and What’s Coming)

  • Affordability challenges
  • Liquidity issues
  • Fewer first-time buyers (down from 32% to 21%)
  • Sellers out of touch with today’s pricing
  • Inventory with heavy deferred maintenance
     Britt expects 2026 to require adaptability, realism, and strong financial discipline. 

6. Work-Life “Balance” Is a Myth—It’s Time Allocation

Britt says it plainly:

“You’re trading time for money.”
 In the beginning she worked 7 days/week, bartended at night, and built her real estate business from pure grit. Now she trades time for what matters—her daughter, her lifestyle—and organizes her business accordingly. 


7. Success Comes From Growth & Discomfort

If you're not uncomfortable, you're not growing. The industry rewards the agents willing to push through the discomfort, stay consistent, and build systems. 

MEMORABLE QUOTES

Maria’s Best Quote:

“You are not your business. Not every year is going to be fantastic.”


Britt’s Best Quot

Connect with Maria Quattrone:
Facebook: Maria Quattrone
Facebook Page: REMAX at Home Facebook
Facebook Page: Rise in Real Estate Facebook
LinkedIn: Maria Quattrone
YouTube: Maria Quattrone
Instagram: @maria_quattrone
TikTok: mariaquattronerealestate
Website: MQrealesate.com
Office number: 215- 607-3535

Maria Quattrone:

Finally, I get to interview on Be the Solution Podcast Britt McLaughlin. She moves Philly. What Britt doesn't know is over the last I don't know how many years, decade or so, I watched her behind the scenes. And I saw her grow her business. She just told me a story backstage about representing a 250-unit building and doing a couple million dollars in uh revenue in uh actually leasing up buildings. So today's gonna be a fantastic uh story of starting from zero, building relationships, uh, and all that happens in between. And so this morning, Britt, welcome to the show, first and foremost. Thank you so much for having me, Maria.

Britt McLaughlin:

I really appreciate it.

Maria Quattrone:

Yeah, excited to talk with you today. And I have a quote for you. Yeah. Whether you think you can or think you can't, either way, you are right.

Britt McLaughlin:

It's true. I tell my daughter that all the time. Um, to get those like negative, that negative mindset out. Because if you say you can't, you can't. But if you say you can, you'll get it done. And when she has struggles with things, I always tell her, like, you might not be able to do it yet, but you can't do it yet. So that's what I replaced that with for her. So I agree wholeheartedly.

Maria Quattrone:

It's it it just reminds me of like you know, people think when you reach a certain point in your life and in your career that it's just it's easy. And and it it's not, and and unless you see we have two choices we're either growing or dying, but not growing. We're going the opposite direction. Right, yeah. And so when you are growing and you're changing, and as humans, if you're you know aware and that's what you're looking to do as as we are, you know, there's challenges that come up. And you know, one of the things that uh continues to come up, especially in our industry, is that changes constantly. Yep. We're changing, that's changing, the business is changing. So you started in your career. It was interesting. You tell I'd love you to share your story. You were in tech.

Britt McLaughlin:

Yeah. Yeah. I started um, well, I guess to back up further, my parents have been in real estate for forever. I you know my parents, um, a bit, I think. My dad's a builder, my mom was a realtor growing up. So I was exposed to that world. Um, but I didn't get into real estate till later in life. And um prior to that, like when I got licensed, I was actually in tech. I was director of ops for a SaaS company here in Philadelphia uh for five and a half years. And um and it was interesting because it doesn't seem like a an easy transfer to go from that to real estate. But a lot of my position in that role was systems and and process. And as you know, you're a systems queen. Um, that's how you build a sustainable, repeatable, uh, expandable or scalable business in real estate, right? Is having those systems and processes in place. So while it wasn't directly related, it definitely helped uh get that ball rolling for me. And also it helped with the contacts for sure. Um, in the beginning, it was, you know, when you're a little baby real estate agent, you don't know what the heck to do. And a lot of people go after the low-hanging fruit, and I am not the exception. So I started in in rentals. Um, but one of the connections I had led me to to onboard a large portfolio of about 250 units um that needed a lease up. And that's where I cut my teeth. It was um, it was uh, I would say maybe a bit of a whirlwind and a windfall all at the same time. And uh you were talking about how if we're not changing, um if we're not growing and changing, that we're kind of dying. And and I had to learn trial by fire, and it was uncomfortable for a very long period of time. Um, but well worth it in the end, I would say.

Maria Quattrone:

I would say so. What did you learn during that experience? I mean, it's like it's a lot. If people don't know, like what you do, it's a lot, it's a lot of volume, it's a lot of moving, mean moving pieces, and you're moving fast in the rental world, a lot faster than the sales world.

Britt McLaughlin:

Yeah, I mean, that's you know, tenants, you have to think about it. They're most tenants don't work with one realtor, they don't hire a realtor most. Um, that's not the market we have in Philadelphia. Most tenants will call, you know, 10, 20, 30 places, and whoever picks up the phone is what they're scheduling. And so um it really taught me that like you have to answer your phone, you have to be able to be quick to the draw for talking to people, and you have to have the systems in place to follow up with them because tenants are like it's like notorious for just moving on to the next shiny thing, right? The next uh unit pops up and they're moving over to take a look at it, or they're calling that person. So it's whoever they get in front of first is gonna get them closed, typically. And so then that means I had to build a very repeatable system so that that stuff wouldn't fall through the cracks, so that we could answer the phone quickly, so that people were getting responses very quickly. And um, that price point that I was in, a lot of people wanted for text. So I set up a ton of back-end automation in my CRM to have these touch points as soon as someone came in. As soon as they came in, the system was sending them a text and an email to pre-call them, make sure they made sense for the unit or for the building, that they had the right qualifications. Um, and then it was also immediately asking them if they want to schedule a showing and then it would be following up with them. Um, usually within 24 hours, they would get a call from me as well. Um sometimes I would use some automation for that as well. Maybe like if they weren't picking up, then I would drop a slial or something like that on them so that they would get a double hit. Yeah. So there's just a lot of little tips that I like, a lot of tricks that I threw in to stay, to keep pounding them, I guess you would say, to be able to get them to like respond to me, right? Once I had a response from them, I knew I could get them in the door. And as long as they were met the qualifications, I knew I could close them. It was just getting them on site. So I would try to set up group showings um at the property, and I would try to show, you know, representative units because we have like three different styles. So I would show them three representative units and then match them with what was their timeline. So on a leaseup, you have a bit more flexibility because you're not waiting for a unit to become available. Everything's available. Um, but yeah, it was that those processes and that automation that helped me stay on top of. I mean, sometimes I was getting a week easy 350 leads a week. Um, so trying to talk to everyone is is near impossible, but it's we were hitting them with automation. So that helped a lot.

Maria Quattrone:

Three yeah. Yeah. Anyone who's in this business knows 350 leads a week is absolutely pure insanity.

Britt McLaughlin:

Yeah, yeah.

Maria Quattrone:

And you're one human.

Britt McLaughlin:

Yeah, yeah.

Maria Quattrone:

Yeah, yeah. That's that's 50 leads a day.

Britt McLaughlin:

Again, I wasn't I wasn't married, I wasn't, you know, taking care of a kid at the time. It was it was a different time in my life. I had the time to do that, and I didn't have much else going. So I had to had to build the business somehow, you know. Yes, yes, I love it.

Maria Quattrone:

I love it. It's fantastic.

Britt McLaughlin:

Yeah.

Maria Quattrone:

Man, it's that's hard work. It is, you know, yeah. You've been in the business long enough to to see what is wrong with everybody in this business.

Britt McLaughlin:

I don't want to do the work.

Maria Quattrone:

Can you explain it to me?

Britt McLaughlin:

Can no, I wish I could. I have the same question you do, but I have some speculations. I think I think there were some very fat years in real estate for us where things were just clients were just raining from the skies and falling in our lap. And I think people saw that and thought that that made real estate easy and saw the the whirlwind that I think other realtors were having. Because some realtors are really great at putting out this, you know, idea of what realtor life is like. And whether it's true or not, it has a good persona. And I think during those years when when business came easy, um, a lot of people got in the business because it seemed easy and probably had some early success, maybe some uncommon success. And then when the um when the market shifted, they didn't have the skill set to do the work when things were lean and when things were tough. And to, right? If if you haven't built those skills, like you have your work expired. That's like your bread and butter. Like that's a skill set that a lot of people don't even know how to touch, right? But if you hadn't built that during, I mean, you've been in real estate way longer than I have and you've gone through way different markets than I have. If you didn't have that business that was like set up and working for you when things got lean, you would have been lost too. I think that's what a lot of people are, is that they're lost. And I think they want the easy button, and that doesn't exist anywhere in life, but for some reason they think it's here in real estate and it is not.

Maria Quattrone:

No, it's uh, you know, in fact, we've had the last several years have been tough. I would say this past six months has been tougher than that. Yeah. Um you know, I thought the beginning of the year was pretty good. Um and then I said come July, things just it was like do do do do do doing that.

Britt McLaughlin:

Yep, yeah, grinding halt. It's kind of just the brakes pumped and everything just pew.

Maria Quattrone:

No, and in fact, you know, you talk to clients and it's like the house isn't selling. Well, the house isn't gonna sell because there were there's no showings.

unknown:

Right.

Maria Quattrone:

So how do you get showings? And it's not if price is a part of it, it's not the only thing, right? It's no, I said there's a liquidity problem. They might have a damn payment, they don't have closing costs, right? Yeah, offer buyer closing costs. $15,000 and buyer closing costs is depth is is completely different than reducing the price by $15,000.

Britt McLaughlin:

Completely agree. I think the hard part about that though is then the marketing of getting the word out that your seller is offering that $15,000 and you're right.

Maria Quattrone:

And that's why I said to them, we still have to make a slight adjustment.

Britt McLaughlin:

Yeah, yeah, and you need to bump it back up in the search.

Maria Quattrone:

You need to do both, yep. Right. So a lot of other there's so many, there's so many other things. But I want to go back to how you, you know, you got in this business. Why did you get into the business? I knew your family was in the business, but you were you were successful in tech. I mean, you were rocking and rolling in that business. Yeah. And what made you make the transition?

Britt McLaughlin:

I think it was twofold. Um the company that I was at was phenomenal, but a very flat company. And um, and I didn't think I I hadn't found my passion there. I was good at what I was doing, uh, but there wasn't a lot of upward mobility because it was a flat company. Um and and I wasn't loving what I was doing. Um, like it just I didn't wake up every morning excited to do it. I loved the people I worked with, I liked the tech environment, I liked a lot about it, but just the actual work was not exciting for me anymore. Um, and at the same time, I bought my first house and I used uh a family friend who was a realtor. And I think working in tech, you look at things a little bit differently than you than a lot of people do. Like the company that I was with was really all about the customer experience and making sure that that was exceptional. And there was a lot more of like systems and processes and these little touches to make things better, right? And when I bought my house, it was a phenomenal experience. But I thought, hey, I might be able to do this better. I I just saw these little pieces where I was like, if I put this there, these plug these little ideas I have in there, I think I could do something better and speak to people. Um, you know, I had a huge age gap between myself and and the realtor who represented me. And I thought there for those younger demographics like myself, that I think I could relate to them a lot better. And um, one of the biggest things was the education piece. I felt that there were a lot of things, a lot of times throughout the transaction where I didn't understand why we were doing something. And when I would ask, um, I was told, well, that's just kind of how it's done. And or that's just what we do, or you know, it was kind of like not an in-depth explanation. And I am a why person. I want to know why. I don't like doing things for the sake of doing them. I want to know that there's a purpose and a reason behind it. And so that was it. That was really my catalyst, is that I was in this role that I was, I liked well enough. I liked the people, but I didn't like the role. And I bought my first house and was like, I think I can make this a bit of a better experience and relate to people in my age range with education and um connection and not making it feel like it's a transaction, more of a relational experience. So that was the catalyst. Um, and within six months, I was licensed. I gave my notice at my job and I took up bartending again, which I hadn't done in years, um, just to make sure I could pay my mortgage and out I went.

Maria Quattrone:

So out you went. Out I went. Out you went. So a lot of a lot of things people don't realize, you know, in real estate, you know, how long do you think it really took you to fully understand the industry and wrap your head around all the things that a real estate agent need a realtor needs to know, yeah, and to be able to like run at a speed where you're not like falling on the floor yellow.

Britt McLaughlin:

Yeah. I would say I got a bit um, I would say lucky, a little lucky, um, that I had some early on success. Um, but that doesn't mean I knew what I was doing with everything, right? Um, I would say probably by year three, I I didn't feel like I was faking it till I made it. Um, I think those first couple years, there were just so many things that you don't know. You're drinking from a fire hydrant trying to figure it out on the fly. Um, and I would say year three is where I felt finally like confident, like, okay, I I know enough to not feel like I'm fumbling through this. Um, but I'm still learning every single day, right? Like, um, I don't work in every area of real estate. There are so many different niches you can get into. And and I also try to stay in my lane. Occasionally, you know, you'll get these challenges that are outside of your comfort zone, and and you have to reach out and talk to someone and say, hey, how have you done this? What's your experience like? How do I approach this? Um, so I think I'm still learning, but at least I'm not fumbling anymore. I think I've I've gotten it under my belt now.

Maria Quattrone:

I always say there's something too new to learn every day. Like, how do you figure out where this you know, it's usually some like crazy title thing. Oh I know, you know, title's a problem.

Britt McLaughlin:

Yeah. Title, uh, there's always something new that pops up there, and you're like, you know, I read through that title report and I'm like, I've literally never seen this before. And I have to pick up the phone. I'm like, what is this? Why are why is this there? Like, how do we get around? Like, what does this mean? But it's a whole nother beast. And uh, there's so many things that pop up and and surprises that you're just like, I didn't expect that to come and on a transaction, or I don't know. It's when you get so many people involved and different personalities and different thought processes, it's always gonna be interesting.

Maria Quattrone:

So it's a it's a good word, interesting. Yeah, it's a good one. So, what do you what do you see for today in the marketplace? Like two two qu twofold. What do you see from an agent's perspective? Like, if you want to be successful today, like what do you have to do? Like, what does that look like? Like real raw, like truth, what does it look like?

Britt McLaughlin:

It it isn't the Instagrammable lifestyle, I'll tell you that much. Um, I think it's actually doing the work and you know, and really, really, really digging in and understanding your craft. And I I think a lot of people kind of going back to what we were talking about earlier, get in and just want to hit that easy button. But to be successful in this business, it's there is no easy button. There is a get up and work every single day at this and be intentional about what you're doing, um, and really learn the business and build a process and do the work. I I don't know how else to say it besides that. It is literally doing the work. It's not glamorous, it's not always exciting, it's not, you know, photo shoots every day. It is picking up the phone and talking to people, it is getting in front of people every day, it is following up with your database religiously and having a process behind that. That's not glamorous. Um, I think it's fun because I get to talk to people that I haven't talked to in a bit and keep those relationships going. Um, but it's hard work and you have to do it. That's that's the bottom line, is just to to work. I don't, you know.

Maria Quattrone:

Do you have a schedule you follow? Do you have a cadence that you follow daily? Like I need to touch so many people.

Britt McLaughlin:

Yeah, I have um, I would say I have a schedule, a skeleton of a schedule. And then you know how life is and days, you know, I have a kid, so things pop up, but I try to keep the consistency that I have to do. Touch, you know, I try to touch 30 people a week in my database, um, in some fashion, uh, past clients and stuff like that. Um, I try to go on as many listing appointments a week as I can, or I would say a good week, I'm trying to get, you know, a minimum of three a week, um, which maybe isn't a lot to some, but for me it's a good amount. Um, and then I try to have, you know, at least one to two buyer consults a week. And that's worked for me. I'm um in my business. And then I have a meeting with my admin um almost every single day. Uh, we're reviewing our transactions that are in the pipeline, things that are under contract, things that are coming down the pipe, listing prep, that kind of stuff. Um, and then I try to get out and network um at least once or twice a week as a I don't live in the city anymore, so it's a little bit of a challenge now uh because there's not as much going on here in Bucks County for for networking events, but um yeah, I try to do one to two networking events a week as well.

Maria Quattrone:

So that's I mean, one to two networking events a week is pretty good, you know. Yeah, I have to full play the business. I used to definitely do a lot more networking than I do today. Yeah, I feel like you know, you're if you're starting your day at 7:30 and you're going to seven o'clock, Monday to well, Friday and a little bit earlier than seven, but yeah, no, so well, it's uh you know, I don't take you know go to two-hour lunches anymore. So no, no, rarely.

Britt McLaughlin:

The other thing that's interesting is that that everyone wants a work-life balance, and I don't I don't think that that that's a real thing. Um it's not it's it's not it's not a real thing. No, but you're you're trading time for money, right? And and you have to decide where you are in your life and what matters to you to be able to trade time for money, and that's that's it. So for me, it's being able to, you know, pick my kid up from school or go to her horse lesson or or you know, that kind of or making sure I'm not working fully for like one day a weekend, you know, or something like that, right? To be able to be there with my family. When I started, that wasn't what I did. I worked literally all the time, right? I worked nights, weekends, it didn't matter. I was always working because I didn't have those things, but now I want to trade time for money for those things, so that's what I do.

Maria Quattrone:

Right. I'm still trading the time for the money to pay for the horse lesson.

Britt McLaughlin:

Yes, well, of course. There has to be a balance so I can afford it.

Maria Quattrone:

Right. So it's like um, and I I tell people that I have uh several new agents right now in my company. I'm mentoring, and I say to everybody, I work seven days a week for five years. Yep, same. You know, and and and there's not a lot of people like us that do that. But you know, that's what success, you really want to be successful in this business. That's what it takes. Yeah, yeah. That's what it takes. In fact, you know, I didn't have the uh balls, I guess is a good word, to initially quit my job. Yeah when I was I was in radio advertising sales for 11 years. So I knew I was making a hundred calls a day trying to get people to sell radio advertising, you know, business owners, right? So I already had the skill set of like I didn't care if you hung up with me. I've been kicked out of places, like literally kicked out of businesses.

Britt McLaughlin:

Like so yeah, you had you had the thick skin already. It didn't, you were like, whatever.

Maria Quattrone:

I was like, whatever. I'm like, this is easy, nobody's hanging up with me. Yeah, but you know, I I had a good business, and I was making good income, you know, in the early 2000s in that career, late 90s. Yeah, and I wanted those something more, and I said, okay, so I did the I did the dual career, real estate and radio simultaneously for a year, 11 months, and uh it was I didn't know some days and people have to understand this, right? Where was like I'm on I'm driving to um a radio client appointment and I'm negotiating an offer. You know, we didn't have smartphones, so there's a doctor sign. There was I have to meet you at the office to do the triplicate form. It was like a nightmare, consider like considering what we have today. Sure. Then I'd always get the it's five o'clock. The offers are due by 8 p.m. on a Friday night, and I have to drive to Feasterville from the city.

Britt McLaughlin:

Oh my god.

Maria Quattrone:

Like you just want to shoot yourself in the head. Yep, yeah. You know, but those things though, and things like that that you had to do somewhere else, like I bartended and I waitressed in college. Yeah, right. And I'm working till 3 a.m. for tips on a thing. Yeah. That's what makes you like pretty. So I don't care. People can say whatever they want. I I still don't care.

Britt McLaughlin:

Yeah. No, that that's what it gives you the grit, right? It gives you the the toughness, the mental toughness, the fortitude to stick it out when things get tough. And I I when I quit my tech job, I I told you I took up bartending again. I hadn't bartended in years. Um, but I bartended and I was like, I had this dollar amount in mind, and I was like, I'm gonna bartend until I'm getting I'm doing this much in real estate. Um, and then I can comfortably afford to to quit and know my mortgage is gonna be paid every month. And I I was able to do it in six months, which was amazing. But I um those 2 a.m. nights closing the bar down and like running through my real estate emails, making sure like I'm caught up, I didn't miss anything that so when I got up the next morning, I didn't have this whole headache of stuff to deal with. And you know, it you just do it, right? I I don't you just do it because that's what you have to do. I think um betting on yourself and and and relying on yourself is is something everyone should do, even if you're not gonna be in this business. Like sure, the comfort comfort of showing up to a nine to five is is nice, but I I think everyone should challenge themselves to build something that they have to rely on themselves 100% for. Because man, do you find you find a lot more in your gas tank? Um, you push yourself harder than you ever would in a normal corporate America job, and um and and you learn a lot about yourself and what you're capable of um if you do something like that. So I don't know, I I loved it. I think um it was scary for a bit to leave that cushy job, benefits and all of you know, like that was terrifying. Um, but looking back, I think it was the best thing I ever did.

Maria Quattrone:

So 100%. Yeah. 100%. And you have to bet on yourself. And you know, I think, and this is gonna be not a popular thing, I'm gonna say, but I think most people are just living a walking, like zombie life.

Britt McLaughlin:

Mm-hmm. Yeah, yeah, they're checking their boxes, that's what I say. Like they're box checkers, they do the next thing that they think they're supposed to do because that's what they've been told or society tells them, rather than living intentionally and deciding how their life should be and going out and making it that way. I I agree with you wholeheartedly.

Maria Quattrone:

Yeah, and even um even myself, like we're told at a young age, follow the system, be quiet, don't you know, basically don't think for yourself. Yeah, and it's like disindoctrination. I don't know. I'm like maybe I'm a little jaded. I don't believe I don't believe anything anymore about anything. I think you can want to. So, you know, uh it's like you gotta step out of your comfort zone. I read a whole um post this morning when I got up on Facebook about you know, stepping out of your comfort zone, doing something that uh scares you, you know, and um people think you like that there's one day you just arrive, like oh I've I did this, I've arrived. Guess what? When you get there, you're gonna go, what where what there's where did I arrive to? There's nothing. Yeah. So it has to be more, right? It has to be like be the solution. What would you be the solution? Because you can be your own solution. That's the whole idea of it. You be your solution, right? You build relationships in your case, your relationships from back in the tech world brought you a lot of opportunity in the real estate world. Absolutely. And those people you've rented to them and then they bought. And now they they move up buyers and then you sell. And yeah, but there's no resting on your laurels right now. So what do you think like for 2026? What's your people probably I'm sure they ask you, like they asked me, right? What's going on in the real estate world?

Britt McLaughlin:

What's gonna happen? It's uh I just, you know, I wish I had the crystal ball. I think everyone wishes they had a crystal ball. I it's hard to know exactly. Yeah, but we have a feel, we have a feeling yeah, for sure. I I um I think there's still gonna be challenges for buyers. Affordability is is still down because interest rates are up and buyers haven't wrapped their heads around being able to afford that monthly payment or reducing their their price point. Um, I think that there has to be a reality check there, whether it's just not your time, or you have to decide how to reallocate your funds, because if buying that house is really the the goal, then maybe you figure out how to make it work or you change your price point. Um, for sellers, I think becoming more realistic on pricing, that understanding that affordability is down, buyers don't have the cash to close. Um, you know, I was reading about the the scuttlebutt about the 50-year mortgage, and then well, that's getting scrapped, and now maybe a portable mortgage. And I'm like, a portable mortgage would be a beautiful thing for so many people. Um, if they could just move their rate to the next place. Uh if that happens.

Maria Quattrone:

So what's the the 50 years already getting scratched?

Britt McLaughlin:

Yeah, I read that this morning that they're scratching the 50. I know.

Maria Quattrone:

Bring it to us.

Britt McLaughlin:

That's good. The 50 is interesting. I think for most people it does not make sense because you know, for that that monthly. Savings to be able to get into a house, I don't think is actually making it more affordable. I think for some savvy investors, they would use that as a vehicle to like go invest those extra dollars in something else. But again, if you have that money or you have that ability to do it, why would you need the 50-year mortgage to be able to go invest more? So I I don't know. I think it's um I don't think it's gonna help with affordability, but it's supposedly scrapped and they're talking about a portable mortgage now. Um, which to me, that that is something interesting. Um, I was I have some friends in Europe who were talking about a port that they have some portable mortgage options. And I'm like, wait, we can just move your your two and a half percent rate over to your next place. And they're like, Yep. So that would help with affordability big time. Um, I don't know, it just it'd be interesting to see.

Maria Quattrone:

That could change that could change the landscape entirely, completely.

Britt McLaughlin:

So if that happens, well, the I the market's gonna go down.

Maria Quattrone:

People that own homes, but not for the renters, correct.

Britt McLaughlin:

Or for first-time buyers, people trying to get into the market, it's not really gonna help. But for people who own homes, that's gonna shake, shake it up. I think the market would then have a lot more coming on. Um probably a lot of inventory, it would be a lot of inventory exchanging hands at that point, so which might drive prices down, yeah.

Maria Quattrone:

Uh, I know so many people that would sell if they could so if they could get this rate or rates went down. They say the same thing over and over. I'm like, it's three years, yeah. Going on more than three years, yeah. Yeah, and so that's interesting. Uh, you know, first-time home buyers, we usually sit about 32 percent of our markets with first-hand buyers, we're down to 21. That's a significant amount of people. That's a third, yeah, yeah, third less buyers. You know, liquidity is a huge problem.

Britt McLaughlin:

Um liquidity, and then I would say the properties that are available, a lot have so much deferred maintenance that it's cost prohibitive, even if they could get their foot in the door, they don't have the funds to be able to upgrade the houses. Um, so I think it you kind of have it coming from both sides. So yeah.

Maria Quattrone:

Well, they can't buy a house if they have barely any money, barely any money to get the house. So they can get the house, but they can't fit afford to fix the house up, so they can't buy the house.

Britt McLaughlin:

Correct. Yeah. So I say something, yeah.

Maria Quattrone:

Well, it's a it's a price, uh, war and a beauty contest. Yeah, that's something we used to say in 2008, right?

Britt McLaughlin:

Yeah, I like that actually. I always tell people like you're either priced well or you have the Instagrammable house. I guess that's the modern version of that, right? Price versus beauty, yeah.

Maria Quattrone:

Yeah, so it's like it's now though, you really need the combination. Yeah. Combination to be able to because sellers, let's face it, they make the most money when it sells the fastest, which people can't get to grasp this idea. No, I don't know how. I'm gonna find a way though, this now. Yeah, I'm gonna find a way, Brent. To get them to grasp it. Well, it's I'm working on it.

Britt McLaughlin:

I have planned, I'm working on it. Yeah, it's twofold because buyers have also been conditioned to think that the listing price is the starting price, it's the opening bid, right? So if it's if you come out heavy on your list price, you're gonna alienate so many buyers off the bat. You won't get people through the door. Um, and buyers, then it sits on market, and then their mentality says, Well, well, what's wrong with this house? It's like nothing. They priced it high. Just go look at it. Like it's both sides. We got to shake everyone out of their of their you know ideas that that it's a starting price point, or that sellers need to start high so we have room for negotiation. You're like, no, no.

Maria Quattrone:

No, that's not how it works. Yeah, well, here and here's the thing it worked like that, it it was able to work like that for a decade.

unknown:

Sure.

Maria Quattrone:

Quite frankly, the pricing was catching up somewhat with itself, right? Sure, yeah. Um, but now it's not good. Uh-uh. No, we're like in what I would call a sold market.

Britt McLaughlin:

Yeah, I would agree. I agree with that. Wholeheartedly.

Maria Quattrone:

How do you properties will still sell? How do you become the one that's sold? You offer more than everybody else is offering. Yeah, yeah. To stand out, yeah, and to be to be that next one that sells. Otherwise, you're gonna be, you know. And I think it comes down to two, you know, you didn't have to have conversations like this in so long that it's a relearning. Yeah. Or even for me, like it's a relearning. Okay, gotta be, I don't say hounding the people, but gotta have the conversation. I hear the same thing. Well, it we spent too much on the rehab. I'm like, I understand you're losing money. Yeah, I mean I made mistakes too in my career. I started a business that I lost hundreds of thousands of dollars. I don't sit and complain about it to everybody. Yeah, it was my decision.

Britt McLaughlin:

Sure. Yeah. Well, and I and I think a lot of people are, it's not like they're gonna lose their shirt off of it, but they might not make the same margin that they were hoping to make. There's a bit of a difference.

Maria Quattrone:

Some people, some people aren't even making a margin. So yeah, well, yeah. Yeah, I have a I have two listings right now that I didn't sell them the listing. They bought it from a wholesaler, too much money. They put too much money into it because they didn't realize how much it was going to take. First contractor walked away.

Britt McLaughlin:

Oh my goodness.

Maria Quattrone:

It's a perfect shit store. And then who's the brunt of it? Who gets the brunt of it?

Britt McLaughlin:

That well, the everyone. I don't think it's a sole person. And buyers do because and the sellers do. It just everyone's kind of in it and they don't realize they're in it together. Um, yeah, we're in it together.

Maria Quattrone:

We're in it together. We don't get paid if it doesn't sell.

Britt McLaughlin:

Yeah.

Maria Quattrone:

No. It's a very interesting interesting industry because we could do all the right things, all the work, spend the money, yeah, and new income. Yeah. Does that ever do you ever think about that? Like, I just did all this and I just did all that, and I just spent all this, and ever of course.

Britt McLaughlin:

Yeah, well, I think the harder the yes, I think it's a yes end. Yes, I I think about that a lot. And I think about it a lot from the perspective of in combination with everyone trying to ask you for a discount on your commission, and you're just like, I work for free until this closes. And if it doesn't close, I'm out money. I've lost money. This is not right, like my time, my marketing dollars, whatever have I spent for you know, promotions, all of that stuff is I've lost that. And you also want a discount on top of this, and I haven't even made a dollar yet. Like that, it's a it's a hard pill to swallow for sure. So um it doesn't feel good.

Maria Quattrone:

No, no, it doesn't feel good. So are you excited for 2026? Are you hesitant? Are you energized?

Britt McLaughlin:

I have to tell you, I I don't dwell on things I can't control. So I for me, I'm like, it's another business year. I'm gonna get up and work and hustle and grind, and and that's it. That's just it, right? I I don't feel I'm not worried. I'm not, I would say I'm not like overly optimistic either, but I'm also not dwelling on the fact that there's a big question mark on how how next year is gonna go. I just right, like I feel like I've built enough of a business that and and I've and I manage my money well. So even if it's a lean year, I'm gonna be okay. My business is still gonna be standing and I'm still gonna show up to work every day.

Maria Quattrone:

So exactly. You know, I tell I tell people this all the time. We have conversations. I said, you are not your business, you are not your business, not every year is gonna be fantastic. Yeah, some years are gonna be harder than others, some years the market might be hard, you may do amazing. Yep, right? Think, think. You gotta think, okay, where should I spend my time and energy? And it's okay to change, sure, where you spend your time and energy. Sure. You know, I think that's important. I think to know that also, you know, we like you said, we can't control the things we can't control. The only thing we can control is what we're willing to do day in, day out. Yeah, to be the best. I just want to be a better version of me than I was yesterday.

Britt McLaughlin:

One percent better. That's what I try for every day.

Maria Quattrone:

One percent better. Yeah, some days I go the opposite direction. Yes, some days I maybe I get five percent. I don't know. Uh-huh. Yeah. Uh and I say to her, one percent better. I don't know if you think about it. So I say, you know, the compound effect. You draw a line, piece of paper, keep drawing lines, keep drawing lines. 30 days, you have this funny a year from now. Look how far you've come.

Britt McLaughlin:

Yeah, yeah. Listen, I I think um you were talking about growing earlier, and like if you're not growing, you're dying. I think when you have these these challenging days, weeks, months, years, it's you're uncomfortable because you're growing. If you're not uncomfortable or you're not feeling like things are challenging, you're probably not challenging yourself and you're not growing. So to me, it's like every day is like, okay, I have these things I gotta go do. And then all these other things pop up, and you're like, okay, I this is not what I planned for myself, and it's a bit uncomfortable, but we're gonna push through it and make our way through it. And at the end of the day, I feel proud of the work I did. And as long as I can do that day in and day out, then it will compound, like you said, and I will be in a different place in a month, three months, six months, a year from now, because I put the work in and that's it.

Maria Quattrone:

Put the work in. I said, you know, what you focus on expands and focus is superpower.

Britt McLaughlin:

Yeah.

Maria Quattrone:

So whatever it is you want to do, you know, one thing for sure. Have you never been to a settlement in person or virtual that didn't start with a conversation?

Britt McLaughlin:

Absolutely.

Maria Quattrone:

That was how many people can you converse with? Who needs your help today? Who just needs somebody to say hi to? Yeah. Yeah. I've had sick clients, not even clients, people I would call that in the hospital. I'd make a little note. Let me call them in a month to see how he's doing. Let me call them, they're in a rehab center. People I call are still there. I'm like, I might have been the only call I got today. Wow. Yeah. Yeah. But it's about being kind, being a good human. And the rest of it, it's all the rest of it is BS because we do not do HGTV real estate.

Britt McLaughlin:

No, mm-mm. We don't. We're in the trenches, Yomi.

Maria Quattrone:

In the trenches. Yeah. In the trenches. I haven't had a photo shoot in like 10 years. I probably need to have one. Get some new photos and some stuff. But I see all these people have all these photos.

Britt McLaughlin:

I'm like, I have time for this. I I don't know. It's just not. I think it's a type of person. I don't know. It's just not my thing. I'd rather just be uh, I don't know, in the work than uh than glamorizing it, but it's each their own.

Maria Quattrone:

Well, you know, you have to look at really what's behind the scenes, but that's for a topic for a whole nother topic for a whole nother day. But this has been fabulous. You are the solution, you're doing amazing, amazing work. You have an amazing business. And you know, I'm happy we were able to connect in person a few weeks ago, which is what prompted us to have a podcast. So yeah, um, you know, congratulations on your future and all the work you've done and with your clients and keep doing She Moose Philly.

Britt McLaughlin:

Thanks. Thanks so much for having me. I really appreciate it, Maria.

Maria Quattrone:

My pleasure.