Power House

Latest Episodes:

Why Gen Z thinks homeownership is out of reach and what we can do about it Nov 04, 2025

Show notes

This week on Power House, Zeb sits down with Kristin Messerli, a strategist and speaker on millennial and Gen Z housing trends and the founder of FirstHome IQ. Kristin talks about the 2025 NextGen Homebuyers Report, which surveyed over 8,000 millennials and Gen Z consumers to uncover the financial literacy gaps when it comes to homeownership.

Kristin dives deep into why financial myths persist despite widespread information availability, how AI is rapidly changing how young buyers research homes, and how community partnerships can bridge the trust gap in an age of information overload.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

Why 92% of next-gen buyers are wrong about down payment requirements and how this myth persists across all education and income levels
How information overload is causing young buyers to delay major financial decisions and shut down completely
The surprising correlation between confidence levels and actual financial literacy test scores
Why building relationships and empathy is becoming more critical than knowledge sharing in the AI age
How First Home IQ is partnering with high schools and community organizations to tackle financial literacy at the source
The broader community impact when entire generations feel priced out of homeownership

Enjoy the episode!

The Power House podcast brings the biggest names in housing to answer hard-hitting questions about industry trends, operational and growth strategy, and leadership. Join HousingWire president Diego Sanchez every Thursday morning for candid conversations with industry leaders to learn how they’re differentiating themselves from the competition. Hosted and produced by the HousingWire Content Studio.

The industry’s best-kept secret with Sarah Middleton and Scott Everett Oct 30, 2025

Show notes

This week on Power House, Diego sits down with Scott Everett, President of Supreme Lending, and Sarah Middleton, Chief Growth and Marketing Officer of Supreme Lending. Scott, who recently made his LinkedIn debut after years of behind-the-scenes leadership, discusses why Supreme Lending is no longer the industry's "best kept secret." Sarah shares her strategic approach to growth and the famous 26-point checklist she used to evaluate Supreme before joining the team.

The conversation covers Supreme's debt-free, tech-first approach to business, from building their own PPE 20 years ago to preparing for AI disruption in the mortgage industry. They also discuss their successful M&A strategy and how they've achieved a 97% retention rate on recent acquisitions.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

How Supreme Lending built a 26-year track record of fiscal stability without debt or private equity
The tech decisions that positioned them ahead of industry disruption
Sarah's 26-point evaluation framework for choosing the right mortgage company
Why Supreme's "enrich each other's lives" core value drives everything they do
How they're preparing for AI transformation while maintaining their competitive edge
The M&A approach that prioritizes cultural fit and employee retention over pure growth

Enjoy the episode!

The death of the LO with NEO Home Loans' Ryan Grant Oct 23, 2025

Show notes

This week on Power House, Zeb sits down with Ryan Grant, the president and co-founder of NEO Home Loans. Originally trained in martial arts from age four under his father, Ryan brings the unique disciplined thinking of a martial artist to the table to revolutionize mortgage.

Ryan talks about how his background shaped his approach to business and leadership, teaching him emotional consistency and the compounded effect of disciplined training. He also discusses NEO's partnership with Better.com's tech stack to transform LOs into true mortgage advisors who provide lifelong value to clients.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

How martial arts discipline translates to sustainable business success
Why the traditional LO model is dead and the mortgage advisor era has begun
How NEO's AI-powered tech reduces team size while increasing meaningful client interactions
Why financial literacy and holistic wealth planning are essential for modern mortgage professionals
How to create proactive, long-term client relationships that extend 30 years beyond closing

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The virtual brokerage revolution with eXp CEO Leo Pareja Oct 16, 2025

Show notes

This week on Power House, Diego sits down with Leo Pareja, CEO of eXp Realty, the world's fastest-growing, cloud-based brokerage with over 83,000 agents across 27 countries. Leo discusses his transition to CEO during the NAR settlement announcement and how eXp has evolved from a bootstrapped startup to a major industry player.

He shares how eXp built a distributed workforce and why transparency in real estate data benefits everyone. Leo explains eXp's strategy of attracting entrepreneurial agents who build their own brand and how their virtual-first approach creates competitive advantages in today's hyper-localized market.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

How eXp scaled from just a startup to a global brokerage without physical offices
Why 2026 will be a hyper-localized real estate market and what that means for agents
The importance of transparency sharing versus private listing strategies
How eXp's distributed workforce model creates operational advantages over traditional brokerages
Why sellers think it's 2021, buyers think it's 2008, and the reality is neither
Leo's approach to innovation and staying curious about AI and emerging technologies

Enjoy the episode!

The playbook to serving the underserved with Panorama Mortgage Group Oct 09, 2025

Show notes

This week on Power House, Diego sits down with Hector Amendola, the president of Panorama Mortgage Group, formerly known as Alterra Home Loans. In 2022, Panorama rebranded from Alterra to what we now know as Panorama, with Alterra remaining as their retail arm. Panorama focuses on specifically serving underserved and underrepresented communities now through their brand new wholesale channel, Travisa Financial.

Hector shares his journey from loan officer assistant to president and discusses Panorama's post-COVID pivot that included establishing their Mexican operations and launching their wholesale division. He explains the business opportunity in serving black and brown communities and why they believe in finding the "yes" rather than the easy "no" when it comes to lending.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

How Panorama transformed from retail-focused Altera into diversified lending
The strategic advantages of establishing back-office operations in Mexico
Why Travisa Financial targets wholesale lending to underserved communities
How Panorama maintains a 50% servicing retention rate on payoffs
Hector's career journey from LO assistant to president and the power of mentorship
How the company's "find the yes" philosophy drives their underwriting approach
Panorama's 2026 growth strategy balancing retail and wholesale expansion

Enjoy the episode!

Building “walkable billboards” with Amy Stockberger Oct 02, 2025

Show notes

This week on Power House, Zeb Lowe sits down with Amy Stockberger, the broker, owner, and team leader of Amy Stockberger Real Estate. Amy has built a powerhouse operation that dominates 10% of her local market share in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, earning RealTrends' #33 national ranking by sides. Her secret weapon? A revolutionary "lifetime home support model" that transforms clients into walking, talking billboards through authentic human-to-human connection.

Amy shares how she identified a critical gap in her business: clients weren't returning for repeat business or referrals despite excellent transaction service. This led her to develop a comprehensive support system that extends far beyond the closing table, creating genuine lifetime value for clients while helping her agents build referable, scalable, and sellable businesses.

She also dives into the massive opportunity ahead with the "silver tsunami" and how smart agents can capitalize on mini mergers and acquisitions to acquire profitable market share through relationship-based leads.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

How Amy's lifetime home support model helped her team achieve 10% market share and 7+ year agent tenure
Why the future belongs to agents who embrace "H2H" (human-to-human) connection over pure tech solutions
The four pillars of future-proofing your business: systemized, automated, delegated, or deleted
How to turn exiting agents' books of business into profitable market share with 80-90% capture rates
The strategic framework for evaluating lender partnerships in an advisory-focused market
How relational tech and AI can unlock hidden monetization opportunities in existing databases

Enjoy the episode!

Sapiens' secret to faster decision-making in just 12 weeks Sep 25, 2025

Show notes

On today’s sponsored episode of Power House, Diego chats with Rafael Goldberg, the Head of Sapiens Decision, about the role of AI decision-making in all facets of housing.

Rafael talks about how AI has the power and potential to blend business rules and data analytics to make decisions faster and more accurately, all while fitting smoothly into existing systems. He also discusses how AI decisioning can transform personalized mortgage processes like product eligibility and underwriting, and how Sapiens' AI platform can be up and running in just 12 weeks.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

Why AI decisioning is a game-changer for lenders
How Sapiens' platform integrates with existing systems without massive overhauls
The role of AI decisioning in product eligibility and automated underwriting
How the platform can be live in just 12 weeks, offering cost savings and increased revenue
The benefits of AI decisioning for compliance and localized decision-making

Enjoy the episode!

Becoming a sales master with Todd Duncan Sep 18, 2025

Show notes

This week on Power House, Zeb Lowe chats with Todd Duncan, founder and CEO of the Todd Duncan Group, and the co-founder of FUEL Inc. He is also a NYT bestselling author with over 17 books, and was a top 1% Loan Originator, financing over 5,000 transactions in 12 years.

Todd joins us this week to talk about the power of prioritizing relationships over transactions and how his high-trust selling system builds genuine connections. He also talks about easily implementable strategies for LOs and discusses the upcoming Sales Mastery event, which is happening October 14-17 at the Dallas Hyatt Regency.

Find out more at www.salesmasteryevent.com and use the discount code HW25.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

How Todd transitioned from nearly failing college to becoming a top mortgage originator
The importance of relationships over transactions in business
Todd's journey to becoming a professional speaker and author
The role of coaching in achieving success
Insights into the upcoming Sales Mastery event and strategies for loan originators

Enjoy the episode!

Solving the coordination conundrum with WFG’s Pat Stone Sep 11, 2025

Show notes

On today’s sponsored episode of Power House, Diego interviews Patrick Stone, chairman and founder of Williston Financial Group.

Patrick talks about regulatory challenges and the need for greater efficiency in real estate transactions, especially amid demographic shifts in homebuyers. He also talks about focusing on data sharing and process alignment to enhance the customer experience and reduce transaction fallout.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

Why the housing industry hasn't seen much disruption despite technological advancements
How regulatory challenges create inefficiencies in real estate transactions
The impact of reducing closing times on affordability and home ownership
Why younger generations expect more automation and education in the home buying process
The role of industry associations in fostering cooperation and progress

Enjoy the episode!

Bridging the LO/C-suite gap with TLOP’s Dustin Owen Sep 09, 2025

Show notes

Today on Power House, Zeb Lowe chats with Dustin Owen, mortgage veteran, SVP of Growrth at Lower and the host of The Loan Officer Podcast. After joining the industry in 2004, Dustin went from funding over 100 units annually to managing seven branches with $70 million in monthly production.

Dustin joins us today to talk about why an “opt-out” model should be the future of AI adoption in mortgage lending. He also talks about leadership’s role in retention and solving the disconnect between executives’ wants and LOs' needs.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

Dustin's career trajectory and achievements in mortgage
How AI is revolutionizing mortgage lending, with examples like UWM's AI, “Mia”
The disconnect between executives' enthusiasm for AI and loan officers' practical concerns
Strategies for loan officer retention, including creating a supportive work environment
The future of mortgage lending and the role of AI in transforming the industry

Enjoy the episode!

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