How Real Estate Agents Can Use AI to Grow Their Business

Real Estate Pros Podcast Transcript
Rome Gregorio
We gotta move on, man. We gotta we gotta get people to to wrap their arms around the the robust ability that that AI has. And and and and I AI doesn’t doesn’t make the industry better. AI makes you a super agent. It has the ability to make you a super broker. It ha because it it can it can eliminate some of the thought processes that that you might have to spend. Maybe you’re not gifted in in writing a narrative. You’re not gifted in writing a you know a post. AI is wonderful at those sort of things.

Scott Bursey
Welcome back to the Real Estate Pros podcast powered by Investor Fuel. I’m your host, Scott Bursey. And pros, we have a powerhouse with us today, Rome Gregorio. Rome is a U.S. Navy veteran who spent his time as a high-level mergers and acquisitions executive for one of the nation’s largest real estate franchise brands. Now he’s co-founding Popby Realty and running GregoTech.

Pros, today we are breaking down the intersection of high-stakes corporate strategy and real estate technology. You can expect to learn how to operate at a higher level of efficiency and how to actually utilize tech in your business. Rome, welcome to the show.

Rome Gregorio
Thank you, Scott. Good morning. It’s an honor to be here with you today. Thank you.

Scott Bursey
Yes, it is definitely an honor. Thank you so much for joining us. And to help our listeners get up to speed, please give us the front row seat on how your career ignited and where you’re pouring your fuel now.

Rome Gregorio
Okay. Absolutely. Wow, where my career ignited. You know, y y y you’re I’m I might be dating myself in any of these statements I make, but I I’m I’m pretty much that that kid that grew up knowing that he wanted to be a businessman for all of his life. I I’m I’m not sure if it was the American dream that I was pursuing or I just saw enough, you know, media to lead me to believe that that’s the kind of hat that I wanted to wear.

You know, I I was always that young person that was interested in the deal. I was trying to put together whether I was gosh, whether I was mowing lawns to try to, you know, build my empire that way or to to buy and sell things that I could pick up, you know, with within my my financial reach. Real estate was so attractive. I heard somewhere along the line that people who are investors in real estate, you know, had a pretty good life, had had a pretty good future. And I and I also understood that the world of real estate probably possessed a a great amount of the country’s wealth. And so I didn’t know how I was gonna do it back then. But I would tell you that my my first real estate transaction in my early twenties was a for sale by owner. I bought a piece of property from a lady who was a broker, so she knew everything. I knew nothing.

And before you knew it, before you know it, I wound up doing a deal, buying the property, paying her three years later, paying it off, and then going to Home Depot, Scott, and I put one of those for sale by owner signs myself on it and realized some some net gains from the sale of that. I said, “Well, that was pretty easy. Maybe maybe I could do this for a living.” And so I would say that that was probably the catalyst that that set the the forest on fire for me.

Scott Bursey
That is awesome, Rome. Yeah. And what really caught my attention about you was the way you’ve been able to take the rigid, high-pressure world of national real estate franchising and completely pivot into leading-edge tech integration. That to me is fascinating.

Rome Gregorio
You know, it it’s we’re so swallowed up by it these days. And and you know, you wanna know where you know where the where technology is, you need to go find a sixth grader or a fifth grader and and have them tell you, you know, because the relevancy in in in the world today is is that it it it goes that deep. And so to to immerse yourself in it and to and to invest in in yourself enough to learn where where trends are going, and utilize the information, use utilize the power of technology, it is it’s just absolutely necessary in today’s world. You know, I could speak on categories and and times where I I remember using things that nobody’s gonna know in this podcast audience about phone books. You know, I remember picking up the phone book and and having to call, make phone calls from from a phone that was attached to a building. Scott, nobody knows about stuff like that nowadays. But today it’s it’s so much more important to be immersed and understand, you know, the capacities that exist and how to leverage that.

Scott Bursey
I love that, Rome. And curious to know, how does your experience in M&A give you a massive advantage when evaluating the tech you build at GregoTech?

Rome Gregorio
Yes, absolutely. Thank you. You know, w when you when you work in M&A, you hear both sides. You you you’re the advocate for the franchise that that wants the the deal and you’re you’re the spokesperson, you’re the person that’s going to you know bring that or usher that deal to to the franchise. And then you hear the other side. The other side is is the independent operator, that that’s that’s struggling, that’s looking for an exit strategy. And so you’re bringing solutions.

But I will tell you that w one of the the the magnificent, you know, experiences or or processes that an M&A person goes through is you get to hear their story. And you could appreciate this. You know, when you hear the story of that that entrepreneur who set out to create his or her own, you know, brokerage or or or company, and and then did what they did to get to where they are and then either they’re looking for an exit strategy or they’re a victim of the marketplace and maybe don’t have the resources to sus sustain. Or their their systems were built on on something that was that was feasible twenty years ago and they’re stuck with, you know, high-end brick-and-mortar expenses that just, you know, annihilate them when it comes to the way you know the virtual world is up operating today. And so there’s so much that can be done in the virtual world, not only in real estate, but look at other other industries and you know how that’s applying. You can look at the medical industry, you can look at the you know the the the the law industry, the tech the education industry. You know, virtual has a has a certain robust you know upswing that gives you an advantage to learn more about how everybody’s doing and and what what you need to do to change or pivot in order to make it in today’s marketplace.

Scott Bursey
Rome, thank you for highlighting that. And we’re interested to know from you, what was the hardest hurdle you faced personally when moving from the that structured corporate executive world into the the startup life?

Rome Gregorio
You know, I I will tell you that my my struggle even as the as an M&A guy was my tendency was to want to help the independent entrepreneur because I’ve spent my entire year—I’m going on three decades, been married to the same wonderful woman for thirty-three years. I’ve dragged her through every every scenario of entrepreneurship that we could possibly go through together—so three decades of of of entrepreneurship and so my heart kind of bled for the the person who was looking for help. And so it was clear that this wasn’t going to be a a long stay for me. But I I certainly value the, you know, the the time spent there because it helped educate me and helped me to learn and identify where some of the you know soft points were and maybe and and have an opportunity to go and correct that. So you know, I when when somebody says to follow your heart, that sounds a little bit cliché, but I tell you that I had to follow my heart and and get back into the problem-solving business and and leverage my leadership and and technology and and business acumen to maybe solve problems in the real estate industry. Maybe we can help redefine the way some of the things are being done today.

Scott Bursey
Follow your heart. I love that. And Rome, I love your take on where do you see the biggest untapped potential for the average agent to use tech to double their their business?

Rome Gregorio
Largest the the largest opportunity that agents have today is to to number one get away from the traditional models that are so costly. You know, in a in a down market, what we’ve seen is and I’ve I’ve seen this across the country. I’ve seen training rooms, I’ve seen buildings, I’ve seen auditoriums where agents are there hanging their head low. And and it’s you know, Scott, what happens is it’s a slow death. You know, nobody nobody comes to the office and then throws their hand up in the air and screams to the top of their lungs saying, “Hey, I am miserably failing. I am unhappy. I’m thinking about getting a real job. You know, things aren’t going great at home, and I just I don’t know what to do.” Nobody nobody screams that, but you can see it. You know that’s what’s happening.

And when the market takes a a downshift, what we don’t see is we don’t see an autocorrect in in the way leads are being generated. You’re still you’re still subject to you know, high fees that that you pay at Zillow or Realtor.com. And and so there the expenses are still there. Nobody’s cutting, you know, breaks for for the agent there because those who are are are part of the larger teams are maybe part of the elite elite crowd, the the small, you know, five percenters that are are are maybe can afford to continue to do that is is obliterating the 95%. And so the real opportunity is how do we look at the 95%, leverage technology, and raise the—not raise the standard, I’m gonna I don’t I don’t really want to say that—how do we reimagine the way real estate is being done? And and that’s that’s what that’s what drew me to the idea that we needed to do something at GregoTech to to do that. And that’s the technology focus that we have today is is is what we call agent discovery in a way that that doesn’t cost—it it’s not referral-based where you’d have to pay a a large summation of monies to to companies like that.

Scott Bursey
Focusing on those high-level areas is exactly a winning recipe. That’s so critical. And thank you for highlighting that. Rome, we’re eager to hear from you. What is the biggest danger you see for traditional brokerages who refuse to modernize their their tech stack right now?

Rome Gregorio
Yes. Wow. Yeah. It that that’s a great question, Scott. If if modern brokerages don’t utilize the availability of of AI and the technology, it’s because the leadership mentality is is broken. It’s it’s fixed. You know, I I’m just as I’m just as happy to talk about the old days as as anybody else. But listen, I’m not I’m not gonna throw on my high school jersey and and my and and ride out in the field and tell everybody what I used to do when I was in high school or college. You know, we we gotta move on, man. We gotta we gotta get people to to wrap their arms around the the robust ability that that AI has. And and and and I AI doesn’t doesn’t make the industry better. AI makes you a super agent. It has the ability to make you a super broker. It ha because it it can it can eliminate some of the thought processes that that you might have to spend. Maybe you’re not gifted in in writing a narrative. You’re not gifted in writing a you know a post. AI is wonderful at those sort of things.

So utilize those resources to pivot, to draw attention to yourself, and then and then specialize in in something. Don’t don’t don’t come out and and tell tell the world that you’re an expert at everything. You’re not, you’re not. I’m not. No, I don’t know anybody that is. And listen, if I if I needed brain surgery, I don’t want to go to the guy who happens to do feet and knees and elbows too. I I I want the guy who only does brains, man. Like, you know what I mean? So so so be the expert. The world needs you to to rise and and announce your statement. The world needs you to to be the expert in a category so that people can find you that way. Otherwise you get lost in the noise because social media is very noisy.

Scott Bursey
You really do. You’re gonna get left behind if you don’t integrate it to some capacity. I completely agree with you there. Adaptability is survival in this industry. Yep. And Rome, we’re wondering, how did your time in the US Navy shape the way you handle business, you know, under pressure compared to the boardroom?

Rome Gregorio
Yes, absolutely. I I relish those days, Scott. You know, when I when I joined the service, I was seventeen years old. And I can tell you a couple of things. Number one, I was too young to sign on my own. So at seventeen, I still needed my parents’ permission. So that was a that was an interesting conversation. And if I’m if I’m completely honest with you, the conversation had with my recruiter was he, you know, when you when you’re asked, “Hey, why do you want to join the the Navy?” and I and I said something to the fact that, “Well, one, want to serve my country, two, I want to buy a motorcycle.” And so I said, “But if if—but you can’t tell my parents that because you’re gonna have to sign off on this gig. And so you know let’s not let’s not give the the the hat away.”

But honestly honestly, that in all in all fun and fairness, I absolutely love the discipline that I learned as a as a young man and and became a sailor and got to learn what discipline looked like, got to learn what an environment that meant more than just my life, you know, that my actions meant something to somebody else and and and and all of that matters and some of it can be critical. And so learning to operate in in critical situations where my actions, my activities, my hands, my my my decisions would affect my my shipmates and and the people that I work together with. Man, you take that to the boardroom and you you bring a higher level of awareness, a selflessness that says, “Hey, I’m not here, Scott, to bring my agenda to the table. I’m here to solve a problem and I need everybody’s help to to do that.” And so I I can attribute a lot of that from my early training and and learning as a young person in the military.

Scott Bursey
It sounds like your time as a sailor really helped you lead your team through the tough times.

Rome Gregorio
Yes. Yes. I I would tell you that I I long adopted a a no-quit mentality. If I’ve still got breath, the mission still goes on. And so I absolutely value that.

Scott Bursey
Rome, certainly appreciate that and appreciate your service. And let’s get into the weeds here. What is the one piece of advice you’d give someone looking to scale their business using tech today?

Rome Gregorio
That’s a great question. When you’re scaling your business and you’re leveraging tech, I would look at where technology can be introduced into your to your workflow, to your to your life flow and eliminate the things that keep you from doing what you do best. If if you’re if you’re—I’m a people person, Scott, the best the best place I can be is in front of another person or in front of a group of people because I love people. I love to add value in every scenario.

So if I can leverage technology to do everything else that I don’t like to do, and maybe I’m not even good at it. And that’s that’s the that’s the true inventory or self-inventory that every leader needs to take is what can I what can I do to activate a a daily workflow that allows me to do what only I can do best? You know, I I don’t recall, you know, anybody ever advising let’s say today’s modern greats like the the LeBron James of of the world. I d—I don’t ever recall anybody ever advising him, “Hey, hey, LeBron, you you really need to learn about accounting and and manage some of that money that you’re you’re making, man, because you know you you really ought to learn that, you know.” Nobody’s telling him that. You’re they’re like, “Nah, bro, you gotta shoot shoot the ball, man. Whatever whatever you gotta do, shoot the ball. Don’t do anything else.”

So technology can do that for you. Technology can do that in such a robust way with workflows. And and the problem is the learning curve sometimes is daunting. You you you feel like—and I’ll tell you the answer is you don’t know what you don’t know. And so you you’ve got to get under good counsel, you gotta get you’ve gotta spend that money, you gotta invest in getting somebody to come around you and say, “Hey, how can how can we strip down my life so where I can shoot the ball more often and not have to worry about all the things that I’m having to do?” And so whether you’re in the boardroom or or that front man or fr—front woman, you know, that needs to be in in front of people, then by all means leverage technology so you can do that more.

Scott Bursey
Know your role and then specialize in that role.

Rome Gregorio
Yes. Yes, yes.

Scott Bursey
I really appreciate you sharing that with the pros. And you have shared so much valuable advice with our listeners here today. But Rome, is there any additional advice that you could leave with our our pros?

Rome Gregorio
You know you know, we’re talking about technology, we’re talking about, you know, the next deal. A lot of times we we do that, but you know, people don’t talk about the you know what what burnout looks like and the result of that. And and you know, it’s funny, you could you can burn out in the midst of of of scaling and and and and you know reaping and and seeing some of the great benefits of of your labor. But I would tell you equally, you know, and and today—gosh, I’m 56 today. I you know, I would be a—I wouldn’t give the same advice when I was 36 because I was just all about, you know, the next deal, the next opportunity. But I tend to value, you know, what it takes to keep me up. And so whether it’s your, you know, whether it’s your faith, your your fitness, your the your family, the relationships involved, I would say that you man, you need in in order for me to be good at what I do, I need to be great at those other things because that just propels me to to want to get up another day and do it again and and go at it again.

And and guess what? When you’re you’re not always making the deposits, you’re not always you know receiving the wire transfers. You’re you’re sometimes your output is a whole lot greater than your input and you’re thinking, “My gosh, am I am I going down the right way?” And there’s no easy way around it. You you you’ve you feel the emotional deterioration, the physical angst, the mental exhaustion, and nobody, you know, there’s—and you feel like there’s nobody to talk to about it. And that’s why it’s so important to invest in yourself and to keep up. And those, you know, those categories that I I mentioned, you know, I I’m in a stage of life life, Scott, where I’ve got grandbabies now and I absolutely love those grandbabies. And so it it’s a pick-me-up. And so when I when I find myself being overly intense—and that’s that tends to be the nature of a lot of you know leaders and and and go-getters is is to just you know get on the ground, laugh and smile and and see the simplicity of what makes life worth living for in those eyes, right? And so that’s w—that would be my advice.

Scott Bursey
You just move the needle for a lot of people, Rome. And for our listeners that want to keep this conversation moving, stay in your lane, or collaborate with you, what is the best way for them to reach you?

Rome Gregorio
That’s a great question. You you can reach me on my my website. My website is romegregorio.com. Love love to hear from people, love to connect with new faces, love to add value, and love to contribute. So romegregorio.com is my is my homepage. And then if you want to learn a little bit more about what we’re doing, I’ll the—I guess the secret sauce that I can give you today is you can look up a new website that we’re building, it’s called VizoAgent.com and that’s VizoAgent.com, VizoAgent.com. This is the new release. We have—we’re probably, Scott, under 60 days before we release this and go public with it. So this is actually the first time I’m saying this publicly. So you can look up VizoAgent.com and get an idea on what we’re what type of technology that we’re adding.

And it’s it’s not that the world needs more technology. What we’re trying to do is is leverage technology to make real estate a a place where everybody can find success without having to have the bankroll to to compete with the the people who are basically you know, those five percenters that I mentioned.

Scott Bursey
Thank you for joining us today, Rome, on the Real Estate Pros podcast. You added a tremendous amount of value.

Rome Gregorio
Thank you, Scott. It’s it’s been my pleasure and I love chatting with you.

Scott Bursey
And to our listeners, we appreciate you. If you receive value from today’s episode, please subscribe. We’ll be fueling your tanks with a lineup of elite guests just like Rome, who are accelerating in the industry. Until next time, keep your standards high and your vision clear. We’ll see you on the next episode, everyone.

Rome Gregorio
Thank you, guys.