The Secret To Scaling Real Estate Operations Without Losing Control

Justin Dunlap (00:00)
I think it’s

reflection. look at what you’re doing ⁓ that you’re not seeing that could be done. I do that. I have a practice where every morning I wake up, you know, yesterday was a good day, today’s gonna be a great day. What is it that I can do different?

Scott Bursey (01:46)
Welcome back to the Real Estate Pros Podcast, powered by Investor Fuel. I’m your host, Scott Bursey And today we’re joined by Justin Dunlap of Professional Equities. Justin is a real estate executive who has built a massive reputation for tightening up operations, developing high-performing teams, and finding practical, no nonsense solutions that actually drive results. He brings a unique perspective on leadership and tech in real estate.

Pros, you can expect some raw, honest insights today on how to build value in this business. Justin, welcome to the show.

Justin Dunlap (02:24)
Thank you. Thank you for having me, Scott.

Scott Bursey (02:25)
It’s just wonderful having you here. We’re super stoked. And to help our listeners get up to speed, please give us the ninety-second highlight wheel, if you will, on how your career ignited and where you’re pouring your fuel now.

Justin Dunlap (02:38)
so my career ⁓ started about twenty years ago. ⁓ just by chance. ⁓ you know, I didn’t know that this was gonna be my journey. And as soon as it started, it was something that I just grasped a hold of and took the ball and ran with it. You know, I think that my drive ⁓ and concentration on ⁓ being successful ⁓ by utilizing

Some of the core ⁓ values that I have is put me in a really good spot. ⁓ and I love it.

Scott Bursey (03:10)
That’s an incredible journey. Thank you for showcasing that. It really shows that ⁓ you know, the foundation is everything. And Justin, what really caught my attention about you was the way you’ve been able to strip away the industry noise and focus purely on operational excellence. You know, you’ve turned boring systems into a massive competitive advantage. You weren’t just running a business.

You’re building a machine that produces results. And on that note, help us understand what was the specific moment that shifted you from just managing properties to engineering the high level operational systems you implement today.

Justin Dunlap (03:54)
You know, the point that really hit the nail on the head was, you know, determining at that moment this is going to be my career path. ⁓ and what can I do to utilize ⁓ those values that I have and instill them to really jump in and you know get educated ⁓ about the industry, ⁓ really

learn the intricacies of the real estate world. And, you know, that was probably about halfway through my career where I I said, you know what? This is going to be it.

Scott Bursey (05:17)
That makes perfect sense. You know, it’s really the difference between between ⁓ working in the business and working on it, Justin. Now we’re fascinated by your team building approach. When you look at your current operations, what do you consider to be your absolute superpower that gives you the edge over the competition?

Justin Dunlap (05:38)
My superpower is my staff for sure. ⁓ getting them into education, ⁓ understanding, you know, those intricacies of operations and financials and being involved. And then obviously the reward that comes with it, ⁓ you know, taking them out to a go-kart day or a ball game or something. So ⁓ just be being that

executive leader that can also ⁓ be associated with your everyday manager, your everyday operator, your everyday service member, and s instill myself in part of that team.

Scott Bursey (06:17)
Love that. And Justin, curious to know, even with the success you’ve had, what is one area of your business where you’re currently pushing for improvement or perhaps something you’ve had to work around recently?

Justin Dunlap (06:31)
⁓ improvement is, you know, the growth. ⁓ I don’t think you can outgrow any industry. ⁓ you know, your competitors, what is it that they’re doing that you can, you know, one up them on, ⁓ having the knowledge and the wisdom, the understanding, knowing what the culture is about, you know, using that equality equation in there to be able to ⁓ have the power to ⁓ build, destroy.

⁓ because then ideas are born and then you just cipher and it recycles.

Scott Bursey (07:05)
That’s honest and real. Justin, thinking about the market shifts right now, where do you feel is the biggest opportunity to perhaps double down and really move the needle in the coming year?

Justin Dunlap (07:18)
You know, for us, ⁓ it’s going to be expansion. ⁓ what markets that we’re not in to really ⁓ drive forth ⁓ and expand into those, you know, ⁓ research ⁓ is is the next thing, you know, and with advancement with all of the tools that are out there and compacting it all into one and being able to ⁓ really drive that that growth.

Scott Bursey (07:43)
Solid perspective right there. And eager to find out what is the one market friction or headache you are watching most closely right now to ⁓ protect your margins.

Justin Dunlap (07:54)
⁓ you know, really that what is the market gonna do next? You know, if there’s not enough housing, you know, who are the developers out there that are looking for ⁓ you know opportunities with investment companies or asset firms ⁓ that are ⁓ going to cater to their needs to you know expand them into you know markets that they’re not in. So I think that you know that hurdle.

⁓ is easy to overcome, but we’re at the mercy of what what the market is doing and how the housing deliveries are gonna come in the next two years.

Scott Bursey (09:06)
Smart staying ahead of the friction is the only way to keep the engine running smoothly. Just stay ahead of the curve, if you will. And interested to hear this from you, Justin. What’s the core philosophy or operating system you use to keep your team aligned and moving at full speed?

Justin Dunlap (09:24)
So I have a very unique ⁓ core value ⁓ that’s called the five P’s in life. Proper planning prevents piss poor performance.

Scott Bursey (09:34)
There you go. ⁓ couldn’t be more straightforward than that. And interested to hear this as well. You know, digging into your process. What do you ⁓ what does your professional network look like right now?

Justin Dunlap (09:46)
You know, it’s growing every day. ⁓ I’m a huge people person, super easy to talk to. I’m not afraid to come up to someone and say, Hey, this is who I am, this is what we do. How can we offer to help you in your journey? ⁓ so lately networking through all my local associations, the national associations, ⁓ so you know, my LinkedIn is is very ⁓ traffic heavy right now.

Scott Bursey (10:11)
And ⁓ Justin, interested to know where do you see the business, professional equities in the next, let’s say, twelve to twenty-four months?

Justin Dunlap (10:20)
forever growing, you know, ⁓ it’s a daily grind for me to look for those ⁓ third party contracts, those investors that are ⁓ looking for an asset ⁓ you know, in the St. Louis market as well. ⁓ and, you know, hopefully just adding more and more doors ⁓ each month.

Scott Bursey (10:38)
And Justin, along those lines, if somebody’s listening and they’re thinking, hey, this is somebody that I really like and they’d like to know more about your business, what would be ⁓ one aspect of your business that you would that you could divulge to our pros here today?

Justin Dunlap (10:54)
You know, I would say professional equities has been in the business since nineteen sixty nine. So we hope to make it to twenty sixty-nine and thereafter, you know. So ⁓ we’re a key player, you know, smaller, ⁓ more intimate ⁓ firm to work with and ⁓ you know growth is where it’s at.

Scott Bursey (11:16)
Love that distinction. And Justin, the pros would love your take on this. If you were sitting down with an operator who is currently stuck in the good enough phase of their business, what is the one specific deep dive piece of advice you’d give them to flip the switch and ignite that massive ambition?

Justin Dunlap (12:17)
I think it’s

reflection. ⁓ look at what you’re doing ⁓ that you’re not seeing that could be done. ⁓ I do that. I have a practice where every morning I wake up, you know, yesterday was a good day, today’s gonna be a great day. What is it that I can do different?

Scott Bursey (12:32)
It really comes down to whether you’re playing to survive or playing to win. Pros, I hope you all took notes on that one. And Justin, you have been very, very ⁓ informative. Your words have been excellent. Is there any additional advice that you could leave with our pros here today?

Justin Dunlap (12:50)
Yes. ⁓ seek knowledge. ⁓ you can never know enough. ⁓ things change every day. ⁓ whether you’re in the real estate market or you know, you’re in the restaurant industry, ⁓ you know, the menu changes. So get get to know it and stay on top of it for sure.

Scott Bursey (13:10)
Justin, this has been incredible. For those of our listeners that want to keep this conversation moving, stay in your lane or collaborate with ⁓ you, what’s the best way for them to plug into your pipeline and reach you directly?

Justin Dunlap (13:22)
You know, check us out. proequity.com ⁓ if you’re interested in the Saint Louis market, research it. ⁓ we’ll you’ll find us.

Scott Bursey (13:31)
Justin, thank you for joining us today on the Real Estate Pros podcast.

Justin Dunlap (13:35)
Thank you for having me.

Scott Bursey (13:36)
It’s been our pleasure. And to our listeners, we appreciate you. If you receive value from today’s episode, please subscribe. We’ll be filling your tanks with a lineup of elite guests, just like Justin Dunlap, who are accelerating and setting the pace for the rest of the industry. Until next time, keep your standards high and your vision clear. We’ll see you in the next episode, everyone.