- 3 weeks ago
This week on RealTrending, Tracey Velt talks with Josh McGrath, CEO and founder of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Central and 2025 RealTrends Verified GameChanger.
Tracey and Josh dive into his journey from getting his real estate license at 18 to building a brokerage with over 90 agents across five offices in West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio. He also shares how his 2020 affiliation with Better Homes and Gardens during the pandemic led to exponential growth.
Here's a glimpse of what you'll learn:
How he transitioned from sales to brokerage leadership in 2010
The strategic decision to affiliate with Better Homes and Gardens in 2020 and its impact
Why protecting company culture means saying no to top producers who don't fit
His approach to scaling internal systems while maintaining team cohesion
How AI and technology investments are reshaping client nurturing
Why he believes mergers and consolidations will continue to dominate the industry
Josh McGrath | LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brokermcgrath/
Joshua McGrath - Real Estate Agent
https://www.bhgre.com/agent/detail/wv/cross-lanes/agents/joshua-mcgrath/aid-P00200000FKvqK7BUxT5NpuYfWtF3fagmPWI67nO
Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Central | RealTrends Verified
https://www.realtrends.com/brokerage-profile/better-homes-and-gardens-real-estate-central-cross-lanes-wv/
Tracey and Josh dive into his journey from getting his real estate license at 18 to building a brokerage with over 90 agents across five offices in West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio. He also shares how his 2020 affiliation with Better Homes and Gardens during the pandemic led to exponential growth.
Here's a glimpse of what you'll learn:
How he transitioned from sales to brokerage leadership in 2010
The strategic decision to affiliate with Better Homes and Gardens in 2020 and its impact
Why protecting company culture means saying no to top producers who don't fit
His approach to scaling internal systems while maintaining team cohesion
How AI and technology investments are reshaping client nurturing
Why he believes mergers and consolidations will continue to dominate the industry
Josh McGrath | LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brokermcgrath/
Joshua McGrath - Real Estate Agent
https://www.bhgre.com/agent/detail/wv/cross-lanes/agents/joshua-mcgrath/aid-P00200000FKvqK7BUxT5NpuYfWtF3fagmPWI67nO
Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Central | RealTrends Verified
https://www.realtrends.com/brokerage-profile/better-homes-and-gardens-real-estate-central-cross-lanes-wv/
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NewsTranscript
00:00Josh McGrath is the CEO and founder of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Central.
00:05He started his career at 18 years old and now has five offices and 90 plus agents.
00:13I talked to Josh, who is also a 2025 Real Trends Verified Game Changer, about the growth
00:19of his company, pain points, and also the opportunities.
00:22So enjoy the podcast.
00:23So Josh, first of all, I want to congratulate you of being a 2025 Real Trends Verified Game
00:29Changer.
00:30And for our audience, those are brokerages that grew more than 75% over the last five years
00:37by transaction side percentage.
00:40So congratulations.
00:41Thank you so much.
00:42I really appreciate that.
00:43Yeah.
00:44And welcome to the Real Trending Podcast.
00:46It's exciting to be here.
00:48Yeah, great.
00:49And so I want to start at the beginning.
00:50You started selling real estate in high school, correct?
00:55So I actually graduated high school in June and I had my license and was actively selling
01:02in September of the same year.
01:04Oh, wow.
01:04And so you went on from that to now, I think you have more than 90 agents and five offices
01:12with Better Homes and Gardens.
01:14So tell me, what was that turning point for you when you decided to move from a sales associate
01:20to a broker and build an office as big as, well, offices as big as you have?
01:26So that probably occurred about 2010.
01:29We opened the company in 05.
01:32And for the first five years, we worked just as agents.
01:36There was four agents, a staff person.
01:38And that's all we wanted to be, this boutique real estate company, kind of do our own thing,
01:44provide the level of customer service and experience that we wanted to see people get
01:49and really just focus on that.
01:53Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, leading up to 2005, so
01:59my first six years or so in the business, I built a lot of relationships with people in
02:04the industry, both at a local, state, national level, in the market, as far as our vendor
02:11partners, lenders, home inspectors, et cetera.
02:14So all of a sudden, people started kind of knocking on the door saying, can we come work
02:20with you?
02:21And for the first few years, we didn't really do a whole lot of that.
02:24Then we decided, let's lean into this a little bit.
02:27So we did.
02:28And by 2010, I was kind of at that pivotal moment where I had to make a decision.
02:32Am I going to be a full-time salesperson or am I going to be a full-time broker?
02:37And that's when I made that shift into full-time brokerage.
02:42So that had to be difficult.
02:43I think that's a real inflection point for a lot of brokers who, you know, they have to
02:49take the choice of making less money for something that could be much bigger down the road, right?
02:55Or stay where they are and, you know, continue to increase their income through sales rather
03:02than through a brokerage.
03:04What, you know, how, because it's risky to make that jump.
03:08So what, like, you know, did you consider that when you did it or was it just, no, this
03:14is what I want to do?
03:15So for me, it was different.
03:17I have always enjoyed sales, but I think my bigger passion has been impacting people.
03:27And for me, when these folks started kind of leaning in and asking to come work with
03:33me, I didn't take that lightly.
03:34They wanted trained.
03:36They wanted to learn how I was doing things.
03:38And so for me, it was an opportunity to kind of lean into that more educational side of
03:44the industry and out of the sales side of the industry.
03:48So I, you know, the first year or two was probably a transitional period where we did
03:53a blend.
03:55I was, you know, the acting broker, but I was still listing and selling some and then have
04:00phased that out consistently over time.
04:02I still do list and sell on occasion because I've got some folks that just won't take no
04:08for an answer and want to work with me, but, which is flattering.
04:13But I do try to refer the majority of the business because my time is better spent now working
04:18with our agents, helping train, educate, work through challenges.
04:22But yeah, it was, you have to determine what's your, what's your why, right?
04:28We've heard that for years.
04:29And at that point, I really had to sit down, look in the mirror for, you know, a day or
04:33three and determine why am I doing this?
04:36And what do I want the next step to look like?
04:40Yeah.
04:41Yeah, absolutely.
04:42And so then in 2020, you affiliated with Better Homes and Gardens, and that was obviously
04:49a chaotic time in real estate with the pandemic and that it looks like it was June.
04:54So it was after shutdown.
04:56And so tell me what drove that decision and what were some of the biggest surprises that
05:05you had during that transition?
05:08So I think understanding the timing, right?
05:12So I had been kind of shopping around for something different for a few years.
05:20And in January of 2020, I actually signed the contract with Better Homes and Gardens.
05:27Then March happened and our June launch was already scheduled.
05:33So I kind of was ahead of COVID, but then right in the middle of it all at the same time.
05:41And so that was a very big point for me as a leader to have to determine how we're going
05:48to roll this out, how we're going to, you know, our agents were already filled with anxiety
05:53over what was going on in the market.
05:55And this was just going to be another piece of that anxiety.
06:01And for me, it was really about the idea of having climbed this ladder and built a really
06:07nice company.
06:07But I was kind of at the top where I didn't really have anyone that I could lean to for
06:12help or advice or to give me some talking points when I needed it or just to be a sounding
06:21board, quite honestly, as an independent broker, I didn't have those people to lean on as much
06:27as I do now.
06:28And so for me, that was part of it.
06:30Also figuring out how to take the wheel somebody else has created and lean into that and not
06:38be the one that's trying to recreate everything every time.
06:42And so that was kind of my decision in making it.
06:45As far as unsuspected or unexpected surprises, we grew like exponentially after that.
06:55And the market reception in our area was fantastic.
07:02And so I think I had, you know, as all leaders do, we question our decisions.
07:08And I had to really sit back and just kind of embrace my decision because it was too late
07:15to change it.
07:16And then to watch it unfold for the positive, to see all of my agents impacted in such a
07:21great way and embrace this new idea, this new brand and run with it was just, it was
07:28so exciting.
07:29It really was.
07:30It created for a very exciting time, just as we then launched into what we could probably
07:36agree was one of the craziest real estate markets ever.
07:39Yes, absolutely.
07:42And so in five years, and it's 2020 to 2024 data.
07:48So 2025, Realtrends verified game changer, but we base it on, you know, up to 2024.
07:54So you grew 119% by transaction side percentage.
07:59So tell me, what do you attribute that growth to?
08:03Did you have a big merger?
08:04Or did you have, you know, I don't know, was it just all organic?
08:11Most of it was, yes.
08:13So we have a very unique culture.
08:18And so I would say our culture has definitely been a driving factor in it and pulling people
08:23in and, you know, hopefully training really great people and agents.
08:29But also, we did have a merger in, what would that have been, April of 24.
08:34So as we were kind of rolling through, I had a broker in the market reach out to me that
08:38was looking for an exit strategy.
08:40And we were able to put that together in a very positive way.
08:45And so that helped.
08:47But it definitely was more about, you know, again, it's that people first philosophy.
08:53So for me, it was making sure that the agents had the tools and the support and the help
08:59they needed to get to the next step, no matter what that next step looked like.
09:03And always being willing to be the person who was paying attention, seeing what's around
09:08the corner and trying to prepare them for it as best as possible.
09:13Yeah.
09:13And, you know, we know scaling culture is really difficult and it often stretches culture,
09:20leadership, systems.
09:22So how have you scaled internal systems and that to, you know, as you've grown?
09:30And how has that changed your culture or has it changed your culture at all?
09:35I would like to say that it hasn't.
09:37You're always going to have those folks that say, gosh, we're so big, right?
09:42And I love when an agent comes in and they say, man, the company's just getting so big,
09:48too big, they may say, right?
09:50And I'll look at them and say, you know, I'm so glad you brought that up because I was just
09:54thinking that maybe your business has gotten too big.
09:57And I was hoping maybe you could give the next 10 deals away to a new agent.
10:02And then they look at me and you can just kind of see the light bulb come on because they're
10:07like, oh, OK, yeah, I get it.
10:08That was that was not a great comment.
10:12But with that, right, as you grow, you have to be mindful that you are going to need more
10:20people.
10:20And so we have always been very cautious about adding staff, but understanding that we need
10:28them and, you know, the adage of of hire slow and fire fast.
10:34And so we want people that align with our culture.
10:37And if they don't, then we're not going to keep them around because, you know, we can't afford
10:42to have one person who isn't aligned with the the vision of the company.
10:48Otherwise, we won't get where we're all trying to go.
10:51And that works for agents, too.
10:53I mean, as we've grown, I've had top producers in our market that have reached out and wanting
10:58to join.
10:58And, you know, for one reason or another, we're just not the right fit for them.
11:03They're great people, but we're just not the right fit for them.
11:05And so as a leader, you have to also be prepared to say no to some people that that might be
11:13hard to say because, you know, they may be carrying all the weight in the company they're
11:17currently at.
11:17Now they want to come work with you.
11:19But, you know, bringing them in, you're going to lose five other people on the other side
11:24of it.
11:24So or it's going to negatively impact the culture that you have really been working to nurture
11:32and grow in a positive way.
11:34Yeah, that's always a hard, a hard thing to do.
11:37And I think all brokers know they have to do it.
11:40But actually making that cut or deciding not to hire someone who is a top producer is really
11:47hard.
11:48It's so much easier said than done, Tracy.
11:50I mean, my gosh, like, you know, it's easy to say, oh, I wouldn't hire so and so.
11:54But then all of a sudden that person shows up at your door and you're like, oh, OK, now
12:01the rubber meets the road.
12:03And now I have to make that decision.
12:05And then there's a way to, you know, because you don't want to necessarily broadcast that,
12:11but you also need especially the people that are your your core to understand that you are
12:17making those decisions for the company because that that builds trust.
12:22It builds the belief that that we are in this for the true culture of the organization
12:28and not just the bottom line.
12:30Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
12:32So the market, you know, it's been a little slow.
12:35It's changing.
12:36Interest rates are down, but it's still kind of a chaotic market.
12:43So how are you advising your agents and how are you helping them navigate the market today?
12:50That's a great question.
12:51Right.
12:51And it's I think being readily available and being willing to accept everything as a possibility.
13:01Nobody has all of the answers in this market.
13:05And if they even remotely pretend to, they're not being truthful with their team because we
13:11don't know where this is headed and what's coming.
13:15We know things have been slower.
13:16Time on market has been longer.
13:17The variation between list price and sell price ratio seems to be growing a little bit.
13:24We're not seeing the multiple offers like we once saw.
13:27We're still seeing them, especially here in West Virginia, but just not at the level that we were seeing them before.
13:34And so now we're having to help agents understand, especially if they've been in the business five years or less,
13:40how to have a conversation about price adjustments or extensions on their listing contract or, you know, things they need to do to get more traffic in or explain to the seller why it's taking more than two weeks to sell their house.
13:54And so, again, looking at everybody's different situation and understanding that in a changing market, you may have an agent that's on this side of the spectrum today and tomorrow be on the totally different and being well versed and well able to answer the phone, be communicative.
14:14Be communicative.
14:15You know, we do a Monday morning call with our team every Monday morning for even just 15, 20 minutes, and we kind of set the tone for the week.
14:23We talk about what's coming up.
14:25We talk about challenges.
14:26And I think just that little bit of collaboration and being able to share what challenges people are having and talk about them very openly and share with solutions.
14:41Agents in the company may have a solution I haven't thought of, and that's great.
14:47Let's bring that to the table.
14:48Let's talk about it.
14:49And so, I think, you know, brokerage in general has changed in recent years, especially with, I mean, technology just is driving this industry now.
15:00And so, you have to be mindful of that.
15:04Yeah, absolutely.
15:06And so, let's talk about technology.
15:08Obviously, the buzzword is AI right now, right?
15:11It's automation, CRM automation, chatbots, predictive analytics, which is not necessarily AI, but is very popular right now.
15:22So, what in tech investments are you doubling down on?
15:26So, I would say yes, right?
15:29That's the answer is yes.
15:31It's, again, back to my statement a minute ago.
15:35I don't think I can say this is the one thing that's going to change the way real estate brokerages transact business, find business, manage business, nurture business.
15:48You know, I don't think that we can do that right now.
15:53AI is a monster all of its own, and we're all learning how to utilize it.
15:59Is it great?
16:00Absolutely.
16:01I mean, I think that, you know, I'm able to give myself an extra two to three hours in the day by leveraging AI in a positive way.
16:10Do I think it's going to replace the realtor?
16:13I don't.
16:15I think that we're still in a emotionally driven industry where human interaction is a core piece of the process.
16:28And I don't know that we're at a place where that's going to change exponentially.
16:35I mean, there's always going to be that piece of technology that concerns people.
16:42But I've been in this 26 years.
16:45So, I remember when our MLS transitioned from the MLS books to the online MLS, and there were agents who thought that was the end of the real estate agent as we know it.
16:55I remember that well, yes.
16:59But it wasn't.
17:01And this isn't either.
17:03I think this is still just a, it's a pivotal moment in real estate, in the industry, but in all things.
17:10And technology is going to continue to be that piece.
17:17So, to answer your specific question, what am I doubling down on?
17:21I think for me, the automatic nurturing of potential clients is the key.
17:32Agents are overwhelmed with everything that's available to them, plus trying to just manage life.
17:42And life has gotten hard, regardless of what anybody says.
17:46People's opinions can be shared so quickly.
17:50Technology makes it easy to be judged or to judge others, as opposed to just taking time to understand people and think.
18:00Right?
18:00Thinking's hard.
18:02That's why people judge.
18:03I read that the other day and thought, hmm, that's pretty interesting.
18:06Because we all do it, and sometimes without realizing it.
18:12So, I think for me, that piece of being able to nurture potential clients, organize them in a way where you're able to check in,
18:22but maybe they're being babysat by AI, is a very productive way to help agents do the piece that tends to be.
18:34And I think the reason it is, is because it is that piece that's easy to put off.
18:39I'll get to that later.
18:40I have to write the contract.
18:42I have to show the property.
18:43I have to take the kids to soccer.
18:46And so, I'll work on my CRM later.
18:49So, I think if we can figure out how to bring that back around to the beginning,
18:54then all of a sudden, the potential business that may have been slipping through the cracks
18:59becomes something that those agents are better able to capture.
19:03And so, I think that's the piece that I've really, really kind of leaned into recently and will continue to do.
19:10Yeah.
19:11Yeah.
19:11I mean, it's just smart.
19:13I mean, right?
19:14Recruiting or lead generation, both of those are, you know, you could use a lot of help with that with AI.
19:22So.
19:23Yes.
19:23I agree with that.
19:24So, looking ahead three to five years, what major trend or shift are you most bullish on in the real estate industry?
19:35Oh, gosh.
19:36I put, like, brokerage model, consumer behavior, regulatory change.
19:40Yeah.
19:41I mean, it's all of the above.
19:43I mean, there's, you know, I think we saw a lot happen over the last year with regulatory changes.
19:49And I think there were a lot of agents that panicked.
19:52And then you start hearing, you know, the rumors that everybody's leaving the industry and this and that.
19:58I just looked at numbers this morning and we had a 12% increase in licensees in the state of West Virginia over the last year alone.
20:07And so, I don't think that's accurate.
20:11I think, you know, we that have been in the industry, the OGs, if you will, it was a change for us.
20:19The new folks coming in don't know any different.
20:22This is just business as usual.
20:23And it's going to be business as usual for the consumer as well.
20:27And I think that's the part that we have to kind of focus on and not be so scared of because I've seen brokers that are scared and concerned about the changes.
20:39And I think that if they can just lean into the idea that it's going to be business as usual now and treat it and deliver it that way, because it is, the consumer receives it well.
20:50Our agents are seeing success with that.
20:52I think that, you know, we're going to always continue to see in this age of technology, you're going to see mergers, acquisitions, consolidations.
21:03That's just the nature of business in 2025.
21:07And I think that you're going to see that continue to be kind of the plan moving forward because the cost of everything has gone up.
21:19And there's no denying that.
21:22So to be able to scale is the way to combat the cost and you have to scale to survive, in my opinion.
21:32Yeah.
21:33Yeah, definitely.
21:35And so what about philanthropy?
21:37You have a, is it rec kicking cancer or REC?
21:42REC.
21:43Yes.
21:43So our company before we affiliated was just real estate central.
21:47And so we kept that as kind of a, a nod to our company.
21:53So REC kicking cancer is the foundation.
21:56Okay, great.
21:57So, um, you know, you also have some leadership roles in your realtor association.
22:02So how do you see the role of purpose, community engagement and reputation in, is it pertains to building your brokerage and growing fast?
22:12Um, you know, based on that community reputation?
22:15I think that in today's world, people in general, like to see folks that are connected, connected to the community, that are givers, that are, you know, it's, it's really about that idea of culture and community.
22:38And I think people are more focused on that when it comes to consumer motivation than it is being the biggest or the best or like that.
22:50Those things are important.
22:52Don't misunderstand me.
22:53But I think that we're really motivated by emotion in today's world.
22:59And I think a lot of that is because of technology.
23:01There's, there's that key piece that technology can't give you, right?
23:07And that's that, that heartstring pull, that emotion, that connectedness to community and helping others.
23:15And I think that if, you know, I live in a community that if I don't take care of them, they're not going to take care of me, right?
23:23And I think that's every community in America.
23:25We want to see people who genuinely care about where they're at, what they're doing, who they're serving, and that there's this idea that, that we can still help one another, that we can be the bigger person and, and help people step up.
23:41And it's, it's disheartening sometimes because you watch with, with the age of technology.
23:46I mean, I got in this business at 18 and having just come out of high school, like I was bullied all the time in high school.
23:56And even today in, in a leadership position, you're bullied, right?
24:01And it's like, we, we, you know, it, you feel it.
24:05And it's, it's, how do you react to it?
24:07And so managing that reaction and just focusing on what's important, and that is taking care of people.
24:14And as long as you keep that at the forefront, I think we're going to be great.
24:20You know, all, all industries, you know, will battle with this because, I mean, I was, I was raised in the eighties, right?
24:27We didn't have technology.
24:28You know, we, we watched Saturday morning cartoons and rode our bikes and, you know, we didn't wake up and scroll social media for an hour.
24:37But that's the change that we're seeing in the industry.
24:41And more importantly, the change we're seeing in society.
24:44And I still think there's this, this glimmer of desire for compassion and connection.
24:52And you, you have to keep that in mind with everything you do.
24:57Yeah, absolutely.
24:58All right.
24:59My last questions are kind of rapid fire.
25:01So, um, what's one business book you think every real estate leader should read?
25:08Take the Stairs.
25:10It's a, it's a book by Rory Vaden.
25:13And it's, it's really a great read about, you don't get there the easy way.
25:19You have to take the stairs.
25:20Don't ride the elevator.
25:21There's no lessons on the elevator, right?
25:24So it's a great book.
25:25Oh, I'm going to have to read that one.
25:26I've never heard of that one before.
25:28Um, so what's the biggest real estate myth you wish agents would stop believing?
25:34That it's easy.
25:38Right.
25:39I'm going to get my license and I'm going to be just like the people on HGTV.
25:43I mean, I see people get into the industry and think that all the time.
25:46Yeah.
25:46Um, and, and it's, you know, we, we work hard and it's not going to be easy.
25:52And this is a job, you know, I, you hear people say, I'm going to get a real job.
25:56This is a real job.
25:57Yeah.
25:57Um, and so it's, it's not easy.
26:00It's not meant to be easy.
26:01If, if it was easy, everybody would do it.
26:04Yeah, absolutely.
26:06Um, if you weren't in real estate, what career do you think you'd be in today?
26:10At this point in life, I would probably be a psychiatrist.
26:14Um, because I re I really enjoy like listening to people and then offering, uh, questions which
26:23make them think, and I've become very good at that and I actually enjoy it.
26:28So, and then watching people grow and thrive.
26:31Um, I've seen agents come in and completely change their place in life by thinking differently,
26:40working differently, getting different results.
26:42And they're doing things for their, their spouses and their kids that they may have never thought
26:47was going to be possible in their lifetime and to be able to continue to motivate and
26:52inspire people.
26:53So I would say either a psychologist or some sort of motivational speaker, those would be
26:56the two things I would be doing.
26:58Okay.
26:58And are, do you, I know you're in West Virginia.
27:01Are you in other States as well?
27:03Yeah.
27:03So we actually operate in West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio.
27:07Okay.
27:07I'm just going to ask you about West Virginia.
27:09So describe the West Virginia market in one word.
27:15Exciting.
27:17Well, Josh, thank you so much for joining Real Trending.
27:21I appreciate you coming on today.
27:23Hey, I appreciate you guys having me.
27:25Thank you so, so much.
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