EP 130: Why Curiosity Is Every Agent's Competitive Advantage

Welcome to Real Estate AI Flash, the podcast that helps professionals understand how AI is changing real estate and the strategies you can use to win. I'm your host, Wajeev Sajja. In today's episode, we explore how experienced agents and brokerage leaders can use AI to become more productive, make better decisions, and create more meaningful value for their clients. I'm joined by Matthew Rathbun, Executive Vice President of Coldwell Banker Elite in Fredericksburg, Virginia, who shares how he uses AI every day as a thought partner, coach, and productivity multiplier. We discuss practical workflows for content creation, listings marketing, video production, business planning, and leadership, along with AI tools that have become essential part of his daily workflow. Matthew also explains what curiosity, not technical expertise, is a skill that will separate successful agents in the AI era. Let's dive in with Matthew. Welcome to another episode of Real Estate AI Flash. And hopefully, as this is airing July 8th, everybody had a good long weekend, July 4th. We have a very special guest, Matthew Rathburn, Executive Vice President of Coldwell Banker Elite from Fredericksburg, Virginia. and what i love about having matthew on the pod is that he's a practicing real estate agent but also runs 11 office firm 250 plus agents empowering them with all things ai and obviously non-ai as well so matthew welcome to the podcast

Hey, thank you for having me here.

Of course, of course. You know, I kept track of you. And the way I found you was I kept track of your posts. I think we're connected on social media or something. And I saw you really doing some good quality work. And I said, we got to get Matthew on the pod. And then I started reading about you. And I said... have to have him and we are here and we're talking about all things AI. So Matthew, before we dig in, I know you have a storied career, you also sort of speak and you sort of get some trends around industry. I'd love for the listening audience or people that are watching us on YouTube to get to know you a little bit on how you got into real estate and bring us to today.

Yeah. So I started, you know, I started working pretty young. I was 14 and was eager to get out there, pushed the limits to what the state would allow me to work as far as hours 16, wrapped up high school, started going out and doing other things, got an emergency services and did EMS, law enforcement, a couple other things for a while. And then I found I wasn't I wasn't ideal for that. I wasn't the person I wanted to be and I wasn't going to be able to be a good father and husband just because I just was wrapped up in that whole world. And so coming out of that and trying to figure out what was next for me, this is around 2000. ish 2002, my mother in law said, why don't you do real estate for a while while you figure out where you're going back to school, what you're going to do, whatever. And that was supposed to be a one year plan. And that was so 20, however many years ago, that one year plan is still here. I felt, you know, I got to wake up every morning and decide what I wanted to do. I could be a marketer, I could be a