How to Create Systems that Help You Build a Real Business
Welcome to another episode of the Real Estate Growth Hackers Show. Today’s featured expert is John Pickell of RE/MAX.
John specializes in residential home sales, condominium sales, luxury homes, executive properties, relocation assistance, new construction home sales, golf course communities, waterfront properties, property management, commercial property sales, and exclusive buyer representation in Western Wayne, Oakland and Macomb Counties!
Here is a rundown on everything we talked about today:
Work Smarter, Not Harder
John’s origin story in Real Estate was not easy — it was a constant battle. But through the guidance of a mentor, he learned how to build a listing portfolio. In turn and developed enough pending deals to a point where business flows continuously as he focuses on other aspects of the business.
One of the biggest lessons John has realized at the beginning of his career is that although it is best to work smarter, sometimes it is worthwhile to work harder too.
Are You Giving Value to Your Sellers and Buyers?
John shared some of the obstacles he faced during the first three years of his Real Estate business — just as he was starting out.
“The biggest obstacle was following the 10-4 5-days a week plan. It quickly became a seven-day workweek,” John recalls the massive work required of him at the onset of his career. Having good work boundaries is something he still strives to perfect to this day.
But what drives John to continue doing business is the joy he finds in giving value to the sellers and buyers and letting the people know that he can be a benefit to them.
Other topics we covered on the show:
- Work harder, not smarter [00:02:37]
- We talked about some of the obstacles that John faced as he was getting started with his Real Estate business and how he overcame them. [00:06:02]
- The Real Estate industry can demand so much of one’s time. We talk about the importance of giving value to both sellers and buyers; and how John finds joy in becoming a benefit to the people surrounding him. [00:06:24]
- How does a Real Estate professional get the right deals? We unpack one of the things that John has mentioned early on in the conversation about getting the right funding together in order to create deals that might not normally happen. [00:08:50]
- We also covered a vital skill in finding the right cash buyers by detecting their correct debt-to-income ratio that may not be obvious on paper. [00:13:07]
- After we discussed the principles behind locating the right cash buyers, we talked about techniques on finding the right properties for your buyers. [00:17:41]
- Next, we unpacked some of the things that investors look out for before buying properties. [00:24:59]
- And finally, John shared how his thriving and growing Real Estate business allowed him to enjoy time and financial freedom with his family. [0034:16]
Ready to Get Started withJohn Pickell or Still Have Some Questions?
- Website: JohnPickellHomes.com
- Facebook Profile: Facebook.com/johnpickell22
- Twitter Handle: @john_pickell
- LinkedIn: LinkedIn.com/in/johnpickell/
We Have Resources for You!
Also, check out these resources John Pickell mentioned on the show:
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
Real Estate Growth Hackers Founder

Zach Hammer
Zach Hammer is the co-founder of Real Estate Growth Hackers. Over the last 36 months Zach and his team have managed ad budgets well over $100,000, generated over 25,000 real estate leads, and helped create over $50,000,0000 in business revenue for their clients. Zach is also a highly sought after speaker and consultant whose work has impacted some of the top Real Estate teams and brokerages across the country.