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Real Estate Excellence

Real Estate Excellence

Real Estate Excellence isn't just a podcast — it's a front-row seat to the stories, strategies, and secrets of top real estate professionals in Northeast Florida and beyond.

Hosted by Tracy Hayes, a seasoned mortgage loan officer and trusted voice in the industry, the show brings you face-to-face with elite agents, brokers, coaches, lenders, inspectors, and experts setting the standard in today's market.

Whether you're a new agent hungry for guidance, an experienced pro looking to scale…

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Want to share your expertise with thousands of real estate professionals across Florida and beyond?

 

Real Estate Excellence features top agents, team leaders, lenders, and industry professionals who are doing the work and winning. If that's you — Tracy wants to hear your story.

 

👉 Apply to be a guest at tracyhayespodcast.com/guests/intake/

Recent Episodes

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From Command to Closing:  What 30 Years in the Army Taught Her About Real Estate. Traci Crawford Ep. 332
332
July 15, 2026

From Command to Closing:  What 30 Years in the Army Taught Her About Real Estate. Traci Crawford Ep. 332

What was the moment you knew real estate was what came next after 30 years in uniform? In this episode of the Real Estate Excellence Podcast, Tracy Hayes sits down with Traci Crawford. Traci is a retired United States Army Colonel, former military nurse, Global Real Estate Advisor, Broker Associate, Certified Residential Specialist, and Military Relocation Professional serving families throughout Northeast Florida. After 30 years of military service, Traci entered real estate with the same commi
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From Teacher to Top Agent: Debora McCarty on Jacksonville Real Estate, Deals That Almost Died & What It Takes to Survive This Market
331
July 8, 2026

From Teacher to Top Agent: Debora McCarty on Jacksonville Real Estate, Deals That Almost Died & What It Takes to Survive This Market

Debora McCarty didn't take a traditional path into real estate. She came to the United States from Brazil at 30, spent 25 years as a homemaker, earned her teaching certification, and taught computer education at Fruit Cove Middle School in St. Johns County before going full-time in real estate with Watson Realty in 2022. That background — immigrant, educator, community volunteer — shapes everything about how she serves buyers and sellers across Jacksonville and St. Johns County today. In this
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The Deed That Shouldn't Exist: Deed Fraud, Probate Reality, and Protecting Inherited Property | Tammy Legette
330
July 1, 2026

The Deed That Shouldn't Exist: Deed Fraud, Probate Reality, and Protecting Inherited Property | Tammy Legette

Tammy Legette is a Charlotte-based real estate broker licensed in NC, SC, and Ghana with 26 years of experience and 14 years in mortgage. She founded Inherited Property Navigator and holds the CIPN designation. Her entire platform was born from personal experience — not theory. **Her story:** After her mother died in 2015 leaving 15 properties, Tammy navigated every inherited property scenario firsthand — heir disputes, foreclosure, minor heirs, tenant complications, and a niece who refused t
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From $38M Agent to Broker Owner: What Tanya Cosmini Learned the Hard Way | Ep. 329
329
June 24, 2026

From $38M Agent to Broker Owner: What Tanya Cosmini Learned the Hard Way | Ep. 329

**Tanya Cosmini | Ep. 329 | Realty ONE Group Elevate** Tanya Cosmini first joined Tracy on Episode 97 when she had just launched Realty ONE Group Elevate in St. Augustine. Four years later she's back — and the real education is what nobody told her was coming. Tanya breaks down what it actually takes to go from top-producing solo agent to broker-owner: the recruiting cycle that takes one to two years (not one meeting), why answering the phone is still the single biggest differentiator in b
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The Trilingual Agent Closing Deals in Jacksonville's Buyer's Market | Claudia Hernandez, Ep. 328
328
June 17, 2026

The Trilingual Agent Closing Deals in Jacksonville's Buyer's Market | Claudia Hernandez, Ep. 328

Good — this is the cleaner formatted transcript. I have everything I need. --- **PODPAGE SUMMARY — EPISODE 328 | CLAUDIA HERNANDEZ** Claudia Hernandez didn't take the traditional path into real estate. She came to Jacksonville from Cabo San Lucas, spent years exploring the city before she could legally work, passed her real estate exam on the fourth attempt, and built her business from zero — no local network, no college connections, no family pipeline. Today she's a producing agent at
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Wire Fraud, Fake Payoffs & Stolen Titles: What's Really Happening at Closing with Megan Lopez
327
June 10, 2026

Wire Fraud, Fake Payoffs & Stolen Titles: What's Really Happening at Closing with Megan Lopez

Episode 327 | Megan Lopez | Fidelity National Financial Most buyers walk away from closing thinking they're protected. They're not — at least not fully. In Episode 327 of the Real Estate Excellence Podcast, Tracy Hayes sits down with Megan Lopez, Agency Account Manager for Fidelity National Financial — the largest title insurance company in the United States. Megan grew up in the title industry, spent years as a licensed title agent in South Florida, and now works directly with title companies
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Recent Blog Posts

The Open House Strategy, Builder Negotiation Secrets, and Relationship Rules That Drive Debora McCarty's Real Estate Business
July 8, 2026

The Open House Strategy, Builder Negotiation Secrets, and Relationship Rules That Drive Debora McCarty's Real Estate Business

The Open House Strategy, Builder Negotiation Secrets, and Relationship Rules That Drive Debora McCarty's Real Estate Business There is a version of real estate that looks effortless from the outside: the agent who always seems to have a listing, …
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The Inherited Property Playbook Every Real Estate Agent and Family Needs Before the Next Death in the Family
July 7, 2026

The Inherited Property Playbook Every Real Estate Agent and Family Needs Before the Next Death in the Family

The Inherited Property Playbook Every Real Estate Agent and Family Needs Before the Next Death in the Family Somewhere in the United States right now, a family is fighting over a house that everyone believes is rightfully theirs. An heir is refus…
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How a Trilingual Jacksonville Realtor Built a Thriving Business by Serving the Buyers Most Agents Can't Reach
June 26, 2026

How a Trilingual Jacksonville Realtor Built a Thriving Business by Serving the Buyers Most Agents Can't Reach

How a Trilingual Jacksonville Realtor Built a Thriving Business by Serving the Buyers Most Agents Can't Reach In a real estate market flooded with agents chasing the same leads, Claudia Hernandez built her business by going somewhere most of her …
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About the Host

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Tracy Hayes

Host of Real Estate Excellence | Mortgage Loan Officer NMLS #23368

Tracy Hayes is the host of Real Estate Excellence, a podcast dedicated to bringing you real conversations with top-performing real estate professionals across Florida and beyond.

A mortgage loan officer with nearly two decades of industry experience (NMLS #23368), Tracy brings a unique perspective to every interview — combining deep lending expertise with a genuine passion for the people and stories that shape the real estate industry.

Based in Northeast Florida, Tracy has spent years building relationships with the agents, brokers, team leaders, lenders, and coaches who are setting the standard in today's market. Real Estate Excellence is his platform for sharing their unfiltered insights with agents and real estate professionals who want to grow, lead, and succeed.

Real Estate Excellence is a listener-supported podcast. No sponsors. No fluff. Just real conversations with the real estate professionals doing the work.

 

If the show has helped your business, the best way to say thanks is simple: share it with a colleague, leave a review, or take our listener survey at tracyhayespodcast.com/survey.

 

Your feedback shapes what Tracy covers next. Every response is read.