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A $300 fish dies on the drive home, a store owner throws out a challenge, and a new San Antonio small business is born. That’s just one of the stories Ronil Harwood brings as we reconnect on Real Estate AF. Ronil is a Keller Williams real estate professional with a background in aviation and the co-owner of CHARE Aquatics, and his journey is a masterclass in what happens when you refuse to stay comfortable.

We talk about the practical foundation that shaped him early, including a church-led youth program that taught real-world skills like resumes, interviews, finances, and how to carry yourself with confidence. From there, we trace his move from New York to Texas, how buying his own home exposed the lack of home buying education, and why today’s real estate market rewards trust more than a polished sales pitch. If you’re a San Antonio Realtor, a new agent, or a homeowner thinking about buying or selling, you’ll hear clear guidance on pre-approvals, setting expectations, and having the tough conversations that protect your time and your client’s outcome.

We also go deep on entrepreneurship, collaboration, and building systems that scale, from dependable vendors and redundancies to relationship marketing that keeps you top of mind long after closing. Ronil shares daily non-negotiables like God first, staying healthy, and giving people simple moments of positivity, plus we swap routines on doing hard things daily to sharpen mindset.

If this hit home, subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave a review. What’s one habit you’ll commit to for getting better every day?

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Key Factors Podcast is Powered by LoanBot.com
Host: Mark Jones | Sr. Loan Officer | NMLS# 513437
If you would like to work with Mark on your next home purchase or as a partner visit iThink Mortgage.

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Who’s still standing in the mortgage and real estate industry? Why… This video emphasizes the power of daily "self improvement" and taking "one small step" towards your goals. It highlights the importance of consistent "motivation" and developing a strong "mindset" for "personal growth", especially for an "entrepreneur" aiming for "success habits" in a dynamic market.

In this episode of Real Estate AF, Mark Jones sits down with Alejandra Glass for a blunt conversation about what it actually takes to stay alive in today’s real estate and mortgage market.

They break down what’s really happening in San Antonio, why so many agents and lenders are struggling, how builders are changing the game, why buyers are stuck on rate instead of payment, and what separates the pros who adapt from the ones who disappear.

If you're a loan officer, Realtor, homebuyer, seller, or investor trying to make sense of this market, this episode is packed with practical insight.


Learn More:

Connect with Mark Jones:
https://MeetMarkJones
https://MortgageTalkwithMark.com
https://ithinkmtg.com


Timestamps:

00:00 Intro
2:01 Meet Alejandra Glass
8:06 From loan officer to branch leader
11:26 What lenders are seeing in today’s market
14:11 Builders, incentives, and losing deals to new construction
17:24 Why buyers focus on rate instead of payment
20:12 The personal touch that keeps clients loyal
26:16 Why getting buyers to commit is harder now
30:35 Bad mortgage advice, AI, and information overload
31:44 How agents and lenders survive this market
33:35 LOAs, systems, and evolving your business
39:09 Discipline, consistency, and daily habits
41:28 San Antonio market data and the “balanced market” debate

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Key Factors Podcast is Powered by LoanBot.com
Host: Mark Jones | Sr. Loan Officer | NMLS# 513437
If you would like to work with Mark on your next home purchase or as a partner visit iThink Mortgage.

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode of RealEstateAF, Mark Jones sits down with Blake Butry of Churchill USA for a conversation that goes way deeper than roofing, sales, or business tactics.

This episode is about what really drives great leadership: authenticity, trust, culture, service, failing forward, and having the courage to build people instead of just building revenue.

Blake shares his path from retail, ministry, and door-to-door sales into entrepreneurship, and explains how betting on himself changed everything. Along the way, the conversation dives into what makes someone a strong cultural fit, how to lead with honesty, when grace turns into enabling, and why so many business owners struggle to separate performance from personal investment.

Mark and Blake also unpack topics that hit hard for entrepreneurs and sales professionals alike: fatherlessness, the need for blessing and identity, emotional health, burnout, addiction, vulnerability in leadership, delegation, hiring better people, and why business ownership magnifies both your strengths and your brokenness.

Whether you’re in real estate, mortgage, roofing, sales, or business ownership, this episode is packed with real talk on leadership, growth, and the kind of self-awareness it takes to build something meaningful.

This one is honest, sharp, and full of perspective for anyone trying to grow a team, grow themselves, and grow a business the right way.

03:00 Blake’s background: California, Colorado, Texas
06:00 Early jobs, people skills, and learning to serve
10:20 From ministry to roofing sales
15:00 Why authenticity matters in sales
21:00 Trust, personality, and how people really buy
25:00 Mark’s podcast journey and building confidence
31:00 Proving others wrong vs proving yourself right
36:00 Fatherhood, blessing, and identity
42:00 From salesperson to business builder
49:00 Building Churchill USA and defining company culture
58:00 Hiring, firing, and protecting the locker room
1:07:00 Vulnerability in leadership and hard conversations
1:15:00 Failure, burnout, addiction, and emotional health
1:25:00 The spiral staircase of personal growth
1:32:00 Why leaders need to pause and gain perspective
1:40:00 Delegation, grace, and trusting your team
1:49:00 Hiring for fit, hunger, and relational trust
1:58:00 Rapid fire: leadership, cold plunges, and culture
2:07:00 Blake’s advice for homeowners, Realtors, and business owners
2:11:00 Final thoughts and where to find Churchill USA

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Support the show

Key Factors Podcast is Powered by LoanBot.com
Host: Mark Jones | Sr. Loan Officer | NMLS# 513437
If you would like to work with Mark on your next home purchase or as a partner visit iThink Mortgage.