Send us Fan Mail

3 HATS. 1 HUSTLE. Mortgage. Real Estate. Renovations.

Cat Blackmon joins Mark Jones on RealEstateAF to break down what happens when one person has actually worked across all three sides of the transaction.

Cat started as a loan officer assistant, became a Realtor, moved into mortgage origination, invested in and renovated properties, and built a business around understanding how the pieces actually fit together.

We get into consistency, lead generation, investing, hard money, renovation financing, managing contractors, the $40,000 mistake that can happen on a flip—and then the conversation turns to one of the industry's hottest topics: Realtors becoming licensed loan officers.

We discuss where dual licensing can genuinely benefit a consumer, where compensation models become questionable, and the difference between actually originating a mortgage versus simply sending a referral.

CONNECT WITH CAT BLACKMON

Website: CatBlackmon.com
LinkedIn: Cat Blackmon on LinkedIn
Real Estate Profile: Cat Blackmon — Texas Edge Realty
BiggerPockets: Cathleen Blackmon on BiggerPockets

Mortgage: Sr. Loan Officer | LoanPeople | NMLS #884811
Real Estate: REALTOR® GRI | Texas Edge Realty | License #638326-SA
Phone: (210) 870-8173
Mortgage Email: Cat.Blackmon@LoanPeople.com
Real Estate Email: Cat@TexasEdgeRealty.com

REAL ESTATE AF

Hosted by Mark Jones | NMLS #513437
Powered by LoanBot — Smarter Mortgage Matching

CHAPTERS

00:00 Getting Better Every Day
00:32 Welcome to RealEstateAF
01:29 Cat's Journey: LOA → Realtor → Loan Officer
02:29 Three Hats: Mortgage, Real Estate & Renovations
13:43 Needle-Moving Activities & Consistency
18:17 Becoming a Real Estate Investor
20:42 Hard Money & Flipping
23:18 Renovation Lending & Today's Market
29:18 Finding Deals on the MLS
30:47 The 70% Rule
33:58 GC vs. Managing Subcontractors
36:56 Renovation Nightmares
38:18 The $40,000 Mistake
40:22 Flip or Wholesale?
45:53 The Dual-Licensing Debate
46:33 Referral Fees & Commission Splits
49:25 What Real Mortgage Origination Looks Like
52:17 One Point of Contact
58:34 Dual Licensing From the Consumer Side
1:01:17 Cat's Five-Year Vision
1:02:34 Rapid Fire
1:07:26 Final Advice

DISCLAIMER

This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only and is not legal, tax, investment, real estate, mortgage, or compliance advice. Opinions are those of the individual speakers and do not necessarily represent their affiliated companies. Discussions involving licensing, compensation, referrals, RESPA, lending, or real estate regulations are general in nature; consult the appropriate broker, lender, compliance department, regulator, or legal professional regarding your specific circumstances. Loan programs, rates, terms, and eligibility are subject to applicable lender and program guidelines. Not all applicants will qualify. Nothing in this episode constitutes a commitment to lend.

#RealEstateAF #Mortgage #RealEstate #RealEstateInvesting #Renovation

Support the show

RealEstateAF 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

If you’ve ever crawled a deal to the finish line and wondered why it feels so much harder than it should, you’ll feel seen here. Mark Jones sits down with returning guest Matt Reyna after a last-minute schedule change, and the conversation turns into a raw, useful look at the mindset behind surviving real estate’s peaks and valleys.

We start with the simplest performance tool that actually works: small daily improvement. From there, we get specific about what breaks transactions today, especially in new construction. We talk builder lenders, poor communication, and the ripple effect that hits buyers, realtors, and loan officers when expectations aren’t set upfront. Mark lays out why honest lending conversations beat “rainbows and unicorns,” and how transparency keeps clients from panicking when the file gets messy.

Then we zoom out into podcasting and personal brand building. Matt shares why he talked about launching a show for years, what finally got him to start, and why consistency matters more than perfect cameras. We also touch the third rail topics that show up everywhere now: political polarization, virtue-signaling marketing, media bias, and why long-form dialogue is disappearing. The thread stays the same: ask better questions, do your own research, and keep getting better.

If you got value from this, subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find Real Estate AF.

Support the show

RealEstateAF 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.