Podcast Summary

Coffeez for Closers with Joe Shalaby
Episode: Building a $2.5B Brokerage in 10 Months ft. Eddie Garcia & Mark Dimas (Realty of America)
Air Date: October 10, 2025
Guests: Eddie Garcia (CEO, Realty of America), Mark Dimas (President & Co-founder, Realty of America)

Overview

In this episode, Joseph Shalaby sits down with Eddie Garcia and Mark Dimas to reveal the fast-paced journey of building Realty of America (ROA) from the ground up: $2.5 billion closed in 10 months, 7,000 homes sold, and more than 2,300 agents onboarded. The discussion centers around what sets ROA apart from competitors, the unique culture and servant-minded leadership, rapid national expansion, the importance of “belly to belly” relationship-building, overcoming adversity, future ambitions, and maintaining values and grit across generations.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Morning Routines (00:37 – 01:19)

• Eddie Garcia starts his day by spending time with his son, skips breakfast/lunch, and then dives straight into supporting agents and operational meetings.
• Mark Dimas wakes up at 5 am, dedicates 2-3 hours to reading and data consumption to prime his mindset before working.

2. What Differentiates Realty of America? (01:19 – 02:44)

• Speed and Collective Experience: Built by seven top agents (over 170 years, $17B+ closed volume among them), ROA avoided the slow build of traditional real estate firms.

• Stunning Growth:

  • 10 months: $2.5B closed, 7,000 properties, 2,300+ agents, 17 states, $3M payouts to agents.
  • Growth rate 8x faster than EXP’s early days.

• Unique Structure: The founders are all active, top-producing practitioners closely supporting their teams.

  “We all decided to put the egos to the side, come together and build one national brokerage... If you look at what [competitors] did in their first two years, you can’t compare to what we’ve done in 10 months.”
  — Mark Dimas (02:00)

3. Building a Culture of Excellence (06:38 – 08:40)

• Culture of Servitude & Community Impact:

  • 15-level help-each-other structure inspired by Mark’s original Chicago company, lifting people up from non-real estate backgrounds to millionaires.
  • Massive charitable initiatives (school supply giveaways, turkey drives).
  • Emphasis on gratitude, listening to team leads, and old-school relationship-building (“belly to belly”).

  “This is not just a company of making money... this is a company that we care to give back.”
  — Mark Dimas (07:53)

  “We just came up with a new initiative for next year... a thank you tour to pour into our leaders [and] agents—figure out where we need to grow.”
  — Eddie Garcia (09:20)

• “Belly to Belly” Strategy:

  • Over 100 pre-launch flights, always meeting agents in person for major conversations or recruitment.
  • Old-fashioned, high-touch approach is credited for the speed of expansion and culture creation.

  "I will beat anybody in a listing agreement if I’m belly to belly... That’s how we grow our company. It’s old school, but it’s new school."
  — Eddie Garcia (10:21)

4. The ROA Founding Story & Vision (11:12 – 18:17)

• Serendipitous Beginnings:

  • Eddie personally flew out to pitch Mark Dimas the vision—no logo, no comp plan, just reputation and an idea of equity, rev share, and going public.
  • The founders’ network of high-producers joined quickly, creating a magnetic effect and rapid expansion.

  “Some will say [my decisions] are very hasty... but I go off of energy, I go off of feeling. Is this where I see my life going? If yes, then I just say yes... Richard Branson way: If you don’t know how to do it, just say yes and figure it out later.”
  — Mark Dimas (16:22)

  “There’s no doubt. I don’t do anything to be number two... Everything I’ve done in life, not to—and it’s not ego—it’s just that I always compete against myself.”
  — Eddie Garcia (16:57)

• No Outside Investors or Debt:

  • The firm is profitable, cash positive, seven figures in the bank, and self-funded.

  "Name a company that opened 10 months, has over seven figures in cash... No investors, no debt."
  — Mark Dimas (18:34)

5. Technology as a Strategic Advantage (19:33 – 22:34)

• Owning the Tech Stack:

  • Custom proprietary website, CRM, onboarding system, revenue dashboard—all built from scratch for agent/consumer needs.
  • Goal: by September 2026, be at 10,000 agents, 25+ states, own 60%+ of technology, $20B+ closed volume.

  “If you white label everything, you don’t own anything. There could be another competitor... with the same CRM.”
  — Mark Dimas (19:46)

  “We will have a technology that a multi-billion dollar company open for 15 years has... We know what the agents want... what tech they don’t use.”
  — Mark Dimas (21:46)

6. The Numbers Behind ROA (22:38 – 24:18)

• Exceptional Agent Productivity:

  • 2,300 agents produced $5B in volume.
  • Outpace industry averages significantly; aim to reach $20B as the team grows.

  “My goal is per thousand agents we’re closing $2 to $2.5B in production... which is 2x what our competitors are doing.”
  — Eddie Garcia (23:24)

7. Sacrifice, Legacy, and Leadership (24:25 – 26:12)

• Personal Sacrifice:

  • Mark’s relentless travel (180+ flights/year), time away from family, working 15-hour days.
  • Emphasizing unity and legacy opportunities that can’t be achieved solo.

  “This is what it takes to build legacy... Because what we’re doing together, we couldn’t do separately.”
  — Mark Dimas (24:41)

• NASDAQ Moment:

  • Invited to ring the closing bell, a symbolic confirmation of the vision to go public and a highlight for both founders.
  • “I never dreamt about going public. I just wanted a vision worth coming out of retirement for.”
    — Eddie Garcia (26:58)

8. Instilling Grit and Mindset in the Next Generation (28:26 – 36:59)

• Childhood Lessons:

  • Garcia and Dimas both grew up poor, learning to work and value money early.
  • Practical systems: no allowances, paid work opportunities, personal checkbooks for kids, matching funds for car savings.
  • Importance of modeling and teaching fiscal discipline and work ethic.

  “My dad gave me $100... Said, here’s a loan, go get a fake ID and start working... One of the biggest lessons—it taught me to negotiate, communicate, fend for myself.”
  — Mark Dimas (29:18)

  “There was never a lack of work... If you want to make money, you wash the car, you cut the grass.”
  — Eddie Garcia (32:37)

  “You lead by example... If you’re doing things that are excelling, you should expect your kids will follow if you give them the path.”
  — Eddie Garcia (35:40)

9. Legacy and Faith (37:08 – 37:56)

• Bigger Than Business:

  • Both founders hope their legacy is measured by how many people they help.
  • Giving back is central—tens of thousands of children and families supported through ROA’s charitable initiatives.

  “When I pass, I want my legacy to be that I helped more people than I hurt.”
  — Mark Dimas (37:36)

  “All of us want to hear, well done, good and faithful servant.”
  — Eddie Garcia (37:46)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “There’s never been a real estate company that was put together like Realty of America... the top 1% of the 1% who still practice every day.”
  — Mark Dimas (04:33)
• “A $10 million producer can become a $100 million producer, a $0 million producer can become a $3 million producer—we’re here to inspire.”
  — Eddie Garcia (05:59)
• “The new school is going to be face to face handshake. That’s going to be the new thing.”
  — Joseph Shalaby (10:54)
• “If you’re not getting sued, you’re not doing business.”
  — Eddie Garcia (19:10)
• “We will be the number one real estate company in the country. There’s no doubt.”
  — Eddie Garcia (16:44)
• “If I can do this, why can’t you do whatever you want to do?”
  — Mark Dimas (24:45)
• “Hopefully, he [God] sees that... I helped more people than I hurt.”
  — Mark Dimas (37:36)
• “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
  — Eddie Garcia (37:46)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:37 – Morning routines
• 01:30 – ROA’s differentiators & origin
• 04:33 – Assembling high-producing, practicing founders
• 06:38 – Building/fostering culture & servitude
• 10:20 – “Belly to belly” and in-person growth strategy
• 11:12 – ROA’s founding vision & startup story
• 19:33 – Building proprietary technology in-house
• 22:38 – Explosive growth, agent productivity goals
• 24:25 – Sacrifices and striving for legacy
• 26:12 – Nasdaq and the dream of going public
• 28:26 – Teaching grit and work ethic to children
• 37:08 – Reflections on legacy, faith, and giving back

Conclusion

In a wide-ranging, candid conversation, Eddie Garcia and Mark Dimas of Realty of America share their inspiring playbook for explosive growth, servant leadership, and a purpose-driven culture. Their journey—fueled by hands-on recruiting, genuine relationships, and an unwavering belief in doing business the right way—offers invaluable lessons for entrepreneurs, brokers, and anyone seeking to build a legacy worthy of the trust and dreams of both agents and clients.