Real Estate Auctions in America ft. Simon Polito | Coffeez for Closers with Joe Shalaby

Summary

Coffeez for Closers with Joe Shalaby: Episode Summary

Episode Title: Real Estate Auctions in America ft. Simon Polito
Guest: Simon Polito, Founder of Reca Auctions
Release Date: May 2, 2025

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1. Introduction to the Episode

In this compelling episode of "Coffeez for Closers," host Joseph Shalaby engages in an insightful conversation with Simon Polito, an innovative real estate entrepreneur revolutionizing the American real estate market through auction-based sales. The episode delves deep into Simon's unique approach, the challenges of introducing auctions to a traditionally conservative market, and the personal philosophies that drive his success.

2. Guest Background: Simon Polito

Simon Polito brings a rich international perspective to the table. Born in Sydney, Australia, to an Italian grandfather and a Lebanese mother, Simon was immersed in a multicultural environment from a young age. His early experiences in the Sydney fruit markets, working alongside his grandfather, instilled in him a strong work ethic and community-oriented mindset.

"I've always worked. But it's always about being part of the community. That was the biggest thing I took from it. Like, always be there for the people."
(00:05)

3. Introducing the Auction Model in the U.S.

Upon relocating to the United States nine years ago, Simon recognized a significant gap in the American real estate market: the underutilization and stigmatization of auctions. In Sydney, approximately 90% of real estate transactions are conducted via auction—an approach known for its speed, transparency, and competitiveness.

"I thought, you know, I'm gonna try and change the game a little bit, shake it up with some new technology and to see who gravitates towards it."
(02:16)

Simon founded Reca Auctions with the mission to transform the U.S. real estate landscape by introducing auction-based sales for traditional, luxury, and unique properties, moving away from the negative connotations associated with auctions in America.

4. Overcoming the Stigma of Auctions

In the U.S., auctions are often linked with distressed properties and foreclosures, contrasting sharply with their prestigious counterparts worldwide, such as Sotheby's or Christie's auctions.

"I started my own company. I thought, you know, I'm gonna try and change the game a little bit... so far it's been a rough ride. But we're now starting to get some weight."
(02:19)

Simon emphasizes the importance of education in shifting perceptions. By focusing exclusively on non-distressed properties and providing comprehensive pre-auction preparations, Reca Auctions aims to eliminate the negative stigma and showcase the benefits of the auction model.

5. Auction vs. Traditional Real Estate Methods

Simon employs a hybrid approach, leveraging both auction and traditional sales methods based on the seller's comfort and the property's nature.

"I do both. Because sometimes auction isn't the right scenario for that seller... but just know that I've got that backup plan ready to kick in when you're ready."
(03:05)

This flexibility ensures that Reca Auctions can cater to a broader client base while maintaining the integrity and advantages of the auction model.

6. Strategies for Successful Auctions

A cornerstone of Simon's strategy is to list properties at approximately 20% below market value to attract intense bidding competition, often resulting in sales above market value.

"On average, we start around 20% below... and on average, from our sales, we've been achieving between 25 and 30% above."
(08:37)

Simon draws parallels to eBay's bidding system, explaining how starting bids create urgency and competition, ultimately driving prices upward.

7. The Psychology Behind Auctions

Understanding buyer psychology is crucial to Simon's success. He leverages the competitive nature of buyers, often driven by ego and the fear of missing out, to maximize sale prices.

"It’s about the psychology of people. You want this, I want you to write something down... people pay more because they need it right now."
(09:18)

Simon employs tactical communication to encourage higher bids, such as highlighting the uniqueness and scarcity of properties to intensify the bidding frenzy.

8. Managing Emotions on the Auction Floor

Auctions are high-stress environments where emotions run rampant. Simon excels in maintaining control through his dynamic auctioneering style, blending humor and strategic communication to keep bidders engaged and motivated.

"I'm a bit of a comedian... I keep the crowd entertained and manage them by not just myself. I've got my team."
(21:30)

His ability to connect with diverse personalities ensures a lively and productive auction atmosphere, fostering a sense of excitement and competition.

9. Business Insights and Challenges

Simon candidly discusses the challenges Reca Auctions has faced, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw a drastic drop in transactions. However, persistence and strategic marketing have led to a resurgence, with the company now closing around 30 transactions monthly.

"Before COVID we were doing 100 a year... last week, however, we've listed seven properties in the last week."
(14:55)

He criticizes the current state of many real estate agents for relying on outdated marketing tactics, advocating instead for innovative and comprehensive strategies to achieve quick and profitable sales.

10. Personal Insights: Family and Grit

Balancing a demanding career with family life is a recurring theme. Simon shares his dedication to instilling resilience and a strong work ethic in his children, drawing from his own upbringing and the entrepreneurial spirit of his immigrant parents.

"I want to raise my kids to appreciate the dollar, respect the dollar, and respect who they are as a person, that they earned that money."
(33:36)

He emphasizes the importance of earning rewards and fostering gratitude, striving to ensure his children understand the value of hard work and financial responsibility.

11. Faith and Resilience

Faith plays a significant role in Simon's life. He discusses his belief in God's guidance and the importance of maintaining inner peace and confidence amidst the challenges of business and personal life.

"His power is unstoppable. And the sky's the limit as long as you are open to following the path that he provides you with."
(39:43)

Joining men's groups and engaging in Bible studies have been pivotal in maintaining his spiritual well-being and resilience, enabling him to navigate the highs and lows of entrepreneurship.

12. Future Goals and Closing Remarks

Simon outlines his ambitions for Reca Auctions, aiming to expand nationwide by securing the necessary funding and scaling his proven auction model across the United States.

"My business goal is to take Reca nationwide... I've got all the tools ready to go nationwide."
(41:56)

On a personal note, he aspires to provide a stable and loving home for his children, ensuring they receive the best life through education and moral guidance rather than material excess.

"I want to be able to give them the best life I can. And that doesn't have to necessarily mean I buy them everything they want."
(42:58)

Simon concludes the conversation by sharing his vision of remaining steadfast in faith and purpose, encouraging others to bet on themselves and maintain their resilience in the face of adversity.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• On Community and Hard Work:

  "I've always worked. But it's always about being part of the community. That was the biggest thing I took from it."
  (00:05)

• On Changing the Real Estate Game:

  "I'm gonna try and change the game a little bit, shake it up with some new technology."
  (02:16)

• On Starting Auctions Below Market Value:

  "On average, we start around 20% below... and on average, from our sales, we've been achieving between 25 and 30% above."
  (08:37)

• On Bidding Psychology:

  "It’s about the psychology of people... people pay more because they need it right now."
  (09:18)

• On Raising Resilient Children:

  "I want to raise my kids to appreciate the dollar, respect the dollar, and respect who they are as a person."
  (33:36)

• On Faith and Purpose:

  "His power is unstoppable. And the sky's the limit as long as you are open to following the path that he provides you with."
  (39:43)

---

Conclusion

This episode of "Coffeez for Closers" offers a deep dive into the innovative strategies of Simon Polito, highlighting how his international experience and resilient mindset are reshaping the American real estate market. From overcoming stigmas and leveraging psychology to balancing personal and professional life, Simon's insights provide valuable lessons for entrepreneurs and real estate professionals alike. His commitment to community, faith, and continuous improvement serves as an inspiring blueprint for those looking to make meaningful changes in their industries.

Transcript

[C]

This episode is not about flipping homes or selling listings. It's about flipping the entire real estate game on its head. Simon Polito is not your average real estate guy. Born in Sydney, raised by an Italian grandfather and Lebanese mother, this immigrant built entrepreneur is on a mission to reinvent how homes are sold in America. In Australia, real estate is auctioned. Fast, transparent, competitive. Simon brought that model here, fought the stigma and now he's pioneering a new movement in US real estate.

[Simon Polito]

Real estate.

[C]

One that sells homes faster, with less friction and often above market value. From the beaches of Turkey to the hills of Villa Park, Simons built an international platform blending old school grit, high stakes theatrics and a relentless mission to earn trust one bit at a time. This one's about real estate resilience and raising a family with faith. It's about knowing your worth and never being afraid to start the bid. Welcome to Coffees. Quick break. If you're a loan officer closing deals every month and still capped at 150 basis points, you're leaving serious money on the table. At Emortgage Capital, top producers are taking home up to 400 basis points. With better tech, faster closings and full control. No junk fees, no red tape, just real comp. Hit up, join emortgagecapital.com and stop building someone else's empire.

[Simon Polito]

Thanks for having me.

[Unknown Host]

All right, bro, thanks for coming. It'll be a good show today. Give people kind of like an overarching view of what is it that you do on the auctioning platform.

[Simon Polito]

Yeah, so I come from a Sydney, Australia originally where I was born. And real estate over there, 90% in Sydney is done by auction. So when I first got into real estate, that was part of one of the modules you could study. So I did all, I did all the modules I could do at that time, which was property management, commercial industrial auctioneering. And I got, you know, obviously studied really hard. I got all those diplomas and that was just the way we did real estate. But when I came over to the United States nine years ago, I discovered that you guys only do things one way, which is traditional.

[Unknown Host]

And that the word nobody does it.

[Simon Polito]

The word auction was only mainly used for distressed properties, foreclosures.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Simon Polito]

Something in a negative status.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Simon Polito]

And I was like, well this is the only country that I've come across that actually sees it that way everywhere else around the world. Think about like Sotheby's art auctions and Christie's art auctions or classic cars. It's all seen for a positive yeah. So why is it seen as a negative in the United States? So what I, I started my own company. I thought, you know, I'm gonna try and change the game a little bit, shake it up with some new technology and to see who gravitates towards it. And it's. So far it's been a rough ride. Don't get me wrong, it's a lot of education. But now that we're, we're in our year six of our, of our business of reca, we're now starting to get some weight. People know that we're a fixture in the community. We're not a startup anymore. And it's just another way to sell real estate. Putting out a tool belt. Putting out the tool in your, in your tool belt. For other real estate agents.

[Unknown Host]

Do you use traditional methods or it's all auction?

[Simon Polito]

No, I do too. I do both. Because sometimes auction isn't really right scenario for that seller. That's the only reason why I wouldn't do an auction if the seller is not on board. Right.

[Unknown Host]

Okay.

[Simon Polito]

So if the sellers had a bad experience, maybe with a foreclosure in their past, maybe they're, they've just been hurt. This is going to be something that might bring up that ptsd, if you will. So let's go traditional. Let's try it that way. But just know that I've got that backup plan ready to kick in when you're ready.

[Unknown Host]

Your office is here. Is it headquartered in Irvine Newport on.

[Simon Polito]

The corner of MacArthur and Birch.

[Unknown Host]

You have a team in Turkey as well?

[Simon Polito]

Yes, I've got, I've got, I call them affiliates or referral partners that I work with. I went over there a couple of years ago and I loved it so much that I ended up buying some projects over there with some other friends of mine in Turkey. In Turkey? In the southern part of Turkey. Not in Istanbul, like down the bottom, Southern part of Alanya. It's a couple hours east of Antalya, which a little bit more people know of. Great place, like, phenomenal location. Like Cleopatra's castle is there, like, which is just for me. I'm a geek for that stuff. Like, that's phenomenal.

[Unknown Host]

Well, I'm Egyptian, so I appreciate that. Yeah, I didn't know that her, you know, kingdom expanded that far.

[Simon Polito]

Dude, you can go through there. And they got the, they still got the, the tunnels underneath where she would hide the men and take them out. And it's all been preserved. She was a bit of a play play girl. She had a flourish of Men, apparently, that would come in. They should sneak him through with boats in the middle of the night. And they had these little tunnels, and then from the tunnel, you could go into the castle.

[Unknown Host]

Wow.

[Simon Polito]

Yeah. So I have a team out there. And then I, originally, being licensed in Australia, kept my name out there, kept my company running, and have a few people out there who work for me over there as well.

[Unknown Host]

I've never met somebody who's got an international platform like that.

[Simon Polito]

I always think, how can I be different? You know, everyone, especially in California, every second person is a real estate agent.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Simon Polito]

So, like, how do I make myself stand out from the crowd?

[Unknown Host]

No, you definitely are totally different than any. Anybody in the real estate space that.

[Simon Polito]

I'm a bit of a crazy man.

[Unknown Host]

Like, that I've met, you know, in SoCal. I think that's the international flair, you know.

[Simon Polito]

Well, yeah, I think I have that immigration, mental, immigrant mentality. Right.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Simon Polito]

My grandfather on my dad's side. My dad was born in Italy. They migrated from Italy in the. In the late 50s. My mother was born in Lebanon. She migrated from Lebanon in the 60s. So I've always had that immigrant mentality of, you know, you've just got to go hard. And I was taught that way very traditionally from my dad's grand. My dad's father, my great. My Italian grandfather. Yeah. He taught me to work from the age of five. I worked with him at the Sydney fruit markets from the age of five. So I've always worked.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Simon Polito]

But it's always about being part of the community. That was the biggest thing I took from it. Like, always be there for the people.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Simon Polito]

And in time, people will give you things back.

[Unknown Host]

We're fortunate to have that immigrant mentality.

[Simon Polito]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

Because it's. We outwork everybody.

[Simon Polito]

You know, it's events that are. You're Australian. I'm only just. I'm just born in Australia. Right. I am an Australian citizen. But if you go. I did my ancestry. I have no Australian in my blood. It's. It's literally half Italian, half Lebanese.

[Unknown Host]

You speak in Arabic or Italian.

[Simon Polito]

I can know I can get myself into trouble in Arabic. Just can't get myself out of trouble. And I can speak a dialect of Italian, which is my dad's from Calabria down the south.

[Unknown Host]

Okay.

[Simon Polito]

The boot. So there's like over 60 different dialects of Italian in Italy. So I'm very cautious about how I speak because some people take it offensively.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Simon Polito]

But definitely being living here in California with everyone speaking Spanish, it's kind of confused me a Little bit. But it's also encouraged me to continue learning my language. And my three kids, I constantly speaking to them in Italian. Trying to increase their opportunities in life by knowing more languages.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah, it's imperative.

[Simon Polito]

Absolutely.

[Unknown Host]

Kids learn language.

[Simon Polito]

Absolute gift.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah. My kids are learning all dead languages, but they're learning them. It's Coptic and in Latin.

[Simon Polito]

That's really cool.

[Unknown Host]

But Coptic is the ancient language of the Pharaohs. They don't know why they're learning it. But yeah, that's what we use in church.

[Simon Polito]

So there you go. And it's important. They're going to have a tool that's going to be something that sets them apart from everybody else.

[Unknown Host]

Exactly.

[Simon Polito]

And I always say I wish my kids could speak it fluently because when we're in a situation where I don't want anyone else to know what we're really saying, I could communicate with.

[Unknown Host]

That'd be great. That's what I use Arabic for.

[Simon Polito]

Yes, exactly.

[Unknown Host]

Let me ask you, how do you deal with the stigma associated with auctions?

[Simon Polito]

There is a large stigma and it's just education, you know, this is not going to be something that's for everybody. That's just what it is. I've learned to accept that and I do the takeaway a lot with people. So I just say, look, this is not something that is used for negative purposes. In fact, I don't actually list anything that's in a negative status. I'm only using this product for traditional luxury and unique properties. So I'm trying to literally not work with anything that's got a bad stigma attached to it.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah. No one was in default or foreclosure.

[Simon Polito]

No. Sometimes we'll help people who are in pre foreclosure if they've got equity. Because what we're doing is saving the banks from doing it already. We're going to go to auction. We'll get them an extension of time by showing the banks or the institution they're lending off that we're doing an auction for them that normally helps the client out and it gets them their equity before the banks take it.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Simon Polito]

But yeah, the stigmas. It's getting better. I will say nine years of living here, I want to say it's probably like 5% of the market understood auctions. And now I want to say maybe 35, 40% of the market understands auctions.

[Unknown Host]

Now, I looked at some of your listings on your site and you'd know the. You, you put a disclaimer like this is just the traditional sale. Not behind starting at 1.995. Correct. Well, it seemed like a normal house at listing at 1.995. Will it actually go over in the auction?

[Simon Polito]

Absolutely.

[Unknown Host]

So you'll sell over market because of the strategy?

[Simon Polito]

Absolutely. So on average, we start around 20% below as a bidding to start from. And on average, from our sales, we've achieving between 25 and 30% above.

[Unknown Host]

Wow.

[Simon Polito]

And it's basically because of the supply and demand. Right. We're playing to a psychology of people. Right. It's. It's. You want this, I want you to write something down. But you haven't got a pen on you. I've got a pen, and I'm not trying to sell you the pen, but I kind of am. I'm going to say, like, look, Joe, I need you. I need you to write this down. I don't have a pen. And three other people in the room need it as well. This pen's only worth a dollar, but you might pay $20 because you need it right now. Same thing as. Same thing applies with real estate. We've got one listing, it's on the market. We're going to start at $1, for example. Someone's going to pay where they see value, and then hopefully we get two males who are macho and it got a big ego and they just want to fight each other to see who's going to pay more. And that's where the sky's the limit. Absolutely.

[Unknown Host]

I mean, if people knew that they could get 20% over at market just because of ego, which is the driving force for everybody.

[Simon Polito]

It's huge. It's huge. And it's. It's been hard to get people to do that because obviously the scare and.

[Unknown Host]

They'Re worried about going 20% under. Has that ever happened where they get the 20% under?

[Simon Polito]

So every seller falls over or falls off their chair when I suggest that bidding to start from number. But I just reassure them and say, think of the website, ebay. Everything on ebay starts at a dollar. Do you know anyone that's ever bought anything on ebay for a dollar? Yeah, no one does. Maybe one story of that. One guy got one thing once, but no one buys it for a dollar. It just gets their attention. That's what we're trying to do with real estate. We're trying to get people's attention on the property. We do all the due diligence ahead of time, which helps lenders, which helps escrow and title because we already do a home inspection, a termite report, get the sellers disclosures A natural hazard disclosure report, a preliminary title report, any permits, and if it's part of an hoa, we get the HOA CC and rs. So we have all that upfront preloaded. So when a buyer comes through the home, they see all this information, they can make an assessment whether they want to make a move or not. They can either make an offer before auction to stop it from happening or they can get registered to get ready to bid.

[Unknown Host]

It seems like pretty foolproof.

[Simon Polito]

It is. It's safe for both parties. I'm not trying to be favorite or biased towards one. Obviously we're working for the seller to get the highest price, but we're here to help the buyers have a stress free experience as well. And we're allowing them to tell us where they see value and that's huge.

[Unknown Host]

At the end of the day they're paying 20% over market though.

[Simon Polito]

That's like who determines what the market is?

[Unknown Host]

Yeah, well, the buyers in this.

[Simon Polito]

So the question I get a lot of the time is well, how much above market do you achieve? And I say I don't, I don't get above market. I set a new market level because the it's fair market value is achieved through open public crying known as auction.

[Unknown Host]

Now I got a cool question here. It's what's one outdated rule in traditional real estate that the auction model absolutely shatters?

[Simon Polito]

Do you only want one?

[Unknown Host]

Give me several.

[Simon Polito]

So I think with the contingencies. So when I moved to this country, I'd been doing real estate for already 15 years in Australia.

[Unknown Host]

Okay.

[Simon Polito]

And I had never done a contingency on any sale in 15 years. And I came here and there's this, you guys have this contingency that to sell your own home, which I just am mind blown that it's like putting your home on layaway.

[Unknown Host]

Well then how do they buy it if they don't have the money?

[Simon Polito]

Well that's where you got to sell. And if you got a good lender, get some bridging finance and it makes them, it makes them sell and buy really quickly. It makes them connected to the property. In Australia what happens is you'll go buy a house, right? You'll go to an auction, you'll bid on it, Joe, you'll win the auction. The next day you're listing that property on the market for an auction yourself. Now you've got a six in Australia, it's a 42 day close on average. You've got six weeks to get that property sold. And then they might have a week or two weeks of bridging finance, which is not going to be nice. It's going to be hard, but it's much easier than having a risk that you, you don't know if you're going to sell the home and it's going to sit on the market forever. And then you create a domino effect of everyone falling over. So we've, we've eradicated that by.

[Unknown Host]

So no.

[Simon Polito]

1.

[Unknown Host]

There are no contingency sales with auctions.

[Simon Polito]

They're just like, nope, it's as is. No contingencies, no renegotiating a sales price, no credits, no repairs.

[Unknown Host]

That's crazy.

[Simon Polito]

You're buying it as is. But we're showing you the property. So we'll have three weeks of showings. So you can come into the home, you can do your investigations, you can read the reports and disclosures that are available. You know everything about, you know all the material facts. So we're not buying sight unseen, so to speak. There's no risk.

[Unknown Host]

Wow.

[Simon Polito]

Because you're buying, you know, everything, we're giving you it all up front. So that was probably the biggest, the biggest old fashioned thing that I noticed when I moved here was like, you guys do that? Really?

[Unknown Host]

And then I didn't know that was even possible. To avoid contingencies.

[Simon Polito]

Yeah. So if, and I may be wrong to the date, I believe it's 1996. Since 1996 in the state of California, to be able to sell a property as is with no repairs, you have to furnish the potential buyer with a home inspection report showing them the rights and the wrongs.

[Unknown Host]

Right.

[Simon Polito]

As well as a termite report too. If as long as you provide that document, you're, you're disclosing everything to the potential buyer. So there's no, there's no risk. You're not hiding, there's no secrets. And that allows you to remove that contingency of inspection. Now, when we talk with lenders, that sometimes can be a bit of a hurdle for us because a lot of lenders don't want to do the extra work to get their client from pre approval to underwritten. If you can get your client underwritten against 123 Main street, that client knows exactly what they can bid on 123 Main street right. So correct me if I'm wrong. It's about a 48 to 72 hour process, depending on them, how quickly they get you their information. But once they had that, they're rock solid. You can say to Mr. Jones, Mr. Jones, you're bidding on 123 Main street, you're approved. And I can get you financing up to $1,000,000. Do not go any dollar a dollar over that. If you do, you got to work out how to get that money because I can't get it for you.

[Unknown Host]

That's awesome. It avoids so much future headache.

[Simon Polito]

Absolutely. And so then it's a seamless escrow, right? Because we've got all the contingencies removed. Escrow's already got all the documents, disclosures already filled out. Everything's done. So touch wood. In 24 years of real estate, I've never had a property fall out of escrow. And I'm yet to meet someone in this country that can compete with that, with that claim.

[Unknown Host]

How many transactions are escrows do you guys close a month?

[Simon Polito]

Your brokerage in auctions, it's been slow the last two years because of the supply and demand issue. So on average before COVID we were doing 100 a year. Then it dropped down to like 10 during COVID and then we went up to 20, then we're at 30. Last year we did, I think 25 only last year. This week, however, we've listed seven properties in the last week, last seven days.

[Unknown Host]

So the demand is like shifting like crazy.

[Simon Polito]

This is our market right now. You know, you're seeing days on market increase for a lot of sellers. You're seeing agents that. And I'm not trying to put down agents, I'm just being honest. A lot of agents don't know how to sell real estate anymore. They haven't had to do the negotiating, the marketing for so many years, they've forgotten how to do it or they knew newer agents and have never learned. And that's the problem, I feel with a lot of these cloud based brokerages, there's no mentor, no mentee ship programs around that actually give hands on experiences. So a lot of agents are looking for solutions. How do we get this home sold? We've put on the mls, we took some photos with our iPhone, which I'd never let anyone do. And I'm like, well, you haven't marketed the home. You've got to think outside the box.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah, well, we put it on our stories, like bro.

[Simon Polito]

Oh, we posted about it and I sent it out to like six of my friends. That's not going to sell the house. We know we have a program and it dictates what the roles are for every agent we work with, what our roles are as the auction company. And that way then at the end of the process or the campaign, if you will, I can look at that checklist and say who didn't do what they were supposed to do and where we went wrong or where we went right. So I'm pretty strict on it because I know that when we tick every box we get success every time. If something drops off, there's a chance we could not get the result we're hoping for. So door knocking, cold calling, inviting people over, doing voicemail drops, doing social media drops, doing email blasts, everything and anything you can. Going to local hotels, if it's a prestigious property. Going to local hotels like your Ritz Carlton or your Montage or your Waldorf Asoria and asking the concierge, do you have any high net worth clients that are looking to move into the area? I have a great property. You got to think outside the box in this current market. And that's where our program is, only 28 days. And actually our average days on market right now is 17.

[Unknown Host]

Wow.

[Simon Polito]

We're getting home sold in 17 days. The only reason it wouldn't sell is if the seller doesn't accept the number we get them.

[Unknown Host]

But they're going to accept it because they're auctioning. You're getting them over market.

[Simon Polito]

Well, that's the thing. So a lot of sellers, unfortunately I'm finding have been lied to by agents by telling them an unrealistic price for their home to try and gain their business, as we call it, buying the listing.

[Unknown Host]

Right, yeah.

[Simon Polito]

And that's where we've got to educate ourselves. So this program, this process is a great education tool for eight for sellers because it shows them what the true market feedback is not the comps, comps are not going to buy your house. The people are. So every, every open house we hold, which only goes for one hour, we have a one hour open house twice a week for three weeks. So Wednesday and Saturday, for example, from 12 to 1.

[Unknown Host]

That's abnormal by the way. It's usually like 12 to 4.

[Simon Polito]

I know, but what are you doing for four hours sitting around like we are now doing nothing on your phone, going through the pantry, you know, that's what agents do. And they're wasting a day. In Sydney I would do seven open houses every Saturday, 45 minutes.

[Unknown Host]

Wow.

[Simon Polito]

They're now in Sydney doing half an hour open houses. And this is on like 10, 20, 30 million dollar homes, like so.

[Unknown Host]

But they're marketed so that people show up at the time.

[Simon Polito]

So we pre, we pre schedule all the open houses. We advertise them online, we have them on our flyers, we have on our website, they're everywhere. So people know the schedule of when they can come and look at the property. That gives them comfort, knowing that if you can't make Wednesday, Joe, come on Saturday. We're gonna be there from 12 to 1. And then when you come through, guess what you see, because it's a small window. So guess what? Everyone comes at the same time. When you see your competition, what do you fear? Loss.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Simon Polito]

So a scenario I play with sellers. In fact, I played this with a seller yesterday, and they're on the market traditionally in a great home in Villa park. And it's just shy of $4 million. It's a beautiful home. In fact, I love the home. But the problem is people are coming individually, one at a time. They're not seeing their competition. And then they're in mind. They're playing a story or a stigma that. Look, Joe, you're the listing agent. There's no one here. You've been on the market for 60 days. Here's a lower offer. Tell your seller to get realistic. What we find with auctions is we get the reverse. It's like, hey, Joe, there's a lot of people here. What do we have to do to stop this from happening? So, again, mindset change. A lot of psychology in what we do. Making people aware of the. Of the value.

[Unknown Host]

I don't know anybody doing it this way. And it makes so much more sense for execution.

[Simon Polito]

Yeah, I mean, it's. Look, we're not cutting anyone out of the deal. Listing agents are still getting their fees, buyer's agents, depending on how they negotiate it. Since August last year. It's a negotiation thing. Right. Now, we charge the buyer. We charge the buyer a 2% buyer premium to buy the house. Now, do your buyers like that at first? No. No one likes paying extra fees. Hell, I don't like paying a copay when I go to the doctor. But it's part of life.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah. So I said it's advantageous that our settlement works for you.

[Simon Polito]

Absolutely. But let's just say you're looking at the home job. I'll be like, look, Joe, you really like this home? Are you prepared to lose this home for 2%? No. You do know in the area, we're seeing 5 to 7% growth every year. So paying 2% more is still going to make you money. So it's knowing your product and not just knowing yourself or your products, knowing the market as well. Right. So if you can understand how the market works and what's going on in your marketplace, you can share that knowledge. With the buyer to give them confidence.

[Unknown Host]

Now, let me ask you, like, auctions are high stakes. People are freaking out. There's a lot of emotions, a lot of emotion.

[Simon Polito]

That's why I'm residential, running in the room.

[Unknown Host]

How do you control the environment with all the emotions?

[Simon Polito]

It's always different. Can't tell you. It's always different. I never really know 100% what to expect. You'll have. Sometimes you'll have an old. An old ethnic guy in the corner who doesn't want to, you know, sitting there with his arms crossed, doesn't want to talk to anybody. You'll have a young family that are really excited. You'll have an investor. You have all different types of personalities. I like to think of myself and not to put myself down as a bit of a comedian. When you're up there, I've got to keep the crowd entertained. All right, so in the auction world, it's called pitter patter. What you got to perfect your pitter patterns. So it's a bit of rhythm. So, ladies and gentlemen, we're looking for Everybody. Bids at $1 million. Can I say from there $1 million. $2 million. $2 million. And call out three times. Everyone, a fair chance first, second, third, finish. Quite done. So you change your voice, but I'm always looking at you. I haven't forgotten about the offer on my right, sir. You're still over there, but I'm looking at you right now, waving you in. Do you want to miss out right now? Do you want to go home to a happy wife?

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Simon Polito]

So if I see two husbands in the. In the crowd or two boyfriends in the crowd and their partners are squeezing their hand, oh, God help that man. I'm going to hone in on him like nothing else. I'm going to get every last dol him because I want him to one go home to a happy. To a happy partner. And I want him to, you know, not have to go looking at homes for the next four weeks. And my job for the seller is to get every last dollar. Yeah. So I use a lot of tactical lines like, you know. You know, sir, if you give me another $5,000 increase, that's one cup of coffee per month for the next 30 years. Are you telling me you can't give up one cup of coffee? Hell, if you make the next bit, I'll buy you an espresso if you win the bid. So a $300 Nespresso machine to me, gets a seller maybe an extra 10, 15 grand. So it's about keeping the crowd on the toes, keeping entertained, and managing them by not just myself. I've got my team, so I've got the clerks, if you want to call them, or floor runners. And they're the reps in my team. They'll be going around and whispering in the ears of the buyers. You know, don't miss out right now. This is your chance, you know, reminding them of the value of the opportunity. You know, if we're at a view property or a landlocked location that is very hard to come by, I'll make people aware. I'll call the auction live on site. Ladies and gentlemen, look at this view. Might be the last time you see it for another 30 years. Are you sure you're prepared to walk away for another 30 years? Don't lose this chance, ladies and gentlemen. This is the gem that you've been waiting for.

[Unknown Host]

A lot of psychology, because it's live sales.

[Simon Polito]

It's live. And when you make people feel comfortable, they do things they ordinarily would not do in a traditional sense. So when people are comfortable and confident, they will play the game.

[Unknown Host]

So what are like some big mistakes you can make on the auction floor?

[Simon Polito]

The biggest mistake I feel some agents, some auctioneers make, and again, it's just my opinion is they're not flexible with their increments. That's something that I change the way I do things. I don't have set increments. I will suggest increments like, so let's just say we're trying to get to a million dollars. The bidding to start from would roughly be 799 or 800,000. When I start the auction, I'm going to be suggesting a $50,000 bid. If I don't get anybody to say that, I'm going to drop down to $20,000 or $25,000 bid, right? And then I want to go with the market. I don't want to. If someone's only got another thousand to add in, I don't want to lose that bidder because that's the one that could push the next person, right? So I find a lot of auctioneers like, no, sorry, we're only taking $5,000 bids right now. And that's cutting out their other. That's cutting out the opponents right from competing. So I try to flex. I try to flex. And if a scenario be like, you may. Let's just say you bid $10,000 and someone over here bid only a thousand. Well, sir, it looks like he's slowing up. This is Your time to pounce. Give me another $10,000. Knock him out in that time. I've just raised 1,000 from him. 10,000. You got an extra $11,000 for the seller that I wouldn't have got if I didn't take that $1,000 bid. So that's the. Probably the biggest error I see. And then, although I'm going down this path myself, to be able to be scalable across the nation, a lot of agent, a lot of auctionees aren't live anymore since COVID A lot of them are going completely digital, which takes away that interaction, that personal experience. I know I can get more money for my sellers when I'm in person.

[Unknown Host]

And that leads me to my next question. You're like, you're a businessman slash showman, you know, so theatrics are a big part.

[Simon Polito]

Absolutely. A lot of theater. A lot of theater. And what we do. Look, I'm half Italian, so I automatically speak with my hands, and I'm a bit theatrical. But it's about making people feel comfortable. Honestly, people think. When I say auctions, I think you just speak really, really quickly. There are times I will speak quickly, but there's other times I will slow it down. So I'm still looking at you here, looking for that bid to come on in. Don't wait right now. This is it, your chances right now. Because when people think auctions, they're doing like a hundred items in one day. They've got to get through them all. So they're calling, sold. Calling, sold. For me, I'm doing one or two auctions in a day. I got time to take our time, get everyone to have a chance to think about it seriously and partake in the auction. So you're.

[Unknown Host]

You're. You're 50. 50. Then you're half businessman, half showman then.

[Simon Polito]

Yeah. But it's about making people aware of the value.

[Unknown Host]

Right.

[Simon Polito]

Same thing. You have a lot of products in your. In your line of work.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Simon Polito]

And for you to showcase that, you've got to show knowledge to your clients. You got to show them the value.

[Unknown Host]

And I'm more showman as well. Like over here pitching people, just like getting them to come over the company.

[Simon Polito]

Absolutely. And the more it's. It's funny, since I met you, I'm seeing everyone around who knows you now. It's like, you're on my radar now. And it's funny. It's funny because I'm like, I just met you, what, a couple months ago?

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Simon Polito]

And all of a sudden, now everywhere I Go. I see your face. I see you on my Instagram. I see people talking about you. I see you at the Elks. Like, it's just, like. It's really cool. It's really cool how the world works and how we connect like that.

[Unknown Host]

Me, by design, I try to drive millions of impressions to the brand.

[Simon Polito]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

And the brand is around because we have a couple thousand people that work for the company.

[Simon Polito]

It's huge.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah. So it's. You know, you can't run into anyone with walking through Orange county that doesn't know of E Mortgage Capital or work for E Mortgage Capital because you're in real estate.

[Simon Polito]

You got one of the coolest garages downstairs.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah, that's on my. Those are my.

[Simon Polito]

I know it's not yours.

[Unknown Host]

I wish it was, but one day. That's not even, like, American money. You can't even be that rich.

[Simon Polito]

That's crazy. But it's always nice to come here, always let a little peek in that garage to see what's going on.

[Unknown Host]

Unless you're Jeff Bezos or something. There's a couple hundred million dollars in cars down there.

[Simon Polito]

Manny Cushman.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Simon Polito]

Yeah, yeah.

[Unknown Host]

No, it's not. He sold the building. The cars are even nicer now.

[Simon Polito]

Oh, okay.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Simon Polito]

All right. Yeah. Remember, it was Manny's. He.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah, it was Manny's. Yeah. No, the guy that bought it, you know, from China. And so, you know, I've never met him.

[Simon Polito]

Okay, interesting.

[Unknown Host]

Just. He's just got a bunch of people that work for him and manage his cars.

[Simon Polito]

Oh, nice. Perfect. Hey, if it makes some money.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Simon Polito]

Anybody. Good luck.

[Unknown Host]

I don't think he's making money from that. I think he's. I think he should set up a museum down there, though.

[Simon Polito]

That would be cool.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah, it's good.

[Simon Polito]

It's a good area for it.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Simon Polito]

But, yeah, man, we have fun. It's all about just making people feel comfortable and reminding them it's not a stress for. It's not a stressful experience. We're here. To be honest, we're here to clean up the name our industry has, and that's what we're really trying hard to do. Like, there's a lot of people that. And I agree, there's a lot of bad agents in our industry, a lot of unethical practices happening, and just. I'm trying to change the way that we're looked at by the public.

[Unknown Host]

And there's not a lot of, like, really high achievers. Like, you're one of the few that really, like, just dominate.

[Simon Polito]

So I mean, I'm trying. I've still got a long way to go. You know, honestly, I'm nowhere near. I'm nowhere near. I never. I don't think I'll ever be happy with where I am.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah, I'm. I'm just scratching the surface of success.

[Simon Polito]

Exactly. And as a business owner yourself, you understand, it's like there are days when people don't see us crying and struggling to see how we're going to make this work. And then the next day when they see us winning, they're like, oh, yeah, you're killing it. Right. But there's highs and lows and tribulations when you come as a business owner and it's sacrifices you make. You know, you got four kids, I got three kids. You.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Simon Polito]

I'm sure if we were here without kids, we'd be having a different conversation. We'd probably be taking a few more risks.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Simon Polito]

But right now we're a bit more reluctant to take those actually.

[Unknown Host]

I'm still very. I'll still take risks all day.

[Simon Polito]

Me too. But not maybe not as many as I would have taken before.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Simon Polito]

Because at the end of the day, we've got more mouths to feed.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Simon Polito]

I got a lot of hinging on our success to survive. And especially out here in Orange county where it's not cheap to survive out here.

[Unknown Host]

You've got very expensive. Your suits have to be paid for somehow.

[Simon Polito]

So I used to. It's funny, last week I wore one of my old suits that I've had probably for about 20 years, maybe 15 years, actually. And I was raised in a very strict, traditional Italian upbringing. And I was not allowed to talk. I was. I was a very shy guy in general. And I never really had training on how to negotiate or talk to people other than when I worked with my grandfather at the fruit markets. So I used to get stitched on the inside of my breast jacket. Jacket. Breast was my confidence suit. And every time I'd go to an appointment, I'd give myself a little pump up. And I wore it last week because everyone thought I was lying about that. And I'm like, guys, here's the suit. And I also like, wow, you actually did have that suit that had my confidence suit on. Yeah. That's what gave me the confidence to go out there and talk to people because I believed in myself.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Simon Polito]

If you don't believe in yourself, it's not going to work. They're not going to believe you. If you don't believe in you either, it just doesn't work that way.

[Unknown Host]

You got to bet on yourself every time.

[Simon Polito]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

And you continue to because you show up every day. It doesn't matter, rain or shine, highs or lows, heat or cold. In the. In a suit.

[Simon Polito]

Well, I took my tie off for you. I wanted to make you feel a little bit more comfortable. But I'm normally very strict on wearing a tie. Even though it might be a thousand degrees outside, the jacket stays on. You know, I was raised that way. My last boss in Australia was very strict on me. If I had even gone in with this much facial hair, my shoes weren't polished. I was sent home and told, don't come back tomorrow. You don't have a job here.

[Unknown Host]

Wow.

[Simon Polito]

Like, it was very. Sydney's, like a very New York location. As far as the mentality goes, it's business. You know, you go to New York, everyone's dressed in nice suits, West Coast, a bit more relaxed.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Simon Polito]

And that's why people give me. They give me a bit of flack about, you know, why do you dress that way? You're. You're a bit of a snooty guy. No, I'm not snooty. It's my point of difference, people. No one wears a flower. I wear a flower every day. It's my thing. I wear colorful socks every day. It gets people to talk to me. No one knows I have an accent until they talk to me. And everyone's got a story. You've got a great story. Right. And I'm intrigued to learn more about your family, you, who you are as a person. Because for me, it's not just about having a business relationship with someone's having actually connecting on a personal level. And that's why I say to people, I'm not a salesman. I'm a trusted advisor. And only where I can advise you is if we have trust. So I've got to earn the trust.

[Unknown Host]

You gotta have a podcast if you want to meet, like, the best people.

[Simon Polito]

Absolutely.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah. That's the next step for you.

[Simon Polito]

Yeah, it's in the works.

[Unknown Host]

So one hour. I. I don't get to get. I get one hour of the coolest people's time all the time.

[Simon Polito]

Look, I mean, I don't need.

[Unknown Host]

I don't need a. I don't even need them, like, to join a, you know, a masterminds group or anything. That's like, I get coaching for free like a couple times a week.

[Simon Polito]

That's pretty cool. Right?

[Unknown Host]

Right.

[Simon Polito]

But it's also who you are. Right? You came with a Before I met you, someone said to me, I got to introduce you to the guy inside. He's a beast.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Simon Polito]

And I'm like, okay. I didn't know what he meant by beast. Like, is he scary looking guy? Is he a work base? But it turned out you're a work base. Right. You're huge in what you do. You're well known, you've got a great following, and it's a real legit following of people who actually genuinely want to know more about what you're doing. And I've been watching your videos and I'm like, I've been telling. I'm so excited to go on this podcast because I really do look up to you in a way. Like, you are someone who's making moves. You're doing it happily. I've seen you in a personal setting, like at the Elks with your family. Yeah, I know you're real. It's not a show. I mean, and that's just really cool because I don't see that very often here. A lot of people are very closed. They keep their business separate to their personal.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Simon Polito]

And I think that maybe it's an immigrant thing as well. Where we. I was raised, the door's always open, neighbors come in whenever you want. There's always food.

[Unknown Host]

Transparent.

[Simon Polito]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

You know, and a lot of that's like, we're very faith based, you know, Orthodox Christian, Coptic Orthodox Christian. So it's like.

[Simon Polito]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

Grew up dirt poor.

[Simon Polito]

So it's like my dad was very successful and lost it all in 1990. Actually, my first ever auction experience was when they foreclosed them. My dad and auctioned our house off. And I promised myself I would never work in auctions. And here I am now an auctioneer, but again, trying to change the mentality of how it's done.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah. Now, a couple last questions. Now, this is about family. Kids, you know, you are fortunate, like we said, to. To grow. We. We started the conversation with this and I didn't want to because I usually close off the. The podcast with these questions. But you're fortunate enough to grow up as an immigrant, poor, etc. Your kids, on the other hand, are growing up here in Orange county, affluent, yada yada. They don't have that same resilience and the same landscape that you grew up in. So how are you as a father, instilling that same level of grit that was instilled in you as a child, into your children?

[Simon Polito]

It's something I'm trying very hard with and I'm somewhat battling at Times, truth be told, my. My. My kids were the first great. Were the first grandkids of the. Of. Of their. Their mother's side of the family. And they were very spoiled. Not because. Not because it was done intentionally just to make them a bad person, but everyone loved them. They were the first ones. They got everything right.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Simon Polito]

And I. I noticed this at an early stage. I was like, we're setting up for disaster here. And it really didn't kick in until I went back to my dad's village in Italy, and I went to where my dad was born, and his cousin now lives in that house. And they've got some kids and they. One of their kids, my cousin Massimo, he was playing in the backyard with this truck that only had three wheels and was covered in concrete and just, like, it was half broken. And he was the happiest kid on earth playing with this toy. And I just thought to myself, that breakthrough moment was like, holy crap, my son's going to go back to a room packed with clothes, toys, things to do, and he's still not grateful. And this child, my cousin, is so in love and having the time of his life with one thing. And I said, from that moment on, I was like, I want to make sure that we don't raise our kids to be superficial, expecting, and they've got to earn it. So, like, right now, I say to my son, if he wants, like, he wanted me to buy him a Lionel Messi jersey into Miami Jersey. And he's like, papa, just go on Amazon and just buy it. Use your credit card. I said, it doesn't work that way. His name's Elvis. I said, elvis, it doesn't work that way. I tell you what, I'll make a deal with you. When Papa sells a house, we'll go get a reward. So what I'm trying to teach him is, like, you've got to work towards something to be able to reward yourself. Same way I used to buy my suits. I wouldn't buy a suit until I closed the deal. I started in the industry wearing the same suit for two years. I didn't have money. I had one shirt. I'd iron and wash it every day just because that's all I had. And it wasn't until I made some good money that I was able to go get a new wardrobe and look better. But I'm trying to teach that same method to my kids, is like, you've got to earn it. It's got to be a reward system. And you've got to understand that the dollar just doesn't come out of nowhere. You've got to work for it and appreciate it. So it's something I am struggling with because, again, around this location, there are a lot of trust fund kids. There are a lot of kids that are spoiled. And I see it every day. I'm sure you see it when you take your kids to school or they're around other kids. There's some kids, you know them, when you see them, that you know they will never have to work a day in their life. They don't appreciate it. But you. I want to raise my kids to appreciate the dollar, respect the dollar, and respect who they are as a person, that they earned that money.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah. It's something I. I'm always on a quest to figure out their entrepreneurial journey, how they're gonna grind, what they're gonna do. I asked lots of questions. I asked my guest questions because it's something we, my guests, all deal with.

[Simon Polito]

Yeah. And if you have any advice, tell me. I mean, yeah, I'm gonna learn off you is what we can learn off each other. That's why I found it really hard to make good, genuine people here.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Simon Polito]

Unfortunately. And I'm not trying to put anyone down. I just haven't connected with people. I guess a lot of people think I'm weird. I think they're weird.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Simon Polito]

But just different cultural upbringings. And I'm very open and I like to talk to people and I like to understand who you are as a person and how can I help you. Because in turn, if I know if I can help you, there's probably something that you could do or show me or share with me that would help and change my life.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah. Yeah. That's the servant mentality.

[Simon Polito]

Absolutely. And we are. My grandfather always said to me, always when I was born, always be there for the people and always give with two hands. I couldn't understand why. Two hands is. One is to take and one is to give. A lot of people forget about the give, the give part. They're just out there to take.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Simon Polito]

So if you're giving, and it might be. You might. You might have an empty hand with. On the take side for a while. But as long as you keep giving, that hand is always ready for when it comes to you.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah. Just. You know what? Don't even worry about. Just do God's work. It's very simple. Do God's work. Don't even worry about whatever. Like, God will provide. He will, and he'll provide 10 times more.

[Simon Polito]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

So Just give, give, give, and it comes.

[Simon Polito]

I mean, I see you walking along Newport Peninsula, along the beach.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Simon Polito]

You know, you're giving out cool stuff to kids. I saw you PS5, you had the Nintendo Switch.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah, yeah.

[Simon Polito]

The oculus glasses. And I'm like, that's a really selfless act. And like, some people would look at it but like, oh, this guy's showing off that he's got money. I'm like, no, I didn't, I didn't see that in any way, shape or form. I was like this. Giving.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah, we try to give as much. Yeah, we try to give as much as we can, man. It's. You, you, you get. When you give a lot, you get a lot of haters.

[Simon Polito]

Of course. Jealousy.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah, you get a lot of haters. And it's. It happens. I see the. I have a friend who does the biggest toy drive in the world, you know, and, you know, and, and people. You're like, how can someone hate on him? He's doing the biggest toy given his soul. All he does is give and give and give. Christ was crucified. All he did was give.

[Simon Polito]

Right. People forget that.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah, people will. But you're not there for the people. You're there to do God's work. Absolutely.

[Simon Polito]

That's something I've really connected strongly with. In the last six months to a year, I really connected again with God. I was raised Catholic, my mother's Greek Orthodox and my ex wife Muslim background being Iranian. But we but converted to Catholicism when we got married. And I'm a big believer. I was an altar boy growing up. I've always been connected with God and I don't preach it on people, but I've made significant prayers in my life that have really actually happened, which makes me 100% a full believer that he's there. He's a very power. I make a goosebumps saying this. His power is unstoppable.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Simon Polito]

And the sky's the limit as long as you are open to following the path that he provides you with.

[Unknown Host]

That's right. That's 100% no resistance.

[Simon Polito]

And that's something I used to put up for a long time. I put up resistance because I questioned it.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Simon Polito]

Since I learned not to question man, things came to me, you know, a.

[Unknown Host]

Lot of people have that doubt, you know, still. You, like the disciple Thomas, had doubts. Actually. This Sunday's doubting Thomas. Sunday after the resurrection, it's like, I don't believe you resurrected. Show me, show me, show me the wounds. Here you go.

[Simon Polito]

Here they are. They're right there. So, I mean, it's just about where you are in your life.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Simon Polito]

You know, I think sometimes, like I joined a couple of men's group that we do Bible study. It's not like we have to do homework and recite lines, but we talk to each other, we help each other out.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah. Men's groups are great.

[Simon Polito]

And it's something I was struggling with until I found this group. I love it. We do on the second Tuesday every month. And some of these guys, I look at them when I first saw them, like, this guy's look strong and burly. Big beards, you know, big. You know, they look solid and they break down because we don't have a place to go to.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Simon Polito]

Is. If anything, people might judge me for saying this. This is the worst time in history to be a white straight male.

[Unknown Host]

Well, yeah, the white straight male, Republican male is the most hated man in the world right now.

[Simon Polito]

We got a lot of things up against this right now. There's a lot of haters. And when they see us succeed, they want to bring us down. So it's about finding the people that support you on the journey up.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Simon Polito]

Rather than trying to weigh you down. And I've cut a lot of people out of my life, which was hard to do, but in doing it, I've actually feel a sense of relief.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Simon Polito]

Weight off my shoulders is gone. And I can actually focus on the people that do care for me.

[Unknown Host]

And you can focus on people who you want to get to know.

[Simon Polito]

Absolutely. Like yourself.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Simon Polito]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

And I've kind of taken that same approach. And now I get to surround myself again around the people that you know most intrigued by. A couple last questions. This is a three pronged question. What's a personal goal that you have for yourself, a business goal that you have for Reca auctions, and a goal that you have for the family?

[Simon Polito]

For myself, I'm working on my inner peace. That's a big thing I'm personally trying to work on. Just to have more confidence in myself, to believe in myself and to. I'm consciously trying to be a better person. Not that I'm a bad person, but be a better person.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah. It's a lifelong quest.

[Simon Polito]

Absolutely. That's my personal. That's my personal goal for business is to take Reca nationwide. You're currently only in California. I've got all the tools ready to go nationwide. We're in the process of looking for funding to be able to take it nationwide. I've got everything All I gotta do is flick the switch or press the button once I get the funding in and we're ready to go live nationwide. That's a big thing I've been working on for six, seven years, that it's finally coming to the point where people want us and we have the tool that they need. So I'm really excited to grow that. And then. So last question was family, goal, family, go. I really want to be able to buy a house for my kids, to have a proper house to live, man. That's the goal. And I want to be able to give them the best life I can. And that doesn't have to necessarily mean I buy them everything they want. It means just give them the best life with love, with education, and just with reassurance that they're on the right path.

[Unknown Host]

And last question for you. When you're in front of the pearly gates, what do you think God's gonna tell you?

[Simon Polito]

You're lucky I didn't bring you here earlier. I like that question. It's a good one. Yeah. He's probably gonna say, look, I've cheated death a few times. I've had a few scares. And I honestly believe God did those moments to me to make me realize that I have still a purpose in this world. And he's gonna be. When he sees me, he's gonna be like, yeah, that time you almost died, I saved you. And I really feel he's gonna say something like that to me.

[Unknown Host]

That's right. He will.

[Simon Polito]

He will.

[Unknown Host]

And he'll.

[Simon Polito]

And he has.

[Unknown Host]

He did. He got.

[Simon Polito]

He.

[Unknown Host]

He always saves us. You know, at the times you're like, this is it.

[Simon Polito]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

So that's why we stay steadfast in the tribulation.

[Simon Polito]

Absolutely.

[Unknown Host]

Especially with business where it makes us so resilient.

[Simon Polito]

Amen.

[Unknown Host]

Well, God bless you, bro. I hope you hit every one of your goals. If people want to connect with you, they. They want to find you, how do they get in touch with you?

[Simon Polito]

Yeah, social media is probably the best way. On Instagram, Simon Polito, tpg, which stands for the Polito Group. Love to have you follow. Trying to catch up to this guy. I got a while ago, I got about one tenth of your followers, but I'm working on it.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah, yeah. You know, you gotta just. Just consistent. I'm, I. I post two, three videos. Five videos a day.

[Simon Polito]

Me too. Stories videos.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Simon Polito]

Reels.

[Unknown Host]

Yeah.

[Simon Polito]

It's very time consuming, but I do.

[Unknown Host]

I have a team. Thank God. But then I do my own thing. I have some. Some cool strategies.

[Simon Polito]

I record a lot of my stuff, but I send it to editing. They do that part for me. But I find when I do that natural, real stuff, people follow more and they're more engaging because they know it's real unedited. So, yeah, man, just social media is Simon. Simon Peto. TPG or YouTube. Simon the Simon Peto.

[Unknown Host]

Perfect.

[Simon Polito]

Yeah.

[Unknown Host]

All right. Well, God bless you, man. Hope. I hope you hit all your goals, and we'll be in touch.

[Simon Polito]

Looking forward to it.