263. Mary Bonnet: Selling Sunset star breaks down the unseen side of season 9, navigating the luxury real estate industry, overcoming dark moments, and the art of resilience

Summary

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Trading Secrets, Episode 263 – Summary

Mary Bonnet: “Selling Sunset” star breaks down the unseen side of season 9, navigating the luxury real estate industry, overcoming dark moments, and the art of resilience

Released November 17, 2025 | Host: Jason Tartick

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Jason Tartick sits down with Mary Bonnet, star of Netflix’s “Selling Sunset” and Vice President at The Oppenheim Group, to explore the business of luxury real estate, the realities and myths behind reality TV, and the personal and professional resilience Mary has cultivated through traumatic life events, massive career transitions, and high-stakes dealmaking. Mary shares insights on the fashion and branding expectations of luxury agents, the emotional and financial aftermath of a recent high-profile burglary at her home, the truth about social media earnings vs. real estate income, and unpacks hard lessons learned from financial abuse and relationship breakdowns. The conversation is candid, vulnerable, and rich with practical “trading secrets” for listeners navigating money, career, and life’s curveballs.

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Major Discussion Points & Insights

1. Behind Season 9 of “Selling Sunset” & Reality TV Editing

[01:49–05:57]

• Season 9 Recap: Described by Mary as “explosive,” but she notes she personally isn’t confrontational and was more pulled into drama than initiating it.
  • “I'm never explosive. I think that I was pulled into it more.” – Mary [02:05]
• Editing Frustrations: Season nine’s edit left Mary feeling misrepresented, with crucial context cut from scenes, confusing viewers and distorting her real-life persona.
  • “Season nine got... was not very good at it. Cause there was so much that was happening that either got cut out that explained what viewers got to see or happened behind the scenes.” – Mary [03:01]
• The “Flowers” Scene: Mary explains the infamous scene where she appeared upset over flowers was actually anger at production for orchestrating a stunt in her home right after a traumatic robbery.
  • “People think I was actually upset at Chelsea... I was mad at production... I kicked them out of my house.” – Mary [04:03]

2. Fashion, Branding, and Expenses in Luxury Real Estate

[06:35–10:04]

• High Fashion Standards: Selling Sunset started as real estate, but is now also “a high-end fashion show.” Outfits average at least $100 per episode, with some cast members spending much more.
  • “At least 100 [outfits a season].” – Mary [07:13]
• Smart Spending: Mary isn’t “bougie”—she leverages gifting from brands, saves on wardrobe, and emphasizes investing over spending for status.
  • “If something’s cute, I don’t need designer everything. I’ll invest it.” – Mary [07:24]
• Look and Success Perception: Attire and even the car driven signal competence and success to clients—even if, ironically, real ultra-wealthy clients can dress down.
  • “Even the car you drive is very important. Jason had to talk me into that one… It shows that you're successful.” – Mary [09:09]

3. Industry Realities: The Hustle, Mental Health, & Financial Risks

[11:35–14:34]

• Up and Down Income: Real estate is “not as glamorous” as portrayed; agents experience feast-or-famine cycles, deal with emotionally charged life events, and sometimes take on financial burdens to “look the part.”
  • “I think people don’t realize how hard it is. The show makes it look like it’s so easy... It doesn’t work that way.” – Mary [12:46]
• Management Role: Mary stepped down from management at Oppenheim Group, finding handling the drama “like herding cats.”

4. The Robbery Ordeal and Gritty Recovery

[15:05–22:22]

• Details of the Burglary: During LA fires, Mary and her partner attended a charity yoga event; burglars staked out her house, cut power, ransacked the home, and took jewelry, family heirlooms, designer bags, and even their dog.
  • “Three masked and gloved men... cut our power, broke in and took all my jewelry, my family heirlooms, 18 designer bags. My dog was missing.” – Mary [15:05]
• Aftermath & Police Response: Police were short-handed due to the fires and defunding—she was told to “call back in a few days.”
  • “I called 911, and they told me to call back in a few days. They don't have any resources.” – Mary [18:23]
• Losses & Insurance Nightmare: Estimated jewelry loss of $250,000; received only ~$1,500 due to lack of supplemental insurance, which her (recently fired) assistant was supposed to handle.
  • “I lost about 250,000 in jewelry. And then I got partial money back ... maybe 1,500 dollars.” – Mary [20:29]
• Community Response: Neighborhood established private security and flock cameras as robberies surged.

5. Home Security & Insurance “Trading Secrets”

[23:46–25:21]

• Security Tips: Place a sensor and padlock on your electrical panel—this can alert you if someone tries to cut power. Hardwire cameras (not just Wi-Fi) to avoid jamming.
  • “Have a sensor on your electrical panel... and hardwire all of your cameras.” – Mary [23:55]

6. LA Fires, Crime Waves, and Effects on Real Estate

[25:21–29:54]

• Insurance Crisis: Wildfires make fire insurance nearly impossible; high property taxation, high interest rates, escalating crime, and slow payouts cause a mass exodus from LA to states like Texas, Florida, and Arizona.
• Real Estate Slowdown: Market described as “as bad as I’ve seen it” due to combined devastation, policy, and economic pressures.
  • “This is as bad as I’ve seen it... It’s just a terrible, terrible time right now for real estate, at least in LA.” – Mary [27:51]

7. Resilience, Diversification, & Social Media as Revenue

[29:54–30:37]

• Multiple Income Streams: Mary makes more from social media in a down real estate year; she’s had years where social/digital brand work surpassed her real estate income.
  • “In a year like this... is it possible for you to earn more on social media than you would in real estate?” – Host “Yeah, definitely. And I have done that one year and it was even a good year.” – Mary [29:54–29:56]
• Numbers Shared: Social media earnings in a peak year approached $1 million.

8. Financial Abuse, Bankruptcy, and Hard Lessons Learned

[32:58–41:39]

• Prenups & Protecting Wealth: Mary is emphatic about signing prenups after her ex-husband took everything, ruined her credit, and left her bankrupt and abused.
  • “My ex-husband, I had to file bankruptcy and everything because I didn’t have one [prenup]. And he took everything, ran up a bunch of credit in my name.” – Mary [33:00]
• Separate Finances: Mary and her current husband do not share bank accounts. She shares candidly about financial and physical abuse from her first marriage, her process of starting over, and practical steps like locking your credit.

9. Luxury Real Estate: What Counts, Buyers’ Tricks, and Notable Deals

[42:25–48:55]

• Defining “Luxury”: Price points depend on market—often above $1–3M in LA, but context varies.
• Proof of Funds & Fake Buyers: Agents regularly receive fake proof of funds; even wealthy clients must verify.
  • “People just want to meet you, or impress their girlfriends... so creepy.” – Mary [45:32]
• Finance vs. Cash: For $5–10M homes, it's about 50/50 split between all-cash and financed purchases.
• Biggest Deal: Largest transaction closed: $35M, completed in about five days due to cash buyer agility.

10. Negotiation, Gifting, and Emotional Intelligence

[50:53–52:44]

• Client Gifts: Rare for clients to gift agents—usually the other way around. Mary once received a diamond necklace from a notoriously difficult client she'd ultimately helped through a fraught transaction.
• Therapist Hat: Sometimes, Mary needs to be forceful, set boundaries, and look out for clients’ best interests.

11. Trading Secrets for Buyers in a Shifting Market

[53:10–57:50]

• Operational Costs: Don’t overlook property tax, insurance, and maintenance; expenses can add up quickly.
  • “You have to make sure you’re preparing for that and you’re adding that into your monthly budget because it does add up.” – Mary [53:31]
• Negotiation Advice: Don’t offend sellers with lowball offers, especially in competitive markets; strong agent relationships and reputations go far.

12. Season 10 Uncertainty & The Future of “Selling Sunset”

[58:02–59:37]

• Status Undecided: Renewal depends on ratings; cast tensions and negative energy may threaten continuation.
  • “Netflix is extremely frustrated. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I’m not going to be involved in something that is so negative... If the attitudes can change... I’m in.” – Mary [58:52]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Reality TV & Authenticity:
  “Normally I think all of us are true to who we are... except season nine was not very good at it.” – Mary [02:53]

• On the Show vs. Real Estate Reality:
  “The show makes it look like it's so easy. Put on a pair of Louboutins, go strut in... it doesn't work that way.” – Mary [12:46]

• On Overcoming:
  “At least I had a home to get robbed. I actually ended up feeling lucky.” – Mary [19:31].
  “I'm not going to try and take anything of his. What you walk into the relationship with, you take out.” – Mary [34:57]

• Trading Secret (Closing Takeaway):
  “Treat others as you would want to be treated.” – Mary [60:22]

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Key Timestamps of Important Segments

• Reality TV Editing & “Flowers” Scene: 01:49–05:57
• Luxury Branding & Outfits: 06:35–10:04
• Industry Realities & Management: 11:35–14:34
• The Robbery Story & Aftermath: 15:05–22:22
• Home Security Tips: 23:46–25:21
• LA Fires & Real Estate Impact: 25:21–29:54
• Social Media Earnings vs. Real Estate: 29:54–30:37
• Financial Abuse, Prenups, Credit: 32:58–41:39
• Luxury Market, Fake Buyers, Big Deals: 42:25–48:55
• Negotiation, Difficult Clients: 50:53–52:44
• Home Buying Tips: 53:10–57:50
• Show Future & Trading Secret: 58:02–60:24

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Tone

Mary is candid, self-aware, pragmatic, and deeply resilient. She mixes industry wisdom with hard-earned personal insights and an open, occasionally self-deprecating sense of humor. The conversation is direct, empathetic, and unvarnished.

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Final Takeaways

• Personal resilience, diversification of income, and vigilance in legal/financial matters are central to Mary’s message.
• Luxury real estate is as much about perception, branding, and emotional intelligence as closing deals.
• Behind the glamour of reality TV and high-end real estate, authentic struggle, sharp business acumen, and adaptability are foundational.

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Find Mary Bonnet on IG, TikTok, and at marybonnet.com. Book: “Selling Sunshine.”

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(Compiled and structured for maximum utility for listeners and non-listeners alike; ad breaks and intro/outro sections omitted.)

Transcript

[Host]

Foreign. Welcome back to another episode of Trading Secrets. Today we are joined by luxury real estate expert in selling. Sunset star Mary Benet is one of the faces of the Netflix show. She is a VP, a senior agent at the Oppenheim Group. With over 50, 15 years of real estate experience, Mary has built a powerful career at the intersection of television and personal branding. Beyond the stunning properties and glamorous show, Mary's story is about independence, strength, business growth and credibility. How she used a massive global platform to amplify her professional brand, attract high end clients and expand her influence in an ultra competitive industry. Fresh off season nine today, we will dive into the business behind reality tv. The ins and outs of luxury real estate and how Mary turned exposure into an enterprise. We've had Jason on the podcast. I think we've had Michelle on the podcast. Mary, we are so excited to have you on Trading Secrets. Thank you for being here.

[Mary Benet]

Thank you for having me.

[Host]

We were talking a little bit before and I was like, literally you are the perfect guest. It's like pop culture meets money, reality tv, real estate, professional, which is a whole topic right now. And I think also I wrote a book on this called Talk Money to me and it's all about the intersection of love and money which I know you have had many stories with.

[Mary Benet]

I sure do.

[Host]

We got a lot uncover here in a short period of time. Okay, let's start with this. So reunion of season nine just came out, right. So and if for anyone that lives under a rock, it's trending on Netflix right now, it's in the top five of all shows. But for anyone listening that might have not seen season nine, how would you summarize it?

[Mary Benet]

Explosive.

[Host]

Explosive, yeah. Okay, that's a good word. Would you say you were part of the explosiveness? Because I didn't think that. I mean you had, you obviously had your ups and downs. We'll get into that. But like, I wouldn't say your, your character, if you will, your personality was explos.

[Mary Benet]

No, I'm never explosive. I think that I was pulled into it more. But I, I had an explosive time in my life this season with robbery and all kinds of stuff like that. And emotions were high. But, but no, I don't, I'm not an explosive kind of person. And I, I'm pretty much like, okay, let's. Are we done? Are we done? Let's move on.

[Host]

I feel like you're the mediator.

[Mary Benet]

I am. They call me mediator Mary.

[Host]

Yeah, that's, that's like, that's your, that Is def. Your. Your brand, your edit, everything you've done over the last nine seasons. Do you think that what we see of mayor. I mean, everyone on reality TV has an opinion of their edit versus, like, what the reality is. What's your take on what it has been and what it was on season nine?

[Mary Benet]

I think season nine, I was pretty upset about the edit, but normally I think all of us are true to who we are.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Mary Benet]

Except season nine got. Was not very good at it. Cause there was so much that was happening that either got cut out that explained what viewers got to see or happened behind the scenes. And then so I think everybody's responding to stuff that was happening. And then the way it was edited, you're like, that did not explain that at all. So I feel like fans are probably confused or they're like, where did this come from? Because it wasn't on there. And so I think it was a little frustrating. But, you know, is there. It is what it is.

[Co-host David Arnwood]

What can we do?

[Host]

I feel like the beauty of reality tv, though, is like, at least we have our own platforms that we could speak to. It was there one scene or one moment? You're like, that's. That just like, totally triggered. You're like, that is so taken out.

[Mary Benet]

Of context, I think. Yeah, there was the flowers moment where I got upset about that. People think I was actually upset at Chelsea.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Mary Benet]

Who gets mad about flowers? It's like, nobody. I was mad at production and I was yelling at production, and I never yell. And that was the only time where I'm like, I kicked him out of my house because.

[Host]

Yeah, that's the only time.

[Mary Benet]

Oh, yeah. I'm. I am a team player. And even if I don't like something, I do it. You know, I try to say, well, I'm not gonna say or do something that's not me. But I'll do it my way. Like, I'll say whatever I feel comfortable with. Because they do have a point that if I don't explain things, then the audience isn't going to know they're not in my head or they're not. Like, they weren't there during a conversation or something. So you have to explain it. That's it. It's a valid point. But my personality is. If I don't like something, okay, I don't like it. Yeah, move on. I don't have to talk about it. I don't have to confront someone because I'm not a confrontational person. And so season, it was just like, come on. I was like, this is ridiculous. And I was upset with them because I just got robbed. I was like, I don't want any surprises. Do not try to blindside me with anything today. Because they love.

[Host]

They love blindside. They.

[Mary Benet]

To keep you.

[Host]

That's how you get nine seasons, though.

[Mary Benet]

All right, I know. And this time they did it. And I was like, you guys, who's it from? Mary, who's it from? And I was like, I'm not doing this.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Mary Benet]

And. And because I knew they set it up. First of all, she doesn't know. Have my address, and she didn't know where my. Like, when we were filming to have them delivered, I was like, you guys are playing. Like, you guys orchestrated this. Like, no. And finally they admitted they did. And. But everyone thinks I'm, like, just overreacting and upset about flowers. I was like, I let you into my home, let you fill my closet, which is always off limits. And. And then they tried to pull one to start, like, stir up drama. And I'm like, I'm not playing these games. Get out.

[Host]

I'm surpr. And so, like, you. You're gonna figure that I. I am.

[Mary Benet]

And afterwards they were like, well, you. You could have just done this. I was like. And you could have just told me what you were doing.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Mary Benet]

Like, don't blindside me is what I said. You know, I always work with you. And. And you could have just done that. They're like, yeah, you're right. I was like, do you think I'm gonna respond well right now, like, with being, like, surprised with something? No.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Mary Benet]

And they're like, yeah, you're right. So it was just, I think, you know, it's a reality show, and it is what it is, but I think it's gotten taken very, very out of context.

[Host]

I feel like they need those checks and balances for. Yeah, guys, come on, let's. Let's keep it real.

[Mary Benet]

Yeah.

[Host]

You mentioned your closet. I think that's a good transition because it feels like selling Sunset has become. It's. It's. The real estate stuff's great. There's also good drama. But it honestly feels like at this point, it's like a high end fashion show. I mean, when we walked in, the first thing, I'm like, beautiful. You got this awesome, like, holiday type suit on. But, like, everyone on the. I think a lot of people watch it to get, like, fashion tips at this point. My question to you is. And I always ask this to, like, other reality shows when they're preparing for the show, if they're the leader, they're the cast. How much they spend on their clothing and things like that. Season nine, how much you spend an outfit. You think if you had to take a wild shot in the dark, at.

[Mary Benet]

Least, at least 100?

[Host]

Yeah, I would think so.

[Mary Benet]

Yeah.

[Host]

I mean, and that's like, do you guys ever behind the scenes say, like, hey, maybe we should just like not dress so high end sort of.

[Mary Benet]

Well, you know what? Because part of it's hair and makeup and we have to do. They don't cover any of that too. But I'm, I am not a bougie person at all. And I'm, you know, I'm just very reasonable with stuff. If something's cute, I don't need like design or everything. I'm like, carry a nice bag and you can have like a well made, whatever, like outfit. And we're only allowed to wear this stuff once anyway. So I'm like, I'm not spending that much money. I'll invest it. So. But we get a lot of gifting too, so. So I think it's really cool and I take advantage of it. Some of the girls don't, but there are certain brands I really like. I'm like, hey, I'll wear it on the show and tag you guys. And they're, they're excited. It's a win, win for everybody. So I just, I know. I just, I try to be smart with my money. I love it because, you know, I can invest it. I can go on vacation with it. I can run to Bali when a girl's driving me crazy.

[Host]

Bali's a good fly.

[Mary Benet]

First class to Bali. I'll take that money and go there.

[Host]

Why wouldn't you?

[Mary Benet]

I'll be very relaxed when I get back.

[Host]

I love it. I love one thing about, like the, with, with the industry. It seems like the luxury real estate market, like, like a Ryan Serhan here in New York City. It feels like the attire is part of the brand. Every job has things where you're part of the brand. It feels like the attire is part of the brand. But then also I think counterintuitive to that. There are a lot of buyers you probably work with that are like, I mean, look at like a, like a Mark Cuban or like a Steve Jobs back in the day who wore like literally the same outfit. Some of those people don't dress up at all. So does it. How important is, is kind of your look and attire in the luxury real estate market?

[Mary Benet]

Oh, it's extremely important.

[Host]

And why?

[Mary Benet]

Because they want someone even the car you drive is very important.

[Host]

Interesting.

[Mary Benet]

Yeah. Jason had to talk me into that one. He's like, you got to listen to me on this because it shows that you're successful, you know what you're doing. It gives the impression that you are. That you're a professional and you've sold enough homes to be able to afford this.

[Host]

Interesting.

[Mary Benet]

That's it. That's the thinking process, I guess, on it. But I think just being well dressed, it just gives off a good vibe. I mean, I think that people are drawn to people that have, like, a cool, professional look on our show. It's kind of funny because I see some of the outfits. I'm like, guys, we're getting a little out of hand. A ball gown showing like this. I know it's TV and it's about fashion, but a ball gown?

[Host]

Yeah, that's like, come on, like, next level.

[Mary Benet]

Unless you're going to the Emmys afterwards, like, directly from this showing. Maybe put on, like, a suit.

[Host]

Yeah, like, whatever. At some point, you got to eye roll a little. Yeah. When I think about where I was a year ago, there is no way I could have had the growth in mental stability I do today without therapy. And if you're thinking about giving therapy a shot, I'd highly suggest you consider Rula, especially when it comes to dollar and cents, which is what we talk about here on Trading Secrets. Finding a therapist is hard enough, but finding one who will actually take your insurance, that's where most online therapy platforms fall short. Many don't work with insurances at all, which means you're stuck paying the full cost out of pocket and paying for an expensive monthly subscription. The average copay is just $15 per session. Because Rula does things differently. They partner with over 100 insurance plans. That is unbelievable. With Rula, you can find the right therapist for you. Rula partners with a network of over 15,000 therapists and psychiatrist nationwide, enabling you to find your personalized solution and the right therapist for you. Thousands of people are already using RULA to get affordable, high quality therapy that's actually covered by Insurance. Visit rula.com trading secrets to get started. After you sign up, you'll be asked how you heard about them. Please support our show and let them know we sent you. That's r u l a.com trading secrets. You deserve mental health care that works for you, not against your budget. I mean, you've done this for over 15 years now. You had a leadership or had a leadership and then kind of like, stepped down as leadership. But you're still vp, right? Like, you've done.

[Mary Benet]

I'm the vp. I'm not a manager.

[Host]

Yeah, yeah.

[Mary Benet]

Because I cannot deal. It was not a real estate manager. It was a manager of. Of hurting cats like that are cast.

[Host]

Right.

[Mary Benet]

I mean, trying to manage these women is impossible. And I was like, I don't want this Dr. And I was put in the middle of it. Jason's like, well, Mary, you're the manager. Deal with it. I'm like, I know I don't want to. So, yeah, I gladly sat down from that. I was like, I'm going to stick to real estate.

[Host]

I'll stick to real estate. I'll be a vp. We'll get into a little bit what that manager was, because I know you had some even pushback from the people that you were managing being like, of course you got this role. You're their favorite, blah, blah, blah. But I'm curious about this. You've done it for 15 years. You've been in management. You've stepped back from management, but you have a ton of experience. You've had a ton of success.

[Mary Benet]

Yeah.

[Host]

You're saying that, like, part of the advice is, like, you got to look the part and then get a car and. And do these things. So, like, you show success, you've had it. Have you seen other agents then go buy these big things, buy these cars, but not have the success and, like, actually put themselves in a form of financial debt for trying to put on a brand that actually isn't backed by success.

[Mary Benet]

I'm sure that that does happen. Yeah. I mean, I don't. I. I know that people have. They will do it, and it's a struggle to. To maintain it. Yeah. That has happened because real estate is up and down, and I think people don't realize how hard it is. The show makes it look like it's so easy. Put on a pair of Louboutins, go strut in, flip your hair and be like, oh, my God, it's so beautiful. Sign here. And 100 grand in your bank. It doesn't work that way. There's a lot of hustle that goes on behind the scenes. There's a lot of unglamorous stuff that we have to do, and it takes a long time, and it takes a lot of patience because you're dealing with so many personalities, and most of the time, it's. You're dealing with people during either their worst moment of their life, like, they're moving or buying or selling because a divorce, having kids, like, getting Married or whatever. And it's like these are losing a job and so upsizing, downsizing, whatever. It's like those are very big moments in people's lives and, and sometimes they're very highly emotional. So you have to kind of dig through and be patient when your clients are acting out or not doing things in their best interest. I'm actually really good friends with probably the worst clients I've ever had. And there are some of my really good friends now. But I had to look at what was actually going on. The responses were not normal for what was happening. And so I was like, like, okay, this is a sensitive subject. There's something behind like I'm not understanding right now. And once I realized what it was, they actually bought me a diamond necklace at the. At closing.

[Host]

No way. Yeah. So you're like a part time therapist.

[Mary Benet]

Yeah.

[Host]

All right, we'll get into the nuances of your job and then real estate and all that, because I want to ask, but one thing we've already talked about is obviously jewelry, high end fashion. And you already mentioned the LA fires, which then alluded to the burglary, which was a huge part of the season. I mean, talk to me a little bit about. And again, for anyone that hasn't seen it, talk to paint the picture of like when you, when you found out that you were completely robbed, what that was like what you looked to first, how much went missing, the cost of all, like paint the picture for anyone that hasn't seen.

[Mary Benet]

Yeah. So it was during the fires and Romaine and I went to a yoga event. It was for charity. My sister is a yoga instructor. And so all proceeds from. For three different classes she had that Sunday were going to help with all the animals that were affected by the fires and all the. Yeah. And so I posted that a couple of the selling Sunset cast were going to go support and raise money for the shelters and everything. And I didn't say which one that we're going to. There was like 8am I think 12pm and 6pm and I didn't say which one we're going to, but apparently they were sitting outside my house and like sticking it out the minute we left. Our neighbors ended up getting the footage of them sitting like down the street watching for us. And the minute we left, they pulled up. Three masked and gloved men jumped. Two of our gates went in, cut our power, broke in and like took all of my jewelry, my family heirlooms. It was 18 designer bags. My dog was missing. When we got back, my little Pomeranian Thor. He was gone. And we got back in, and. And I saw, like, the side gate open, and I was like, that's. Baby. I was like, did you leave that open? Cause we're very cautious of it because of our dogs. And so went through. And then I saw one of the doors open. That was a door we never use, ever. And then I was like, oh, God. Okay, hang on. And I run in, and my dog's always standing right there. And I was, like, screaming. The lights wouldn't turn on. And when I went in, I saw, like. Like to the left, my office. At first I ran. No, I ran back out. And I said. I was like, remain. Thor's gone. He's gone. And he's like, no, he's in there somewhere. He's just sleeping. I was like, no, he's gone. Because he always comes. I was screaming his name, but I couldn't see in any other rooms because the light. The power's off.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Mary Benet]

Went into my office, and I saw it was just ransacked. Went into my closet, which my dog will normally. Like, sometimes he will go in and lay on my clothes when we're gone. But I couldn't see anything. It was destroyed. Everything was gone. I saw on my jewelry case, there's, like, an island in the middle, and all my jewelry is out on display. And they. That was all gone. They got in my safe. Like, the whole closet was destroyed, Everything off the shelves and everything like that. And then our bedroom, they went in there and went through all of our drawers and everything and pulled things out and. And stole all my husband's jewelry and. And everything, too.

[Host]

Unbelievable. When you first saw that, did you at all think it might have been personal inside job with professionals? Or, like, what was going through your head as far as, like, who did this? Who's responsible?

[Mary Benet]

You know, every scenario, my head. The fact that they knew where the key was for my safe was very strange. But then afterwards, our neighborhood got robbed. Like, there was somebody that got robbed nearly every night because there were no police. The police had been defunded. The ones that we did have were out helping with the fires and trying to secure the areas out there. And So I called 911, and they told me to call back in a few days. They don't have any resources.

[Host]

Help. Seriously, you call 911 and that's what they said. That is unbelievable.

[Co-host David Arnwood]

Yeah.

[Mary Benet]

And so my Jason, thank God, he had just given a bunch of money for the. For the new DA for his campaign.

[Host]

Sure.

[Mary Benet]

And so he called him up. He's like, excuse me. He's like, you need to get officers out to her house now. These are our. We share dogs.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Mary Benet]

You know. And he's like, you need to get someone out there now. And he was like, I'm so sorry. Okay, hang on, let me see what I can do. And so. So eventually that night, someone came out. They never caught them. They never like, really, it was sad. But we went to the police station. I don't blame the police at all because they are in a lose lose situation. They don't have enough resources. They want to be able to help, but then it takes them so long, they don't have enough cars. By the time they get there, they get yelled at or people are threatening to sue because of stuff. And he's like, we don't know what to do. And then I don't know what to do. Everyone's just in the loose, loose right now. And then these poor people that are losing their homes. I mean, it's. Yeah. At least I had a home to get robbed.

[Host]

Right. It was just like, I mean that it's tough to find light and darkness, but like, if you're going to find light and darkness, what a. What a good perspective to do. So.

[Co-host David Arnwood]

Yeah.

[Mary Benet]

I just can't imagine what they went through because losing that small amount of stuff, like it's. And the invasion of someone. It's safety more than anything.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Mary Benet]

You know, and. But then to just lose. Lose everything all at once.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Mary Benet]

And have no place to go. Insurance companies aren't paying out and stuff. It's like I can't imagine. So I feel lucky. And in hindsight I feel lucky.

[Host]

But some of this stuff, like fairly family heirlooms are invaluable. Right. But like if you had to put a number on how much you think was taken from you, how much you think was robbed from your house.

[Mary Benet]

It was. Well, I didn't get any of the jewelry stuff back because I just fired my assistant two weeks before because she never got my supplemental jewelry insurance.

[Host]

Damn. Because with supplemental jewelry insurance you have to like go through item by item. And I already had support the documentation, like it's a whole process.

[Mary Benet]

And that's why I was like, I need you to go get everything appraised because I had photos, I had itemized everything and I needed her to take them. I was in Egypt. I needed her to take them while I was out of town to make sure because it still wasn't done. And I ended up firing her over that. And then I got wrong. So I lost about 250000 in jewelry. And then I got partial money back for a couple items. I think what, fifteen hundred dollars I think is what I got back for jewelry.

[Host]

You're kidding. I'm like, you lost 250000 in jewelry and got 1500 back? I think like, I don't know. You have a take on. I think insurance is like the biggest scam.

[Mary Benet]

Well, it's good to have insurance.

[Host]

You gotta have insurance. You have to have insurance, have insurance. Feels like every single time I'm paying insurance, my premiums are going up. I still get confusion about what's actually covered, what's not.

[Mary Benet]

Yeah.

[Host]

When you do want supplemental insurance like watches and stuff covered, you have to jump through 8, 000 hoops.

[Mary Benet]

Exactly. My. Yeah. My role, my watches, like we're all taped.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Mary Benet]

But I did get the money back for the bags and some of the clothes.

[Host]

There we go. There's a good insurance story. And still to this day, do we have any idea or leads as to who did it?

[Mary Benet]

They caught one of the groups that did one of our neighbor's homes and we have a neighborhood watch now and private security that will drive around that's armed to try to help. Like at least hold them until the police can arrive. So we all kind of banded together. We also have something called a flock camera that where the foot, the feed goes directly to the police. So if somebody calls they can tap into it and see exactly where they are and see where they're taking off to to try to like stop or get a helicopter above because it happened so much. There were like 17 robberies and like a very short amount I think in the one month period.

[Host]

Here's a trading secret for you. Listen, we all know that as the weather changes, we need to change what we're wearing and how we're wearing.

[Mary Benet]

But we need to do it at.

[Host]

An affordable price because we all know apparel is so overpriced. So Quint has the kind of fall staples you can actually wear, wear and repeat. Like 100% Mongolian cashmere, sixty dollar classic fit denims, real leather wool outerwear. Here's the thing. Like, like I will tell you this. When it comes to buying clothes, I'm also so specific because there are all these labels out here and they're so overpriced. But with Quint you can actually get extremely solid quality and you don't have to worry about what the trends are because they will shop the trends for you and they do it at such an affordable price. That's why I always have Quint as an advertiser on Trading Secrets. It's great quality, it's up to speed with the trade trends, but it's priced affordably. Layer up this fall with pieces that feel as good as they look. Just go to quince.com trading secrets for free shipping on your order. And here's the deal. Try it on, see if you like it. 365 day returns now available in Canada too. Just go to Q-U-I-N-C-E.com trading secrets for free shipping and 36065 day returns. Quince.com trading secrets unbelievable.

[Mary Benet]

Yeah.

[Host]

Knowing what you went through with insurance, do you have like any trading secrets as it relates to insurance or things you would do differently now, knowing what you know or just any takes on insurance?

[Mary Benet]

Yeah. So there's, there's something with your. Well, this isn't exactly insurance, but your electrical panel, when you have your, your security system and like ADT or whoever you've got, have a sensor on your electrical panel because when they break it or lift it up, it have a padlock on it and a sensor because when they lift it up, it'll trigger the alarm. And so otherwise. And then hardwire all of your cameras because they have WiFi, like blockers or something like that, and so they can stop the camera so you can't see them. Luckily, we had our neighbors all pitched in and they showed the footage so that we could help try to track them down. However, the plates on the car were stolen.

[Host]

All this stuff like that, like premeditated.

[Mary Benet]

Yeah.

[Host]

Like strategically thought.

[Mary Benet]

Yeah.

[Host]

Professionals that did it. That's good advice though. Like I think the, the little tap on your electrical box.

[Mary Benet]

Yeah. Because when they go in to cut your power.

[Host]

That's so smart. All right. Outsmart these.

[Mary Benet]

Yeah.

[Host]

I think one of the things you mentioned was like, of course the LA fires. Right. Because this impacted the burglary and then also deploying officers. I feel like on social media, every time I'm on still hearing so much about the LA fires as we should. And the one I'm hearing the loudest is Spencer Pratt. I mean, he is loud there. I was curious, with the LA fires, do you have a perspective on it living there or a take or anything that. How it's impacting business? Just things like that.

[Mary Benet]

Oh, it's, it's impacted business in, in such a monumental way. First of all, people just. It's almost impossible to insure for fires now and the insurance companies aren't really paying out that much or you have to wait for a certain amount of time. People are just moving out of the city. Between taxation, the increased taxation and stuff on property taxes and selling, when people sell their homes, developers aren't really, they're not able to make enough of a profit because of the taxation and so there's not as much going on. The interest rates are still high and then crime is up and there aren't enough police to be able to, to enforce the law and catch all of these people. And so a lot of people have moved out of LA and they're like, I'm not going to pay this much money to have my house robbed. And nothing happens. It's like, where's the security? Where's like, you know, it's just, it's. We're just in a unfortunate state right now in la and then a lot of the people that lost their homes have either decided to rent for a while or just move to a different area because it' taking so long to rebuild and their kids have to restart in a different school anyway because all of the Palisades burned down, like all of Aladina and, and part of Malibu and you know, there's a lot of areas that were destroyed and so if they have to change their kids schools and stuff anyway because the school's burnt down. Yeah, yeah. So they've decided to move. A lot of them are moving out of state to lower tax states like Florida, Arizona, Nevada, Texas, Texas, Nashville.

[Host]

Yeah, yeah. Are you. So are you seeing that ripple effect also impact your business? I mean, you look at 2021, it was booming, it was thriving. 2022, real estate was ripping. Are you starting to see a slowdown now?

[Mary Benet]

Absolutely. I started real estate in 2008.

[Host]

Okay.

[Mary Benet]

Yeah. When, like that's tough to start.

[Host]

That's a tough time to start.

[Mary Benet]

It is. But you know, I've always said, like, if you can, if you can do well, then you can do well. Anytime really is a time where you learn how to hustle. You learn what it means to really work hard and really, really dig in. And I would say this is as bad as I've seen it.

[Host]

Really?

[Mary Benet]

Yeah. I mean, it's just on top of all the devastation, it's not just the housing market, it's politics. It's a lot of things all combined that, that has just made it just a terrible, terrible time right now for real estate, at least in la. Orange County's doing great, San Diego's doing great, Other outside areas are fine, but it's just everything. It's like a ripple effect and it's just a tough time. But Angelinos are very resilient. The market is resilient in la. There's so much business that goes on there. So we will rebuild not only the homes, but the whole real estate industry and the market. It will bounce back, but it's pretty bad right now.

[Host]

Do you weather the storm or do you strategy strategically start making moves of like trying to sell into some of these states or areas that like, you're seeing higher demand? Like, what do you do?

[Mary Benet]

Both. I'm very lucky that, that I'm busy with. I've got the show as income and, and I'm a good saver. I'm not. It comes back into where I'm not bougie and, and I, you know, I don't have to have designer everything, like five star everything. So I'm a very good saver. I believe in investing and so I'm okay. But I also, I do a lot of collaboration work with different brands and I, I, you know, just have the show income to, to rely on too. But otherwise I have gone down to Orange County. I've got a couple clients that said, would you ever come down here to do stuff? So I've started, you know, learning more about the Orange county real estate and about the areas and stuff because. Because I go where the business says.

[Host]

Yeah, I am not the money. On Instagram, you got 2.1 million followers. Tik Tok, you have 476,000 followers. In a year like this, where you're starting to see real estate slow down a little bit, is it possible for you to earn more on social media than you would in real estate?

[Mary Benet]

Yeah, definitely.

[Host]

Significantly.

[Mary Benet]

Yeah, I, and I have done that one year and it was even a good year. But I, I earned more on social media. But this year for sure earn more between, between social media and the show.

[Host]

What other year was that that you earned more on social?

[Mary Benet]

I don't recall, but I've made a good amount of money from real estate that year. But it was a good year for social media. It was before they started doing micro influencers.

[Host]

Oh, yeah.

[Mary Benet]

And so then it was ripping. Oh, it was good. It was great.

[Host]

We traded secrets, we talk money. I have to at least do my job and ask. You can deny the question, but can you share how much you made? Like, what's the most you've ever made on social media? Media?

[Mary Benet]

I don't think it was over a million, but it was pretty close.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Mary Benet]

Yeah.

[Host]

All right, cool. Yeah, I Also want to ask you this. A real estate when you started year one. I always think it's cool to see where people started to where they got when you started in 2008 versus where you are today and, like, how people know you and the brand you've created. It's like night and day. So in that first year, though, when, like, I think it's relatable to a lot of our listeners as they're, like, trying to navigate the career, how much.

[Mary Benet]

Did I make my first year? Yeah, I got lucky because most real estate agents do not. I mean, if you sell one home your first year, that's pretty good because it takes a long time to build up clientele and to actually go through it and have it be successful closing. I sold three homes in my first year. I was in the Beach Cities. I sold one in the Hollywood Riviera, one in Palos Verdes, and one in her. No, one in. In Redondo beach, one in Hermosa beach and one in Palos Verdes. And then I almost sold one in Hollywood Riviera, but it fell through. And so that was. That was pretty good. I don't know how much I made. I think the. The Hermosa beach one was 2 million, was a 2 million property. The one townhouse in Redondo was maybe 900,000, something like that. And then. Then the Palace Verdes one, I think it was a small condo, and that was, I think, around 650something. So whatever the commission is.

[Host]

But still like that. Not a bet for a first year.

[Mary Benet]

For a first year, it was pretty.

[Host]

Good six figures, you know what I mean? Which I feel like.

[Mary Benet]

And in 2008.

[Host]

Yeah, and in 2008, I feel like that's. You were in the top 1% of all. Of all real estate agents that are out there. Yeah. We had Rebecca Minkoff on, right. Who is a housewife, and she. We talk a lot about love and money and stuff. And she talked about her prenup a little bit, and she introduced what I had never heard, which was called a floozy clause. And when she talked about it, ended up going super viral. But she said how she has a floozy clause in which if she dies or she's still living, if her husband marries someone else, even if she's gone, any access to, like, funds, trust funds, any money's immediately shut down. Like, immediately. It's called the floozy clause.

[Mary Benet]

Really?

[Host]

Yes. So I wanted to ask your opinion, one, on the floozy clause. And additionally, do you have a take on when it comes to love and money. I know you've been through the ringer. Do you have a take on prenups?

[Mary Benet]

Oh, I'm very for prenups.

[Host]

Okay.

[Mary Benet]

My ex husband, I had to file bankruptcy and everything because he. I didn't have one. And he took everything, ran up a bunch of credit in my name. I got back from London and found out my 820 credit score was down under 500. And I was like, how is that possible? And then realized what had happened. So prenups are amazing. I have one. And because our situation has changed quite a lot since the beginning of the show, when Romayne and I got married, we have additional things to it when we bought the house. I'm very fair, and I wanted to make sure even though I put down the money for it, I make more money. And Romaine's fine with that. Like. Like he doesn't care, but he contributes. He. People think we're saying he was a gold digger and stuff. He contributes and always wants to. He's a very stubborn, stubborn man. And he would never. I don't think he would ever try to take my money. But you never, never know. Separations and divorces are. Can get brutal. And people turn into people that they weren't before fighting for money. So we do have that. And. And basically it states that any money that I put into the house comes back to me first. If we sell it, then he gets like this, like, an amount that we both decided was fair based on, like, when we're in love and in a good place, what is fair? And then I think that's good because then you never know what happens. And you don't want to spend all your money giving it to attorneys. Like you want to do what's fair when you're in love, when you have the wits about you to not just try to destroy the person's life.

[Host]

Sure.

[Mary Benet]

I mean, it doesn't need to come to that. If the relationship's over, just move on.

[Host]

So it sounds like you got the fair clause in your prenup, but you don't have a floozy clause.

[Mary Benet]

Yeah, I mean, it's pretty ironclad, but I'm also a very fair person. And same thing goes with him. It's like, I'm not going to try and take anything of his. What you walk into the relationship with, you take out whatever is. And we still have separate bank accounts. We don't have joint bank accounts. I will not do that again. I was burned. And he understands it, though. He gives no problem. Like, with it. He has no problem signing any prenup amendments or anything like that. Postnup, really. It is.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Mary Benet]

But amendments, he's like, whatever you want, I'll sign it.

[Host]

I love it. Yeah, love it. And I think just having the conversation that the biggest issue is, like, so many people don't have that conversation. They're afraid to have that conversation. Just having that conversation creates so much clarity. So you're not, like, you're not wondering, what do you think? What do you do do? It's like, no, he's cool with it. I'm good with it. We know what it is. There's no question marks and no gray areas like healthy in relationships, especially with, with the money and finances. This episode of Trading Secrets is brought to you by booking.com I've got to say, if you're looking to grow your vacation rental business, this is the place to be. Booking.com is one of the most downloaded travel apps in the world. And for good reason. Since 2010, they have helped over 1.8 billion vacation rental guests find places to stay. That's billion with a B. But here's the thing. Thing. Most vacation rental hosts don't even realize they can list their properties on booking.com and if you're not on the platform, your rental is basically invisible to millions of Booking.com travelers worldwide. After all, they can't book what they can't see, right? But once you start listing on booking.com, your property gets seen by a massive global audience of unique travelers. That means more visibility, more bookings, and more opportunity to accelerate the growth of your rental business. And it couldn't be easier. You can register your property in a as little as 15 minutes. And nearly half of hosts get their first booking within a week. So if your vacation rental isn't listed on booking.com, it could be invisible to millions of travelers searching the platform. Don't miss out on consistent bookings and global reach. Head over to booking.com and start your listing today. Get seen. Get booked. On booking.com you mentioned that your credit was like an 820 and then it went to 500 and then you found out. I heard a little bit about this story how you. You and your ex went into business together, right? But you were watching over the accounts and he was. My understanding he's doing projects and just not recouping money, not getting paid. What happened to the situation where you were still watching over the accounts that at one point you didn't see like all the Stuff he was doing or.

[Mary Benet]

Well, because it happened after. So this was. So what happened with the business was there were, it was construction and stuff. And so there were, were two things back to back. One of them like they just weren't paying out and the other one they just got, he got, took basically a project too big for him. And you know, you lose money on certain things. The expenses are more than you expect. And then other people pay late and stuff. At the same time his father got cancer and so things were just. We were just watching it just kind of going down. And at that time it wasn't anything like he wasn't like conning me or doing anything at that time. I don't think he was just. He was a risk taker. And there was just two back to back things that were very unfortunate. And once we went to. We decided to move to London, just start over. Move to London. Because our relationship was also like if he, he, he became abusive and everything too. But at that time we were like, okay, fresh start, let's just try. I thought maybe being in a different environment, being around his family would like calm him down. Yeah, it was the dumbest thing I've done like, like to do that because it only got worse. He then had a sense of power being on his turf. And when he first moved there, everything was in his name. Until I had the visa disposal, visa in place and the N or whatever it's called. I can't remember until I had that. I can't open my own bank account. I can't have a telephone, I can't have anything. I was at his mercy.

[Host]

Damn.

[Mary Benet]

And he had all the money in his account and within that time.

[Host]

Which was your money.

[Mary Benet]

Which was. Yeah, which was our money at that time. But he took a bunch of things out in my personal name, credit cards and everything, maxed them all out that I never knew anything about. And because we were in London and they have a completely different credit system them there.

[Host]

So he just used your information.

[Mary Benet]

Yeah.

[Host]

And then like signed on your behalf.

[Mary Benet]

Yeah.

[Host]

Holy smokes. And that was while you were still married. Yeah, Gotcha real.

[Mary Benet]

So yeah, I didn't have a lot of recourse unless I sued him. But then I found out when I was back in the States, obviously broke because. And, and like he just like abused me like, like physically for like pretty bad. So I just, I bolted back to the States. I was like, I'm done and found that out. And so I'm like, yeah, I'm not having anything to do with him. I'M not going to charge him with anything or I didn't have the money to get an international attorney.

[Host]

Right. Because that's a whole nother avenue. Because he's in.

[Mary Benet]

So, yeah, don't share bank accounts.

[Host]

That's when. Before you went. I always like, like to dive a little bit into this because I think if someone can learn something from what you went through to prevent themselves to going through it on the finance side, that's like helpful and impactful. When you're in the States, when the, when the. What did the bank account start at and what did it go down to before you're like, we got to get out of here.

[Mary Benet]

I don't remember what it was in the beginning. I mean, it wasn't what they are now, but it was probably a couple hundred.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Mary Benet]

Or something. And there maybe something like that. Maybe I don't remember. So long ago. Yeah, but, you know, it's. Money isn't what it is now. But. But it was still. I felt like we were doing. We were just doing a good amount. I mean, you know, we could live comfortably having that in our account and stuff like that. And. And yeah. And then it went down to zero. I was working two jobs when I was in London. He lost his job. I was working two jobs once I was able to get a job. And then. Yeah, it was, it was kind of a nightmare. I love London, though. I still have. I still have a love for London, just not him.

[Host]

Yeah, screw him. And then your biggest financial lesson from that, like, what would you do then? Knowing what you know now? It sounds like a pre nump and non shared bank accounts. Anything else?

[Mary Benet]

Yeah, I would lock my. I would lock. Keep a lock on your credit. Unless. Yeah, it's. Because then they have to notify you if anybody does that. If I would have done that, that would have. I would have been notified because he.

[Host]

Was doing it behind your back with your information. So you wouldn't get any type of notice unless you had some type of credit lock on it. All right, that's a good lesson. So I'm sorry that you had to go through all these things, but you've obviously learned a lot of lessons and these lessons that you're putting out there are gonna help other people. Help other people. So it's experience will then create a legacy. All right, let's get into. We have just a little bit of time left with you. So I want to touch on real estate market. So in the luxury real estate market, I think we hear this a lot, especially on the TV Shows what does luxury stand for? Like what is the price point at which it then becomes luxury?

[Mary Benet]

I. I don't know if there really is actually like an exact number. Yeah.

[Host]

Is it like if it's over 2 million, it's luxury. If it's over 3 million, 5 million, like what's the luxury number?

[Mary Benet]

I mean, I think probably technically it's over. It's probably over a million means luxury or something. I think technically. But it depends where you're at in la. It's like true. You're not getting. You can barely get a condo.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Mary Benet]

Like, but I, you know, I think it depends on the area and what market it is. If you go to Indiana, you know, you can be guys reservoir. Because I'm from Indiana. So I, I could just pull this.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Mary Benet]

Out of nowhere. But you know, that's a very nice area. Carmel, Indiana is a very nice area. And so that's their luxury market is probably still under a million. I would think like it's by 1 to 2 would be probably max. I'm assuming that makes back in a while.

[Host]

What is your strike zone like in la? Like where you're like, okay, on the lower end, I'll represent deals here. Higher end, like, well, there's probably no ceiling. Right.

[Mary Benet]

There's the.

[Host]

What's probably the lower end?

[Mary Benet]

I think Jay Z and Beyonce bought one of the high end ones.

[Host]

Yeah. How much did that one go for?

[Mary Benet]

I think it was like 150. 200 maybe. Yeah, yeah.

[Host]

That's great.

[Mary Benet]

I know.

[Host]

But your strike zone would you say is where like your average.

[Mary Benet]

I mean, I think the luxury market, it's around, I would say 3 million and I would say 5 million is starts real luxury. But 3 million in LA, it depends where and what the house looks like, what it offers.

[Host]

Sure.

[Mary Benet]

You know, you can have a 3 million million house in the middle of Bel Air. That's a tear down. It doesn't mean it's luxury. It's in a luxury area and you're getting land value.

[Host]

Got it. You know that makes sense.

[Mary Benet]

Yeah.

[Host]

With social media where it's at, like you see all these people doing these tours and trying to get pictures of these house. And then there's celebrities houses. Do you have to go through a due diligence process? Like do you get like proof of funds before you show anyone? Is that always the case? Sometimes. How's it work?

[Mary Benet]

Absolutely. I have actually really good clients now. They're part of the Formula one family. And I did that to him and I was like, I need Proof of funds. I didn't believe him. He's like, I'm in town one day, cash. Da, da, da. And I was like, google them to my system. I was like, yeah, it sounds pretty fake to me. But then on Google, it came back. Ask him for a proof of funds. I want this, this, this. He's like, okay, start sending it through. And now he's so much fun. I'm friends with him and his wife and his kids and everything. But I told him, I was like, I didn't think you were real. I was like, send him over proof of funds. He's like, and I did. I know you're real, but there's a lot of times that they're not. They'll even send through fake proof of funds, and we have to then call the bank and verify their proof of funds. And people just want to meet you. And so they'll. Or impress their girlfriends, acting like they have the money to go, look what I'm getting ready to buy. Maybe you can stay with me. I mean, it's so creepy.

[Host]

Have you caught people sending you fake?

[Mary Benet]

Oh, yeah.

[Host]

No way.

[Mary Benet]

Oh, yeah. Yeah. We don't know what the point is.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Mary Benet]

I mean, besides just trying to show off or waste our time, maybe look cool. I'm like, how cool does it look when we find out that they're fake?

[Host]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Mary Benet]

I don't.

[Host]

Yeah. Majority of those, like, let's say at a $5 million home. I'm always curious. Over 5 million, what percentage would you say, just guessing. Of those buyers will take out a mortgage and finance it verse pay cash?

[Mary Benet]

Between 5 and 10 million.

[Host]

Let's say, like, 5 and 10 million.

[Mary Benet]

5050. 50.

[Host]

50. Some pay cash, some don't. Okay, interesting. And then what's the largest deal you've ever done in your career?

[Mary Benet]

35 million.

[Host]

Damn. 35 million bucks. How'd you celebrate with that paycheck?

[Mary Benet]

I don't know. I. What did I do?

[Host]

That's. That's a big.

[Mary Benet]

I don't know if I did anything. Yeah, I was probably too busy to. To be able to celebrate. There's been a couple where I want to celebrate. I'm like, I'm too tired.

[Host]

Yeah, too tired. We'll rain check this probably.

[Mary Benet]

I probably, at the time, just had a drink and cheers myself or something.

[Host]

I love it. Do you have. Of all the people that you've worked with, you already mentioned someone from F1, but all the people you've worked with, can you think of, like, the wildest celebrity negotiation? Wow.

[Mary Benet]

The Celebrity negotiation. I've worked with celebrities. French Montana. French's team was really easy and co. Cool, though.

[Host]

That's cool.

[Mary Benet]

Yeah, they were really great to work with. So it wasn't really crazy. Oh, well, I guess the 35 million house. So there was this old guy that, that lived there and the property that they bought was going to be renovated.

[Host]

Okay.

[Mary Benet]

But what needed to be renovated, they wanted to. And there's a house next door that his wife used to live in. Like they had adjoining properties where it was kind of cute and crazy at the same time, but they would walk through this, like, little secret passage to each other's properties. She ended up passing. And so he decided that he was gonna go ahead and get rid of the other one. So they got both of the properties together. People had been asking them forever if they would. If he would sell the other one.

[Host]

Sure.

[Mary Benet]

So we got the one down from 50 million to 35. And then at the last minute, because it was my client's birthday and something about that was, he was out on the boat and it was named the same thing as something else. He's like, this is a sign. I'll go ahead and give you both of them for, for this if you can close by the end of the day. And because we were like talking to him, we're like. And normally we, we don't ever let them meet each other or anything. We had them meet because we're like, there. I think that they're going to get along. And sometimes we'll do that. We're like, if we think that this could truly help, sometimes it can backfire. So you have to be very careful doing it. But we had them meet. They really like liked each other, admired each other. And at the last minute, we got my client, both of the homes for 35 million instead of 50.

[Host]

How quickly did you do that? That day you did a deal for $35 million in one day? How?

[Mary Benet]

Because he's got cash.

[Host]

Yeah, he's got a lot of cash. So just that was it.

[Mary Benet]

Yeah, we did the deal. They signed off well, I mean, I think technically they had to wire. They have to wire the fund. So the deal wasn't. Escrow, wasn't closed day. It takes a couple of days to close. Close. I think it was five, five days or something.

[Host]

Seven days, a 24 hour close on 35 million. I love it if you're dealing with hair issues like thinning or shedding, but feel totally stuck on where to go next and what to try next. Trust me, I get it. I've been there. There's so many products out there and it's hard to know which ones are actually going to do anything. That's exactly why I gave Neutral a closer look. It's not just height, it's physician for. Formulated, clinically tested and even recommended by dermatologists. I use it and my mom uses it. I mean go check out her Instagram. Her flow is absolutely incredible. Neutral is the number one dermatologist recommended hair growth supplement brand trusted by over one and a half million people. You could feel great about what you're putting into your body. Since Nutrafol hair growth supplements are backed by peer reviewed studies and NSF content certified which is the gold standard in third party certification for supplements. While many supplements rely solely on ingredient studies, Neutral clinically is tested for final formulations to ensure their efficacy using a variety of hair measurement tools. So see thicker, stronger, faster growing hair with less shedding in literally just three to six months with Neutral for a limited time, Neutral is offering our listeners $10 off your first month subscription and free shipping. When you go to neutrfol.com and enter promo code Trading secrets Just go to Neutral do and enter promo code Trading Secrets. Find out why Neutral is the best selling hair growth supplement brand@neutral fall.com spelled n u t r a f o l.com promo code trading secrets. That's neutral.com promo code trading secrets. One of the last questions I got you is you mentioned earlier that you had troubles with negotiating with someone or it was just like a tougher deal but then they bought you a necklace after. In the luxury real estate market, is that something that, I don't want to say the word expected, but is that a norm that someone would buy you a gift after?

[Mary Benet]

No.

[Host]

Okay. That's a rare occasion.

[Mary Benet]

Yeah, we get clients gifts, but they.

[Host]

That'S what I was thinking. That's why when. Go back to that.

[Mary Benet]

Yeah. Well, you can tell how, how difficult it was.

[Host]

Yeah, yeah. This guy was a pain in the ass.

[Mary Benet]

I believe they told me afterwards I was the fifth agent that, that, that they had. But you know, they're actually really lovely people. They're, you know, eccentric and very lovely. But it was, I have never yelled at a client before and there was at one point where, where I screamed at him like he's like pull out, I don't care. Because he, he was going to lose like he was afraid potentially losing 20,000 like on something that he was never going to lose that. Yeah, it was with inspections or something, but he already had the money in there, that was. That was. He couldn't get back.

[Host]

Interesting.

[Mary Benet]

And so he already signed off, like, to release the funds. And it was like 200,000. And I was like, no, we are not pulling out.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Mary Benet]

And he, he was like, well, no, I'm just. I'm not gonna lose this money. I'm like, you've already. If you pull out, you've lost this other money. But he was in such a frenzy or. Yeah, yeah, he was. He was so terrified and just like, like not thinking clearly. And I could see he was just. It was a moment. I was like, go talk to your wife. And I have a feeling you're going to, to, like, turn around. I'm not doing this yet. Talk to her first. He's like, no, I don't care. I was like, what do you think she's gonna say?

[Host]

That help?

[Mary Benet]

And he's like, I don't care. I was like, yes, you do. You sure do.

[Host]

There's another place I can help you with. Yes.

[Mary Benet]

And he was like, no, I said to do it. I said, and I'm telling you no. Take a moment, breathe, go talk to your wife and come back to me.

[Host]

Unbelievable.

[Mary Benet]

And so. Yeah. And he. My. She told me later on. He's like, he had so much respect for you from that point on because I was yelling at him. I was like, you're. You're your own worst enemy.

[Host]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Stop. You saved the deal and you saved.

[Mary Benet]

Yeah, right.

[Host]

That's where therapy hat comes on. Right. You did it all. I love it. All right, well, here's the deal. I'm. I'm in the midst of buying a home right now. Yeah. And I need a couple like, little trading secrets here. So give me some. Anybody that's listening to this, it's a buyer right now. My understanding is. Is a buyer's market. So are there any things that you would say, hey, look out for this, or think through this, or just a couple tips before we wrap here.

[Mary Benet]

Yeah. I think really, really consider the property taxes, the amount of property taxes, you know, you're paying them. But you really have to work that in to. If you're getting a loan or whatever, you have to make sure, like just budget wise, that you're accounting for that. Like mine, for instance, I. When I get back next month, I've got to fork out another 30 grand.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Mary Benet]

So it's like you have to. You have to make sure you're preparing for that and you're adding that into your monthly budget because it does add up. All of the repairs and expenses along the way. You know, a lot of people don't realize. Yeah, you want to pool, but do you know how much that's going to cost you per month? And a lot of people get in over their heads. I mean, in certain price points, they don't care.

[Host]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Mary Benet]

But I also have a lot of clients and you know, the 1 to 3 million price point. And when you're heating a pool and filling it and stuff every month and you're adding on an extra. An extra thousand bucks a month on stuff like that, it's like, okay, well, you have to, you have to think that through. Your insurance is higher. Your, like everything's higher. And so you have to make sure you're accounting for all of those small. What seems to be small.

[Host]

Yeah, the things you're not thinking about. Okay, one last. Is a selfish question, but on a listing price, like, do you have a rule of thumb as to. You can of course go in below listing price, but is there a rule of thumb like, don't go under. I don't know, I'm making this up. 20 listing price. 10. Like, do you have a rule of thumb with an offer like you're going to offend the seller if you go in under this percent of what listing price is?

[Mary Benet]

Yeah, that's. It's always so hard to.

[Host]

To navigate that.

[Mary Benet]

Yeah. Talk to people about that because they're like, no, just go low. It'll be fine. That is not fine. They're going to be offended and they won't even respond.

[Host]

They'll just be like, don'. Respond anymore.

[Mary Benet]

Yeah, but so it really depends on the situation. Like if there are multiple offers, if there's a bunch of interest, don't try to play that game. It's like, come into what is reasonable, but your best foot forward. But where, but where you still have a chance to. To work up a little bit because they're going to most likely come back to all people. Best and final offer. So don't play all of your cards right away because you never know if the agent that's selling, the listing agent has a relationship with another. Like if you're representing the buyer making the offer, you don't know if they have a relationship with somebody else where they could technically be like, oh, well, we got an offer for this, so you need to beat it. You know what I mean? So you have to be careful not to play all of your cards. If you have a good relationship with the other agent, feel that out and try to like Having a good agent is huge. It's huge because you have a name, you have a reputation already. You have relationships with the other agents where you're like, hey, listen, here's what it takes. You know, we work well together. Let's get this done. And so you can. You can really. They have trust and they have confidence that you're not a newbie agent that doesn't know what they're doing. And you're going to be able to have client control and get the deal done. And so, yeah, so having a good agent is important. People think that they can just get by going to. I mean, I'm just going to throw something out, like Redfin or something like that. Doing one of the agents where it's like a very small. I don't even know if that's the thing because we don't work with them that much. But where it's such a small percentage or list your home yourself or something like that, it's like, oh, God, you. I don't think you know what you're getting into.

[Host]

Yeah, yeah.

[Mary Benet]

So I think, yeah, having a good agent is. Is key.

[Host]

That's good advice. It sounds like it's. It's an art and it's a dance. Don't overstep and work with your agents. It is. Yeah.

[Mary Benet]

Yeah. And then. And then going in low. I mean, you can go in low if there's no. If there's no other offers or. Or if. Even if there is an offer. But don't be offensive, like, because if it's never. It's never going to happen. If the house has been on the market, though, for a. There's not a certain number. It's.

[Host]

It's just like, use your gut as to what is offensive. Okay. Okay. You'll know what's offensive if the.

[Mary Benet]

Yeah. If all the homes in the area, if all the comps show they've sold at this price and it's a very comparable home, then don't go in like, 200,000 under. Under. It also depends on the price point.

[Host]

Sure.

[Mary Benet]

So don't go in, like, significantly lower if it just came on the market. People are like, don't waste my time. And they get mad and they think, well, this is how you're going to be for the rest of the escrow. If they went into escrow. So you kind of have to, you know, it's walking a fine line on that one. Just see what you can get. Try to push it a little bit, but don't do it so much that they're going to be like, you're an asshole.

[Host]

Don't be an asshole. Last question I got before we get your two trading secret season 10, has it got greenlit? Are you gonna be on it? Have you signed contracts? Where are we at with season 10?

[Mary Benet]

We don't know, actually. We, we initially they want to pick up season 10. It all depends on the ratings. So three weeks after it airs is when we know if ratings are good enough for them to officially greenlight it. The cast right now is not getting along. So I don't know exactly what's gonna happen. Netflix is extremely focused, frustrated. I'm extremely frustrated. I don't know what's going to happen. We'll have to wait and see. I honestly think it just depends if people start acting like adults and if Netflix start or not. Just Netflix. I think like also Jason has a lot to do with it. Production has a lot to do with it. Poor Netflix is actually just sitting back. Like, will you guys please behave? Give me a great opportunity.

[Host]

Right?

[Mary Benet]

And it's true. It's like what, like what is happening. So I not going to be involved in something that is so negative and, and where. If it is ruining my reputation, like from just lies and, and stuff being put out there. I'm. I'm not interested in that at all. And I will happily walk away. Yeah, but. And focus back on real estate. But if the, if the attitudes can change and we can go back to being women and empowerment, like focused and being. Using our platform for positivity and good and, and to show women that you can do anything, you can come from anywhere and be successful. I'm in.

[Host]

I love that. I love that. Well, we'll wait. We'll see. I think in this just little hour, you clearly have demonstrated all that, what you've been through, empowered people through your stories, from burglary to financial abuse and, and everything else that you discussed. So we appreciate you're being on, but you got to leave us with a trading secret. So it's specific to your life, the way you manage finances, your career. It could just be a motivational quote, just something that either you live by or that you think is unique to you given your experience.

[Mary Benet]

I will say it again because I don't think enough people have heard it. It's. It's very simple. And I think the world will be a better place. Everyone will be happier. You'll be more successful and trusted in business. Business treat others as you would want to be treated.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Mary Benet]

Very simple.

[Host]

Yeah.

[Mary Benet]

And it's a universal thing. That wars would stop. Everyone would love each other. In business, there's no shadiness going on. It's like, you would, like, you can trust the people you're shaking hands with. At the end of the day, it would be a much, much better world if everyone just treated each other like they would want to be treated.

[Host]

I love it. I love it. And I think I always like to say, like, what is my trading secret? I think I learned. I think my trading secret, I think I learned is like, your life. It sounds like you are relentlessly willing to continue to put your heart out there. And even when you continue to put your heart out there and it doesn't work, you're still like, I'll fight for it. I'll go to London. I'll give it a shot. But then you can quickly, so fastly be resilient and adaptable. Be like, okay, that me up. It drained my bank, drained my credit. But I'm coming back, like, watch out. No one's going to stop me. And then you're going to learn. Lessons are going to keep growing. And I think in life, we all deal with certain scenarios where you have have to either, you know, stop and it sets you back or stop and it moves you forward and you continue to sometimes get hit in the face with a burglary or whatever and it stops. But it seems like you never move back. You just find ways.

[Mary Benet]

Art of resilience.

[Host]

That is the tagline right there. All right, Mary, thank you so much for training secrets. Where can people find everything you got going on?

[Mary Benet]

The Mary Bonet is on my ig on, I think TikTok and possibly even Snapchat. I'm not sure, but. And then I've got amerbonet.com and that's it. I think I.

[Host]

You have a book too we're gonna talk about.

[Mary Benet]

I have a book. Oh, my God. How did I forget my book?

[Host]

Don't forget the book. Selling Sunshine. We'll talk. We're gonna give a copy away. Stay tuned to the recap. We're gonna talk a little bit about your book in this episode. Mary, thank you for entering secret.

[Mary Benet]

Thank you.

[Host]

Ding, ding, ding. We are closing in the bell to the Selling Sunset episode with Mary. David, what you think? Talk to me.

[Co-host David Arnwood]

Crazy stories she had. She came with some stories that I'm sure we'll get into over this recap. But yeah, I mean, we've had some selling sunset folks on before season nine. Crazy little tidbits there about how she left us with a Little Cliffhanger Season 10 up in the air. The cast isn't getting along right now. Necklace. Netflix, a little frustrated, wants them to play nice. They can't get out of their own way right now. So a lot of juice, I would say, and a lot of interesting stories that I definitely was not aware of from the, the, the, the robbery, which I have more notes on that than I think anything from that to her story of her ex and in, in her in depth needs and desires for a prenup because of what happened to her. I, I was intrigued because some of these stories went deeper than I, than I thought when they were first, first mentioned. So that was my takeaways.

[Host]

Well, pop culture meets money. That's what we do on this podcast, right? We already know that since recording this episode, Chris Shelle Sty has said she will not be back for season 10. And there's a lot of, I mean you heard her all to it a little bit, but it sounds like there's just a lot of frustration between Netflix and the cast and the direction that the show is going to go. So who knows what will actually happen. But then there's that. Then you talk about, I mean, gosh, the financial abuse, the physical abuse she's been through in relationships. The, the robbery, like the, the resilience of Mary is just truly unbelievable. And again, like I said, my trading secret takeaway, she always finds a way to like, use the worst of the worst as a way to like grow to be better and have new perspectives. Perspectives. But man, there were so many nuances of that robbery and the financial abuse that she had dealt with that it was just, I was just taken aback. I didn't expect that.

[Co-host David Arnwood]

And the biggest takeaway of all that for me was the fact that she was able to start over on her own without what it seemed like help. Like she didn't have money for international lawyers to really go after her ex. And she was like, you know what? I'm just gonna keep doing my thing and get myself back on my feet, which was in crate, which was crazy. And then, you know, again, I'll probably touch it 15 more times that robbery story for the end of that robbery story for her to say, at least I had a home to get robbed. I actually ended up feeling lucky versus all the people who went through the feeling of robbery, which is their possessions being taken away from them and their house and everything else all in an instant really. It just crazy perspective and humbleness. And she is a warrior. Like she's a warrior. And in a lot of those Aspects of things that she's gone through that no one ever wants to go through in their lives. Not just both of those things. You know, one of those things would be enough for anybody in any of their lifetimes.

[Host]

Absolutely. Then you take all that, couple it with the show, which is pop culture, then couple it with the reality that we're living in right now, which is a huge real estate crisis. You could hear it in what she was saying. You know, they're, they're struggling a little bit. It's been a tougher year. You can see it. I'm in a market right now to buy a house and now Nashville, as you know, I have my place in, in New York too. David got that in September and I'll keep that. But I'm going to claim residency here in Nashville. So I could tell you, like in the market here, things are overpriced and sellers, it's a buyer's market and sellers are just sitting like they're, they're not willing to reduce their prices based on what they thought in their head they were going to get if they sold in 2022, 2023, 2024. That's no longer longer the case. It's just 2025 market is not the 2022, 2023, 2024 market. And you're seeing a lot of these homes sit for 60, 90, 180 days. So that's what I loved about this episode. We talked about some of those realities like we already alluded to and mentioned. But we're also dealing with the real estate crisis in the United States right now. It's interesting, you know, President Donald Trump put recently out a plan of his to do a 50 year mortgage. Now note which, you know, for me, politics aside, let's just talk about the matter at table. It's one that I just don't agree with. The reason I don't agree with it is because your total interest costs are going to be so significant over a 50 year period. And I think at the end of the day, it's kicking the can to what is inevitable, which is the problem we have with real estate right now. There's a lot of things, but the two biggest things are costs and the next biggest thing is supply. There just isn't a big supply of homes. So I feel like it's kind of kicking the can. And especially when people try and retire later with material debt that they're dealing with because of a 50 year mortgage, it's not something that I'm for. So that's what I loved in this episode though. Like we touched on what's happening in the economy today. The real estate market. Stories that, you know, we can all learn from through Mary's experience. And then you got the mayhem of reality tv. And my gosh, there was some interesting stuff, stuff there even about, you know, it's. I'll tell you, selling Sunset has become, like I said, it's a real estate show, but it's like a fashion show too. It almost has like a Real Housewives vibe these days.

[Co-host David Arnwood]

100 and, and just to throw a couple of those, some other elements we learned today that go into this real estate mess, people providing fake proof of funds, like the fact that's a real thing is crazy. And then you're getting into the mix. I said, I know you see it a lot in Rochester here where, you know, she said 50. It's about 50. 50 people who pay cash for people who go for a mortgage. A lot of these, you know, a lot of these different, not maybe, maybe not luxury real estate markets, but a Rochester market. People are just coming in and gobbling up homes with cash and, and you know, winning all those offers and paying over asking prices with cash and kind of knocking those people who need the mortgages and the 30 year mortgages, you know, kind of out of the races here a little bit. So there's a lot of factors I think of lot A think a question that I have for you too is like, who. Who is the person that's in the best situation right now when it comes to the real estate industry? Is it an owner? Is it a buyer? Is it someone who's looking to sell? Like who, who's in the best financial situation? Like am I in the best situation as a homeowner who bought in Covid, who has a 2.9 mortgage rate in 30 years? Like who or would I be better off off being, you know, a seller and selling my house because I, you know, I've almost gonna make 2x off it. Like, who's in the best position?

[Host]

The problem that you're having right now. And this first of all great question, that's why I love these recaps because those are questions, David, that people are listening right now that have, but they're afraid to ask because it like sounds one on one. And that's the beauty of what we do and how we do it. And I love it. One of the problems that we're dealing with right now is there just is not a big supply of homes available. And one of the reasons reasons are like Your home, it has 2x its value. The problem is, though, if you go and sell it today, where are you going to go? Because the price points are still so high, so people are in this paralyzed state of not doing anything. I think the biggest winners in this market are precisely you. And maybe I'm wrong with this assumption, but my assumption is that you guys are in a position where you don't have to move. You know, we got. We got two on the way. So you'll be a family of four here soon, very soon, very soon, but you don't have to move, right? You're in a home that you bought at a low price point. It's appreciated significantly. You have a very, very. You have the cheapest money. You're going to get 2.9% and you don't have to go anywhere. Like that is a. Your net worth is up based on the value of your home. Your interest rate is locked in at a rate that likely we'll never see again in our lifetime. And you have a beautiful home for your entire family to grow into. And by the time that you're ready for that next home, there will probably be a massive shift in the real estate market. So you're the ultimate winner. I think right now it is a buyer's market. I know that. I've studied it. I understand it. Buyers are getting a better deal today than they would have one, two, three, four years ago. And the biggest thing was back in, like, you know, Covid, 20, 20, 20, 21, 20, 22, 3, 4. There's so much shifting and where people are living and why and what they expected the future would look like. You would go look at, at a home and you would have to literally write your offer the second you stepped out. And usually going over asking price and you probably still lost today, these homes I'm looking, I mean, I went to look at 18 homes the other day. The average days on market for the homes that I looked at were 85. 85. And some of these people are sitting at eight months and they haven't lowered their price. It's like, buddy, wake up. You're not getting it unless there's a massive shift. So I don't know if that answers your questions, but I honestly think you're number one right now.

[Co-host David Arnwood]

Yeah, no, it does answer my question. Makes me feel really good about myself right now. Probably the only financial decision I've ever done that has. Has worked out my benefit.

[Host]

Well, bitcoin's taken right now, and I know we're still trying to Find your Bitcoin two years later.

[Co-host David Arnwood]

The only good, the only good time to have your crypto not found is when it's tanking. So it makes it feel like a little bit, a little bit better. But a question that I, I have too is in someone in my situation, like you said, it's, you know, if we were looking to take advantage of the equity we've gained in a new valuation of our house, we're just having to buy an overpriced or in a, in a market where I'm going to get a worse insurance rate. Is there any potential for hope for someone like me where rates go down but prices of, prices of homes kind of stay the same so that I can one day sell and take advantage of all the money gained, but then also move? And yes, maybe I'm paying for a, you know, a home that's also gone up in value, but the mortgage rate is down closer to where I could, you know, not have to eat such a big mortgage.

[Host]

You know, it's a, it's a great question. I don't have the crystal ball, but I do think there's going to be a shift in real estate. And when I talked a little bit about President Trump's plan of the 50 year mortgage and why I am not for it and don't support him against it, it's because, because it doesn't hit the crux of the problem that first time homebuyers have right now in the United States and majority of home buyers are dealing with, there just aren't enough homes right now and the cost is too high. So I think if you put a solution in like, you know, you put a little bubble gum and tape it up with a 50 year mortgage, sure that will kick the can. But eventually I think there will be some form of correction in which there's still inflation will happen and you will have massive appreciation in your home. But through that time, you'll also be able to save some money because you're, you're earning more, you're making more. I don't know if we've talked about your promotion on the podcast, but you got a little promotion going and you'll be in a better position. So I think time will come. Right now, again, it is a buyer's market, but I think you'll even find a better time to exit and then get into a new home. But listen, there's going to be people that disagree with me on this. There's some people agree with me on this. It's just there is no crystal ball. We don't know what's going to happen. We'll see what happens. And you know, it shifts fast, it shifts quick. I talked to someone the other day who's a big timer in finance, big, big time New York City finance person. Like decades and decades of material, material experience and you'll like this David. And we started to see it last week. He thinks that we might be living in this AI bubble where there's too much attention, there's too much money, there's too much going into it, there's too much buzz, there's too many investors behind it and it's not producing the impact that they expect it to and or it's just not going to produce the profitability. And no, we can't at all justify that there's an AI bubble now. But what we do know is last week when we saw start some of the financial results starting to come in, we saw that tech was struggling a little bit with profitability and the market took a material diplomatic. So who knows man, there's so much moving and shaking out here. We'll see, we'll see what happens.

[Co-host David Arnwood]

Yes, I did see that. Very interesting for the old school folks like us. So yeah, that was, I was a lot there, Jay and I, I liked, I appreciated all your, all your inputs and knowledge on that topic. One thing I'm, you know what this feels like a little bit of an old school recap where I'm just dumbing it down for the people a little bit. I do have one kind of definition. I haven't had a definition here in a, a long time but she was, Mary was talking about her, her breakup story, how her ex went in and basically signed off on a lot of credit cards, maxed them out, used all the, all the money and then obviously left her and her credit score took a massive dip. So not only she's starting on her own, she lost a lot of her money but her credit scores take is tanking and she said that she wish if she could have gone back and done anything she would have kept, kept her credit on lock or got a lock on, on her credit. What exactly is keeping a lock on your credit? What, what is it? How do you do it and why would you do it? Maybe for a different situation other than this.

[Host]

For sure. I love it. Well, there's credit monitoring and then there's credit locks and freezes. Essentially what all this jargon does in one is it helps protects again protect against identity theft by monitoring, stopping and just analyzing when new credit accounts are being opened under your your name. So if you had the monitoring in place and securities in place and locks and freezes, she probably would have seen when her husband was putting this credit in her name and it wasn't her. So at the end of the day you can do a credit freeze. It's completely legal, it's completely free and you can do credit monitoring. Monitoring which usually comes at some form of fee. But the biggest thing I would suggest, and you know I'm not getting paid to say this, I truly believe in the product is probably credit karma. I think it's a hell of an app. It's owned by Intuit and it's a great place to start with monitoring your credit, keeping all eyes on your credit and making sure that if anyone or anybody fraudulent is taking any form of credit inquiries in your name, you're getting, you're getting a notification on it and.

[Co-host David Arnwood]

There you have it. My questions always get answered. I said it before. Sometimes you come on to learn something. Sometimes come on to learn about someone. I think we kind of did both here. I learned a lot about Mary. I have some tangible takeaways. You pumped my tires and told me I'm actually in a good financial position and one thing in my life. So all in all, trading secrets episode 200 and whatever on success I would.

[Host]

Say we're ripping and roaring. We'll have to see what happens with all the moving parts, real estate selling, Sunset episode 10 and of course what's going to happen with AI I think I talked about it a little bit there, David. I gave you just a little touch of and go. But it is important to know that Michael Barry who famously shorted the US housing market before its collapse. That was in 2008. Remember the movie the Big Short? He is the one specifically who placed bets worth over a billion dollars on the against the share prices of the biggest AI chip makers in the world. So he nailed the short on the mortgage crisis. Will he nail the short on the AI bubble with the two biggest AI chip makers in the industry? We will see. But a Trading Secrets will keep you posted. There's a lot of action. We're going the holidays lot happening in our lives. Make sure to give us five stars. David. I'm excited to get through the new year and I'm even more excited for me to be in the hot seat because of course we have Jason tells All coming up here soon probably in January is who knows when we record but I think we could Both say from January 1, 20, 2025 to currently November. Soon to be December 31, 2025. We expected a twister year, and boy, did we get it. Any comments on that before we wrap?

[Co-host David Arnwood]

No, That'll be the first of many trailers. And we'll have lots to talk about, I'm sure, come January.

[Host]

Lots to talk about. David Arnwood, always good to see you. Make sure to give us five stars. And thank you for tuning into another episode of Trade Secret one. You can't afford that money Making that money money Living that dream. This is the story of the 1. As a maintenance supervisor at a manufacturing facility, he knows keeping the line up and running is a top priority. That's why he chooses Grainger. Because when a drive belt gets damaged, Grainger makes it easy to find the exact specs for the replacement product he needs. And next day delivery helps ensure he'll have everything in place and running like clockwork. Call 1-800-GRAINGER Click grainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done. Dude, this new bacon, egg and chicken biscuit from AM pm.

[Mary Benet]

Total winner.

[Host]

Winner, chicken, chicken breakfast. Chicken breakfast. Come on. I think you mean chicken dinner, bro.

[Co-host David Arnwood]

Nah, brother.

[Host]

Crispy bacon, fluffy eggs, juicy chicken, and a buttery biscuit. That's the perfect breakfast. All right, let me try it. Mmm. Okay. Yeah, totally. Winner, winner, chicken breakfast. I'm gonna have to keep this right here. Make sure every breakfast is a winner with the delicious new bacon, egg and chicken biscuit from AM PM ampm. Too much good stuff.