Podcast Summary: Your Daily Real Estate Podcast with Tristan Ahumada

Episode 675: The Handwritten Note Agents Forget
Date: October 5, 2025

Episode Overview

In this concise and actionable episode, host Tristan Ahumada urges real estate professionals to revisit a classic but often neglected tool: the handwritten note. Drawing from his own experiences and his recent "Purposeful Prospecting" challenge, Tristan illustrates how a daily handwritten note can deepen relationships, spread kindness, and set agents apart in an increasingly digitized world. He offers practical tactics for consistency and reminds listeners of the business (and human) impact of showing genuine appreciation.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Enduring Value of Handwritten Notes

• Handwritten notes have long been a staple in relationship-driven industries like real estate, yet are surprisingly underutilized.
• Tristan admits even he has often overlooked them but has discovered renewed consistency and effectiveness through a recent challenge with his team.

2. The “Purposeful Prospecting” Challenge

• Part of the challenge: write one handwritten note every day for 30 days to someone impacted by your work.
• Tristan created his own custom card template via Etsy, making the process more personal and streamlined.

3. Choosing Who Receives a Note

• Stay mindful daily of people you engage with, whether via phone, in person, or on social media.
• Ask yourself:
  • “Was this a good interaction?”
  • “Did I learn something?”
  • “Does someone need a little more love or a pick-me-up?”
  • “Is this just to say thank you?”

Notable Example

• Tristan shares sending a note to a friend always showing up with kindness and leadership, expressing gratitude and recognition for her consistent support.

4. Simple System to Never Miss an Opportunity

• Throughout the day, if someone comes to mind, text yourself their name as a reminder (“Ooh, that person needs a note card.”)
• If you haven’t interacted meaningfully with anyone that day, turn to your social media feed:
  • Look for connections celebrating wins, going through hard times, or simply standing out.
  • People mentioned: friends battling cancer, those facing loss, etc.
  • Send notes not only for celebrations, but also encouragement or condolences.

5. Going Beyond Digital Interactions

• It's not enough to like, comment, or send messages online:
  • “It’s taking that extra step and making them know that you are important to them.” (Tristan, 04:30)
  • Handwritten notes demonstrate time, attention, and personal investment.

6. The “Dopamine Dealer” Philosophy

• Making people feel valued is foundational to the real estate business.
  • “Our job every day is to deal dopamine. You’re making people feel amazing...And it’s legal.” (Tristan, 06:00)
• Handwritten notes are a powerful form of spreading positivity and significance.

7. Consistency & Community

• The challenge is nearly complete for the current cohort, but will run again in January—likely open to more participants.
• Listeners are invited to participate or get templates from Tristan upon request.

Memorable Quotes & Moments

On Making People Feel Significant

“A handwritten note goes a really, really, really [long way]. Especially in our world that we’re in right now, it goes a long way because it sends a message to somebody that says, hey, I took a while here, 10, 15 minutes to write this note card...And I want you to know that you matter.”
— Tristan Ahumada (05:05)

On Process and Consistency

“The way that I’ve become a little bit more consistent with note cards is by knowing exactly who I’m going to send the note card to.”
— Tristan Ahumada (02:10)

On Purpose in Business

“All about significance, right? How do you make people feel? It’s all about the whole dopamine dealer thing that I always talk about...This is part of your process for building your business, for connecting with people, for making people feel amazing.”
— Tristan Ahumada (06:00)

Key Timestamps

• 00:00 — Intro to handwritten notes and their impact in real estate
• 01:30 — The Purposeful Prospecting Challenge explained
• 02:10 — Consistency trick: Know exactly who to write to
• 03:15 — Using self-reminders to note potential recipients
• 04:00 — Leveraging social media for recipient ideas
• 05:05 — The deep impact of a handwritten note in today’s world
• 06:00 — The “dopamine dealer” philosophy & emotional business building
• 07:00 — Wrapping up the challenge and next steps for listeners

Episode Takeaways

• Handwritten notes, though “old school,” are a potent tool for nurturing relationships and standing out.
• Consistently identifying recipients from daily interactions or social feeds makes the process manageable.
• Taking the extra, tangible step of a note shows deep care—fueling both business growth and personal fulfillment.
• Tristan’s challenge and newsletter offer concrete ways to infuse this practice into your regular routine.

For more insights or to join the next challenge, follow Tristan’s newsletter or connect directly as mentioned in the episode.