IT'S GIVING... THANKS

WELCOME

Hello, and welcome to this week’s newsletter! I hope everyone’s easing into Thanksgiving with a happy heart and maybe a little stretch in their waistband.

I absolutely love this season, not just for the gravy and the family time, but because it reminds me to slow down and count every single blessing. And let me tell you, real estate has given me more to be grateful for than I could ever fit on one little list. This business has brought me the best clients, the wildest stories, the biggest opportunities, and a community I wouldn’t trade for anything.

So today, we’re talking about the gratitude I have for real estate and all the ways it’s shaped my life and given me freedom. So let’s dig into it like it’s a pecan pie!

THE REALITY OF REAL ESTATE

Event Horizon

I said this week that the industry is standing at an event horizon. So sit back and lemme drop a little science on y’all. In astrophysics, an event horizon is the point around a black hole where you can’t go back anymore. Once you cross it, that’s it; you’re in a whole new universe, whether you want to be or not… and that’s exactly where real estate is today.

The latest revelations from the Zillow lawsuit should have us all shook. Court documents showing throttling listings, punishing brokerages that didn’t fall in line, prioritizing partners based on payment, manipulating data, misleading consumers... y'all, it’s dark.

What's so crazy is that it’s documented. When you have internal messages saying the quiet part out loud? Oh, my stars and stripes; that is an event horizon. This industry will not, no, they cannot, go back to the way things were. Because the data that made Zillow the giant it became may well be the data trail that is the blueprint for their downfall.

Here’s my honest take: If the FTC and the legal system do what’s right, Zillow may end up being sold off for parts. Homes.com, Compass, maybe even Realtor.com will swoop in to pick up pieces. But the Zillow we’ve all known, the one consumers automatically check before they check with an actual expert? I suspect that era is ending.

I think this is good. I think this is cleansing. And I think this is the moment we reclaim our industry.

Because this is so much bigger than a lawsuit, y’all. This is an entire reset. I predict we'll see a rebalance of power back into the hands of the professionals who actually do the work, build the relationships, and tell the damn truth. Let this be the moment when real estate shifts from algorithm-driven back to what it should be: relationship-driven.

I truly believe that this is our event horizon. We are at the point of no return where the old system collapses, and something better can finally emerge.

So what happens next?

What happens is we get closer to our clients and we show them what it means to have a real advocate, instead of a website with a Zestimate. When the dust settles, the agents who stayed informed, stayed ethical, and stayed focused on service will be the ones standing stronger than ever.

Mark my words, our real estate universe is changing and we're going to be ready for it.

STORYTIME WITH GLENNDA

Counting My Blessings, Starting with Real Estate

As we head into Thanksgiving week, I’ve been doing what I always do this time of year: slowing down just enough to look back at the moments that shaped me. This week, one of those memories came for me out of nowhere.

I was scrolling through my phone and stumbled across a photo taken November 20th, 2020 at 8:29 a.m. It hit me like a ton of bricks that this was the last picture of me ever taken in my marital home. As I looked at my face, I couldn’t see a trace of what was to come. At the time, I had no clue that was it. And it was over. I couldn’t tell from my smile over my coffee cup that before the sun went down that day, the love of my life would tell me that I was “contaminated” and that I couldn’t come home.

I didn’t know I’d be packing clothes for a showing the next day while he stood on the porch like a stranger. I didn’t know that me driving to my Airbnb in Lake Colony wasn’t a one-night thing… but maybe that’s not entirely true.

When I got back to the Lake Colony house, I asked Lucas to help me unpack the car. In the back of my head or maybe deep in my heart, I must have known, because I brought as many of my possessions as I could carry. Lucas looked at my stuffed-to-the-gills car and said, “This isn’t just for one night, is it?”

It wasn’t. Instead, it was the start of my entire life changing. But here’s the thing about moments like that: you don’t know their significance until you’re looking at them in the rearview mirror.

The next morning, I woke up in that Airbnb with Lucas asleep in the next room, and the reality hit me like a freight train. My marriage was over. My home was gone. My whole damn life had tilted on its axis. And do you know what I clung to?

Real estate.

Not the business itself, but what the business has given me. The income, the freedom, the confidence, the community, the strength to leave a situation that was breaking me down. My success in real estate gave me the ability to say, “No, sir, you don’t get to decide where I live or who I become.”

If I hadn’t had my investment property, if I hadn’t built this business from the ground up, if I hadn’t had the financial independence real estate gave me… I don’t know where I’d have gone that day. I don’t know who I would have called. I don’t know how I could have started over.

And that’s when the gratitude flooded in.

Because every single major moment of my life, whether it was good, devastating, or miraculous, I’ve been held up by the people in this industry. When my mother passed away, it was my real estate family who showed up. When my kids were struggling, it was my real estate circle who lifted me. When I sat in that Airbnb with a life blown to pieces, it was this career that carried me through it.

Now don’t get it twisted: real estate didn’t just save me financially. It saved me emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Real estate gave me purpose when everything else was chaos and it was tangible proof of my own strength and competence.

Real estate has given me opportunities to be a light for other people going through their own chapters, good, devastating, or miraculous. Like the clients who bought in 2011 when everyone thought the world was ending, and are now sitting on generational wealth. Or the women leaving relationships who could only do so because they owned their home. Or the families who rebuilt their lives because someone put the right keys in their hands.

That’s the message I want to leave you with today: Real estate is not just a job. It’s a vehicle and a lifeline. Real estate is a path forward when everything else feels like quicksand.

Now, if you are currently in your hard chapter, please hear me: You are stronger than the moment trying to break you, and the life waiting for you on the other side is bigger than your fear. And for all of that, for the storms, the lessons, the triumphs, the doors opened and the homes built, I am grateful beyond measure.

GLENNDA’S GURU

Welcome, Clayton Collins!

For anyone who’s worked in real estate, I promise you've felt Clayton Collins’ influence! Clayton is the Founder, Chair, and CEO of HW Media—the company behind HousingWire, RealTrends, and Altos Research. I mean, these are the three brands that shape how our industry understands the market and where it’s headed, so I’m delighted to have him here!

Since acquiring HousingWire in 2016, Clayton’s transformed HW Media into a true powerhouse, expanding its reach with RealTrends’ gold-standard agent and brokerage rankings and Altos Research’s real-time housing analytics. Beyond HW Media, Clayton leads Riomar Capital. He couldn’t be more plugged into leadership circles across the mortgage and real estate ecosystem. That’s why I’m thrilled to feature my chat with Clayton today. When he talks, our industry listens!

Thank you, Clayton!

GLENNDAISM

Today’s Words of Wisdom

GLENNDA BAKER & ASSOCIATES

So Shiny and New!

We’re switching it up today and I’m sharing a rental 1272 Longreen Terrace, Unit 4, in Atlanta, because it’s just picture-perfect! This is Upper Westside living at its absolute best. This two-level Longreen home has all the style of a modern townhome without any of the maintenance. It’s flooded with natural light, the kitchen is straight-up gorgeous, and the private balcony is perfect for your morning latte or your evening glass of wine.

Upstairs, the primary suite feels like a boutique hotel, and the second bedroom is ideal for a home office or weekend guests. You’ve got your own garage, plenty of storage, and fabulous community perks—including a pavilion, grilling stations, and a dog park.

If you’re a young couple or a busy professional who wants convenience, walkability, and zero hassle, oh my stars, this one checks every single box!