Reside Platform Podcast

The Non-Negotiable CRM Rule That Built a Top 1% Real Estate Team

• Reside Platform

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In this episode of the Reside Platform Podcast, host Suneet sits down with Sarah Hardy, Director of Operations at The Hardy Team, to unpack how she helped transform the business from a small group of agents into a top-performing real estate team. Sarah shares her unique journey from school principal to real estate operator, and how she brought education-based leadership frameworks, data-driven decision-making, and systems accountability into the business. You’ll hear how The Hardy Team climbed into Zillow’s top 1%, built a thriving culture of accountability, and scaled operations without losing personal freedom. If you’re a team leader or broker-owner looking for actionable strategies to grow without chaos, Sarah’s story is a must-listen.


Chapters:

  • 00:00:00 – Welcome to Reside Platform Podcast 
  • 00:01:52 – Sarah shares her shift from principal to real estate ops.
  • 00:02:25 – She outlines her background as teacher, coach, and principal.
  • 00:04:52 – A recruiting event pushed her to leave education.
  • 00:07:43 – First move in real estate: make the CRM data-driven.
  • 00:10:36 – Convincing agents to adopt the CRM by showing impact.
  • 00:12:54 – Holding standards with a CRM points system.
  • 00:16:37 – Building leaders using school-style mentoring.
  • 00:20:15 – YouTube brings in high-quality buyer leads.
  • 00:22:22 – Applying education skills to agent training.
  • 00:24:50 – Training agents with “I do, we do, you do.”
  • 00:26:31 – Hiring for personality and culture fit first.
  • 00:31:38 – Supporting agent goals with flexible systems.
  • 00:34:47 – A leadership lesson on setting boundaries.
  • 00:38:04 – Every agent must use CRM with fidelity.
  • 00:39:27 –  How to Connect with Sarah


Links and Resources:

People on this episode

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Nick McLean

Host
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Suneet Agarwal

Host
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Jon Cheplak

Co-host
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Preston Guyton

Co-host