Episode 269: The Power of Hustle: Jake McLaughlin’s Playbook For Real Estate Success

Episode 269 of The Smart Agents Podcast features Jake McLaughlin, top-producing eXp PA agent and co-founder of ReferralMate. From grinding through his first 6–8 months without a sale to building a highly successful and sustainable business, Jake’s journey is a masterclass in consistency, hustle, and spotting opportunity.After dropping out of college and jumping into real estate during COVID, Jake learned quickly that listings were the key to controlling his business. But it was his shift toward serving investors — from short-term rentals in the Poconos to large multifamily buildings — that transformed his trajectory. By outworking the competition, hunting off-market deals, and becoming the “hustle agent” investors trust, Jake built a referral machine that thrives in any market.Along the way, he and his wife Alyssa created ReferralMate, a platform designed to solve the exact problem he faced after moving across the state: how to send and receive referrals without the chaos of Facebook groups. Today, it’s one of the fastest-growing communities for agents nationwide.In this episode, Jake shares:✅ Why “you have to list to exist” remains his #1 philosophy✅ How serving investors leads to faster, cleaner, repeat transactions✅ The exact tactics he uses to find off-market deals using Zillow, rentals & old MLS data✅ How ReferralMate is reinventing agent-to-agent referrals through community✅ The mindset shift that helped him push through early challenges and build long-term momentumWhether you're trying to break through your first plateau or looking to scale beyond your market, Jake delivers actionable strategies you can start using today.Connect With Jake👇Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacobtmclaughlin/Website: https://jacobmclaughlin.exprealty.com/Learn More About ReferralMate 👇Website: https://referralmate.co/Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BmQVjt6Eh/📕 Claim Your FREE Home Selling Tips Book Sample 📕Go to: https://authorify.com/sample🔥🔥🔥 Get More Real Estate Training and content: https://linktr.ee/Smartagents🔥🔥🔥Have an inspirational story of real estate tips to share with our community?Send us a message at ⁠[email protected]