Step into the world of success and innovation with Real Estate Champions, a compelling TV show that highlights the exceptional leaders, agents, and investors shaping the real estate industry. Each episode uncovers the strategies, leadership, and insights that fuel the success of industry trailblazers, offering practical takeaways for professionals across residential, commercial, and investment real estate.
Real Estate Champions brings together top professionals and thought leaders from various sectors of real estate, including residential, commercial, and property development. These influential guests share their journeys, expertise, and advice to inspire and empower the next wave of real estate leaders and entrepreneurs. Today our hosts, Morgan Yonge and Sarah Olson spoke with Eric Rakers.
Eric Rakers
Team Lead and Realtor at The Rakers Home Group at Herron Real Estate
Website Address: Rakershomegroup.com
Short company description:
Real estate team for a transaction brokerage.
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Transcript
Morgan: Welcome back to another episode of Real Estate Champions, where we highlight those who are making an impact in the community and making moves in the real estate industry. I’m Morgan Yonge, joined by Sarah Olson.
Sarah: Today we have Eric Rakers of the Rakers Home Team. Eric is the team leader at Heron Real Estate in Fleming Island.
Eric: Thanks for having me. I’ve been in the business for over five years and currently lead a team of ten agents. Before real estate, I spent more than 25 years in the auto industry working in parts and service departments. In that role, I focused on developing relationships, earning customer trust, and solving problems. That experience translated well into real estate, though I never imagined I’d be an agent.
A good friend encouraged me to try, so I stepped away from a steady paycheck and comfort. Within my first 15 days, I sold a house and put another under contract. That success pushed me to retire from the auto industry and become a full-time agent. I worked solo for a year, but missed leading people, so I decided to start a team. Over the past three and a half years, I’ve learned a lot—growing big, downsizing, testing new ideas, and adapting to the ever-changing industry. Through it all, I’ve never lost my compassion or commitment to supporting my team. I’ll even step in to help with repairs when needed, thanks to my background, and that’s helped save deals along the way.
Sarah: When you started your team, how did you find your agents?
Eric: I began by putting an announcement out within the brokerage, looking for people with some experience and the right mindset. From the start, I’ve focused on partnership. This isn’t about me being the boss—it’s about building something together. Even though my name is on the group, it’s everyone’s team. I also value diversity in skills and experience, because that helps us all grow and better serve clients.
Sarah: Teams have become much more common in real estate. How do you stay ahead of industry changes?
Eric: The industry has shifted dramatically, especially in how we market, advertise, and generate leads. Years ago, agents leaned heavily on brokerage support. Today, agents are looking for more personal guidance and community. Technology and social media play a huge role now. My team and I stay active on YouTube, Facebook, and other platforms to stay top of mind. Recently, we even launched a podcast called Real Estate Unranked.
Sarah: Tell us about the podcast.
Eric: Each episode has three segments. First, we cover a topic relevant to current market conditions. Second, we provide an educational piece to help buyers, sellers, or agents learn something valuable. And third, we highlight an area of Northeast Florida. Since it’s October, our theme this month is Halloween—we’re sharing scary real estate stories and how we overcame them. It’s been fun and a great way to engage with the community.
Sarah: How can people tune in?
Eric: You can find Real Estate Unranked on all major podcast platforms, as well as on our YouTube channel.
Sarah: That’s fantastic. Thank you so much for joining us today and sharing your journey.
Eric: Thank you for having me.
Sarah: And thank you to our viewers for tuning in to another episode of Real Estate Champions. For more information about Eric and his team, visit PropertySolutionsNetwork.com. We’ll see you in the next episode.
I’m Sarah Olson, creator and founder of the Real Estate Agent Success Academy. Our mentorship program supports newly licensed real estate agents nationwide, built on four key principles to set them up for success from the start. It all begins with finding their home in real estate, which becomes the backbone of where they will thrive.
