You don’t build a globally recognized real estate brand by accident. Chad Goldwasser didn’t just climb the ranks, he set the bar. From pouring drinks at Trudy’s to managing a team that sold over $125 million a year, his journey is a masterclass in grit, mindset, and relentless reinvention.
And here’s the twist: he never started out to sell real estate. He wanted to invest. But once he discovered the power of systems, mentorship, and affirmations, his career exploded, and it’s still evolving.
In this episode, you’ll get a front-row seat to the wins, the mistakes, the pivots, and the systems that fueled Chad’s climb to the top, and why he’s doubling down on teaching others how to get there, too.
Table of Contents
Before Real Estate: Bartending, Breakups, and Big Decisions
Chad Goldwasser didn’t enter real estate with a five-year plan. He started out flipping sandwiches at Subway at 14 and bartending at Trudy’s by his early twenties. After following his then-girlfriend to Austin, he found himself chasing a new kind of success, one where he wasn’t stuck working until 2 a.m. on weekends.
Real estate became his escape from burnout. In 1996, Chad and his partner bought their first home in Austin. He wasn’t looking to become a top producer. His original goal was to invest in properties, but what happened next was the start of a career that would shape Austin’s real estate landscape.
- Real estate is service. Bartending taught him the value of being present, energetic, and consistent.
- Success is repeatable. When you show up and treat people well, they come back, and they tell others.
- Early real estate efforts meant learning the market and hitting the pavement without a roadmap.
He took classes in 1997, got his license at 23, and immediately started studying pricing, neighborhoods, and inventory like his future depended on it. Because it did.
If you’re thinking of real estate as your next move, his early years are proof that hustle, even without clarity, creates opportunity.
The Break That Changed It All
Without knowing it, Chad had already crossed paths with the person who would change everything. A few months into real estate, a busy agent hopped into Chad’s car on a tour and barely spoke a word. Chad didn’t even realize he was being recruited until much later.
That same agent, James Willoughby, was on the cover of a local magazine Chad saw just days later. Chad was bartending at Trudy’s when James walked in. One thing led to another, and Chad found himself with a life-changing opportunity to join James’ team.
- Chad was handed a book: 30 Days to Success as a Buyer Agent
- It included exercises like affirmations, visualizations, and prospecting habits
- James told him no agent had ever finished it, and none who didn’t finish ever stayed
Chad took it seriously. He showed up at 6 a.m. every day, wrote affirmations, and visualized success. By the end of 30 days, he had his first contract and closed it on July 30, 1997. He quit his bartending job and never looked back.
What made this so powerful wasn’t just the tactics, it was the mindset shift. From that moment forward, Chad redefined what success looked like.
Building the Foundation: 67 Homes by Age 24
Most agents would be happy closing 10 deals in their first year. Chad closed 67, acting as the buyer’s agent for James Willoughby’s listings. Back then, there were no portals or lead gen tools. The phone rang constantly, and Chad was ready.
He didn’t waste time. He worked every weekend. If he wasn’t with a buyer, he was holding open houses both Saturday and Sunday. He practiced scripts. He knew the inventory. He didn’t hope for success, he built systems to make it inevitable.
- Studied contracts and wrote out affirmations daily
- Focused on showing up as a lead generation machine
- Put in open house hours like a full-time job
- Constantly studied market numbers to sharpen pricing skills
One year later, he struck out on his own, determined to prove he could succeed solo.
By the time he joined ReMax in 1999, he was running lean, focused, and bringing in massive volume.
Breaking Records with Keller Williams
In 2004, Chad was already a standout solo agent, closing $43 million in volume. But he wanted more. He hired renowned real estate coach Bob Corcoran, investing $17,000 up front and $1,500 per month for coaching. Bob came into Chad’s business, ripped it apart, and rebuilt it from the ground up with systems.
That same year, he connected with leadership from Keller Williams. KW offered Chad the ability to grow a team without paying per-agent fees like he had at ReMax. The decision was easy.
Three years later, his team closed:
- $125 million in volume
- 543 transactions
- Ranked #1 worldwide for Keller Williams
- Ranked #42 globally by the Wall Street Journal
How He Scaled That Fast
- Hired admin first to eliminate low-dollar activities
- Focused only on lead generation as the rainmaker
- Used affirmations and visualization as daily rituals
- Hired with systems, not gut instinct
That massive success wasn’t random. It was the result of consistency, clarity, and constantly leveling up the team structure. Chad was obsessed with execution, and it showed.
Losing It All, Then Starting Over
By 2009, everything changed. Chad’s controller had been stealing from him for three years. Within six months, everything he built collapsed. But even in the middle of crisis, Chad found the resilience to rebuild. He launched a new brokerage, continued to sell homes, and slowly started developing his second calling: teaching and coaching.
The same mindset that helped him rise in his twenties kept him grounded through massive personal and financial setbacks. It wasn’t easy, but it fueled the next version of his career.
Why Chad Moved to eXp
Running an independent brokerage came with heavy costs. High overhead. Complex management. Limited scalability. Despite a strong brand and reputation, Chad realized the return on investment wasn’t worth it.
He moved to eXp Realty for three core reasons:
- No need to manage day-to-day operations
- Global scalability through revenue share
- Opportunity to focus on speaking and coaching without admin stress
Now, he’s in the best financial shape of his life, building a platform to mentor and inspire other agents through his speaking brand and training systems.
What He Wants Agents to Understand
Chad doesn’t just want to inspire. He wants to teach agents how to win, without wasting years figuring it out.
If you’re serious about building a real business in real estate, his advice is simple:
- Don’t skip the affirmations. Train your mindset every single day.
- Invest in systems early. Don’t do everything yourself.
- Learn to study the market. Don’t guess, know your numbers.
- Take open houses seriously. Prep, research, and execute like it’s a listing presentation.
- Stop chasing shiny objects. Consistency always wins.
Most agents treat this career like a side hustle. If you want elite-level results, you need elite-level discipline.
What’s Next for Chad Goldwasser
Chad’s not slowing down. He’s still selling homes, but his passion is in coaching and building a top-tier personal development brand.
He’s systematizing everything, from listing presentations to scripts, and helping other agents access the same resources that once helped him go from $200K in debt to building the #1 team in the world.
In five years, his goal is clear: become one of the top three personal development speakers in the world, bringing real estate training and mindset mastery to agents across the globe.
He’s not just building a business. He’s building a movement.
🎧 Want to Learn More? Listen to the Full Podcast Episode
In this episode, you’ll hear:
🔥 How Chad used affirmations to shift his mindset and sell 67 homes at age 24
🏆 What it took to build the #1 Keller Williams team worldwide in just three years
💡 Why systems, coaching, and repetition are the real keys to explosive growth
📉 How he bounced back after losing half his team, his marriage, and $500K
🌍 What made him leave his brokerage and join eXp with a global vision
🎙️ Tune in now to learn how Chad’s playbook can help you level up your real estate business, without sacrificing your purpose or peace.
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