Columbus Brick by Brick

About Columbus Brick by Brick

Welcome to Columbus Brick by Brick — the podcast where we dig into the stories, people, and projects that are actively shaping the city of Columbus, Ohio. Hosted by Jon Styer, broker and owner of Styer Real Estate Professionals, this weekly show offers a front-row seat to conversations with the local leaders, entrepreneurs, and visionaries who are laying the foundation of our city's future — one brick at a time. If you live in Columbus, do business here, or just love seeing how great cities grow from the inside out, this podcast is for you. What to Expect: Every week, we bring you a new guest — from business owners revitalizing historic neighborhoods to investors, developers, and change-makers who are all adding their unique “brick” to the Columbus story. These are real conversations, not just surface-level sound bites. We talk about challenges, celebrate wins, and explore what’s next for the people and projects building up our community. If you're an entrepreneur, a creative, a resident who cares about the city, or someone looking for inspiration to get started on your own path — you’ll leave each episode with insights, connection, and a renewed sense of possibility. Stay Connected: Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube @ColumbusBrickbyBrick Visit our website at ColumbusBrickbyBrick.com Want to be a guest or recommend someone doing amazing work in Columbus? Reach out through the site or DM us on socials — we’d love to hear from you. Columbus Brick by Brick is more than just a podcast. It’s a celebration of community, creativity, and the ongoing construction of a city we’re proud to call home.

Publisher

Jon Styer

Category

business · education · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

26 Mar 2025

Latest episode

23 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

35 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   23 Sept 2026

   From Zero Closings to a Top-Producing Columbus Realtor

   Nine months into his real estate license, Conner Kochansky had not closed a single deal. In this episode, Jon sits down with Conner Kochansky, Real Estate Agent with RE/MAX Impact on The KR Group, to break down how he got through that first year and built a business he does not have to burn himself out running. 🎙️ About Our Guest Conner Kochansky is a Real Estate Agent with RE/MAX Impact on The KR Group in Columbus, Ohio. He got his license in 2022 looking for an education in sales, and spent his first nine months without a closing. He worked part time out of a bar and event space, building clients through the people he met there, before going full time in August 2024. Since then he has grown into a top producer, sold 33 homes last year, and is finishing his second book on self belief while building systems that let him step back from working every weekend. 🧱 What We Cover in This Episode Why Conner got into real estate looking for an education in sales, not a love of houses The first nine months with zero closings, and the client who backed out mid-honeymoon Working a bar and an event space to stay in the game while building a client base The social media marketing side hustle that led him toward real estate in the first place A TikTok video that hit eight and a half million views right as he went full time Going from 33 homes and just under $9 million last year to a pace near $10 to 12 million this year The mountain-high, mountain-low first year of going full time Building leverage with a mentee agent and a buyer concierge instead of showing every house himself The team philosophy of selling the client on you, not just the house His first published book on serving tables, and the one on self belief he is finishing now What his ideal day looks like five years from now 💼 Key Takeaway "I know if I do the right stuff today, it's gonna translate four or five years down the line." 🔗 Links & Resources 📱 Follow Conner Kochansky on Instagram: @connerkochansky 📘 Conner Kochansky on Facebook: facebook.com/conner.kochansky.1 🏠 Styer Hospitality Co, furnished short and mid-term rental management: StyerHospitalityCo.com 🎧 Subscribe & Follow New episodes drop every week. Subscribe so you never miss a conversation with the people building Columbus. Website: ColumbusBrickbyBrick.com TikTok, Instagram, Facebook & YouTube: @ColumbusBrickbyBrick Know an agent grinding through their first year with nothing to show for it yet? Send them this one. Every Brick Has a Story. We're Here to Tell It. 🧱 #ColumbusOhio #ColumbusRealEstate #RealEstateAgent #RemaxImpact #TheKRGroup #ColumbusBrickByBrick

2. 

   5 Aug 2026

   How Strategic Pre-Listing Updates Sell Columbus Homes Faster

   Your kitchen is dated, your listing has been sitting for months, and the options seem to come down to a gut renovation or another price cut. What if there is a third one? In this episode, Jon sits down with Hailey Major, Owner of HOMEstretch: Columbus, to break down what actually drives ROI on pre-sale improvements and where sellers should put their money before they list. 🎙️ About Our Guest Hailey Major is the Owner of HOMEstretch: Columbus, a home preparation company that gets houses cosmetically ready to list, covering everything between the listing agreement and staging. Born in Texas, she moved to Columbus in elementary school, went to Ohio State, left for a while, and could not shake the city. She spent the first 15 years of her career in sales, mostly tech, with the last decade or so in startups. A franchise broker introduced her to HOMEstretch, and she recognized the service she had needed when selling her own first home. 🧱 What We Cover in This Episode Why HOMEstretch takes only work tied to a real estate transaction, even when friends ask Turning around Columbus listings that sat three and six months by putting part of a planned price cut into the house What makes an update strategic, and why a gorgeous basement in a disjointed house still costs money Where the biggest returns show up: painting, flooring, and kitchen updates The Grandview project where the asking price went up in the neighborhood of $50,000 to $75,000 after the work The two mistakes sellers make most: overspending in one room, and bold design choices right before listing Coaching sellers through the emotional handoff from family home to largest asset Pay at close financing and what it does to a seller's decision making Competing against new builds, and what millennial and Gen Z buyers expect from a resale Digital rendering tools that show sellers their own space updated before any work starts Mentorship, and the Columbus women in real estate who opened doors early 💼 Key Takeaway "Our goal is to neutralize the space and attract the largest buyer pool possible, so that you have the highest potential to sell your home quickly and for top dollar." 🔗 Links & Resources 🌐 HOMEstretch: Columbus: home-stretch.com/locations/oh/columbus 📱 Follow HOMEstretch: Columbus on Instagram: @homestretch_columbus 📘 HOMEstretch: Columbus on Facebook: facebook.com/homestretch.columbus 👤 Hailey Major on Instagram (personal): @hailsmaj 📞 Call or text for a free consultation: (614) 532-4663 🎧 Subscribe & Follow New episodes drop every week. Subscribe so you never miss a conversation with the people building Columbus. Website: ColumbusBrickbyBrick.com Instagram, Facebook & YouTube: @ColumbusBrickbyBrick Know a seller who is about to take another price cut? Send them this episode first. Every Brick Has a Story. We're Here to Tell It. 🧱 #ColumbusOhio #PreListingPrep #HomeSellingTips #ColumbusRealEstate #HOMEstretchColumbus #ColumbusBrickByBrick

3. 

   15 Jul 2026

   Will AI Replace Real Estate Agents?

   Will AI replace real estate agents, or just replace the ones who refuse to change? On this episode of Columbus Brick by Brick, host Jon Styer sits down with Red One Realty agent Jim Ross to challenge the industry's favorite catchphrase and dig into what's actually at stake for agents over the next three to five years. Jim Ross has spent 11 years building a high-volume, investor-focused real estate business in Columbus, and he's not buying the comfortable narrative that AI is "just another tool." In this conversation, Jim and Jon break down which parts of the real estate transaction are already being commoditized, what history's biggest tech revolutions teach us about disruption, and why trust, not information, is about to become an agent's most valuable asset. **In this episode, you'll learn:** - Why the phrase "AI won't replace agents, but agents who use AI will replace those who don't" may be missing the bigger picture - Which parts of an agent's job (market analysis, transaction coordination, information gatekeeping) are most at risk of automation - What past technology revolutions, from the MLS to the internet to Zillow, teach us about surviving disruption - Why AI punishes "gatekeepers" and rewards "advisors" - How to build a personal brand and a defensible "moat" around trust, negotiation, and local expertise - The simple exercise Jim used (tracking every hour of his day, then feeding it into ChatGPT) to find out exactly where his time, and value, is really going - Why Jim believes the number of real estate agents nationally and in Columbus will shrink significantly in the next three to five years, and who will be left standing **About Jim Ross** Jim Ross is a real estate agent with Red One Realty in Columbus, Ohio, licensed since 2015. After starting his career with the goal of becoming a real estate investor, Jim discovered a passion for the traditional agent side of the business, particularly working with investors and flippers. Over the past 11 years he's built a high-volume, top-producing business in Central Ohio centered on repeat investor clients and as-is properties, while staying deeply engaged in how technology and AI are reshaping the future of the industry. Connect with Jim Ross: - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jim.ross.944 - Instagram: @heyjimross **Mentioned in this episode:** - Styer Hospitality Co — furnished short and midterm rental management: https://www.styerhospitalityco.com **Every Brick Has a Story. We're Here to Tell It.** If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, leave a comment, and share it with someone building a career or a business in Columbus real estate. New episodes drop weekly. 🌐 Website: https://www.columbusbrickbybrick.com/ 📱 Follow us: @ColumbusBrickbyBrick on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube #ColumbusBrickByBrick #RealEstateAI #ColumbusRealEstate

Who has been a guest on Columbus Brick by Brick

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Jim Perry
• Oscar Martinez
• Tommy Harr
• Andrew Doup

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

56,651

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 33 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

38

Social presence

0

YouTube

72

Engagement

0