How Has Stan’s Job (as a Realtor) Changed Over the Years?

If you’ve followed the Selling Greenville podcast for any length of time, you’ve heard host and Greenville, SC, realtor Stan McCune peel back the curtain on what it actually takes to help buyers and sellers succeed. In this episode, he steps away from market charts to talk shop—how his role has evolved across seven and a half years in real estate, from calm(ish) pre-pandemic days to whiplash bidding wars and today’s strategy-heavy market. It’s a practical, candid look at the work you don’t see—balloons, red clay, midnight negotiations, and all.

Stan’s Job as a Realtor Changed Over the Years

Stan’s job as a realtor has moved through four clear chapters, and each shift changes how clients are served right now.

Chapter 1: The Deal-Finding Years (2016–2018)

Early on, the Greenville market was still a seller’s market, but calmer than it would soon become. Inventory was better, demand hadn’t yet been turbocharged by out-of-state migration, and “good deals” were findable.

For buyers: The value Stan brought centered on sourcing and analyzing deals. Many of his buyer clients—especially investors—wanted opportunities, not just houses. He combed listings, ran numbers, and helped clients determine whether a property penciled out. (He emphasizes that even this “simple” work takes time and care—real estate is full of behind-the-scenes legwork.)

For sellers: Negotiation was the main act. Offers often arrived with requests for seller-paid closing costs or price dips. Stan focused on front-end negotiating and post-inspection defense—pushing back on overreaching repair requests and keeping deals intact without giving away the farm.

Reality check: he’s quick to say that describing his tasks can make them sound easier than they are. The industry’s dropout rate is brutally high, and plenty of new agents never make it past year three. His point: even straightforward tasks require discipline, planning, and lots of communication that most clients never have to see.

Chapter 2: Prices Climb, Buyers Pivot (2018–2019)

As prices rose heading into 2019, buyers began gravitating toward two surprising poles:

• New construction, where builders could sweeten the pot with concessions like closing cost help or rate buydowns.

• Fixer-uppers, where sweat equity kept the numbers workable.

  
  

For buyers: He shifted into builder vetting and renovation advising. On the new-build side, that meant managing process and expectations with builders. On the fixer side, his past fix-and-flip experience helped clients visualize what to change, what to keep, and what upgrades would return value.

For sellers: Speed became strategy. As the market heated up, listings tended to split into two buckets: the homes that launched well and sold fast at the top of the market and the ones that lingered and ultimately took a haircut. Consulting on staging, prep, and pricing strategy moved front and center: launch well, sell well.

Chapter 3: The Whirlwind (2020–mid-2022)

Nothing compares to the frenzy of 2021 and the half-year surrounding it. This was the era of ASAP showings and offer triage.

For buyers:

• ASAP showings meant he often dropped everything to tour a perfect-fit listing that might vanish in an hour. Availability itself became a competitive advantage.

• Crafting the perfect offer was an art form: price, timing, and tight terms—plus reading the subtle clues in each listing about what the seller valued. He’d call listing agents, fine-tune terms, and present offers designed to win in a pile of multiples.

  
  

For sellers:

• Pricing without comps became a reality. With inventory thin and sales racing ahead, the comps often lagged. He studied what was active, what had just sold, and what buyers were tripping over to predict where a hot listing could land—high, but not reckless.

• Multiple-offer management was intense. Dozens of offers might pour in, each of which the law requires to be presented. It sounds glamorous until you’re the one packing the family out of the house, fielding calls from the pool, and negotiating in real time to lock the best terms.

Chapter 4: Strategy & Staying Power (mid-2022 to today)

When mortgage rates jumped, demand cooled, and days-on-market rose. The job evolved again.

For buyers: It’s now a strategy conversation as much as a home search. Clients want to think long-term: where might rates go, will more homes hit the market, and is their wish list realistic in the next 6–12 months? Stan aims to be an advisor—arming buyers with context so they can act decisively when the right place appears.

For sellers: Marketing muscle matters again. He’s amped up visibility—yes, including open houses—and monitors momentum. If a listing sits, the question isn’t only “cut the price?” It’s: do we need patience, a message shift, or a measured adjustment? He researches neighborhood activity, studies timing dynamics (sometimes the right buyer simply hasn’t come online yet), and recalibrates without panicking.

The Work You Don’t See (but benefits you)

One of the most revealing parts of the episode is the granular “day in the life” detail that rarely makes it into market talk:

• Open houses aren’t two hours on Sunday. There’s sign-running (sometimes into rock-hard red clay), balloon-wrangling, printed materials, Friday-night compliance windows, and retrieval after. Done right, it’s a 9–10 hour project that builds buzz and awareness—even when the buyer comes a week later.

• Showings aren’t just unlock-and-look. Before stepping foot in a house, he checks flood maps, activity, pricing logic, and existing offers so clients don’t waste time.

• Clients are shielded from the noise. He filters communications with attorneys, lenders, and other agents. Unless a client truly needs to carry the detail, he carries it—especially for movers and investors who have enough on their plates.

  
  

All of which is to say: the most valuable work often happens offstage.

What Hasn’t Changed: Service and Adaptability

Across the timeline—deal-finding, builder-vetting, frenzy-negotiating, and today’s strategy-first mindset—two threads run through:

1. Client advocacy: Whether pushing back on repair requests or structuring an offer to win, the mission is the same: protect the client’s interests.

2. Adaptability: Every year drifts from the last. He expects his role to keep evolving, and he’s wired to enjoy that challenge.

Practical Takeaways for Buyers & Sellers Right Now

• Buyers: Expect more conversation about timing and feasibility. Yes, there’s still competition for good homes, but it’s less “drop everything this minute” and more “be ready, then pounce.” If you’re eyeing new construction or a cosmetic fixer, there are distinct paths for each—know which lane fits your timeline and tolerance.

• Sellers: Launch matters again. Prep, presentation, pricing, and patience are a real mix. An open house can help visibility; thoughtful adjustments beat knee-jerk price cuts. The goal is targeted momentum, not noise.

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Bottom Line

The episode answers the exact question of how Stan’s job as a realtor changed over the years—and the lesson is clear: the role keeps reshaping to match the market. In 2016, the edge was deal-sourcing and steady negotiation. By 2021, it was instant availability and razor-sharp offers. Today, it’s strategic advising for buyers and thoughtful marketing plus measured recalibration for sellers. Through it all, the work that wins doesn’t always show—because the best part of good representation is the part you don’t have to handle.

Ien Araneta

Journal & Podcast Editor | Selling Greenville