Ken Pozek Has Built a Real Estate Empire by Enticing People to Move to Orlando

By Scott S. Smith | Wednesday, 17 August 2022 | Feature, Business, Interviews

Real estate whiz Ken Pozek has made Orlando a magnet as a place to move to, not just visit, through his fun and informative YouTube videos.

Ken Pozek Creates Value for Prospective Customers Through Content Marketing

Ken Pozek is the real deal when it comes to helping people decide whether to move to Orlando, Florida. 

The Pozek Group doesn't try to hard-sell prospective customers but instead provides lots of information about the area on The Orlando Real, launched in October 2021. Yes, there are videos and blogs like "Affordable VS Luxury Neighborhoods" comparing the price of an average three-bedroom, 2,500-square-footer in Leesburg ($349,000 recently) to one in Winter Park ($2.1 million). 

But the site is not just for those who might be attracted to the region as a place to retire — they may want to take advantage of its thriving job market or simply visit. It has covered the best places to sit on theme park rides, an explanation of the toll roads, favorite taco places, a glow-in-the-dark golf course, the return of Mickey's Very Merry Christmas in November 2022, and local diversity ("it's rare that you find someone here who was born and raised in Orlando — people from all over the world are moving here!"). He has 23,000 followers on YouTube, where he holds live shows Saturday afternoons.

"My video tour of Shaquille O'Neal's home, listed for $16 million, got one million views," Pozek told Startup Savant. "I didn't ultimately sell it, but the tour did lead to selling another home to a former Laker and a current member of the Brooklyn Nets. "Most agents send out a postcard each quarter with something like an apple pie recipe, hoping people will remember they once met, or they have cheesy pitches claiming to be 'the No. 1 agent in Orlando.' Unless you create long-term value, you'll be forgotten, and that applies to any business. Our educational and entertaining content marketing has been the driving force behind helping what we expect will be 500 to 600 people moving here this year."

The Better Way to Hustle

Pozek, 37, grew up in Dearborn, Michigan, near Detroit. His dad worked for Ford, and his mom was a recruiter for Ford, General Motors, and Chevrolet. At 16, he had his first job at an airport but has worked for himself ever since.

"I was excited by a book by Carleton Sheets about real estate and tried to get a mortgage when I was 17 but found out you had to be 18 and have credit history to get one," Pozek laughed. "I did buy my first house the next year and started my career flipping them."

He began studying business management at Davenport University but dropped out because the real estate world was much more exciting. "My mom was really disappointed, but I formed an LLC to do what I loved."

He also joined Coldwell Banker in 2008 but was not satisfied being one of their independent agents and switched to Keller Williams two years later. 

"Coldwell wanted their agents to do everything themselves, the marketing, paperwork, and showing the homes," said Pozek. "Keller Williams encouraged me to build a team, so I would have my own company within their company. Changing agencies was a no-brainer."

In 2016, he decided he had enough of Detroit and moved to Orlando. It was always one of the most competitive markets in the US, so how did he get traction as an outsider? There are now over 23,000 real estate agents in the region.

"I learned that the average agent only sold a couple of homes a year, and 70% sold zero to one," Pozek recalled. "The typical one might make dozens of calls and manage to bully someone into signing with them. My approach was to play the long game, and our search-optimized content marketing is second to none here. It's not a business model that is easy to appreciate for someone with a business degree who was taught to have a Wall Street mentality of emphasizing short-term results. That makes it a kind of moat that keeps out competitors. We might not have one of our prospects choose us when they buy or sell their first home, but once they're one of our current 14,000 subscribers, they're constantly reminded what a resource we are, and we build up trust about our local expertise."

It's not that he and his current 17 agents (supported by 13 other team members) never ask explicitly for prospects' business. Pozek loves Gary Vaynerchuk's “Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World.”

"Timing is everything, and we're very patient," he said. "I hated the transactional mindset to real estate when I was in Detroit, and we've learned a lot and have had a lot more fun since we started laying the foundation of our success through edutainment."

Real Estate in the Pandemic Era

COVID changed the way real estate was researched, bought, and sold, probably forever, Pozek believes.

"Many people weren't able to drive or fly to visit homes, and they were concerned about a lot of in-person contacts, so they FaceTimed, checked out details online, and even negotiated virtually," he says. "They're very comfortable with this now."

People from other states and countries around the world have made Florida one of the top states attracting more to live there, while relatively few locals moved out, despite the rising prices for homes, and Orlando has been a white-hot market since the pandemic started. 

"People have sometimes been offering $100,000 over the asking price," Pozek said in wonder. "Yes, the cost of housing and everything else has gone up here, but it has everywhere else, and we don't have a state income tax. We're just a few hours from sandy beaches on both coasts, and everyone loves the tropical weather and endless summer. There is so much to do here, not just the big theme parks. And it isn't just retirees, but younger people have been coming here for jobs. Many of the big companies told employees they could live anywhere since they didn't have to come into an office, and most of them have been allowed to continue to work remotely."

He says there is an emerging tech sector and thriving startups, helped by lots of retirees with money and business expertise. "Someone who spent a career at the Ritz Carlton may decide to use his or her network to open a Taco Hut and soon have five locations."

In June 2022, Pozek decided to change his brokerage affiliation, joining Real Broker. "It's one of the fastest-growing in the world, small but mighty," he explained. "It's more of a virtual brokerage, the model for the future, not tying us to a brick-and-mortar location or a corporate bureaucracy, giving us more agility. We expect to expand to Tampa and eventually cover all of central Florida.”

Ken’s Thoughts on the Shifting Real Estate Market

"We’re seeing a shift in the real estate market all over the country. The Fed raising rates, coupled with record high prices, is giving buyers pause on whether they move or not," Pozek said. "In recent months, we have had a massive swing in demand, but we’re still in a sellers' market, with the average home taking just one month to sell. I don’t hate these swings because the slower pace allows us to properly market homes, get buyers into the right home, and it’s pushing some agents out of the business. I see all of this as opportunity for my team.” 

He says his best year in Detroit was $40 million in the value of the houses he sold. This year he expects to reach $220 million.

"I may have missed some things I could have learned in college and the benefit of networking, but I'm still stoked about what I do."

About the Author

Scott S. Smith

Scott S. Smith has had over 2,000 articles and interviews published in nearly 200 media, including Los Angeles Magazine, American Airlines’ American Way, and Investor’s Business Daily. His interview subjects have included Bill Gates, Richard Branson, Meg Whitman, Reed Hastings, Howard Schultz, Larry Ellison, Kathy Ireland, and Quincy Jones.