In this episode of the Be The Solution Podcast, host Maria Quattrone sits down with Elma Guardiani to break down the Top 5 Smart Moves First-Time Homebuyers Must Make in 2026.

With rising prices, competitive markets, and fluctuating interest rates, first-time buyers need strategy—not guesswork.

Maria and Elma walk through exactly what buyers must do before even stepping into a home—and how preparation can be the difference between winning and losing in today’s market.

If you are a renter thinking about buying in 2026, this episode is your roadmap.

Top 5 Smart Moves for First-Time Homebuyers in 2026

1️⃣ Get Pre-Approved — Not Just Pre-Qualified

2️⃣ Know Your True Monthly Payment

3️⃣ Understand Your Local Market

4️⃣ Work With a Full-Time, Experienced Agent

5️⃣ Be Ready to Act Quickly

Maria reflects on:

• Pre-Docusign days
• Paper contracts
• Driving deposits in person
• No GPS

Technology makes the process easier today—but preparation and skill still matter.

Best Quotes

Elma Guardiani:

Maria Quattrone:

Connect with Maria Quattrone:
Facebook: Maria Quattrone
LinkedIn: Maria Quattrone
YouTube: Maria Quattrone
Instagram: @maria_quattrone
TikTok: mariaquattronerealestate
Website: MQrealesate.com
Office number: 215- 607-3535

In this episode of the Be The Solution Podcast, host Maria Quattrone is joined by Rob Bunis to break down the Philadelphia and South Jersey real estate market heading into 2026.

From shifting inventory levels and declining agent counts to interest rate psychology and pricing strategy, Maria and Rob unpack what’s really happening — and why this is shaping up to be a skill-based market where experience matters more than ever.

If you're a buyer, seller, investor, or agent, this episode will help you understand:

• Where the market is actually heading
• Why pricing correctly matters more than ever
• Why experienced listing agents win in 2026
• How to prepare your home for the spring market
• Why real estate remains one of the best wealth-building vehicles

Key Market Insights for 2026

📈 Inventory Is Slowly Rising — But Not Everywhere

🏡 The Spring Market Still Rules

💰 Interest Rates vs. Home Prices

🧠 2026 = A Skill-Based Market

🏆 Listing Expertise vs. “Buyer’s Agent”

🔑 It All Starts With a Conversation

Best Quotes

Rob Bunis:

Maria Quattrone:

Connect with Maria Quattrone:
Facebook: Maria Quattrone
LinkedIn: Maria Quattrone
YouTube: Maria Quattrone
Instagram: @maria_quattrone
TikTok: mariaquattronerealestate
Website: MQrealesate.com
Office number: 215- 607-3535

In this episode of the Be The Solution Podcast, host Maria Quattrone sits down with trusted lending partner Deanne Katsaros, widely known as Mortgage Mom, to introduce a game-changing solution for homebuyers: paperwork-free mortgage pre-approval.

For decades, buyers have been overwhelmed by endless requests for W-2s, pay stubs, bank statements, and email back-and-forth. Deanne explains how that process is officially obsolete.

Using a secure, bank-level encrypted system, buyers can now:

• Verify income
• Verify employment
• Verify assets

…all in minutes, without uploading a single document.

If you’re a homebuyer, real estate agent, or lender, this episode explains how modern mortgage technology removes friction, stress, and delays from the buying process.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Why Buyers Hate Mortgage Paperwork
• How Paperwork-Free Pre-Approval Works
• Real-World Example: Offer Accepted in Minutes
• Why This Is Safer Than Email
• Why Realtors Love This System
• 2026 Is About Speed and Simplicity

Best Quotes

Deanne Katsaros:

Maria Quattrone:

Guest Information

Deanne Katsaros — Mortgage Mom
📍 New Jersey / Pennsylvania
📞 Cell: 609-605-7153
Specializing in fast, stress-free home loan approvals

Connect with Maria Quattrone:
Facebook: Maria Quattrone
LinkedIn: Maria Quattrone
YouTube: Maria Quattrone
Instagram: @maria_quattrone
TikTok: mariaquattronerealestate
Website: MQrealesate.com
Office number: 215- 607-3535

In this high-energy episode of the Be The Solution Podcast, host Maria Quattrone welcomes back returning guest Larry Steinhouse—entrepreneur, investor, radio host, and founder of Investor Schooling.

Larry doesn’t hold back. He shares how he 10× his income and doubled his net worth, why most people stay broke, and what it really takes to change your financial future. From real estate and silver to crypto, stock options, and mindset, this episode is a masterclass in radical responsibility, disciplined action, and refusing to quit.

This conversation is about:

• Making more money by taking action
• Why mindset determines wealth
• Investing beyond traditional advice
• Helping others as a path to abundance
• Being the solution to your own life

If you’re stuck, frustrated, or feel like you’re capable of more, this episode will light a fire under you.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Why Most People Never Build Wealth
• How Larry 10× His Income and Doubled His Net Worth
• The Importance of Contribution (Lev27)
• Why Victim Mindset Keeps People Poor
• Silver, Bitcoin, and the Future of Money
• Why Education Beats Financial Advisors
• Why Health, Wealth, and Discipline Go Together
• Success Leaves Clues

Best Quotes

Larry Steinhouse:

Maria Quattrone:

Guest Information

Larry Steinhouse
Founder — Investor Schooling
Author — Money Hacks
Radio Host — The Larry Steinhouse Show
Charity — Lev27

Connect with Maria Quattrone:
Facebook: Maria Quattrone
LinkedIn: Maria Quattrone
YouTube: Maria Quattrone
Instagram: @maria_quattrone
TikTok: mariaquattronerealestate
Website: MQrealesate.com
Office number: 215- 607-3535

In this episode of the Be The Solution Podcast, host Maria Quattrone sits down with longtime industry partner Jeff Gallo, founder of Jefferson Avenue Insurance, for a powerful conversation on why alignment is the real driver of sustainable business growth.

Jeff shares how Jefferson Avenue Insurance evolved from a generalist insurance agency into a highly focused, niche-driven partner for real estate agents, mortgage lenders, and homebuyers—and how saying no to misaligned business became the catalyst for massive growth.

This episode is about:

• Focus over fragmentation
• Process over outcome
• Relationships over transactions
• Why alignment beats forecasting
• How clarity creates confidence for teams and clients

If you’re a real estate professional, lender, insurance broker, or business owner, this conversation will challenge how you think about growth, focus, and leadership.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Why Alignment Is the Solution for Growth
• The Power of Niching Down in Insurance
• Why Saying No Was the Hardest—and Best—Decision
• Guides, Not Salespeople
• Process Over Outcome
• Why Forecasting Doesn’t Build Businesses
• The Real Currency Is Relationships

Long-term success comes from:

• Making partners look good
• Making clients’ lives easier
• Showing up consistently
• Giving value without expectation

Jeff calls this relationship equity—and it compounds faster than any marketing spend.

Best Quotes

Jeff Gallo:

Maria Quattrone:

Guest Information

Jeff Gallo
Founder — Jefferson Avenue Insurance
Specializing in insurance solutions for real estate & mortgage professionals

Connect with Maria Quattrone:
Facebook: Maria Quattrone
LinkedIn: Maria Quattrone
YouTube: Maria Quattrone
Instagram: @maria_quattrone
TikTok: mariaquattronerealestate
Website: MQrealesate.com
Office number: 215- 607-3535

In this episode of the Be The Solution Podcast, host Maria Quattrone sits down with Matthew Einheber, founder and CEO of TitleEQ, for a deep, eye-opening conversation about why title insurance is one of the most misunderstood—but most critical—parts of a real estate transaction.

Most people think title is paperwork. Matt explains why that assumption is dangerous.

From broken chains of title and hidden liens to underwriting judgment calls and last-minute problem solving, this episode reveals what actually happens behind the scenes—and why the difference between a good title company and a bad one can make or break a deal.

This conversation is about:

• Leadership and standards
• People over process
• Value vs. time
• Why regulated pricing doesn’t mean commoditized service
• How experience solves problems money can’t

If you are a homebuyer, investor, real estate agent, or broker, this episode will completely change how you view title insurance.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Why Title Insurance Is Not “Boring”
• Why Fixed Pricing Creates a False Sense of Equality
• The Role of Leadership in High-Stakes Businesses
• Why Experience Is Priceless
• People Beat Systems Every Time
• Why Title Is a High-Frequency, High-Pressure Business
• Extraordinary as a Word—and a Standard

Best Quotes

Matthew Einheber:

Maria Quattrone:

Guest Information

Matthew Einheber
Founder & CEO — TitleEQ
National settlement services & title operations

Connect with Maria Quattrone:
Facebook: Maria Quattrone
LinkedIn: Maria Quattrone
YouTube: Maria Quattrone
Instagram: @maria_quattrone
TikTok: mariaquattronerealestate
Website: MQrealesate.com
Office number: 215- 607-3535

In this episode of the Be The Solution Podcast, host Maria Quattrone sits down with longtime friend, real estate educator, and broker Janis Benstock to unpack a revolutionary new concept in real estate: Agent4Agent, a platform designed to make referrals simple, transparent, and relationship-driven.

After decades in real estate and countless referral experiences that relied on spreadsheets, hope, and follow-up texts, Janis identified a massive industry problem: agents give referrals every day, yet have no reliable way to track them, monitor progress, or ensure accountability.

This episode is a deep conversation about:

• Why referrals are broken in real estate
• How Agent for Agent solves the problem
• Why relationships—not big tech—should control referrals
• The role of white space, intuition, and courage in innovation
• How agents can grow without burnout or hustle culture

If you’re a real estate agent, broker, team leader, or coach, this episode will fundamentally change how you think about referrals, technology, and growth.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Why Real Estate Referrals Are Broken
• What “Agent for Agent” Is
• Why This Platform Is Built By Agents, For Agents
• The Optional CRM (Without the Overwhelm)
• Why White Space Creates the Best Ideas
• Fearless Execution Over Perfect Planning

Best Quotes

Janis Benstock:

Maria Quattrone:

Guest InformationJanis Benstock
Founder — Agent4Agent https://agent4agent.net/registration?am_id=janis222
📍 Philadelphia Metro

Connect with Maria Quattrone:
Facebook: Maria Quattrone
LinkedIn: Maria Quattrone
YouTube: Maria Quattrone
Instagram: @maria_quattrone
TikTok: mariaquattronerealestate
Website: MQrealesate.com
Office number: 215- 607-3535

In this episode of the Be The Solution Podcast, host Maria Quattrone sits down with longtime friend and real estate veteran Denise Swick, founder of Downsize Allies.

With more than 35 years in real estate and 3,000+ homes sold, Denise shares how she shifted from being a traditional agent to building a high-impact, high-margin niche business focused on seniors, executors, and families navigating major life transitions.

This is a powerful conversation about:

• Why the riches are in the niches
• How downsizing is rarely “just a sale”
• Protecting seniors from predatory investors and wholesalers
• Turning personal pain into professional purpose
• Building a solution-based business that truly serves clients

If you’re a real estate agent, investor, or family supporting aging parents, this episode delivers clarity, compassion, and strategy.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Why Downsizing Is a Growing Real Estate Niche
• What Downsize Allies Actually Does
• The Emotional Side of Senior Transitions
• Why Seniors Are Being Preyed Upon
• Pricing Expertise Is Critical for Seniors
• How Agents Can Enter the Downsizing Niche
• 2026 Outlook: Optimistic and Purpose-Driven

Best Quotes

Denise Swick:

Maria Quattrone:

Guest Information

Denise Swick
Founder — Downsize Allies
📍 Dayton, OH / Northern Cincinnati
🌐 https://downsizeallies.com

Connect with Maria Quattrone:
Facebook: Maria Quattrone
LinkedIn: Maria Quattrone
YouTube: Maria Quattrone
Instagram: @maria_quattrone
TikTok: mariaquattronerealestate
Website: MQrealesate.com
Office number: 215- 607-3535