Real Estate With Brian O’Connell

06/04/2026

Peeling paint has scared way too many people away from VA loans.

As of May 2026, VA updated its guidelines:

If the home was built after 1978, peeling paint is no longer the same concern it used to be.

Detached, non-occupied buildings like garages and sheds are also no longer treated the same way.

This is exactly why agents, sellers, and veterans need accurate VA loan education.

The loan was never the issue. The misunderstanding of the loan was.

05/27/2026

While comparison may be the thief of joy, there’s still something to be said for striving to be the best of the best. Even if you never reach the moon, you’ll still land among the stars.

05/23/2026

05/23/2026

There’s been a lot of confusion lately on who exactly I work with…

So let me set the record straight 👇

I work with buyers.
I work with sellers.
I work with investors.
I work with Veterans.
I work with first-time homebuyers.
I work with families upsizing, downsizing, relocating, rebuilding, and everything in between.

My job isn’t to force people into transactions.
My job is to understand your goals, build a strategy around them, and put you in the strongest possible position to win.

As a Veteran myself, I do specialize heavily in the VA loan product and helping fellow Veterans fully understand and maximize the benefits they earned 🇺🇸

At the same time, there’s nothing I enjoy more than helping someone buy their very first home or helping a seller move on to their next chapter with confidence.

No two clients are the same.
No two strategies should be either.

Whatever your goals are — now or years from now — I’d love to be a resource to you however and whenever possible.

Real estate isn’t one-size-fits-all.
That’s exactly why strategy matters.

05/19/2026

Be careful who you hire… It may just cost you a ton of time and thousands of dollars… Unfortunately I have to work with these people every single day..

Hire a FULL TIME PROFESSIONAL with a proven track record of putting sold signs in yards- not just for sale signs..

Shoutout to

05/07/2026

Forgot how to do math there for a second…

Buying & Selling at the same time is scary, stressful & sometimes feels impossible. It’s one of the most difficult situations to be in as a consumer in real estate. But not impossible.

While we dealt with this uphill battle we were able to make my client $37,500 in the process AND help him secure his new home before we even listed his current home which is the exact opposite of what every other agent is going to tell you to do.

Strategic planning around their specific situation- that’s it! No firing from the hip no guess work here is our plan let’s execute.

05/01/2026

Don’t be a robot, quit making it weird… You have to truly care about people and their interests to last in this business. Obviously you’re not truly going to take interest in EVERYTHING people have going on but atleast try. Be genuine nobody likes fake phony people intelligent people will see right through it.

Don’t be a weirdo
Don’t make it harder than it needs to be
Just be a person

04/19/2026

Please DO NOT overwhelm yourself with trying to see a million houses in a single weekend. It’s only going to burn you out & put you at risk of making an offer on the WRONG HOUSE 🤯 I tell all my clients to limit their weekly tours from 4-6 at most to be most effective & less overwhelming.
Secondly, Google Maps street view will become your best friend and greatest ally in your search. Use and abuse it to save yourself time when house hunting!

10/22/2025

Down Payment vs Deposit — same thing, right? 👀
Not quite. Here’s the quick breakdown every buyer should know