Episode Details

On today's show I sat down with Jim Trueblood to learn more about his founding of Trueblood Real Estate and its rapid growth.

Trueblood bought his first rental property at 16 with the help of family, owned two homes by 18, studied business at Purdue, and later pursued a $12 million Florida condo conversion that collapsed when the market shut down, forcing him to return home broke, sleep on a couch, and start over as a new agent.

After years of low commissions and setbacks, he scaled his business by aggressively buying Zillow leads (and later realtor.com), growing from solo production to a team and launching a brokerage in 2018. He discusses lead distribution, agent growth, and branding through exclusive athletics partnerships with Purdue, IU, and Notre Dame, plus NIL deals including former Boilermaker and current Indiana Pacers guard Braden Smith.

He also shares market insights, advice for agents and first-time buyers, and expansion into Kentucky.

If you like this episode and want to hear more Get IN. episodes where I interview Hoosiers making a difference, visit getindiana.com/podcast.

You are going to learn about:
- How Jim Trueblood Got His Start in Real Estate
- The Founding and Scaling of Trueblood Real Estate
- Strategic Real Estate Branding Practices
- Tips for First-Time Buyers

Thank you to our partners:
Indy Grills
1933 Lounge Carmel

Check out these great clips from the show:
00:00 Rock Bottom Lessons
01:23 Guest Introduction: Jim Trueblood, Trueblood Real Estate
02:23 First Rental at 16
03:23 Managing Tenants Young
05:03 Purdue Social Wake Up
08:48 Florida Condo Gamble
11:59 Market Crash Fallout
14:05 Back Home Starting Over
15:56 Open House Heartbreak
17:59 Finding Zillow Traction
21:35 Scaling Leads Into Brokerage
25:17 Choosing a Brokerage
27:18 Building Lead Machine
28:51 Athletics Branding Deals
32:33 Notre Dame Negotiations
33:56 Campus Brand Partnerships
34:36 South Bend Office Launch
35:06 Office Design as Marketing
36:33 NIL Deal Wild West
38:06 Braden Smith Activation
40:15 Leads vs Brand Strategy
40:50 Scaling Marketing Wisely
41:46 Building a 200 Agent Team
42:55 Agent Market in 2026
43:58 Costs to Stay Licensed
44:48 From Selling to Leading
45:46 Advice for New Agents
47:19 Inspections Kill Deals
50:09 Indiana Market Snapshot
52:31 First Time Buyer Advice
54:31 Growth Plans and Kentucky
56:49 Why Indiana Is Home
58:03 Dream NIL Athlete Pick
59:01 Underrated Fort Wayne
59:53 Craziest House Story
01:03:59 Rapid Fire Indiana Picks
01:05:55 Favorite Purdue Memory

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