My PODCAST Guide
While my primary focus of real estate business is in Downtown and Pasadena, I often find myself driving to the far reaches of LA County and beyond as I strive to suit the needs of home buyers and sellers all around.
I end up spending a lot of time in my car, sometimes up to 200 miles a day. After growing tired of Pandora and my iTunes, I discovered Podcasts, and for the past four years, it is what I am listening to 90% of the time.
With so much time and so much Podcast consumption, I have become quite the connoisseur (those that share my appreciation of all things Podcast can attest to this).
With this in mind, I will highlight a new show monthly. Have one you love? Please let me know, I am starting to run out.
To listen, just search for the show name on your favorite podcast app.
Science Vs
As social media platforms continue to come under fire for being the method of spreading speculation, it is natural that we seek real answers. It is tough to refute real science facts from proven sources and the Science Vs podcast from Gimlet does just this. By pitting fact vs hearsay, you hear whats real and what is nothing more than clickbait on hews headlines. There are always lots of opinions, but then there is science.
Curiosity Daily
With most of us not faced with long commute times, I am always on the lookout for compelling short-form podcasts. Curiosity Daily from Discovery is one of those. Daily doses of science, psychology and technology-based info will make you a little smarter every day. Episodes are usually only 10-12 minutes long. The hosts do a great job of breaking down complex topics into understandable and useable information.
99% Invisible
Host Roman Mars has one of those magical voices that gives this podcast an enchanting effect. Architecture and urban planning are common topics as he delves into how design influences every part of our lives.
Favorite episodes include ep. 323 where he shares the history of the famous mail-order Sears houses and ep. 361 on how the shortage of sand is going to have a massive effect on future construction.
Housing Matters
Home values are always in flux, but the biggest question is always where home values are going. The California Association of Realtors has a team of economists that are always analyzing the data and predicting where it is going.
If you are interested in the future of home values, this quarterly podcast from the CAR is the one for you. Note: it is heavy on the data analytics and light on the entertainment value of podcasts
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How I Built This
We all need a little inspiration these days, and there are few tales as inspiring as those of the successful entrepreneur. This month I highlight NPR’s “How I Built This” with Guy Raz. The host does an amazing job interviewing some of our most heralded entrepreneurs and their struggles to greatness. Highlights include the tales of how brands like AirBnB, Vita Coco, La Colombe, Ring, and reCAPTCHA and Cotopaxi got started.
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RadioLab
We are all looking for ways to make sense of this crazy world in which we live. Admit it, you’re not an infectious disease specialist and as much as you think you’re an amateur epidemiologist, you aren’t. Get a grasp on real world reasoning on the science of our world with RadioLab. Highly researched topics digested for you to grasp and spout as your own findings. Check out the recent episode on Invisible Allies, it will add great insight into Covid and what you can do to stay safe.
Joe Exotic
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The runaway Netflix hit Tiger King has consumed all of us as we are in lock down. See how the series started with this podcast from 2019. From the rivalry with Carol Baskin to the myriad of cooky employees at the zoo. Bonus episodes have been added with the rising popularity.
Hidden Brain
The holidays are a time for gathering and that always equates to small talk with those you don’t converse with normally. Skip the “how’s the weather” doldrums with some insightful debates on how we all think. Hint: No you aren’t the smartest person in the room, we just all think we are. Host Shankar Vedantam has a mesmerizing accent and an amazing talent of interviewing people to showcase the nuance of how we interact with others and the world in which we live.
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Design & Architecture
Host Frances Anderton and her whimsical British accent make the listening of LA’s architectural scene just delightful. Precocious at times, Frances knows her stuff. Part of KCRW, DnA has been on the air since 2002 so the podcast option is a newer way to access this well established series. Interviews with legendary architects and tidbits of culture and history are presented in a manner that is sure to appeal to even the novice architectural fan.
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Hidden History of Los Angeles
This one is so very niche to us I just love it. Host Robert Petersen stems from Pasadena, holds a degree in history from Berkley but is actually the Deputy Attorney General for the State of California. Episodes go deep on subjects like Why There are So Many Craftsman houses in Pasadena to How Echo Park got it’s name.
Homebuilding & Home Improvement
A good realtor always has answers, and many of those times the answers are related to the construction or condition of a home. Saying “I don’t know” is just not acceptable in my book. I have set out to know everything I can possibly know about the construction of a home. I had the benefit of being raised by a father that worked in the trades and was swinging a hammer and handling a circular saw way before I should have been. I stay up to date on housing construction trends and troubles with these two main home improvement Podcasts.
The Money Pit
Although the title I do not care for and theme music that is just downright annoying, the content of this podcast makes it well worth it. In the typical call-in show fashion, homeowners nationwide call in for the most mundane to the most baffling home repair challenges. The hosts are well versed (one is a former inspector, the other an interior designer and experienced DIYer). Topics range for leaky basements to condensation inside of your windows in winter. TIP: Fast forward to the 2 minute mark to avoid the theme music and commercials.
Fine Home Building
Remember those nerds that built way too realistic model rockets in high school? Well, they grew up ad got in to building homes. This smarmy group of guys have some serious chops when it comes to home building. All have crazy projects they are working on and openly share the challenges. Again we hear submissions from homeowners and these guys go down the debate rabbit hole on discussing the most technical of challenges. If the debate of closed cell foam vs bat insulation R-value or knowing what the heck a ERV is and why you need one now, this is your ‘cast.
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Heavyweight
With Spring comes the peak real estate season and that means more time in the car. Those drives are always fun when I get a new episode of one of my Top 3 all time favorite podcasts. From Gimlet Media (recently acquired by Spotify) is the acclaimed Heavyweight podcast. Host Jonathan Goldstein gets way to involved in peoples lives in the hopes of solving an old wrong. A relationship that went awry, a friend that did you wrong, Goldstein’s yenta-ish pursuit of wanting to fix peoples damaged unions has an uncanny endearing quality peppered with humor and gasp. Episode #1 Buzz follows the strained relationship of two brothers in their golden years, will they hug it out after decades? Episode #18 Sven explores the years of haunting regret of a juror that sent a man to death. Amazing production value, captivatingly intelligent dialog and hilariously awkward humor, Heavyweight is a great binge.
This Is Love
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It’s February so we should focus on love, or when love goes bad perhaps. For this month I have a two-fer. First up is This Is Love, a second more recent show created and hosted by the host of Criminal (the January highlight). This Is Love centers around the mysteries and little known tales of love. Episode #8 Message in a Bottle follows what happens after years of researching a found message doesn’t result in a glorious union. Episode #11 Nothing Compares To You is the story of Prince’s sound technician sharing insights about the mysterious artists most famous love songs.
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Next Up is Where Shall We Begin, a fly on the wall perspective as a martial therapist consults couples near the brink of separation. Host Esther Perel is brilliant and her Belgian accent draws you into these personal moments by sharing her own tales of relationship crisis. Often cringe worthy, anyone that has ever been in love can sympathize and perhaps learn a couple things from this series. Check out Season 2 Episode #6 You Can Be Right or You Can Be Married.
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Criminal
I kick off the guide guns blazing with hands down my favorite: CRIMINAL. Host Phoebe Judge has a hauntingly smooth voice and a gentle manner the coaxes her guests to share immensely personal tales of being true crime victims or the true crime assailant. Theses are crazy stories that don’t make the movies or the local news.
Like episode #11, “I’m About to Save Your Life” when a mild-mannered Boeing engineer got into a little fender bender that ended up torturing him for the rest of his life. Or the mystery of a daughters repeated identity theft that chills the whole family. The archive is deep with 100+ episodes to date. By the time you get caught up, my next suggestion will publish.
Happy Listening, you may not want to listen to this one right before bed.
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About Podcasts: Not sure what a Podcast is? Podcasts are free “radio shows” that you can access on a mobile phone or computer. Podcast shows will have episodes, some are seven part shows and then they end while some have been podcasting for ten or more years and crank out a new episode every week.
There are podcasts for every topic under the sun. General news, industries, home improvement, real estate investing, crime shows, kids shows, underwater basketweaving shows, literally everything. There are 630,000 podcast shows and 18.5 million episodes and more shows and episodes come out every day. Literally.
Apple users access them through the native Podcast App, Android users have similar apps. There are other free podcast apps like Overcast and Stitcher as well. Just search your app store, install the app and start searching. Did I mention it is free entertainment?
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Michael Robleto
REALTOR®-Compass Real Estate
213-595-4720
Michael Robleto is a Pasadena based REALTOR®. His analytical and open approach to sales and representation have served his clients well in his twenty years of sales experience. Michael is a staunch homeowner advocate that blends compassion with a highly advanced technology-driven approach to the buying and selling of real estate in and around Los Angeles. His client accolades of insight, integrity and hard work support the fact that he is not your average agent.
Michael leverages his personal passion for historic architecture to provide his clients the unknown insight on the pros and cons of older homes. Michael, a California native, grew up in an older Bungalow home and has spent 23 years in Southern California admiring the unique architecture of the region. He often writes on homeownership strategy, historic residential architecture and Pasadena related topics which can be found on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram under the common profile name of his blog; BungalowAgent or at www.BunaglowAgent.com/blog.
Michael is a committee member and frequent volunteer for the preservation efforts of Pasadena Heritage as well as a supporter of the Five Acres center for children.