E71: Beyond HGTV: The Real Truth About the Housing Market with Gold Standard

What makes Dionne Malush with Gold Standard Realty a good neighbor? 

Ever wondered what happens when you merge creative talent with real estate expertise? Meet Dionne Malush, the force behind Realty One Group Gold Standard Pittsburgh, who transformed personal adversity into entrepreneurial triumph.

Dionne's journey from graphic designer to real estate innovator offers a masterclass in career pivoting. After her 17-year design business partnership dissolved, she entered real estate and quickly matched her previous income. Recognizing the powerful synergy between design and real estate marketing, she established a brokerage that disrupted Pittsburgh's century-old real estate practices. "We came into an area where everything was the same for over 100 years and we disrupted," Dionne explains. The result? Over 100 agents joined in the first year alone, making Gold Standard the fastest-growing real estate company in Pittsburgh.

What sets Dionne's approach apart is her fierce commitment to authenticity and agent support. With six offices throughout the region and 207 agents, Gold Standard prioritizes education and marketing resources. The brokerage uniquely features a real estate attorney as broker, providing invaluable legal expertise that prevents issues before they escalate. Dionne candidly dispels industry myths, warning that "HDTV is not the truth" and that real estate success requires genuine relationship-building and consistent marketing. Behind her professional achievements lies a poignant personal story—channeling grief over her father's passing into creating the "Shine On Success" podcast, where she showcases stories of resilience. Despite facing her husband's recent liver transplant, Dionne believes "grief has made creativity my superpower," demonstrating how personal challenges can fuel professional innovation. Her enthusiasm for AI technology further illustrates her forward-thinking approach to an evolving industry.

Ready to experience the Gold Standard difference? Discover more at realtyonegroupgoldstandard.com and witness how Dionne's unique blend of creativity, resilience, and innovation is reshaping Pittsburgh's real estate landscape. How might her story inspire your own professional transformation?

To learn more about Gold Standard Realty go to: 

https://www.realtyonegroupgoldstandard.com/

Gold Standard Realty

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Lila Carter.

Speaker 2 (00:14):
Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast.
Are you in need of a realtycompany?
One might be closer than youthink.
Today I have the pleasure ofintroducing your good neighbor,
dionne Malish, with GoldStandard Pittsburgh.
Dionne, how's it?

Speaker 3 (00:28):
going.
Hi, it's going great.
This is so exciting.
I love this opportunity.
How cool is this?
Thank you for having me here.

Speaker 2 (00:37):
Oh, we're thankful you're here as well, so we're
excited to learn all about youand your business.
Please tell us more about yourorganization.

Speaker 3 (00:44):
So our company is Realty One Group Gold Standard,
and we always say Gold StandardPittsburgh because that's our
real name.
We love being the gold standardin the city that loves black
and gold.
We started the brokerage around2018.
We had an amazing startup ourfirst year.
We had over 100 agents join ourcompany, which was the fastest
growing real estate company inPittsburgh.

(01:05):
We were definitely a disruptormodel.
We came into an area whereeverything was the same for over
100 years and we disrupted, andit's been such a pleasure doing
business in the city that Ilove so much.
So, yeah, we're a real estatecompany, but we do a lot of
things differently and we reallyput the agent first and not the
company.
So we're spending our time likemarketing agents and doing the

(01:26):
best for them, because, at theend of the day, without agents,
we don't have a company.

Speaker 2 (01:30):
That's so true.
And how did you get into thisbusiness, Deanne?

Speaker 3 (01:33):
Yeah.
So I had a graphic designbusiness for 17 years and my
partnership destroyed thecompany.
So at that point I got my realestate license and realized in
my second year that I'd made asmuch as I had in my 17th year of
my design business.
So I saw something really coolby marrying the two industries.
You know, real estate, graphicdesign perfect marriage.

(01:54):
When I started, microsoft Wordis what everyone used.
Now today we have Canva andthings like that that help the
agents be more creative.
So we I got my license.
I did really well, and then Ihad an opportunity to become an
owner in a small office and Idid that.
And then we decided to buy thisfranchise and bring it to
Pittsburgh.
So we have six offices allaround the city.

(02:14):
You know we have over two.
Today we're at 207 agents, andwhen I say we have amazing
people in our company, I am notlying.
There is some really fantastichuman beings and great agents.
We have a broker that's anattorney which truly sets us
apart, so it helps us to nothave issues as much because
she's able to squash them beforethey get too bad.
So that's a little bit abouthow it started.

(02:36):
So graphic designer turned realestate mogul.

Speaker 2 (02:39):
Awesome.
So what are some myths ormisconceptions in this industry?

Speaker 3 (02:46):
I think, geez, there's so many.
Okay, the biggest one I wouldhave to say that really jumps
out at me is what you see on TVis not the truth.
Hdtv is not the truth.
You know, people that aren'tmaking a lot of money can't
afford to buy a million dollarhouses.
It's just not the way it works.
And they make it look so prettyand so easy.
Real estate is hard.
People can't.
They get into real estatethinking, oh, I'm going to do

(03:07):
what they do on TV, and theyrealize it's not that easy.
You have to really focus on thepeople.
You know your sphere ofinfluence, your your past
clients.
If you've been in business andyou need to, you know constantly
be doing something to promoteyourself.
Marketing is such a huge partof real estate and if,
especially now with AI and allthe things that, the tools and
technology that are out there ifyou're not using them, you're

(03:30):
going to be passed up in acouple of years.
And it's a shame because somepeople have been in business a
long time doing it the old way.
But the old way is not workinganymore and HDTV is not the
truth.
Please don't watch that.
And Zillow doesn't knoweverything, that's for sure,
because they're not inside ahouse, they only know what they
see in pictures.
So there's a lot ofmisconceptions and I think for
us you know we try to make ouragents at the forefront so the

(03:53):
consumer knows when they, whenthey meet a realty one group
agent.
They are well educated, theylove marketing, they know how to
, you know, to market the house.
Some of our agents, the thingsthat they do would just be will
blow your mind.
And so there's a lot ofmisconceptions.
But there's also a lot ofreally good things about real
estate in Pittsburgh.
It's a very stable market andwe had some highs during COVID

(04:16):
but now we're back to stability,so we're lucky to have that.

Speaker 2 (04:19):
Yeah, it's so important what you do helping
people find a house that reallyfeels like home.
So, as we're thinking about themarket that you're serving and
attracting your target market,who are your target customers
and how are you bringing them tothe business?

Speaker 3 (04:34):
Yeah.
So for me, as a brokerage owner, my target market is our real
estate agents.
We have over 9000 real estateagents in the Pittsburgh market,
so we have 207.
And there's other Realty Onegroups as well.
They have different names, butwe are Realty One Group Gold
Standard and there's otherRealty One groups as well.
They have different names, butwe are Realty One Group of
Standard.
So for me, the target market ismore agents to understand, you
know, that they don't have togive up half their money, they
don't have to be in a companythat really doesn't support them

(04:57):
, that they can have all thesupport, all most of the money
and still, you know, be able tolive their life.
And I think that's anopportunity that we give them is
that they can live their lifedifferently because they can
come here, make more and haveall the things that they need.
So that's what my client is.
But our agents, their clients,of course, are buyers and
sellers.
Looking in the Pittsburghregion, we have agents from

(05:19):
Johnstown, you know, toWashington, to Wexford, to
almost to Beaver Falls, you know.
We have them all over the city.
We have an office right downright in Shadyside as well, so
we're in the middle of the city,plus, we're everywhere around.
So that's what we're lookingfor.
You know, home buyers andsellers that want an agent
that's well educated, want abrokerage that has an attorney

(05:40):
that actually is the forefrontof the brokerage.
That really helps because she'sbeen a real estate attorney for
over 25 years.
So having all of that in ourmix has really set us apart in
the market.
Like I said, that was the same.
But I'm going to tell you onething for sure is they're not
the same anymore.
When we came in this market wegave so many reasons for the

(06:00):
companies to step up their gameand they did and they had no
choice because when they sawwhat we were doing they had no
choice and literally was littleold me and we had the computer
doing all this stuff to marketour agents, to put them at the
front side.
So it's been an amazing ride.
You know.
Eight years in, it's been justsuch a great opportunity.

Speaker 2 (06:20):
Have you ever thought about offering a digital level
of support to people through apodcast?

Speaker 3 (06:25):
I actually have a podcast myself and so it's
called shine on success, and Iactually did that because my dad
had passed away and I waslooking for a way to take my
grief and put it into something.
So I created the podcast to toshare people that are going
through adversity and pushingthrough to the other side, that
we all can get through it, youknow, to try to help others.
And so I think I'm at number 90.

(06:47):
So so far I've been 90 in ayear and a half that I've put
together.
But, yeah, I love having apodcast.
I think everybody should have apodcast because we all have
different stories and I thinkpodcasting is such a great
opportunity to meet some of themost amazing people in the world
not just in the pittsburghregion, all over the world.
So, yeah, I love having apodcast.

Speaker 2 (07:08):
I love that story about how you catalyze your
grief into something beautiful,and may he rest in peace.
I'm sorry for your loss.

Speaker 3 (07:15):
It's been a hard couple of years and a couple of
months ago my husband had aliver transplant.
So the last two years have beenvery trying.
But you know what?
I am still picking up thepieces and getting back up.
So that's what makes me, thatmakes me Dion, yeah, oh well,
outside of work.

Speaker 2 (07:30):
What do you do for fun?

Speaker 3 (07:34):
Yeah, I don't know.
I think about that a lot.
I love to travel, but wehaven't traveled in a while
because my dad was sick and hewas sick, so it's been about two
and a half years since I took avacation.
But I do love going on vacationand I love learning about AI,
so that's like fun for me.
So I am obsessed with AI and Idon't know.
Most people have things thatthey do.
We like to boat, but we, youknow things like that.

(07:55):
But having fun is just spendingtime with my husband and my
family and my dogs, which aresuper fun, and you know, of
course, the agents.
When we have events we have agreat time.
But overall, I love working andI love spending time learning
and so I learn so I can teach.

Speaker 2 (08:12):
So yeah, I love learning about AI, too, in my
spare time.
It's so quickly changing andthere's just so much to learn
about these different platformsand how to use them together,
combine them.
So, yeah, it's just definitelysomething that we need to stay
on the forefront of right.

Speaker 3 (08:30):
Sure, and I love that I'm doing that at the forefront
of this company so that ouragents know more and can do more
.
And yesterday I made thislittle eight-second video and it
was so good and I thoughtbefore this would have taken so
long.
So it's the opportunity to savetime and actually enjoy your
life.
That's what I love about AI.

(08:50):
So something that would takeyou hours now can take you
minutes, so the rest of your dayyou can do something that you
enjoy.
Yeah, so that's one of myfavorite parts of it.
And the fact is it's changingevery single day and there's so
many different kinds of software.
You have to just pick one youlike and stick with it, work
with it, learn it and then go tothe next one because, like, if

(09:11):
you're like me, you have 20different ai things going at one
time.
I do not recommend that.
I have to actually make a listto write down what are all the
ais that I have and what arethey for.
So I know so great.

Speaker 2 (09:23):
I know several business owners that are now
making what they call ai twins.
Have you heard of that?

Speaker 3 (09:28):
yeah, yeah, for sure I've had that.
I've had one for about a yearand a half now, so that's been
really helpful.
And you know I was a goodwriter before.
Now I'm a great writer and it'sbecause of the use of AI.
You know it fixes what I don'twrite properly and I just think
it's enhanced my skills.
My creativity is through theroof.
In fact, I do believe grief hasmade creativity my superpower,

(09:54):
even greater than it's ever been.

Speaker 2 (09:54):
I love that.
I love that you said that.
So now, dion, what can stickwith our listeners about gold
standard?
Just one thing that you want tosit with them.

Speaker 3 (10:06):
That I am who I portray to be.
So a lot of times people willsay to an agent is she really
that nice, is she really?
Is that really her?
It absolutely 100 is.
So I want everyone inpittsburgh to know that I am who
I say I am that's lovely, andhow can our listeners learn more

(10:27):
about gold standard pittsburgh?
yeah, so you can just go to mywebsite, dion malish,
d-i-o-n-n-n-e-m-a-l-u-s-hcom.
It's a little bit about me, andthen you know,
realtyonegroupgoldstandardcom isour company web address, so all
you have to do is type inRealtyOneGroupGoldStandard and
you'll find us everywhere.
I think I've done a pretty goodjob getting us out there in the

(10:47):
market of Pittsburgh.

Speaker 2 (10:49):
Excellent.
Well, Dionne, we reallyappreciate your time today and
having you as a guest on ourshow.
We wish you and your businessthe best moving forward.

Speaker 3 (10:59):
Thank you.
It's so nice to meet you.
I appreciate this very much.
Thanks for being here.

Speaker 1 (11:04):
Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor
Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go to GNPPittsburghcom.
That's GNPPittsburghcom, orcall 412-561-9956.