The Neighborhood Real Estate Agent

Low Stress, High Volume: Building a Referral Engine From Paid Leads — Mickey Larson, MI

Matt Muscat

Most agents treat online leads like a necessary evil. Mickey Larson turned them into a $15 million business in just two years.

In this episode, I sit down with Mickey, a former attorney and entrepreneur who ditched the courtroom stress for real estate and never looked back. While other agents complain about lead quality, Mickey has built an 85% online lead-based business with almost zero no-shows, consistent referrals, and a simple goal: one deal per week under contract.

We break down his counterintuitive approach to working leads, why he spends more time talking clients out of buying than into it, and how treating every lead like a lifelong relationship turned Zillow clicks into a thriving referral machine.
Inside this episode:


•Why Mickey keeps his first contact minimal and gets to the showing fast 

• The psychology behind earning trust by saying no 

• How to turn vacant land leads and long nurture cycles into goldmines 

• Why he counts contracts, not closings, for instant gratification 

• His plan to scale by bringing his family into the business

Follow Mickey on Instagram: @larsmd09 Whether you’re buying leads and struggling to convert, or wondering if paid traffic is worth it, this episode will change how you think about online lead generation. Subscribe, share, and follow for more interviews like this.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

The Neighborhood Real Estate Agent is proudly sponsored by Treadstone Funding and Neighborhood Loans. For more tangible tips in real estate marketing, check out Matt's book, The Tangible Action Guide for Real Estate Marketing available on Amazon.
🔑 Treadstone Funding: https://www.treadstonemortgage.com/
🔑 Neighborhood Loans:https://neighborhoodloans.com
🔑 Real Estate Marketing Guide: https://www.amazon.com/TAG-Tangible-Action-Guide-Marketing/dp/1698339747
📲 Learned something new, or have a suggestion? Message Matt Muscat on Instagram!

🏛️ Treadstone Funding propelled by Neighborhood Loans NMLS 222982 “Illinois Residential Mortgage Licensee No. MB.6759826. neighborhoodloans.com/licensing For licensing information, go to www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org