Matthew Hornaday Realtor

People ask how I balance it all. Honestly, I just break the day into pieces. 🧩

Mornings start with the kids, school drop-off or pick-up, and a few minutes of real conversation about what is going on with them. After that, it is my time in the gym before the workday fully takes over.

Once the kids are back home, work is done, and it is family time again. No magic formula, just small blocks stacked on top of each other every single day.

Follow along for more of what actually goes into running this business.

Is a second home still worth it in this market? Yes, if you buy it on purpose. 🔑

First decide what you want out of it: monthly profit, help covering expenses, or simply owning the asset. That answer changes the property completely, and so does whether you plan to use it in high season or low.

Then there is the part most people skip. The tax advantages. Even if you are $300 a month negative, that is $3,600 a year against a tax bill that could be $20,000.

Look at the whole picture, not one line of it. DM me and let's map out your strategy.

The condo market right now is creating a real window for buyers. 🏢

There is so much inventory that pricing has become a bit of a race to the bottom. But here is the part that works in your favor: a lot of long-time owners bought years ago and have so much equity built in that selling below today's peak still puts a nice number in their pocket. They are happy, and you get in at a fair, sometimes even below-market, price.

It is a rare setup where both sides can walk away satisfied.

If you have been eyeing a condo in South Florida, now might be the time. DM me and let's talk.

People assume real estate is a 9-to-5. It is not. 📱

My day always starts the same way: family and myself first. School drop-off, gym time, then I check in on any client messages before the day really kicks off.

After that, it is appointments, showings, and hunting down the right fit for buyers, which means I spend close to 60% of my day on the road. Most of my actual office work happens early morning or late at night, so if I did not get back to you right away, I promise it is coming.

Follow along for more of the real side of this job.

Fort Lauderdale or West Palm? I'm taking Fort Lauderdale all day. 🌴

Las Olas is just a vibe. Best gelato, best pizza, rooftop bars, and speakeasies like The Apothecary and 1901. Clematis is nice, and the Italian market at the old City Place is worth a visit, but the strip is smaller.

One tip either way: skip the restaurants sitting right on the beach. There is so much better food a few blocks in.
Want to know which city actually fits your lifestyle? DM me.

Stop shopping the interest rate. Start shopping the monthly payment. 📉

Lenders are not padding your rate, they make money on volume and want you closed. And yes, rates are higher than they were, but so are prices, so affordability is the only number that matters.

If the payment feels comfortable and you just don't love the rate, that is a buy. If the payment doesn't work, renting for now is the smarter play.

Not sure which one you are? DM me and let's run your numbers.

If I had $500,000 to spend, would I buy a home? 100%, yes. But not the way most people think. 💰

The part people miss is that your down payment does not have to be the whole amount. Put $100,000 down, and you still have $400,000 left to put to work elsewhere. That is using the bank's money to buy your house instead of tying up all your own cash in one asset.

Buy the house, then let the rest of that money work for you in other investments. It is not complicated, it is just leverage.

Want to talk through how to structure a purchase like this? DM me.

My most memorable real estate closing turned me into a part-time mover. 🚚

A client was buying and selling on the same day, and the truck that showed up was way too small for the job. So instead of heading straight to the closing table, I rolled up my sleeves and helped load boxes to keep us on schedule.

Two truck runs, a quick outfit change, and one call to the other agent later, we closed right on time.

This job isn't always glamorous, but it's always about doing whatever it takes to get my clients across the finish line.
Want an agent who actually shows up for you? DM me and let's talk.

The biggest lie people believe about real estate? That the market has to crash soon. 📉

A lot of that fear comes from what happened in 2008. But since then, a whole set of lending processes and policies have changed specifically to prevent that exact scenario from repeating. A pullback is not the same thing as a crash.

At some point, the question is not if or when the market drops. It is whether you buy what you can afford or keep renting while you wait. Either way, make a decision. Be in the game or not.

DM me if you want to talk through what makes sense for you.

Ever wonder what actually pushes someone to leave a stable corporate job for real estate? For me, it was a coworker mentioning she was getting licensed, and something just clicked.

I got my license too, met my broker at an open house, and spent way too long talking myself into the leap.
Three months of FMLA later, I walked away from the 9-to-5 for good. Never looked back.

If you've been sitting on a career change, the leap is usually scarier in your head than it is in real life.
Follow along for more of the story, or DM me if you want to talk about making the switch.