Ep. 1: Let's Open The Gate - Our Maiden Voyage

Welcome aboard for our maiden voyage on the "Open the Gate" podcast! I'm your host, Blake, accompanied by my buddy Dan. Even as we juggle our day jobs (including my firefighting career and Dan's home services venture), we're here to share our stories and hopes, all while learning from the best in our local industry. Get ready to embark on a journey of constants - constant learning, constant growth, and a constant push forward, even when we're not feeling 100% ready!

As we traverse through Northern Californian life, you'll hear tales of Dan’s journey from the sandy shores of Half Moon Bay to the snow-capped peaks of Denver, and then back to Placer County. We'll also dive into some crazy family stories including a chaotic aircraft adventure with a baby, a toddler and a furry friend in tow! You'll meet some incredible Sacramento real estate pros, like renown "value add" (no pun intended) appraiser Ryan Lundquist and Publisher of Sacramento Real Producers, Katie MacDiarmid and host of other local real estate influencers. So, buckle up and let's get this show on the road!

Chapters

• 0:18 Introducing "Open the Gate" Podcast
• 6:13 Californians' Life, Family, and Stories
• 16:11 Introducing Sacramento Real Estate Professionals

Transcript

Blake Bidleman: 0:18

All right, welcome to Open the Gate. I am your host, blake Bidleamn, and I'm here with my awesome co-host, dan Marashi, and we are so pumped to be here. First of all, full disclosure this is our second go-at this morning because I forgot to hit the record button. So there's still butterflies there, dan, but I'm a little bit glad that we.

Dan Morasci: 0:40

Hey, man, you're human buddy. We purged the first one.

Blake Bidleman: 0:42

So Dan and I are figuring this out as we go. We'll get more into that later, but super stoked to be here with you, dan. We've been talking about this for months and here we are. We're filming, or recording our first episode.

Dan Morasci: 0:55

Yeah, man, I mean it's towards the end of the runway.

Blake Bidleman: 0:58

It's time to get in the air. Oh, absolutely, I look at it as like, hey, we decided to get in the plane. I thought before we were jumping, but really like we just got in the plane and now, about a minute and six seconds ago, we finally jumped out of the plane. So it's go time. Man, I'm super stoked to be here Right off the bat. Dan our name Open the Gate. You're the one behind that. Tell me what that means to you.

Dan Morasci: 1:20

All right, so there's a bunch of different things that kind of fed into it. Like, for one, I'm a huge Zach Bryan fan, so we went and saw him recently and he opened the concert with Open the Gate and I just loved it. I'll talk a little bit more about it later, but like I have a background in baseball, so a walk-up song is something that's always been super important to me.

Dan Morasci: 1:40

And you know we put a lot of thought into those and a lot of them have meaning. So for me, like this Open the Gate thing, when I was 13, my dad put me in a rodeo and in a steer-riding competition and I was a city kid man. I mean, I was out of my element and sitting on top of that thing with those cowboys pulling the rope down and tightening your hand, and the emotions, the anxiety, the fear, the excitement, as you're sitting there getting ready and they're asking you are you ready? Are you ready? Are you ready? And what they're asking you if you're ready for is are you ready to open the gate? And I'll never forget those emotions. It was super awesome and yeah, so that was when I heard this and when we started talking about putting this pod together, I was like dude, I don't think we can have anything else.

Blake Bidleman: 2:26

I think that was honestly. I think that before we even had like a mission statement, you were like oh, I know what, I know we got to go with.

Dan Morasci: 2:32

Yeah, yeah, and I probably pushed super hard. I don't even know if, I don't know if you had a choice, yeah, it's all good.

Blake Bidleman: 2:39

I don't think I had a bunch of pushback, because to me, I think that's, you know, it's a fantastic way to look at life. And I think, you know, for those of you who don't know us, dan and I are both of Tyside Real Estate Industry. If you don't know, the Real Estate Industry has changed a fair amount in the last couple of years, and so I think Open the Gate to me is really kind of the genesis of this podcast, even like we, you know, two minutes ago I forgot to hit record when we tried to, you know, figure this out so clearly. Dan and I are figuring this out on the fly. But what I love about him as a partner is that we just agreed to like, hey, we're gonna, we're just gonna keep moving ahead, even if we don't feel 100% proficient in every part of this. And to me that's that Open the Gate right, because there's there's been that fear ton of excitement.

Blake Bidleman: 3:19

I think you and I both have been like waking up in the middle of the night with ideas or thinking about guests that we're gonna have on here, the things we're gonna cover, and at no point at any part of this from buying the roadcaster to setting up the mics to where. You know you guys can't see us here, but we're in this. You know makeshift studio that we put together. At no point did we feel like overqualified or ready to go, but I think, just you know, like this podcast and our businesses, we've just tried to be consistent and continue to open the gate, whether you're ready or not, because I don't think you're ever really gonna be ready. So I don't, I don't think you're gonna get any pushback from me on the title. That's. That's about perfect.

Dan Morasci: 3:54

Yeah, no, it's been. The process has been super cool, man. So I think you know, hey, dude, let's, let's, let's learn a little bit about you, Blake. What's, what's your background, man? How did you get, how did you get to hear right now, today, as a co-host of the Open the Gate pod?

Blake Bidleman: 4:08

Absolutely so. You and I met through the Plash County Association of Realtors, probably two years ago now. You know we both frequent those meetings a fair amount, and then some of the social engagements. I feel like we just kind of clicked it off pretty well. But taking it back, I'm actually from the Pacific Northwest originally, so I lived there most of my life. I've actually only been a Californian on my driver's license for the last couple of years. So my, my wife, is originally from California. She's from the East Bay. I married her about 12 years ago and she had told me at the time she was living in California. I was living in Seattle. I'm never going to move to the Pacific Northwest unless you marry me. And so I did. You know it was. It was kind of she did get off the pot pretty much and so I proposed she held you hostage, she held me hostage and I called her bluff and it was the best call I ever made.

Blake Bidleman: 5:00

So that was about 13 years ago and she moved up to Seattle. I had just been hired by the Seattle Fire Department. So a lot of people don't know I'm actually a full time firefighter for the city of Seattle, but I live here in Placer County so I fly back and forth and I've done that for about 12 years. So I work in a really awesome little neck of the woods there called Ballard. It's an old industrial fishing town and then it's grown up with these awesome craftsmen's homes and so you got this really cool mix of a lot of things. So I work on I'm a driver a big tiller truck up there Latter Eight, which, if you ever see me driving in my truck down here, you wonder why I ever got a job as a professional driver. But yeah, I've done that for 12 years.

Blake Bidleman: 5:40

And then I got in the mortgage industry about four years ago and so prior to moving to California, I got into mortgage at a really interesting time and it's been a blast. I kind of thought I was going to do it for a little side hustle. It really grew super quickly and I'm still doing it today. So do both those things, and then more recently started another company, pull or Pull Professionals. We do service and repair for all your swimming pull needs here in Placer County. So mainly working in Roseville, penron, loomis, rockland and Lincoln. And then now, apparently, I'm a show host, a co-host of a podcast, absolutely and a dad. I've got three little kids two daughters who are six and almost five, and then a one and a half year old. So other than that, I mean I got a lot of free time and get a lot of sleep and that's me.

Dan Morasci: 6:30

Yeah, I was going to say you don't sleep much, do you?

Blake Bidleman: 6:33

You know, luckily I've always had kind of a high motor, so I think if I wouldn't I'd be dead in the water. But yeah, super stoked to be here and honestly I got to say, of all the things going on in my life, this is one of the things I'm most excited for. So how about you, dan? I know you're from a special little place here in California.

Dan Morasci: 6:48

Yeah, I grew up in Half Moon Bay, which is near and dear to my heart, super nostalgic about it, so obviously it's a little different now than it was when I was growing up there. Growing up there my dad was the town butcher and I was kind of joked. My parents knew I was in trouble before I knew I was in trouble because it was a small town back then. From Half Moon Bay I ended up. I played baseball in college, had a scholarship and lived out in Denver for that for about five years, which is where I met my wife, who was a volleyball player there. She's from Brazil, so she has no family here.

Dan Morasci: 7:22

Okay, ant's uncle's brother, everyone, her parents, everyone literally lives in Brazil. So I had a little intent of staying in Denver, met her, fell in love, got engaged and knew that we needed to have some family closer by to raise a family. So we moved back to Northern California and that was in like 05. In an 05, we bought a condo in Lincoln and then we ended up getting married later that year and then she got transferred for her work to Kansas City. I was just finishing up my master's degree in education. I was actually going through the student teaching process.

Blake Bidleman: 8:03

Okay, I did not know that.

Dan Morasci: 8:05

Yeah, and didn't love it. Didn't love the teaching. I thought I was going to be a teacher and a coach and that was going to be it. I just didn't love it, and so we had the opportunity to go to Kansas City. It was a really, really nice package that her employer presented her, so we just we went. It was just the two of us. We celebrated our first anniversary like two weeks after we got to Kansas City.

Blake Bidleman: 8:28

Wow.

Dan Morasci: 8:29

And chiefs chiefs fans. Yeah, my son is definitely a chiefs fan, but he's a front runner, so he likes the Niners and the chiefs because they're both really good right now. So as long as he's not an Eagles fan, I said you're cool, Okay, so fast forward. So we're out in Kansas City and ended up. Both my kids were born in Kansas City and that was kind of the impetus to spur us to move back again. Like I always joke, I'm one of the idiots who's moved back to California.

Blake Bidleman: 8:58

Yeah, you and I both yeah.

Dan Morasci: 8:59

It's not. It's not like the most financially tactful decision to move back into California, but you make it happen. Yeah and so, and really the reason behind that was it was like my daughter was um. My daughter was born, we started having the conversation in her first year about getting back to Northern California. Things were going well out there. We were young, we were raising our family. It was awesome. The people were great, the area we lived in was outstanding. The weather was a little bit of a challenge, but you know you're out in the Midwest, it's not Northern California weather.

Blake Bidleman: 9:31

Well, there's a reason it's so expensive to live here. It's, you know, God's country. It's the best place on Earth.

Dan Morasci: 9:35

Absolutely so. So then. So my son was born and we'd actually put the wheels in motion to move back. We'd sold our house out there and we moved back, and maybe it'll come out on one of these shows. But there's a great story about us missing our flight when we were moving home with, with, with basically a foreign exchange student, a dog that didn't want to be in a dog carrying case, a six month old baby and a three year old little girl at an airport.

Blake Bidleman: 10:03

So let me stop you right there for one second. I don't hate to interrupt, but that's what this show is going to be. It's going to be fun, awesome stories like that it's not going to be. You know what it would destroying organisms are and how to take advantage of a. You know two, one buy down or what rates are going to do we do work in. You know, tied to the real estate market. We're going to be talking to a ton of people in the real estate market, but I would much rather hear about a dog on a plane that doesn't want to be in a crate than what the Fed is going to say at their next meeting. So I'm sorry to interrupt you, but that should give you a good idea of like what's coming down the pipe.

Dan Morasci: 10:34

Oh, absolutely I total fiasco. I mean, just think of the movie scene where the people are banging on the glass and the pilot is backing the plane away Sorry, I know you're not getting on this plane, so. So that was that. So then we got back and that was 2011. So we've been back since 11, and it was a depressed job market when we got back.

Blake Bidleman: 11:00

Yeah.

Dan Morasci: 11:01

And I ended up taking a job with Terminix and got my termite license through there, met my now business partner, zack.

Dan Morasci: 11:07

Back then he brought me on board with a company doing inspections and then he left to open Finlay Home Services, which is actually where I'm a partner now.

Dan Morasci: 11:18

But I stayed and did the sales and marketing for the old organization and then about seven years later, zack and I teamed back up and here I am so, shortly before COVID was when Zack and I decided to partner up and had a pretty nervous first month and a half and then, when real estate became essential I'll never forget I made a post on Facebook and it was like real estate's essential and it just exploded and it was like so many people, so much excitement and so much like just joy because it was a brutal month and a half and I can't even imagine, like having not been in this industry, my personality I'm such a social person and need face to face and conversations and handshakes and for those people that had that taken away, I can't even imagine what it was like now.

Dan Morasci: 12:05

Yeah, looking back, I mean from the business standpoint, it's been great for us. So that's how I got here, man, and I've just really always tried to pride myself on being a resource. If I don't have an answer, I want to make sure I know the answer. I can find the answer for you, to help you out.

Blake Bidleman: 12:22

I just don't ever want to leave anybody hanging with just a no, well, I can attest to that, because we didn't know anything about how to do this podcast and I think I just kept asking you questions and we kept figuring it out.

Dan Morasci: 12:32

So yeah, we just kept finding the resources, man, I mean, that's what it is.

Blake Bidleman: 12:36

Yeah, that's all it is. I think that's just life in general, but certainly in this industry. And the other thing is you're really consistent. I mean, I think we're going to have a few guests on the show that everyone's going to know their name because they're out a lot, but everybody that I meet knows you, whether it's through work here or baseball, or you are out in this, in this. You know community time. I feel like that was a huge part of us being excited about this podcast as well. It's like we want to highlight the place that we live and that we love. All right, and we both move to a place where, I mean, it is sunny, but they like to take your money too.

Dan Morasci: 13:07

So absolutely, yeah, absolutely. It's a good plug for sponsors for the podcast. Yeah, right now. Yeah, absolutely, I'm on time this thing already on episode one.

Blake Bidleman: 13:14

Yeah, if you would like to be featured on this podcast. We would love to take your money. We both have kids and they're hungry and growing, so absolutely, but let's talk a little bit more about what we want this to be today. Can we touch on a little bit what it's not going to be right? So this is not real estate advice. Certainly there will be takeaways, I think, for partners, affiliates in this industry, certainly real estate agents, people in this community that are listening in, but I think those will be ancillary right.

Blake Bidleman: 13:47

I think our goal is to really highlight some of the awesome people in this industry and who they are, not necessarily what they do, not their volume, not what they've done. There's enough of that out there and right now, especially in a market that has shifted drastically the last handful of years and a lot of people in my role in mortgage real estate affiliates like yourself, a lot of those people have gotten out of the industry, and so I think you and I talked originally about we just want to make something that's fun, that people can connect to and that are loosely connected to real estate. So highlighting those individuals, who they are, what they do, some of the awesome things about why we love living You're like why are you and I okay paying state income tax? Because we really love where we live. So let's talk about that a little bit more, yeah.

Dan Morasci: 14:31

So I mean, I think my initial view and obviously the conversations that we were having, right off the bat we're in line with just that like this is not going to be some sort of nationally publicized I guess you can get it from wherever you want but we're going to really focus on the greater Sacramento area, things that are going on as far as developments, restaurants and just people and personalities, and we've got some incredible, incredible people in this area who are really just a wealth of knowledge, and one of the things I love about Sacramento is how outgoing and giving people are. There's so much generosity that surround us and it's like everyone I've talked to is like, oh, absolutely, I'd love to come on, I'd love to come on.

Blake Bidleman: 15:14

Isn't that cool. I mean right, we're just two dudes who are figuring out how to use the microphone. I don't even know if you guys can hear me correctly. In fact, dan and I did spend about a half an hour before this like working on these beautiful radio voices.

Dan Morasci: 15:25

Screwing up, not getting a record, yeah screw you.

Blake Bidleman: 15:27

Yeah, okay, fair enough, fair enough. But, that said, we're going to try to continue to hone this in as we go along, because our guests really deserve that we have. When Dan says that we have some all stars coming, he is not joking at all. So we'd love to give you a little bit of a preview of some of the people that honestly, like they said yes, a lot quicker than I would have guessed, I thought we're going to have to twist some arms and they're going to say what the heck is that? But I think the really cool thing about this is that it's meant for all of these people to really enjoy, and so I just don't feel like we had to twist anybody's arm. They said, yeah, that sounds actually like a ton of fun, so let's talk about you know spoiler alert we're going to go with the big bang round up the back.

Blake Bidleman: 16:08

Let's talk about it.

Dan Morasci: 16:09

Absolutely, absolutely One of the first few. The first episode is going to be Ryan Lankwist. Ryan has been just just instrumental in the real estate market and the the, the information, the content that he's provided have really just helped so much to advance the greater Sacramento area and professionals. And you know, we're going to, we're going to, we're going to pick his brain and kind of figure out maybe what makes him tick more. You know he's not going to come on here and give a bunch of stats. We don't want that. We're going to tell him, we don't want that, we want.

Dan Morasci: 16:39

we want Ryan to provide something where, if somebody sees him present, they might hear something on this podcast that would make them feel comfortable going up to Ryan afterwards and going hey, Ryan.

Blake Bidleman: 16:49

Yeah.

Dan Morasci: 16:49

And have that, that that little, a little closer to a, to a true connection, Absolutely, and Ryan is that guy I mean.

Blake Bidleman: 16:56

The truth is he is a wealth of knowledge. He writes a Sacramento appraisal blog. If you're in this industry and you and you don't know Ryan, you are really missing out. Because I would say everybody, every vendor, every affiliate, certainly real estate agents and, very much so I would say, even consumers he, he really breaks things down. He knows so much but he puts things in layman's terms and he really what one of my favorite things about him? He, he holds the industry accountable.

Blake Bidleman: 17:20

This is an industry where people make rash claims sometimes or broad generalizations, or they take trends and stats and they twist them a little bit right. They, they make them work for what they want to prove, and so Ryan's very, very good at saying, hey, let's not, you know, put the cart before the horse, what this really means. And one of my favorite things is, like he always talks about, we're going to need more data, we're going to need to see this unfold. But Ryan's a super cool dude too, so I'm I'm looking forward to getting to him a little bit better. I actually met him at an event, went up and took my picture with him and I thought I feel like it was. It really is a local celebrity, so I'm super stoked that he's going to be joined in this.

Blake Bidleman: 17:56

Yeah absolutely Katie McDermid, who is the producer of Sacramento Real producers, so she highlights some of the biggest names in this industry and really she throws a heck of a party. I mean Sacramento Real producers. You and I have both been fortunate enough to be a part of those events and she is fantastic, unbelievable networker and she's a great, unbelievable networker and she gives a ton back to this community. So it'll be really fun to have her on here too and, quite honestly, she might be a fill in co host here. A little sneak there that she.

Dan Morasci: 18:29

Yeah, I think she might be able to bring something that's not a Placer County dad to the table.

Blake Bidleman: 18:34

Yeah, the middle aged dad, vibe, katie's mom herself, and she has been in this community for quite a while, but she's got an awesome story too, and and truly I feel like when we sat down with her to kind of talk about this podcast, she was really interested in that as well. So I am super grateful that she's going to be on as well. A couple more, and we've got a long list, but these are just kind of some of the heavy hitters we're getting started with.

Dan Morasci: 18:58

Yeah, kayleigh Cornell, local, local title rep here in the area. She came on, she came into the industry and it's just been a, has just been a, a juggernaut the whole time she's been here. I was fortunate to to be involved in one of the affiliate groups that she had identified early and was was fortunate to be one of the one of the first people to kind of meet her and you know, I'd love to say I took her under my wing, but really I was just kind of watching what she was doing. She's a, she's a hustler, she's a mover and a shaker. She's going to have some. She's going to have some pretty cool stuff to bring to the show, for sure.

Blake Bidleman: 19:32

Super talented gal, good friend of both of ours, crushes it on social media and as a grinder and just really consistent she could. Honestly I feel like she could crush it at any role in this entire real estate market. Yeah, I hope she doesn't start her own podcast.

Blake Bidleman: 19:47

Yeah, cause then we're dead in the water. Maybe then I guess we get to take all this goofy stuff down and I don't have to hit record anymore and we get to just show up and maybe have a beer and talk about it. But yeah, super excited to have her on as well. Brandon and Jessica Smith, the owners of Smithville, and man, they do everything Serial entrepreneurs, firefighter, owner of Jim, investments, real estate, everything but they have taken what was a little defunct smog shop in the main heart corner there of Loomis and turned it into an awesome coffee shop and really just a really cool gathering place for the community. So I'm going to have them on. Who else?

Dan Morasci: 20:27

Yeah, my guy Jason Angelo. Jason is someone who I just recently met, but immediately when I met him, dude, just a giver by nature, huge heart. He's an instructor with title boxing, but he's a huge pickleball pickleball guy. He came out and did the. He was the instructor for my pickleball tournament.

Blake Bidleman: 20:45

Yeah, you guys just had one right.

Dan Morasci: 20:46

Yeah, it was super cool, and of course I mean he's really good pickleball player and he's got some aspirations of maybe doing a pickleball venue, something like that in the area, which would be really cool. But Jason is also a very, very charitable person. So the the impetus behind the pickleball tournament, outside of the networking component, was to raise money for a charity, and basically what we did was the winning team chose the charity, and Jason's charity was my sister's house, which is a charity down in South Sacramento. So we got to deliver them a check, for I think it was a thousand bucks, which was awesome. We just walked in and totally surprised him with a thousand dollar check.

Dan Morasci: 21:26

That's awesome, jason, jason, someone who he's he's he's kind of like you man, he's. He's doing all kinds of things. He's got aspirations of starting this pickleball gym, but he's also a photographer and a content creator and, like I said, just a, just a, just a really, really cool dude. I'm actually super excited to get him on and and just let him, let it rip, because he's got all kinds of cool stuff to talk about.

Blake Bidleman: 21:47

That'll be awesome to meet him, and I think that that just is so indicative of so many people in this industry is like there's. It attracts usually pretty outgoing people who are good at a ton of different stuff. They've just happened to have chosen this career, and so I think we're going to really have a lot of fun like peeling back some of the layers and getting to know these people. And the truth is, a lot of our listeners probably you know a lot of our listeners, which I mean like my parents, but hopefully yeah, hopefully your wife, but hopefully sooner than later.

Blake Bidleman: 22:14

If you are listening to this, we're super stoked you're here, but our listeners probably going to know a lot of these names, but I'm hoping that we're going to be able to introduce them or reintroduce them in a way where they're really going to get to know them more as people, for who they are and not what they're doing in the industry, absolutely, man.

Dan Morasci: 22:28

So I so dude. I mean I think that's all we got for the first episode. Where can, where can people find us? We probably do have to put out a shameless plug. Please, please, please, subscribe, follow. We're find us on Instagram, spotify, itunes.

Blake Bidleman: 22:44

Yeah, Instagram or handles at open the gate show. Unfortunately, we had to add the show in there, but no, it's a fantastic show. So, at open the gate show on Instagram, find us there. We're going to make sure that we're posting content. Let you know what's going on.

Blake Bidleman: 22:56

Highlight and some of these interviews, some of the awesome people that are coming on here. Definitely some bloopers, like when we don't hit the record button or how funny we sound with our radio voices here. And then you know, follow us, subscribe on Spotify and iTunes for right now. So we'll probably have this streaming out a few different places as well, but Spotify, itunes for now, and we are super grateful just to you know, if we have six listeners and we can add any value to your life.

Blake Bidleman: 23:20

If it's a somewhere you're, you know, outdoing an inspection, you get to listen to us, or you're driving in between appointments in the car and we can bring you a laugh, or you get to know somebody in the industry a little bit better, or, you know, a really big hope I think we talked about too is maybe we have somebody on here that can add a ton of value to someone else and they feel like they get to know them here a little bit better, and then, if they're in an event and they see them in person, that they go up and they have, you know, some talking points, that they can maybe just introduce themselves and be off and running.

Dan Morasci: 23:47

Absolutely, and you know we want to be as interactive as possible. We're both linked to that Instagram account so you can interact with both of us. Shoot us a DM If you're. If you're somebody or know somebody who who thinks you could be a cool guest on this, or know someone who would be an awesome guest, send them our way. We'd love to, we'd love to get them on and, you know, grow this thing like crazy. Let's see what we can do man, Absolutely Well.

Blake Bidleman: 24:09

I'm so stoked to be here with you, Dan. Again, this is Blake Bidelman. I'm here with Dan Marashi and I guess what do we do? We do close the gate. Is that what we do now? I?

Dan Morasci: 24:16

guess we're going to close the gate.

Blake Bidleman: 24:17

I guess we're waiting for our score. Close for the gate. All right, guys.

Dan Morasci: 24:21

I think they always look up at the scoreboard to see you know how big did they cover?

Blake Bidleman: 24:25

Well, we'll figure this out. Thanks, guys, for being here with us. We'll talk to you soon.