While I will never publicly discuss all of the details as I know / believe  them to be, I feel a desire to address some of my thoughts.

None Of Us Asked:

Currently, Realty Executives Phoenix / Yuma was said to have roughly 600ish agents. I was proud to be one of those agents. On June 30th, all of us were notified that the owners had failed to renew their franchise agreement with Realty Executives International. We were also told that we have 30 days to remain with the current owners and their staff at a new firm, or we can continue under the Realty Executives brand with a new, but existing, ownership group. (or join any other firm of our choosing)

None of us asked for these changes, they were forced upon us. As you can imagine, many of us desired to learn as much as possible before making such an important change. Unfortunately, it was difficult for most of us to get a lot of concrete information because of the existing franchise agreement. We were told that the current franchise agreement prohibited the current Phoenix/Yuma ownership group from discussing any future plans. (possible recruiting violations, etc.) Eventually, on July 30th, we were given information about the future plans of the current ownership group.

Change is Constant

While change is constant, some things always remain the same. Adversity and challenges are something that we all deal with regularly. Anyone familiar with the real estate industry knows that, and most of us learn to handle it well.

When this kind of change happens, it effects people in many different ways. For some, the decision can be easy. For others, the decision can be rather difficult.

Rumors and Innuendo – No Need For That Crap

Unfortunately, it can be common for rumors and innuendo to start during any kind of major “breakup” like this. Now isn’t the time or place for those things. Each of us are responsible for doing what we feel is best for our business. That certainly does not mean that a different decision someone else makes is wrong or bad. No, this wasn’t a hostile takeover with malicious intent. There was either a huge blunder or a calculated move that caused these changes. No matter the reasons, we will all move forward, hopefully without unnecessary drama. And, hopefully, there will be no bridges burned.

No doubt that most of us believe we are better when we work together and lift each other up. We should continue to do that. There is also no doubt that many of our paths will cross again. Personally, I look forward to that, as I have many good friends who will be at each firm. I know that most of us will handle this like adults.

For The Nick Bastian Team:

I have now been licensed with Realty Executives for more than half of my 33 year career. I love what this brand stands for, and I love that they allow me to run my business as I wish. This is where I have long-planned to finish my career. After weighing all of our options, I have decided that staying with Realty Executives is the best decision for me and for our team.

During my career, I have always known that I like to surround myself with great people.  I do that in my business and in my personal life. I’ve  been blessed to be surrounded by some amazing individuals during my time here at Realty Executives Phoenix. I am very thankful for many of the relationships I have made in this industry, here at Realty Executives and at other firms. Growing and maintaining these relationships will always be a huge part of what I do. I truly wish we could still be with many of the people who remain with my former ownership group.

Going forward, our phone number is the same. Our website is the same. Our dedication and work ethic certainly remain the same. None of our clients will see any noticeable changes to files or service now or in the future. For our team, we remain 100% committed to our clients, just like we have always been. THAT will never change.

To Patrick Lewis:

You are an amazing broker and a shining star in this industry. A beacon upon a hill. I have no doubt that your rising star will continue to be noticed by more and more people in this industry. Your name should be firmly planted on any Inman-type of “most influential” lists for our industry.

I appreciate your guidance and friendship, your passion for people, your leadership and your knowledge of the industry. Yes, I will always be a fan, and I look forward to finding ways to collaborate with you in the future.

I also look forward to visiting more hole-in-the-wall taco shops and that cool little Italian spot where your name may as well be Norm.

Everyone knows that you will continue to do great things. I don’t know of anyone who isn’t cheering for your success.

Moving Forward with Realty Executives or Fathom Realty

No matter what, each agent who worked with the Realty Executives Phoenix and Yuma franchise was forced to make a change by August 1st, 2025. Honestly, I don’t think there is a right or wrong answer for anyone involved. The choices will be made by each agent deciding what they feel best fits their needs and business plan. I will have friends who chose differently than I have, and I sincerely hope to continue to have great relationships with each and every one of them.

Fathom Realty Elite is the name of the new firm where some of my former colleagues will be licensed. I am sure they will have much success for many years to come.

Realty Executives Arizona Territory is my home, and I am happy to be teaming up with even more professionals under this well-established brand. I have always loved what Realty Executives stands for. Professionalism, Integrity, etc. I believe it is a great brand and I love working with professionals who are given the tools we need to be the best in the business.

We have some amazing history here and the future is bright. Cheers to a bright future and continued success for us all.

Our new office address is:

The Nick Bastian Team
4343 E Outlier Blvd
Suite #123
Phoenix, AZ 85008

According to the Arizona Department of Real Estate, my real estate license was issued on 9/1/1992. If my math is correct, that was 25 years ago. Doing a little more math allows me to conclude that I have been a REALTOR® for more of my life than I have not…

While so much of my business has changed since 1992, many things remain the same. Relationships, people, the desire to learn more, to help others. Those are the things that have given me the greatest joy during my 25 year career, and those are the things that will keep me working in this business for many years to come.

I have made some great friends, wonderful relationships and have learned a lot along the way. While I would like to thank a LOT of people for getting me to where I am today, I know most people don’t want to read a 9000 word blog post about how many people have touched my life during my career. BUT, I’m going to go ahead and name a few, just because.

I’ll start with my dad. He was a big part of my inspiration to get into this business. I miss him so much, but he continues to inspire me to this day. One of the first people my dad had me meet with when I was starting in the business was Mary Lou Paulk. Mary Lou worked with my dad in a small real estate office in Mesa back in the 70’s. For those of you in the real estate industry, you know that she is one of the most respected and successful people in the title/escrow business and has been running Fidelity National Title for many years. I can’t tell you how much she has meant to our entire family over the last 40+ years.

I have been fortunate to be able to surround myself with SO many super-smart industry professionals in my career. Big thanks goes out to Barb Freestone at the Arizona Association of REALTORS® for not only getting me out of my comfort zone by asking me to co-chair her conference a few years ago, but to helping me build relationships with her REALTORS® leadership team and her associates at AAR. I’m thankful for so many of those people. I have also had some amazing brokers in my career and have enjoyed working alongside of them and alongside of the current ownership group here at Realty Executives. Their trust in me to work with many of the Executives has been gratifying and humbling.

Colleagues like Dina Sell, my all-time favorite escrow officer, have become like family. There’s also guys like Shane Hollenback who is the best loan officer I’ve worked with who has also become someone I can call a close personal friend. Of course, there’s my good friend Bill Risser, even though he left us and took a gig in FLA, he has also always been willing to share his knowledge of the industry with me. Heck, he even allowed me to be a guest on his world famous podcast!

The “original” Phoenix Real Estate Guy, Jay Thompson, has taught me so much and continues to do so. Having the opportunity to work with Jay has been an amazing experience. One that I am so thankful for. The future holds amazing opportunity for all of us!

MANY clients have made a huge impact on our business and how we work. If I were to start down the road of telling “favorite” stories, I wouldn’t get any work done for the next couple of days so, please just know how much you ALL mean to me.

Working so closely with Lori and Colleen has been a huge transformation in my business. This allows me to be a better agent, a better father and a better person. I really have no words to describe how fortunate I am to have these two crazy girls pushing my buttons, inspiring me to work harder and allowing me to live such a blessed life.

For me, the real estate business is in my blood, it is a way of life and I feel like I have SO much more to give, so much further to go. Thanks to all who have been there along the way. I really am excited about what the future holds.

THANK YOU!

We chose to work with Channel 3 TV this year after hearing some great things about how they help the Salvation Army give back to needy people from within our community, I sincerely hope you will join us!

I believe that many people have a desire to help others this time of year but find it difficult to do so because our lives are so busy. If you would like to help by making a financial donation, we will do all of the work for you! I’ll be purchasing frozen turkeys Thursday afternoon to deliver to the Big Guy Turkey Drive. (I can provide receipts if needed.)

If you are able to donate one dollar or a hundred ( or more), I am able to purchase frozen turkeys all at once for delivery to the Salvation Army on Thursday the 18th. Over the years, we have found this the easiest way to help the most people. I can give you my address or I can pick up donations up until about noon on the 18th. You can always email me at nick (at) nickbastian (dot) com or call me for more info! I am out and about a LOT, so it makes picking up your donation pretty easy! If you are in Tempe, donations can also be dropped off at my office between 9am and 5pm Monday-Friday, just let me know if you need directions. ( see map below for more donation options )

Last year, with the help of my friend Rob, we were able to deliver over 1100 pounds of turkey for needy families! Big thanks to Rob Sell at Sell Home Inspections for all he does. Rob  ( and his truck ) is a huge help in hauling all of these birds. We both have a BLAST delivering birds every year and want to thank everyone for your donations to such a great cause.

Please help. Every single penny is GREATLY appreciated. We want to make it easy for everyone to help others this Thanksgiving. I would also like to wish you and your families a wonderful holiday season!

5 shopping carts FULL of Turkey!

Turkey mountain!

Drop off points: We have a few different drop off points to help make it easier for you to donate money. Remember, any amount helps. We buy turkey at the seasonal sale price so even $5-$10 dollars can be very helpful. The map below shows where a few of our friends are located. If you are a business or organization ( that I know and trust ) please let me know if you would like to help us out with our turkey drive so that we can add you to the map. Even if one of these locations isn’t convenient, please contact me and I’ll be glad to meet you. Thanks so much for all of your generous help over the years. Together, we are able to help a lot of people.

View Turkey Drive Drop Off in a larger map

Below is a pic of the Arizona Smashburger which happens to be my favorite!

If burgers aren’t your thing, you can try one of their chicken sandwiches or salads. See the Tempe Smashburger menu here. They also make a shake that is worth a try! So, if you have been looking for a good excuse to go grab some lunch with friends, please join us on the 27th at 11:30am. If you can’t make it for lunch, stop by after work. The food is good and you will help a cool Tempe school at the same time. Cheers!

Smashburger Tempe is located at:

815 E. Baseline Road E. Suite B115

Tempe, Arizona 85282

480-838-9933

Without a doubt, Christmas is my favorite time of the year. I’m not a big shopper, I don’t really buy a ton of gifts for a lot of different people.

I simply enjoy spending time with my family and friends and do my best to take some time to relax, have some fun and reflect on what Christmas is to me.

I am not offended if people don’t celebrate Christmas and I am glad others have their own reasons to celebrate. In my house, we have a Christmas tree and we have Christmas parties. If you prefer a “holiday” party just because you don’t want to “offend” someone, I’m thankful you have that right.

If you believe in Kwanzaa, Hanuka or anything else, that is up to you.

I believe there is a “Holiday Season” and we are certainly in it. But the big green tree with decorations on it… It is a Christmas tree.

So, from my family to yours, I want to wish you a very Merry Christmas!

I am teaming up with friends in the “Night Rail” spirit for a great time on Friday, September 18th. We have prime seats in the very cool Diamond Level at a discounted rate of just $20.00 to watch the Dbacks vs the Rockies at 6:40 pm. It’s the perfect venue for all of us to get together and have some fun. We all have busy lives but I hope you will be able to set aside some time on a Friday night to enjoy some baseball and hang out with some friends or meet new ones.

Here’s the scoop…

Game: D-backs vs Rockies, Friday September 18th @ 6:40pm

Simple process to purchase tickets:

1. Click on the following link: www.dbacks.com/groups

2. Log in with the following information:

sign-in ID – rail

password – life

Special discount ticket option includes:

$20 (reg. $30) in the Miller Lite Diamond Club

The Miller Lite Diamond Club is an upscale club located in right field on the main concourse level at Chase Field. It is a PERFECT place for a bunch of people to hang out. No assigned seats, special lounge seating throughout the entire location, full service bar (cash bar), pool tables, and HD TV’s make for a great night where will have some of the best seats in the house. Plenty of standing / mingling is possible in the Diamond Club with it’s cool lounge style seating.
Click to see pics of the Diamond Club <—

Yes… Everyone is invited. This section is perfect for having fun with friends. Feel free to use this as an excuse to invite family or friends to watch a game and have some FUN with hot-dogs, baseball and probably even apple pie.

Remember: To purchase tickets for the game, just visit www.dbacks.com/groups and use the sign-in ID of rail and the password of life. You will get the discounted price of $20.00.

Lori and I really hope to see ya there! If you have any questions… “Just Call Nick!”

Please join us Saturday, March 21st as we get together with our friends from Take A Hike Arizona to meet at “A” Mountain in Tempe, for a fun morning hike, stroll or walk up Hayden Butte. The easiest way to get there is via light rail. Exit at the 3rd and Mill station and meet us at the coffee shop on the south west corner. (Mills End Cafe at 310 S Mill Ave) We will leave Mills End at 8:15 for our fun morning “hike.” Hey, what else are you gonna do on a nice Saturday morning that would be more cool than hanging out with some friends and getting some fresh air?
Like they say at Take A Hike Arizona, “The Butte may not qualify as an all out hike, but it does provide a nice quick jaunt uphill (just over 1/2 mile) and provides nice views of downtown Tempe, Tempe Town Lake and the surrounding area.”

Much of the trail is paved and the entire walk probably doesn’t take an hour. It is a perfect Saturday morning trip! Click to see some pics from our recent trip…

The Butte is also a designated historical landmark. Just off the trailhead on the Leonard Monti Trail, you can find a number of petroglyphs carved into the rock by the Hohokam people. I recently spoke with Michael Monti (Leonard’s son) and I believe he will be joining us in the morning. It will be fun to learn some of the history of the Butte from him.

The founders of Take a Hike Arizona Tracey Epel and June Kleier will be on hand to join us as well. They have a very fun attitude about outdoor activities and I have enjoyed getting to know them recently.

The plan is to meet on Saturday morning, March 21st at 8:00am at Mills End Cafe which is located directly south of the light rail stop at 3rd Street and Mill Avenue. Mills End will be easy to find, just look for the Rail Life banner in the window Saturday morning. We plan to leave (ie: cross the street,) by 8:15am.

If you have never been on the light rail yet, you might want to see this information about the Park and Ride locations and check out how to purchase a light rail pass for your trip! Any questions? Just Call Nick!