From
Waking Up in a Cemetery
to Becoming
a Two Comma Club Winner
My Name is Alex Montalenti and about 11 years ago I was awakened when I woke up in a cemetery and took the first breath of my new life.
Sometimes it takes a rude awakening for us to remember our nature, to remember what is sacred, to remember who we are and what the we are doing here.
But it doesn’t have to happen like that.
Now let me tell you the story of how I ended up in a cemetery and how I moved forward to become a Two Comma Club Winner for bringing in over 1 Million in Sales from a Marketing Funnel and how we are on our way to 50 Million in Sales by providing value and services to 500,000 real estate professionals.
But it doesn’t have to happen like that.
Now let me tell you the story of how I ended up in a cemetery and how I moved forward to become a Two Comma Club Winner for bringing in over 1 Million in Sales from a Marketing Funnel and how we are on our way to 50 Million in Sales by providing value and services to 500,000 real estate professionals.
One night I was exhausted and overworked but I went out to meet my partner for discussions. At the time I was driving a black BMW Coupe with the M Package, it was my dream car. All through college I wanted to own a BMW, it was a status symbol for me.
On the drive home I stopped at a red light in my home town, nearly 5 minutes from my house. At the red light I remember thinking "WOW, this light is taking forever" and my eyes began to get really heavy and tired. Apparently I fell asleep at the wheel but without my knowledge my foot pressed on the gas pedal and i drove through this four lane four way intersection.
On the drive home I stopped at a red light in my home town, nearly 5 minutes from my house. At the red light I remember thinking "WOW, this light is taking forever" and my eyes began to get really heavy and tired. Apparently I fell asleep at the wheel but without my knowledge my foot pressed on the gas pedal and i drove through this four lane four way intersection.
Fortunately I did not hurt anybody or hit anything. But then I drove in between a metal pole and a massive tree, the space between them was the exact width of my car. Its a miracle I didn't hit either one.
I drove up a hill and through a brick wall and my car landed with a thump. I took a breathe and my eyes opened. To my amazement I was in a cemetery surrounded by tombstones. I could not believe it.
I drove up a hill and through a brick wall and my car landed with a thump. I took a breathe and my eyes opened. To my amazement I was in a cemetery surrounded by tombstones. I could not believe it.
Here I was in the cemetery and all I could think was "How did I get here?" I checked to see if I was hurt and if my car would start. Fortunately, I was not hurt. However, I could not say the same for my ride, my BMW was totalled.
I literally had hit a brick wall in my life and I knew at that moment that "enough is enough".
It was time to take care of myself or I would be on a destructive unhealthy path and possibly end up dead really soon. I began to ask myself, WHY? Why I am doing all this? Who am I? What do I want? What is my Purpose?
I literally had hit a brick wall in my life and I knew at that moment that "enough is enough".
It was time to take care of myself or I would be on a destructive unhealthy path and possibly end up dead really soon. I began to ask myself, WHY? Why I am doing all this? Who am I? What do I want? What is my Purpose?
It was time for transformation. It was time to start a new way of living.
Here is the story of Alex from child model to leader and visionary of Real Grader.
Here is the story of Alex from child model to leader and visionary of Real Grader.
Child Model
Smile Alex...
I would hear this statement repeatedly as a child. I was a child model at an early age. On the covers and in the magazines of JC Penny, Gimbels, Macy’s and even in a Levi’s jeans commercial in the New York Times.
Smile alex they would tell me over and over and I was being paid handsomely for my time and so I did smile.
My mom got me into modeling at an earlier age. She submitted my photos to the Ford Modeling Agency and they called us right away.
Blonde and blue eyes, the perfect child model. We would take trips into NYC and days off from school for modeling gigs.
It was an adventure and a special experience I had with my mom. We would often take the train from Long Island into the big city.
I would hear this statement repeatedly as a child. I was a child model at an early age. On the covers and in the magazines of JC Penny, Gimbels, Macy’s and even in a Levi’s jeans commercial in the New York Times.
Smile alex they would tell me over and over and I was being paid handsomely for my time and so I did smile.
My mom got me into modeling at an earlier age. She submitted my photos to the Ford Modeling Agency and they called us right away.
Blonde and blue eyes, the perfect child model. We would take trips into NYC and days off from school for modeling gigs.
It was an adventure and a special experience I had with my mom. We would often take the train from Long Island into the big city.
I would collect cans on the Long Island railroad and redeem them for five cents. This was an opportunity I saw when I read 5 cent redemption. My mom said bring them to a pizza place and they will give you a nickel. So I would walk up and down the train crawling under the seats collecting cans and I remember making a dollar one day and being so excited and that is when i first got the entrepreneur bug.
Entreprenuership in College
Alex Montalenti graduated from the University of Vermont in 1999. His last year in business school he completed a business plan in his Entrepreneurship class however, the professor cautioned of the challenges that accompanied being an entrepreneur.
But Alex has always loved a good challenge.
That summer he founded the business for which he had written the plan. He launched the first website for college kids to find local info, discounts and conveniences, ultimately helping them save time and money. Out of a small office in downtown Burlington, Vermont overlooking Lake Champlain, they hired interns from the university to work on their team. Alex and his partners called the website DiscoverBurlington.com. They would do Guerilla marketing and blitz the town and university, to get people to visit their website and make it their homepage. It was working.
Later they launched the Burlington Internet Company to build websites for the local businesses, while just learning about the power of the World Wide Web. They built sites for car dealerships, pizza places, event venues, stores and more. Burlington, Vermont was now online because of Burlington Internet Company.
Alex Montalenti and his partners were one of the world’s first creators of an online supermarket, long before Instacart way back in 2000. Not only that, but they put together the world's first online food delivery services for over 50 restaurants, before UBER delivery in 2001.
But Alex has always loved a good challenge.
That summer he founded the business for which he had written the plan. He launched the first website for college kids to find local info, discounts and conveniences, ultimately helping them save time and money. Out of a small office in downtown Burlington, Vermont overlooking Lake Champlain, they hired interns from the university to work on their team. Alex and his partners called the website DiscoverBurlington.com. They would do Guerilla marketing and blitz the town and university, to get people to visit their website and make it their homepage. It was working.
Later they launched the Burlington Internet Company to build websites for the local businesses, while just learning about the power of the World Wide Web. They built sites for car dealerships, pizza places, event venues, stores and more. Burlington, Vermont was now online because of Burlington Internet Company.
Alex Montalenti and his partners were one of the world’s first creators of an online supermarket, long before Instacart way back in 2000. Not only that, but they put together the world's first online food delivery services for over 50 restaurants, before UBER delivery in 2001.
My Mom and The Garage
Back in 1999, the internet disrupted the real estate industry and hundreds of realtors saw themselves struggling with technology. That same year I began developing solutions to help my mother, who was a successful real estate agent. I helped my mom sell a commercial property where she received a 80k commission check through the marketing channels i pursued. This led to helping her friends, her broker and eventua;ly being the first automated website and marketing company for realtors on Long Island. Where the masses saw a problem, I saw a new field of opportunity. Today, the spark from 20+ ago is eRealty Media and Real Grader.
Meeting Dan
In 2002, Alex moved back to New York where he met his partner Daniel Radu. Together they launched numerous successful businesses together.
Dan and Alex launched the first automated IDX website solution for real estate for New York in 2002 called eRealtyMedia.com. The company is still live and thriving today, serving hundreds of brokerages and agents.
Dan and Alex launched the first automated IDX website solution for real estate for New York in 2002 called eRealtyMedia.com. The company is still live and thriving today, serving hundreds of brokerages and agents.
Client Solution and New Media Systems
They built New Media Systems, a technology consulting firm and acquired contracts with the New York City Health and Hospital Corporation to build their company intranet and help with electronic document management and imaging.
They built one of the first systems for the automation of property tax reduction filings, using public data from multiple states and sources that has yielded tens of millions of dollars of business for their clients.
They built one of the first systems for the automation of property tax reduction filings, using public data from multiple states and sources that has yielded tens of millions of dollars of business for their clients.
eRealty Solution
. . .
SubmitYourListings
They created the first national real estate listing syndication service in 2005 before List Hub took over the industry and got bought by Move Inc.
This was an overnight success story. We saw where things were going with property data. Numerous portals were being created and requesting agents upload their listings for maximum exposure. We saw us being the intermediary for this data exchange. We would have clients submit their listings to us and we would syndicate to various portals.
We were featured at Inman, we spoke on panels and we started getting requests from corporate accounts nationwide. Unfortunately, we were still working from the garage and didnt have working capital or investment to grow and eventually we had to shut down that operation.
This was an overnight success story. We saw where things were going with property data. Numerous portals were being created and requesting agents upload their listings for maximum exposure. We saw us being the intermediary for this data exchange. We would have clients submit their listings to us and we would syndicate to various portals.
We were featured at Inman, we spoke on panels and we started getting requests from corporate accounts nationwide. Unfortunately, we were still working from the garage and didnt have working capital or investment to grow and eventually we had to shut down that operation.
Get Social Branding
They launched a social media agency called GetSocialBranding to help Realtors build out their social media presence, when Facebook came on the scene with business pages. We saw the trend as it was coming here as well. Realtors needed help to get set up on all their social media platforms. We created a package to optimize them and design their social branding.
eRealty Media
As the years went on and we continued to operate erealty solution we found ourselves to much more than a website company but more like a full service digital marketing agency. We started doing Google Adwords Campaign, Facebook Marketing campaigns, SEO and much more. We renamed eRealty Solution to eRealty Media.
Minicards
While doing business in Romania they saw a unique idea called Minicards and they got the rights for the USA. They launched one of the first North American mini brochure distribution companies in New York City in 2007. They expanded to Miami in 2009, competing with companies like CTM brochure distribution. Minicards USA had displays in over 500 top brand hotels including Marriott, Hyatt, and Hilton, and advertising notable brands like Macy's, NBA, Nintendo, Uber, Lyft, Reebok, Crocs and more.
Real Grader
In 2018 Alex and Dan created a unified vision and business plan and returned to real estate technology to launch Real Grader. They created a proprietary tool to measure the online presence for real estate professionals across social media, google and real estate profiles. The software has now graded over 30,000 real estate professionals and that number is growing every day.
This was the first business where they raised money and as a result, it is growing exponentially.
This was the first business where they raised money and as a result, it is growing exponentially.
Instacard
In 2019 they invented the Instacard - one of the world's first digital business cards. Real Grader's digital business card is now widely adopted by thousands of agents through partnerships with RE/MAX, eXp, Douglas Elliman, EXIT, Berkshire Hathaway,
and countless other brands.
and countless other brands.
Real Grader University
. . .
The Real Deal Article
. . .
More Press
. . .
RE/MAX Partnership
. . .
National Partnerships
. . .
The RG World Tour
In 2022 they created the Real Estate Influencers program and established an authoritative list of the top Influencers in the world.
Recently expanding their team to 30, Real Grader helps thousands of agents, brokers and brands navigate the new digital reality of the real estate industry. Their mission is to help reduce the stress and expand the digital footprint for real estate agents worldwide.
Recently expanding their team to 30, Real Grader helps thousands of agents, brokers and brands navigate the new digital reality of the real estate industry. Their mission is to help reduce the stress and expand the digital footprint for real estate agents worldwide.
How was Real Grader founded?
Real Grader founders saw an opportunity to empower professionals in real estate and other fields with online measuring, marketing and training tools to help them succeed in their Digital Presence.
The introduction of Instacard, our proprietary digital business card, combined with their digital marketing services has helped turn Real Grader into a household name in the real estate industry and others.
At Real Grader we measure, manage and maximize your digital presence and online reputation. The “Instacard” ties it all together into one shareable digital card. The “Digital Optimization” is a service that organizes your digital chaos. The Influencer Program empowers professionals to expand their digital footprint and continuously monitor and improve their online reputation.
The introduction of Instacard, our proprietary digital business card, combined with their digital marketing services has helped turn Real Grader into a household name in the real estate industry and others.
At Real Grader we measure, manage and maximize your digital presence and online reputation. The “Instacard” ties it all together into one shareable digital card. The “Digital Optimization” is a service that organizes your digital chaos. The Influencer Program empowers professionals to expand their digital footprint and continuously monitor and improve their online reputation.
The Story Unfolds:
2018
Real Grader was launched.
2019
Instacard was launched.
2023
Influencer was launched.
we were selected by the National Association of Realtors REACH program.
we launched brand partnerships with many reputable brands including eXp, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, KW, - - c-Leading RealEstate Companies of the World, Residential Real Estate Council.
we launched MLS and Association partnerships with large organizations such as California Association of Realtors, Miami Association of Realtors, North Carolina Association of Realtors, Long Island Board of Realtors, Phoenix Association of Realtors, Central Panhandle Association of Realtors.
we were awarded product of the year by the Miami Association of Realtors.
we were selected for the Inc 5000 Fastest Growing Companies in America, as #1059.
2024
we were selected again for the Inc 5000 Fastest Growing Companies in America, as #800-
Real Grader lands enterprise deal with Anywhere - the largest real estateb company in the world
2025
Real Grader is awarded 2CCX award on stage with Russell Brunson from Click Funnels
RealGrader lands enterprise deal with eXp Realty
Rea Grader builds Instacards for every agent at Anywhere including Coldwell Banker, ERA, Century21, Betrer Homes and Gardens, Corcoran -and Sotheby's International Realty
Our Patent Pending Digital Business Card is changing the way people connect in the industry. Our Digital Business Card is not like the typical digital cards. We are the only solution with full screen video integration, deep real estate integrations, and our cutting edge contact capture technology. We have built over 800,000 Instacards for the industry and this is already widely adopted by the Miami Association of Realtors with their 60,000 members and at the California Association of Realtors with their 200,000 Members. We are signing partnerships with new MLSs and Associations every month and we will not stop until our product is in the hands of a majority of the 2 million+ real estate professionals in North America and worldwide.
Measure
Our proprietary AI audits your digital presence on 181 data points across the eight essential profiles including: Google Business, Instagram, Facebook, Linkedin, Youtube, Realtor, Zillow and Homes. We provide education and training resources to over 100,000 agents who want to build a solid digital presence, build their Google Reviews and become the local digital influencer. We have analyzed over 250,000 agent and broker profiles and the average grade is around 30 out of 100. Our technology raises grades significantly and sets professionals up for success.
Manage
We set up, optimize and manage all of your digital profiles so you do not have to. Our Proven 8 Site Digital Blueprint helps you avoid the costly mistakes that shock even the top producers. We complete your digital identity helping you be consistent and cohesive online. We organize your digital chaos and convert this into digital confidence. We create consistent branding across all platforms and we maximize your service areas and your exposure. This also helps drive SEO. We have performed digital optimizations for over 15,000 agents in the industry.
Maximize
Our influencer program helps top producers become the social media influencer in their local market. We provide ongoing support, maintenance, exclusive training and content. We set up an automated social cloud software that distributes your content on Google, Facebook, Instagram and Linkedin. We bring in the latest technology and expert training on trending topics. Our Influencer clients are on the cutting edge of digital marketing and have the most followers, Connections, Google reviews and some of the best content on social media.