We report on the calculation of Gamow-Teller and double-beta decay properties for nuclei around 132Sn within the framework of the realistic shell model. The effective shell-model Hamiltonian and Gamow-Teller transition operator are derived by way of many-body perturbation theory, without resorting to empirical effective quenching factor for the Gamow-Teller operator. The results are then compared with the available experimental data, in order to establish the reliability of our approach. This is a mandatory step, before we apply the same methodology, in forthcoming studies, to the calculation of the neutrinoless double-beta decay nuclear matrix element for nuclei that are currently considered among the best candidates for the detection of this process.