Business Innovators Radio - Interview with Jina St. James, Chief Visionary, CEO with St. James Team: Brokered By eXp Realty

Episode Date: June 6, 2024

Welcome to the world of Jina St James, where real estate isn’t just a job – it’s an adventure in the wilds of Colorado Springs! With over a decade of taming the real estate market under her belt, Jina’s not just a seasoned pro; she’s a real estate ninja, slicing through the complexities of buying and selling homes with the precision of a samurai and the grace of a ballet dancer.Picture this: 15 years ago, Jina leaped into the real estate jungle, armed with nothing but her wits and an unbreakable determination. Fast forward to today, and she’s the Indiana Jones of New Home Sales, uncovering hidden gems and leading families to their dream homes like a modern-day treasure hunter.Her battle cry? “You dream it, I unearth it.” And she’s not just talking the talk. Jina’s love for this real estate rodeo is as real as the Colorado mountains – and just as majestic.But hold onto your hats, because there’s more! Jina’s not just a wizard with New Builds; she’s a real estate polymath, juggling negotiations, marketing, and team coaching with the finesse of a seasoned circus performer. She’s not just playing the game; she’s rewriting the rulebook.Her magic potion? A ‘check every box’ attitude mixed with a soothing, persuasive charm that turns the nerve-wracking journey of buying or selling a house into a joyride in a convertible. And her community spirit? It’s like she’s the Dumbledore of real estate, mentoring the next generation of property prodigies.And let’s not forget her superhero alter ego: a 22-year veteran in the marathon of marriage and a mom to a mini-army of six. Jina’s driven by a ‘reach for the stars’ philosophy, proving that you can indeed have your cake and eat it too – and in her case, probably sell the bakery as well!So, if you’re in the market and looking for a real estate experience that’s as thrilling as a blockbuster action movie but smooth as a spa retreat, call Jina St James. She’s not just selling homes; she’s leading a crusade to find your kingdom!Learn more: https://www.stjamesteam.com/Elite Real Estate Leaders Podcasthttps://businessinnovatorsradio.com/elite-real-estate-leaders-podcastSource: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/interview-with-jina-st-james-chief-visionary-ceo-with-st-james-team-brokered-by-exp-realty

Welcome to the Elite Real Estate Leaders Podcast, brought to you by Trailstone Insurance Group, bringing you interviews with the best real estate and mortgage professionals, empowering you to understand the current trends in the housing market so that you make the American dream your reality. Enjoy today's episode. Welcome to the Elite Real Estate Leaders Podcast. Today we have with us Gina St. James, who's the chief visionary and CEO with St. James team brokered by EXP Realty. Gina, welcome to the program.

Thank you so much for having me. A little nervous. Oh, we're just going to chat. It's always fun to learn from different people in their background and perspectives on the industry. And I absolutely love chief visionary. So I want to make sure that you're going to talk about that because a real estate professional typically is not titled a chief visionary. So we want to make sure we get to that. But before we do, give us a little bit of your story and your background.

and how did you get into the real estate industry? Yeah, so pretty crazy. I was one of those weirdos that loved walking through model homes just because. And I truly loved architecture and just seeing all the different designs. And I'm like, God, I really love this. How can I make this a living? And so that's kind of where I found my way into becoming a real estate agent and really dived into new builds. And thanks to my husband not going crazy anymore and going on those trips

with me through the models, he's very happy now that I do real estate, not just go through these houses for fun. Yes. So now you've turned it into a fun profession. So that's awesome. Yeah. That's really cool. So then let's define what is your version of what does chief visionary mean? And what does that, how does that play out in how you are serving your clients? Yeah, so I truly enjoy what that means because not everybody understands that, but we're kind of the weird ones where we can see things that sometimes other people can't see. And so it helps us visually see aspects that can either help our clients through the process or we're super aware of certain things that are happening that they themselves might not be aware of. So we're full of the creative side. One things I enjoy doing is just learning how can I make the process better and up the ante on the customer service.

Because let's be honest, that's been lacking in the industry for a long time. 100%. You know, sometimes I like to say that it doesn't take much to stand out. If you just return phone calls, emails, and treat people the way you'd like to be treated yourself, you'd end up looking like a rock star, which is pretty sad as state of a face. but pretty amazing because it's like, you know, I can do that. Yeah. Crazy concept.

Well, I am actually curious, Gina, what are you guys doing with AI? That seems to be the topic of discussion. So I'll bet that in your process, somewhere you're incorporating AI. Oh, 100%. It's one of those things like either you join them or you get left behind. So I had brief. heard about something called conversational AI and I'm like, oh, what's that about? And learned really fast that it's a really new program and software that these AIs can actually

have a full on conversation just like you and I do. And you can incorporate it into your business. So one thing that we're doing is we're actually creating a roleplay bot where we get to practice with the AI on how to give the best service to our clients instead of practicing on them during the transaction. Wow. Can you elaborate on that? That is actually extremely interesting. What types of things are you saying?

So, for example, like the biggest thing that we're dealing with right now is a lot of people are concerned about the NAR settlement. And they, you know, from my perspective in the state of Colorado, we've already kind of been doing the right things. Now we're just adding a few more features that is better customer service to our clients, which we should have done from day one. Sure. And so some of those have conversations, especially if you're not used to doing a buyer's consultation, you can literally sit down with the AI and say, I want you to be the agent and I'm going to be the buyer. and I'm going to ask you questions, and I want to hear how you address that. Or I could flip it and say, I'm going to be the agent, and I want you to be the buyer and say these certain things or act this certain way.

Or I want you to completely wing it. And it will. And then it will score you at the end and it'll coach you and give you feedback. Well, is my question. Now, are you training that bot on your content or are you just having the bot go out there to the internet? Because I've heard it both ways where some of these bots can just go Google the same way. you, but if you load it up with your proprietary company content, now it's really drawing from that. Is that what you guys are doing? Yeah, we're doing a little bit of both. So we're making

sure that our knowledge base for our AIs is really robust. So we're already beta testing with some of the top agents in the area because we like to collaborate. And we're incorporating that in and we're putting all of it. So that AI probably, would do much better than us if we didn't practice. But yeah, it's pretty, it's pretty amazing. So are you scoring it at the end just as much as it scores me? Like you did, you didn't have said this. Yeah. Yeah, for sure. Like, one of the things like it made the mistake of saying, I think it was something along commissions and we prefer to say professional fee. And then I explain to it. I'm like, if you're acting as an agent, you need to say this.

But if you are the buyer or the consumer, you're more than welcome to say this. Because that's the problem is agents, they want to practice with other agents. But we know the lingo. The public does not. So we need to learn how to react when they use the wrong lingo. So we educate them in a nice way, of course. And then you turn that training and practicing and role playing into, to actually presenting to your clients and prospects.

What do you do differently on those presentations that other agents are not doing? So, gosh, I'd say about six years ago, I read a book from Joey Coleman, How to Never Lose a Customer Again. And that was like a game changer for me because I was like, I think I'm doing pretty good. But then I followed his systems and I literally, It was ridiculous on a whiteboard. I had all these posted notes through the process. And I realized, oh, my gosh, there are so many holes in this system.

And so we literally created a whole new system from beginning to end. So everybody's talking about doing buyer consultations now. Well, we've been doing them. And there's a whole system that we do. So, you know, they come in. And before they come in, we do a pre-employment question. and we're like, hey, what's your favorite snacks and food? So when they come in, we have that there.

So they feel comfortable. And then when they're in, we actually have them fill out a questionnaire. So kind of like, you know, when you go to a doctor's office, you fill out a questionnaire. So I can quickly scan that and see what, where their mindset is and get to the heart of the matter. So instead of wasting all this time about the basics, I'm getting deep down into what they're truly needing, educating them on the process, setting the right expectations. And then, of course, when we get through the process, we do cool things like more out showing we have hangary bags for them because you all know they get angry.

That's smart. And then we have what we call a client survival kit. So we sent out a client survival kit in the mail that has a lot of cool stuff in it, including it's kind of like a Candyland game magnet that goes on the fridge and it tells them what's next because that's the biggest thing. This is where the fear starts coming up is because they don't know what's next. They don't know the process like we do, but they have a little game that they can follow along. So they're aware of what's next and a lot of other things. But that's just some of the stuff we do differently. That's really smart actually. Gamification right now is huge. Everyone

loves to gamify everything. And what a smart way to do that in your business because it is very hard to do it, you know, on the sales side. So good on you. That's great. Thank you. That is awesome. And I was listening to you in your intro talking about you love to walk into new builds.

I so identify with that. There's nothing like walking into a new build. They're so beautiful. Do you actually do a lot of work with new builds now? Yes. I do. I am actually a director of sales in marketing for JS luxury homes. So I get to really have fun and see some of the most beautiful homes because it's a custom builder.

So that does help fulfill that craziness. But I also love checking out our local builders here and just working hand in hand with them and also training other agents how to work with them. there's a lot of fear with builders, and it's just misinformation. So I like to help them and go, hey, these are actually your partners. These are great people to work with. They all want the same goal, and they help you even more through the process with your buyers. So what's the fear about builders?

There's a lot of misconception that a builder will take away your clients and take away your commission. And, you know, it's very understandable. You have to be the recurring cause for a buyer. So if just somebody walks in in a new building, you're not with them, then you're not the recurring cause. You're not the reason that they went to go look at it. So, you know, a lot of agents think, well, I talk to them and therefore they're my clients. And I'm like, well, do you have an exclusive agency?

Oh, you don't. Well, then they're not your clients. Like that's on you. him an email once, so that obviously means. I said hi. I gave him my business part. I'm like, yeah, that doesn't qualify. Sorry. That's awesome. So what are the, so when you think about new build versus existing homes, what are you finding most buyers wanting? Is there a preference for new bill versus existing where you can, you know, even have a little bit of say so in the, in the finish in the customization?

Absolutely. It's actually funny you bring that up. We joke around about this. We have a lot of buyers. We'll go look at resale homes or existing homes. And they're like, oh, I could fix that. I could paint that. I can do this.

You go onto a new belt. No, it has to be perfect. You're like, wait, what? That's hilarious. Right. Yeah. The expectations from a buyer standpoint is really different from a resale to a new build.

There's a lot of pros and cons on both sides. And so it's really just navigating what the buyers once are, but more importantly, what their needs. So we always identify the needs first. And then as a bonus, we'll add in the ones. That's a really interesting perspective. I've heard something similar where it's like if you're taking someone through a house and you see something negative, like a crack here or there.

You don't wait for them to point it out. You actually say, now, of course, we got this crack here, and it's no big deal because, but when you pointed out, it's like, oh, that's no problem. But if the prospective buyer saw it, now it's a federal case. So that's really curious that you use that example. That's pretty funny. Thanks. I try to throw humor in all the time. Well, that's human nature, though.

Yeah. You know, it really is. It's a reflection of human nature. Go ahead to hear. Yeah, I was going to say, you know, the psychology piece is huge. I'm very into the psychology of all businesses. But I'm kind of wondering how you feel about, you know, when you're taking someone to see a new build versus are you recommending, are you really recommending the new? I know you said you identify their needs first, but would you really recommend a new build in today's day and age and how they're built and what the materials they're built with versus, you know, something that's already. built just because of the, well, I always look at the ROI, right? Like, what is the ROI on any home? What's your perspective there? Yeah, that's a great, great question. So I think there's a lot of misconception between existing homes and new builds, right? And it just depends on how old the

existing home is. If you look at the factor of new builds where there's a lot of new codes that have been put in place are actually energy efficient that helps your clients save money in the long run. Because, again, this isn't a short-term concept. And I think that's the mistake, right? A lot of people go into this process as if they're buying a car or new couch. No, most of the loans are 30 years. 30 years you're in a home.

So you need to look at the long-term aspect of it. So interest rates are definitely a factor in that. And I think right now with this day and age and what's going on, builders have a little bit more, I guess the word I would say is that they have just, they're able to give a little bit more than a typical seller. They can help buy down the interest rates to help someone make the home a little bit more affordable compared to an existing home where a seller might not have that extra financing to help a buyer. buy down an interest rate. And then there's warranties involved in that. Appliances, they're usually newer on a new build, right? So you have longer warranties on that. And then the foundation, the structure, and all those things. So there's pros and cons to both for sure. And it just depends on the buyer. What is more important to them? Where does the value lie within them? We can discuss it all day long.

But at the end of the day, they're the ones that are paying the mortgage. So it has to make sense to them. Right. So Gina is a new perspective, though. Go ahead, Mike. Do you think that a new build is going to appreciate faster? I think we've already seen that. Just with the new technology, just in itself, that's being incorporated into new builds,

where some of the existing homes is harder to put that new technology in. I definitely, it just, again, there's so many factors like the common joke, location, location. I can have an amazing new bill, but if it's not in the best location, it's not going to appreciate. Sure, sure. It just depends. And then what about another factor? You mentioned like a 30-year mortgage. That's a, you know, a long time.

Most people aren't staying in the actual house that long. So statistically, they might move in whatever time frame, let's call it five to seven years, whatever. But are people going to stay in a new build longer than an existing home? Or, again, is that going to be case by case? I really believe it's case by case. I think Colorado Springs in general is just an interesting city in itself because of how much military we have. So we definitely have a lot different movement compared to some other cities throughout the state, right? So again, yeah, it's definitely case by case.

there's just there is so many good pros and cons to both sides of it that's where as agents get to come in and really figure out what matters to that person that is going to have to pay that makes sense yeah I love that thank you sure so are you working a good percentage split between buyers and sellers or do you have a preference or kind of like a wheelhouse, where's your preference? I'm actually really doing both. I enjoy both processes. Both of them have some really cool different aspects to the transaction, if you will.

But yeah, we do both sides. And we do some fun stuff on the seller side too. So we upped our game on the customer service side for sure. Well, what does that look like? I want to hear something fun. Well, I can tell you something that definitely, whenever I mention it to a group of agents, they're like, you do what? That's me.

I like to disrupt things, apparently. But you hear how all the time agents, they go to a seller's house and they discuss the pricing of how they should sell their house. house and the marketing. And I'm like, why are you guys doing that? To me, that's not professional because you're walking into their home. It's not a house. It's a home to them. And they're surrounded by all the emotional memories. They're not thinking logical. They're not thinking about, hey, we need to get out of this house because of whatever reason or we want to move up or what have you. We bring them into our office and we have them sit down for a consultation within the

office without us even looking at the house. We just pulled the data first and show them what the data says before we go look at their home and all the added features that they may or may not have done. Yeah, because you really can't put a price on those memories, right? As far as, you know, personally when you're thinking about your house. Yeah, I love that. You go to neutral ground to discuss the price. That is really smart. Yeah. Well, and also when you get there, they could point out some things they've done that it's like, oh, hey, we didn't realize you had new marble, blah, blah, blah, then that can polish up the price a little bit. But I think that's a really neat idea because a lot of that first appointment anyway is getting

to know them, their needs and kind of like that intake kind of stuff. So that's a really great approach. Yeah. And I've had some agents go, well, what if you can't get them to come? Well, then they're not the clients for us. This is the procedure. This is the way that we do things. It's just like when you go into a doctor's office, you don't get to tell the doctor's

what they're going to do. Yeah. You just try to follow. Well, if they won't follow that first request, then what other request to follow will they not, you know, engage with? That's a good, that's a really good point. And the other cool thing that we do, so a fun tidbit, I think we make the mistake is that we always think that the buyer's agent is going to come in and sell our listing for us.

But their job is a lot different. They have a different priority than us. So we actually put plaques all up throughout the house that highlights features of the home. So then it helps the buyer's agent and the buyer see different features that they may or may not have been aware of. And it also gives them permission to actually open doors and look through stuff because, you know, you get a little weird when you're going through someone else's house. You don't know if you want to open a closet door. Who knows what's in there, right? That's pretty cool.

Taking control. That's really cool. Yeah. And helping it get, helping the story be told, not just hoping that the buyer's agent tells it. I really like that, that aspect that you put those plaques up. I can envision even some QR codes that you can scan and get more information about, you know, whatever the case is. So that's pretty cool, Gina. So let's wrap up with this.

If someone is listening to this wanting to learn more about what you do and reach out and connect with you. What's the best way that they can do that? Definitely through my website, 100%. I am on Facebook as well, and you can always text me through there. And I'm going to be starting teaching classes on the Insight System, which is just some of the things that I told you guys about today. That is awesome. Well, thank you so much for coming on. It's been a real pleasure talking with you.

Thank you guys so much for having me. It was so much fun. Absolutely. Thank you for listening to the Elite Real Estate Leaders podcast. Brought to you by Trailstone Insurance Group. To learn more about the topics mentioned on today's show or listen to past episodes, visit www.org.com.