California Dreaming With Jesse Gibbs

This week in our “Meet the Agent” series, lifelong California native, Jesse Gibbs, shares the perks of buying a home in Northern California’s Central Valley.

He also reveals his tips for hosting a memorable open house as well as the one question he asks when interviewing prospective System members.

C21: How did you first get into real estate?

JG: I watched other family friends in the business who were very successful and enjoyed going to work daily. I have always enjoyed interacting with people and helping others, so it seemed like a great path. Since the day I received my license I have never looked back or regretted my decision!  Real estate always offers something new and I enjoy working with my clients through the ups and the downs during each transaction, ensuring it all comes together in the end. The smile on your clients’ faces at the end of a transaction makes it all worth doing!  I have also had the opportunity train and coach others in our company which is another aspect of this job that I truly enjoy.

C21: What’s your one tip for hosting a memorable open house?

JG: There are a lot of great things you can do to make an open house memorable. I think it’s nice to make invitations or flyers and invite all of the surrounding neighbors.  Walk the neighborhood making sure to let the fellow homeowners know you are hosting an open house and you invite them to come and see the home along with any other family or friends they may want to invite.  This is great marketing to other homeowners that may want to sell their own home in the future or they may know of someone wanting to move to their neighborhood and bring you a buyer!

C21: What made you fall in love with your home and what was your first major furniture purchase for the place?

JG: Yes.  We really liked the layout of the home and the spacious backyard.  I believe the first furniture purchase we made was a television for the living room.  There was a large spot for the media center so we had to get a TV to fill it!

C21: You’re a lifelong resident of California’s Central Valley. What makes this area so unique?

JG: There are really two things that are unique about Northern California’s Central Valley.  One is the affordability of homes in the area, and two, the proximity to both the ocean and the mountains.  Travel in either direction and within an hour and a half you can be in the Napa Valley, San Francisco Bay Area, Tahoe or Yosemite.   No matter what the season, there is always something to do close by!

C21: When you’re not at work, how do you take advantage of the beautiful, California weather?

JG: Living in California the weather allows you to be outdoors most of the year.  When I am not working at the office I enjoy working in the yard or having friends over for great dinners.  When it’s time to really get away, either a drive over to the coast to enjoy an afternoon by the ocean or we will head up to the mountains to enjoy a day fishing and relaxation among the pine trees.

C21: Our company mantra is “Smarter.Bolder.Faster” How do you exemplify this in your day-to-day work?

JG: SMARTER- As our market is always evolving, we make sure to stay on top of the latest real estate trends.  Having the knowledge to work with investors, REO’s, short sales and traditional sales shows our clients they have a well rounded, knowledgeable Century 21 System member guiding them!

BOLDER- At Century 21 M&M and Associates we are a full service brokerage using the latest in technology to serve and market to our clients. Our listings are enhanced and featured on all of the top real estate websites along with a state of the art call center that makes sure all of our incoming calls are answered seven days a week and forwarded to our agents.

FASTER- With today’s technology you have to be on top of your game.  With social channels like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, once I have a listing, within minutes I can upload it and feature it to hundreds of fellow agents and potential clients.

C21: You’re involved with our recruiting efforts; what is the one question you always ask in an interview with a prospective System member?

JG: “Why do you feel it’s a great time to be in real estate?”  I want to know where they are at with this question because many people say today, “Why would you want to be in real rstate?” With the media’s constant negativity about real estate I want to make sure prospective team members are promoting the right, positive approach to today’s market.  This is a great time to get into real estate and re-brand yourself.  Agents who survive and thrive today will be even more successful and educated down the road when the market does change.  Real estate is an up and down cycle and in a down cycle true professionals thrive.  I want new System members to be prepared to answer this question and not be discouraged by others who do not understand the true market cycle.  Those that answer this question who may seem to be somewhat discouraged by the market or what they are hearing turns into a great coaching moment of why they should be with Century 21!

C21: Keep the conversation going with Jesse! Connect with him via his website, Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.