He Sold 300 Cars as a Teen. Now He's Changing Oregon Real Estate

Marki Costello: Welcome to Realiant Roundtable, where we put the real in real estate. At the table today, we have Jesse Haffly. Jesse doesn’t operate like most Realtors. He doesn’t follow the playbook; he created a new one. In a place like Lane County, homes aren’t just bought and sold. They’re lived in, they’re felt, and Jesse approaches them differently.

Marki: This episode isn’t about listings or commissions. It’s about instincts, how one agent built a different way of working, and why that matters in today’s market. We’re about to hear Jesse discuss real estate from a completely different angle, and I am excited.

Marki: We also have Scott Kemp at the roundtable.

Jesse Haffly: He’s the best photographer in Oregon, and I’m happy to give him that compliment.

Marki: What makes Scott the best photographer in Oregon?

Jesse: Scott has my business for life because of his attention to detail. We also share similar personality traits. I’ll never forget a client who was the CFO of Richardson Hat Company. He interviewed 13 of the top brokers in Lane County, and I honestly thought he hated me.

Jesse: He picked me, and we became good friends. He still comments on my Instagram posts, and we stay in touch. When we photographed his property the first time, he wasn’t completely happy with the result, so Scott came down personally and photographed it again.

Jesse: We tried the lights on and off and the blinds open and closed so we could control every part of the lighting. Scott handled every detail, and the seller couldn’t have been happier. The property was in a private, low-turnover community in Creswell, so we wanted to showcase it carefully. I ultimately sold it for $80,000 over the list price.

Jesse: The buyer waived the appraisal contingency, and the appraisal came in short. Steve remains one of my best friends, and he was very grateful for how everything turned out.

Marki: You have developed a real estate model that is different from what other people are doing. Explain that model to everyone listening or watching.

Jesse: One reason my model is different is that I earned my real estate license when I was 18. I technically started my first business at 10, buying and reselling things from yard sales long before that became popular online.

Jesse: I started with small engines and worked my way up to cars. I sold my first car at 12 and more than 300 by my junior year of high school. The dealership license was in my uncle’s name, although I didn’t run every sale through the dealership.

Jesse: I joke that I’ve sold more 1998 Honda Accords than anyone in Oregon, but it may actually be true. Honda Accords were my specialty. My uncle knew how to replace the head gaskets and handle the mechanical work, while I handled the sales.

Marki: You were an entrepreneur at a very young age. Would you also describe yourself as a salesperson?

Jesse: I became one out of necessity. Nobody in my family had ever earned more than six figures, and my dad was laid off in 2008. If I wanted a cell phone like the other kids at school, I had to pay for it myself. During the difficult months, I also helped pay the light bill.

Jesse: I love my parents, but they both came from difficult homes and tried to build on what their parents had given them. I learned quickly that if I wanted to make something happen, it would be up to me. That realization drove me toward business.

Jesse: The defining moment that drew me into business was a childhood lemonade stand.

Jesse: The stand was in front of the house where my parents still live. A neighbor pulled up in what was then a brand-new Mustang, which I thought was the coolest thing in the world, and gave me $20.

Jesse: I was only asking 50 cents. He handed me a $20 bill and told me to keep at it. My mother also made me order my own food at restaurants from a very young age, so I became comfortable talking to people.

Jesse: My father is one of the biggest talkers in the world, and I imitated him when I went to yard sales. He always taught me, "If you don’t ask, you’ll never know." I kept a list of things I would buy and learned to ask people about them.

Jesse: That experience made me enjoy interacting with people. I developed a relationship with the founder of Dave’s Killer Bread. He mentored people after they left prison and brought them to me to buy cars that could help them get back on their feet.

Jesse: I probably sold at least a dozen cars through that relationship.

Marki: I think some people naturally understand sales. They know how to connect with another person and help them make a decision. I was the same way.

Jesse: Sales is where I feel most comfortable. Real estate includes sales, but it is fundamentally about solving problems. From an early age, I loved interacting with and meeting people. I took a different approach to selling cars, even though I was too young to drive them myself.

Jesse: Adults had to drive the cars to meet buyers for me. People would ask how old I was, and I would tell them I was 12. They couldn’t believe they had just bought a car from a 12-year-old. The first one I remember was a green 1998 Ford Taurus hatchback.

Jesse: I sold it for my father, and the experience got me hooked.

Marki: That sale opened the door to the sales world.

Jesse: My parents were older and weren’t comfortable with technology, so I learned how to find and advertise the cars myself. I could buy a car for $200, improve it, and resell it. Even today, I will occasionally buy a car from a client when it solves a problem for them.

Marki: You no longer sell cars; you’re a Realtor. What led you into real estate, and what do you do differently now?

Jesse: What first interested me in real estate was the investment side. I didn’t even understand the commission opportunity. When I received my license, I started at Keller Williams because it had a strong training program.

Jesse: One of the owners of my gym told me, "Go to Keller Williams, let them teach you everything, and then come work for me." I eventually worked with an agent who had built his business through cold calling.

Jesse: I learned a great deal from speaking with for-sale-by-owner sellers and owners of expired listings. Many had already experienced serious service failures, including agents who never placed their property in the MLS.

Jesse: I watched how that high-producing agent worked and learned from him. My approach is to take what works, then implement it in my own creative way.

Jesse: I noticed early that many sellers needed more help than the traditional model provided. Our marketing says that, for too long, real estate agents have done too little while earning too much. One client story explains what we mean.

Jesse: A young husband and wife interviewed another agent before meeting me. They had six children, including a newborn and five who were under five. They also had pigs, goats, and a small hobby farm in Creswell.

Jesse: The previous agent gave them a 48-item preparation list. I told them, "I’m going to take 47 of those 48 items off your plate." He worked at the jail, she was an ICU nurse, and they were already managing children and animals. They did not need another overwhelming checklist.

Jesse: We provide licensed and bonded landscaping and coordinate with local contractors and service providers.

Marki: Let me make sure I understand. You may charge a higher commission because your service can include painting, landscaping, or other preparation work. How is that commission structured?

Jesse: We typically charge 3.5 percent on the listing side. Depending on the negotiated buyer-agent commission, the total may work out to approximately six percent.

Marki: How much do you typically spend preparing a property?

Jesse: It depends on the property. One of our biggest success stories involved an estate referred by a past client.

Jesse: The family told me their mother was in hospice and that they would eventually need help with her five-acre property in Pleasant Hill. They described it as overgrown and overwhelming. I told them I would appreciate the opportunity to help when the time came, but that I hoped she would live another five or ten wonderful years.

Jesse: Three or four years later, the family called. Fifteen family members were involved in the estate. The owner had become reclusive and was living on the property with her granddaughter. I brought in four people to pressure-wash and two more to handle the acreage with zero-turn mowers.

Jesse: We took two or three 26-foot truckloads to donation and removed two 20-yard dumpsters of material from the property.

Marki: That was all at your dime.

Jesse: I paid for that work. We also had the house and carpets professionally cleaned. By the time we listed it, the property looked completely different and received 13 offers. It was a beautiful, fully paved five-acre estate that had simply suffered from neglect and deferred maintenance.

Scott Kemp: I want to add something. Over the years, we’ve photographed both beautiful mansions and properties that needed significant work for Jesse.

Jesse: I remember the first time we met. You pulled up in the convertible on Grover Avenue.

Jesse: I pride myself on giving every seller the same level of service. It doesn’t matter whether the property is a $30,000 manufactured home or a $1.6 million listing. We recently closed a home in Cottage Grove for approximately $1 million. It involved a divorce, and nearly everything had been left inside the house.

Jesse: I received two days’ notice before a doctor was scheduled to move in. I brought in 14 people and several dump trailers. We donated as much as possible and cleared a very large house that had been left full of belongings.

Marki: My experience in California gives me an interesting perspective. Around 2001, I lived in a rent-controlled apartment one block from the beach and paid $500 per month. I decided I would not leave until I could buy a house.

Marki: I loved the Pacific Palisades and went to every open house I could find each Sunday. People told me I would never find a $500,000 house there.

Marki: I took that as a challenge and kept looking. One Sunday, I toured a very small house and walked back to my car feeling deflated.

Marki: Then I noticed another for-sale sign tucked behind a gate. A woman was unloading groceries, so I helped her and asked whether the house was available. She said it had been on the market for eight months and that they had already bought a home in Hawaii.

Marki: I asked if I could take a quick look around. The house needed work, but I realized I could make it work for me.

Marki: I knew the owner of my rent-controlled apartment could raise the rent from $500 to approximately $3,200 after I moved. I asked whether she would pay me to leave, and she ultimately gave me $20,000. I used that money to remodel the kitchen in the house.

Scott: Your landlord paid you $20,000 to move?

Marki: It made financial sense for her because she could recover that amount quickly through the higher rent. I owned the house for 18 years, bought it for $535,000, and sold it for $2.2 million. I then bought a high-rise condominium in the Wilshire Corridor.

Marki: The building was between Westwood, UCLA, Beverly Hills, Holmby Hills, and Bel Air. I bought the condominium for $820,000, owned it for three and a half years, and sold it for $1.25 million.

Jesse: That’s why we love real estate.

Marki: I hired a young Realtor to handle the paperwork for my condominium, but I remained personally involved in presenting and selling it. Whenever someone came to see it, I baked cookies so the home smelled welcoming.

Marki: The condominium was pristine, and I knew both the advantages and disadvantages of the building. We received approximately 13 offers within three weeks and set a sales record in the building. Experiences like that make me think some people are born with an instinct for sales.

Marki: It is a gift, but a good business also responds to supply and demand. You recognized that sellers needed someone who could remove unwanted belongings, clear weeds, mow the lawn, and coordinate the preparation.

Scott: Most sellers would appreciate hearing, "We’ll come in and take care of it for you."

Jesse: Many Realtors simply tell the seller to call when the property is ready for photography. That leaves the seller responsible for finding a landscaper, locating other help, or spending a rare day off doing the work personally. Most sellers need someone to coordinate those details.

Marki: When do you come into it?

Jesse: Scott is usually my final step. There have been many times when he arrived and I asked for another hour because we were still finishing the pressure washing. The preparation has to be complete before the photography can do its job.

Marki: Scott, when you enter a home like that, do you suggest adjustments to the lighting, staging, or presentation before you photograph it?

Jesse: I don’t give compliments lightly. There are many photographers I could hire for less, but I won’t make that change. The quality, attention to detail, relationship, and willingness to make things happen are worth it. Realiant also continues improving its technology and packages.

Jesse: The most recent changes have been important for my business. I include Realiant’s material in every listing binder. I don’t simply hand someone a comparative market analysis and tell them what the home is worth; I give them a complete listing presentation.

Marki: You get what you pay for.

Jesse: Scott designed a handout that includes examples of properties I have sold and helps explain how the presentation works.

Scott: We’re in it for the relationships as well.

Marki: What’s your biggest challenge?

Scott: Ideally, a property is ready when we arrive, but we also value our relationships with our clients. If it isn’t ready, the delay often comes from the seller rather than the agent. We understand that situation, so we may wait 15 minutes or help move a few things.

Scott: We want a lasting relationship with the agent, and we want to earn the next job.

Marki: I believe you get what you pay for and sometimes have to spend money to make money. Do you see that principle in listing media?

Marki: Do you think some of the new generation of Realtors has lost sight of that principle?

Scott: I think so. Many Realtors buy only the base package without recognizing that listing media is part of their marketing budget.

Jesse: The photography is often a buyer’s first exposure to a listing online. Its quality can determine whether someone clicks the thumbnail. I’m a Realtor, not a photographer, so it still surprises me when agents take the photos themselves.

Scott: Much of the content we provide does more than market the current house. It can also help the agent earn future listings. When a seller sees that Jesse went beyond the minimum, that experience gives the client a reason to refer him.

Jesse: My business is almost entirely referral-based because of that approach, and I regularly receive compliments from clients.

Marki: A strong referral business is a clear sign that the approach is working.

Jesse: Even when I sold cars, I tried to balance presentation with honesty. My father sometimes became frustrated because he thought I wasn’t cleaning them well enough. I told him I didn’t want to distort the condition. A car may look great while it is wet, but the buyer will eventually see it as it really is. The same principle applies to real estate.

Jesse: My father is now one of my biggest supporters, and we have a great relationship. A few months ago, he called and told me I had been right: every car did not need to be detailed to the point that its actual condition became unclear.

Jesse: He worked at Marathon Coach building million-dollar motorhomes, so he was intensely detail-focused. My strategy was different: present the product well without misrepresenting it. Buyers will eventually see the property in person. Oversized fisheye lenses may make a room look larger online, but that creates disappointment when the buyer arrives.

Jesse: Our goal is to motivate people to get off the couch on a Sunday, attend the open house, or call their agent to schedule a showing.

Marki: That is one of my biggest frustrations. The property I visit should resemble the property that first interested me online. Let’s also talk about social media. I came from California and have coached many leading Realtors there.

Scott: You have been a media coach for 30 years. How did you end up living in Corvallis?

Marki: I’ll give you the short version. After COVID, the alarm company that had served my studio for 30 years said it needed to replace the alarm panel. We had repeatedly opened and closed during the pandemic because we were considered a nonessential business.

Marki: My grandfather was Lou Costello of Abbott and Costello, and the studio contained a great deal of his memorabilia. We had just reopened when the technician came to replace the panel.

Marki: I had to fly to Atlanta the next day to coach Kanye West’s personal chef for a Food Network show. The technician seemed uncertain and asked whether I knew how the previous installer had wired the system. I had no way to know.

Marki: I showed him the equipment I knew about, then boarded my flight. After I reached my hotel and had been asleep for about two hours, the alarm company called to say the alarm was sounding. I told them I was in Atlanta and asked them to send a patrol.

Marki: They told me patrol service was no longer available after COVID. I called Eric, who ran the acting studio next door and often worked until two or three in the morning. He said the alarm was not sounding, but he had noticed a strange smell for the previous 24 hours.

Marki: I asked what kind of smell he meant. He said it smelled like something burning. I finished what I had to do in Atlanta and took the next flight home. I knew the situation was serious when my oldest son insisted on picking me up from the airport.

Marki: An electrical fire had destroyed the studio. The alarm company’s contract limited its liability, and the company accepted no responsibility. We had paid for protection for 30 years, yet the relationship offered little help when the crisis occurred.

Scott: Tell us about your coaching work. If someone has watched a Realtor on television, there is a good chance you have coached that person.

Marki: I have coached Aaron Kirman, Josh Flagg, Tracy Tutor, Bill and Melinda Gates, Eric André, Tim Tebow, Alex Rodriguez, Morgan Stewart, and many other athletes, businesspeople, and Realtors. My work teaches people how to present their authentic selves on camera.

Marki: Social media has changed how people discover professionals. Realtors in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles are producing short vertical films. That presence matters because many people under 35 will look on social platforms when choosing a Realtor.

Marki: When an Oregon Realtor tells me they do not use social media, I worry that their business will struggle to remain visible. How important is social media to you?

Scott: Saying you only advertise in the Yellow Pages would create the same problem. People are unlikely to find you.

Marki: Exactly. How important is social media to your business?

Jesse: It is extremely important, although I still have a great deal of room to improve. I believe in story-driven content, and I have been fortunate to work with remarkable clients who have unique stories.

Jesse: Those stories include unusual backgrounds, difficult situations, happy endings, and moments when our team went beyond the expected service.

Marki: Your approach gives you a natural story to tell. Start when the listing agreement is signed and show the people arriving to clear unwanted items, remove weeds, and prepare the property. Let the audience see how the house changes and why the work matters.

Jesse: We already tell those stories in written posts, but we need to produce more video. We explain the seller’s situation and what we did to help, whether it involved a $30,000 manufactured home or a million-dollar house that sold for cash after four days on the market and multiple offers.

Scott: Realiant has had to learn the same lesson. Our social presence needed improvement. When the newest post on a business page is two years old, people reasonably wonder whether the company is still operating.

Scott: We were very much in business, but our social media did not communicate that reality. We needed to reinvent how we presented ourselves online.

Marki: Content is essential. A podcast gives a Realtor more than a conversation. We ask questions, help the guest tell their story, and produce several polished clips in this studio that the guest can share on social media.

Jesse: Now I can say I was coached by someone who also coached Tom Brady.

Scott: Marki also had her own television show.

Marki: It was called The Drama Queen, and I worked on the first season of The Bachelor.

Marki: My grandfather was Lou Costello of Abbott and Costello, so media has always been part of my family. I came to Corvallis because my father retired from Laguna about 28 or 29 years ago. He and his wife bought a 100-year-old granary along the Willamette River near Peoria Road.

Marki: After COVID and the studio fire, I sold nearly everything and decided I needed a reset. The conditions around the office had become difficult, and losing the studio made the need for a break even clearer.

Marki: I expected to stay for one year, but it has been closer to three, and I love it here. My son attends Corvallis High School and has his own podcast called The Jump.

Marki: The show follows athletes making the transition from high school to college. Media is not going away; it functions like a form of currency for a business. The platforms and formats change, but the need to communicate remains.

Marki: Coaching can help someone become more comfortable on camera, clarify a brand, and communicate what makes the person distinctive. That is why I wanted you on the show. You are doing something different within real estate instead of repeating the same familiar story.

Jesse: I believe the industry must diversify and innovate. If we do not change, artificial intelligence may replace parts of what we currently do.

Scott: It’s coming after my job, that’s for sure.

Jesse: People often say AI will replace real estate agents. That may be true wherever the human element can be removed. My wife jokes that I’m not merely a real estate agent; I’m a hostage negotiator, counselor, and whatever else the client needs in that moment.

Jesse: I take calls at 8:30 at night to calm clients and keep a difficult closing moving. That human responsibility is difficult to automate.

Marki: Some experiences still require a human relationship. I recently went into a bank and discovered that the company wanted customers to handle nearly everything online. I wanted to speak with a person about what had cleared, whether payments were covered, and what was happening with my money. Buying a home is one of the largest financial decisions most people make, and I want the same human connection there.

Jesse: Transparency has always been one of my strengths. Although people associate used-car sales with dishonesty, I was transparent when I sold cars. My policy allowed someone to return a car if it broke down within a month, even though some people abused that promise.

Jesse: One customer took a Chevrolet into the woods, apparently drove while drinking, and returned it about a week later with beer cans in the back. I refunded his money, repaired the vehicle, and sold it to someone else. I would rather accept a loss than damage my reputation.

Jesse: People often ask for the secret behind my results. I received Rookie of the Year at Keller Williams and have earned the Icon Award each year I have been with eXp.

Jesse: The answer is straightforward: be transparent, be honest, and genuinely do your best for the client. Unfortunately, parts of the industry have a reputation for misleading people, overpromising, and underdelivering. Consistent honesty stands out.

Jesse: My assistants hear me say the same thing repeatedly: I set conservative expectations that I am confident we can achieve, then work to exceed them. That is better than overpricing a property and repeatedly reducing the price.

Jesse: I watched one million-dollar property ultimately sell for only 60 percent of its original list price. That strategy did not serve the client.

Marki: Whenever a Realtor immediately suggested lowering my price, I wondered whether the agent had first done enough to find the right buyer for a unique property. Price adjustments can be necessary, but they should not substitute for stronger marketing and representation.

Jesse: I provide estimated net proceeds when I present a comparative market analysis. I do not expect clients to calculate everything themselves. Most sellers will also buy another property, so they need a clear estimate of what they may have available for the next purchase.

Jesse: Sellers need a clear picture of what they may actually receive. I provide a transparent estimate using conservative numbers. If we negotiate a lower expense, achieve a stronger sale price, or receive favorable tax and insurance prorations, I would rather the client leave closing with a pleasant surprise.

Marki: What does the market look like around Eugene and the surrounding communities?

Jesse: The market has leveled out, and conditions depend heavily on price point. Entry-level and high-end homes are moving quickly. The middle of the market is more difficult because of current interest rates, although we continue to see people relocating to the area.

Jesse: Activity has been increasing. I recently closed four transactions, had 13 more in escrow, and expected to add another two or three that day.

Marki: Where are the new residents coming from?

Jesse: For a long time, Californians were the running joke, but buyers now come from places such as Florida and Hawaii. I recently conducted a complete video tour over Starlink for a family in Hawaii interested in moving to a rural property near Cottage Grove.

Jesse: Exercise has also been an important part of my life since I was 14, but my wife has influenced me most. We have been together since middle school and recently celebrated our 14-year dating anniversary. We have two French bulldogs and are preparing for the next chapter of our family.

Marki: Does your wife support what you do?

Jesse: She would give you the same honest answer: at the beginning, she did not. We grew up together, and she was accustomed to seeing me earn good money selling other things.

Jesse: In real estate, I held open houses every weekend. If I didn’t have appointments, I spent at least three hours making cold calls, then went to appointments throughout the afternoon. I had to invest that time because I had no record of success yet.

Jesse: We were only 19, 20, or 21 years old, and I was working 80-hour weeks. That was difficult for our relationship. Later, she wrote a Facebook post saying that everyone had doubted me, including her, and that she was not proud of having done so.

Jesse: Her actual words were much sweeter, and remembering them still makes me emotional. She gave me credit for building the business and proving the doubters wrong.

Marki: This episode is sponsored by Realiant Photography, a company built to support real estate agents. From scroll-stopping 3D tours and standout LinkedIn headshots to social content that gets you seen, Realiant Photography helps you show up like the professional you are. In today’s market, success is not only about selling homes; it is also about building a presence.

Marki: They streamline your online world so you can focus on closing big deals in the real one. Realiant Photography, making sure your brand works just as hard as you do.

Scott: Your strength is helping people appear authentic on camera. What does that coaching look like, especially when the client is already accomplished in another field?

Marki: My 16-year-old recently had a movie audition that required a self-tape. The production sent him two pages of script, called sides, and he needed to record himself with a phone and ring light. After he had the material for three days, I offered to coach him.

Marki: At first, he resisted every suggestion. I told him I did not need to coach someone who did not want the help. Ten minutes later, he asked me to try again. We worked through the material, I gave him specific notes, and he delivered a brilliant reading.

Marki: Later, he admitted that accepting constructive criticism was difficult for him. I explained that my goal was to help him become the most authentic version of himself on camera.

Marki: I was not there to teach him to act or script every gesture. Effective communication is storytelling. When you move beyond your nerves and understand what makes you distinctive, you can focus on the person beyond the lens.

Marki: Ask who the audience is and what connection the content should create. Oprah understood early that making the audience the star can make the presenter more compelling. Even a casual greeting has to fit the brand and the people the speaker actually wants to reach.

Marki: I teach people to connect with their audience while remaining authentically themselves.

Jesse: In a world full of tools such as ChatGPT, it is easy to generate a Facebook post that makes life sound perfect. That presentation often does not feel real.

Scott: You cannot learn what she teaches off the internet, I guarantee you.

Marki: Major studios, networks, and highly accomplished clients understand the value of coaching immediately.

Jesse: Coaching is part of how they reached that level.

Marki: Tom Brady had a quarterback coach throughout his career. Successful people understand that outside perspective matters. The people who resist coaching often assume they already know everything, but nobody knows what they do not know.

Jesse: If you believe you already know everything, you stop learning. A business that stops learning begins to decline.

Scott: Have you used coaches or mentors in your career?

Jesse: I have worked with coaches throughout my career.

Marki: Look at how successful you are.

Jesse: More than anything, coaches help me identify blind spots. I am a strong doer and score extremely high in the dominant category of the DISC personality profile. That drive can cause me to focus on whatever is urgent instead of the important work that is not yet urgent, as described by the Eisenhower decision matrix.

Jesse: A coach helps me pause, check those blind spots, and choose the more important work.

Jesse: I grew up with very little money and once believed that earning $100,000 would make me rich. I reached that level before graduating high school. Later, I earned $30,000 in a month and also spent $30,000 in a month. As my income continued growing, I learned that building wealth requires attention to net worth, not merely income.

Jesse: Coaches helped change my perspective. I love real estate, but selling another 100 homes may not be the only path forward. Investing part of what I earn may create more durable value.

Marki: Your story is compelling, from the lemonade stand and yard sales to selling hundreds of cars at a young age.

Jesse: I have worked in retail and owned businesses. I joke that I have sold nearly everything except drugs, but there is some truth behind the joke.

Marki: That history is an important part of your brand. It gives you a distinctive perspective in an industry where many people continue following the traditional model.

Jesse: The traditional model can work for an agent who wants to sell 24 or 36 homes per year, and that can provide a wonderful life. It simply is not the model I want. I want to deliver substantial value and create a memorable experience that makes a past client say, "You have to call Jesse."

Jesse: Our listing agreements reflect that philosophy. A seller can terminate the agreement without cost or penalty any time before accepting a buyer’s offer. I accept that risk because I want the client to remain by choice.

Marki: That differs from many California agreements, which may commit the seller to an agent for several months.

Jesse: We still include a term because we use the RMLS listing agreement. The additional provisions state that the seller may terminate before accepting an offer without paying a cost or fee.

Scott: That’s not typical, right?

Jesse: It is not typical. I created that provision after working with many for-sale-by-owner sellers and owners of expired listings who had been harmed by previous experiences. One older woman had signed a nine-month listing agreement after losing her husband.

Jesse: Her agent never placed a sign in the yard, never entered the home in the MLS, and became impossible to reach. I eventually represented her, placed the property on the market, and received multiple offers.

Jesse: I sold her first property, helped her purchase the home she moved into, later sold that home, and helped her relocate to Vancouver. The relationship continued because she knew she could trust the service.

Marki: How can people find you on social media?

Jesse: I run the Haffly Home Group with eXp Realty. The business is on Instagram as the Haffly Home Group, although I currently post more success stories through my personal social channels.

Marki: Did you have fun here today?

Jesse: I had a great time.

Jesse: I would love to continue talking with you because I think I could learn a great deal from your experience.

Scott: Every realtor can get more value out of you.

Marki: I recently taught approximately 75 Realtors in Portland. Many were still working from an older model and asking, "I don’t like how I look, so what should I post on social media?"

Marki: I worked with them one at a time to understand their stories, brands, hooks, and points of view. Then we could identify something specific for each person to film. Everyone gets blocked sometimes, including me, but eventually you have to make the content.

Jesse: I felt extremely awkward during my first video shoot and needed many takes to deliver the same message. Yet I can interview against 13 other agents while a corporate CFO challenges me with questions, and I enjoy that test. Speaking directly to a camera and telling a success story somehow felt more difficult.

Scott: That is extremely common. Realtors say they are not good on camera or do not like how they look. Those concerns are understandable, but they have to move beyond them if they want to use video.

Jesse: I think it’s just a fear thing.

Jesse: I tell clients that anxiety and excitement are closely related emotions. The goal is to channel that energy into action.

Marki: There is another local Realtor who sings and writes songs in his content. If I were a millennial moving from Idaho to Corvallis, that personality could make me want to hire him.

Jesse: He is highly visible when someone searches for Corvallis Realtors and is deeply involved in the local community.

Marki: He consistently creates content and puts himself in front of the audience.

Jesse: Tim was already doing extremely well when I first received my license.

Scott: Tim also has a similar background because he started very young. Both of you are people who take action.

Marki: You heard it here first on Realiant Roundtable, the podcast that discusses everything real in real estate. That’s a wrap.