Residential real estate is about finding people homes. Whether someone is looking for good schools, a friendly neighborhood, a nice house — or all of the above — it just depends on what is right for the homebuyer. Even for high-end listings valued at millions of dollars, it all boils down to what the customer is looking for.
“You deal with human emotion,” says “Million Dollar Listing” star Josh Flagg, a real estate agent who specializes in high-end residential real estate and highlights a commitment to customer satisfaction. He’s had experience in commercial real estate, but Flagg explains that his passion is finding the perfect house for his customers, and working within the human experience.
“Residential is much more interesting to me,” Flagg says, noting that he prides himself on knowing as much about the market as possible. This knowledge spans everything from which houses have been sold, which ones are in escrow and which ones are possibly available for sale. “If we go down the street in a car together I will point out to you every single house and tell you what the person paid in 1976 for it, and what it’s worth today.”
“Knowledge is everything,” he says.
Staying on your toes
Flagg is recognized as one of the top real estate agents in Los Angeles in terms of volume and sales, and represents many big names in Los Angeles. But in order to build his brand, he has made it a point to bring the energy each and every day.
With what he calls the main tools of the trade, a car and a telephone, he starts every morning early and works with his customers to give them what they need throughout the day. And while he might have a plan for what his day will look like, he says he almost always has to stay on his toes.
“Real estate changes day by day,” Flagg says. “You have an appointment at one time and then a person needs to make a change and you accommodate the person — and that changes the rest of your schedule. Whatever my schedule is in the morning it’s 10 times different by the end of the day.”
Closing the deal
While Flagg mostly works in luxury homes, he makes successful and seamless transactions happen, no matter who the homebuyer is or what kind of house they’re looking at.
His number one piece of advice for all homebuyers? “Don’t buy the first house you see,” he says. “Take some time and remember there’s always another deal around the corner.”
