I'm very excited to have Jim back on the Show because Jim it's always a pleasure Talking to you but also to meet Jason Walter who's for those of you that might Not know the number one realtor ranking On YouTube in the country but a lot of It is because Jason you have this huge Audience of actual buyers in Industry Followers I think there's some good Synergy between us I also as I mentioned Offline have just started a YouTube Channel and so I'm looking for a little Advice on that but maybe we could start With your background you started the Channel just before you've grown it to Six figures of followers can you tell The audience a little bit about this Journey that you've been on yeah Absolutely I appreciate you being on me Being on the podcast here Robbie so Thank you for having us um yeah so I Started my journey on YouTube back in October 2019 and I wanted to start a channel Back in January but it took me 10 years Or 10 years 10 months to some of the Courage to actually post my first video I'm more of like an introverted person Um before that I didn't even post a Video myself so I kind of figure out how Do I edit a video um how do I even make A video how I post that on YouTube and So what I found is what there's a lot of People who are making videos uh blog
Posts about what it's like to live in Sacramento area which is where I live And work as a r agent but I'm also a Licensed loan officer as well um so People making these comments and you Know videos and blogs regarding what It's like to live here when they didn't Actually live here and so I live in Sacramento for 40 plus plus years so I Thought it'd be um valuable for people Who may want to move into my area to Kind of learn about what it's like to Live here from someone who actually has Been living here for decades so I made Uh two videos um every single week um Ever since um October 2019 and then of Course we all know what happened back in March 2020 we had Co lockdowns I wasn't Even able to leave my house to talk About uh Sacramento related content and Then I saw a lot of people were making Videos about how the hey Market was Going to crash because of all the covid Related issues we were having and I took More of like a data uh approach looking At the data and what that was telling us And back then inventory was very low uh Compared to 2016 through 2019 and of Course because rates dropped uh Significantly back then uh inventory Absolutely plummeted so I make videos Regarding how the housing market was not Going to crash and then just making Videos in in regards to the housing
Market and a lot of people were going Online to figure out what was going on Because of all the uncertainty we had Back then I mean it was absolutely crazy Back then um so the people that um were Watching my videos also were looking at My um older videos back in 20 2019 who Um for the people who wanted to maybe Move here so uh long story short uh People watch my videos um most of the Time they watch multiple videos and I'm Just acting like myself on on camera and So when people reach out it's not like Hey you're one of the agents you know One of the 10 10 agents I'm interviewing Um you're the agent I want to hire um Are you accepting um clients right now Um and so people who reach out um Already feel like they know like and Trust me even before I get the text Message email or phone call which is Absolutely mind-blowing U and so this is Kind of transitioned more to like um Housing market news channel um probably The best way to describe this all things Related to the housing market and real Estate in in the United States and the Audience is not just now people looking To move here it's basically on a Worldwide worldwide audience but about 93% of our audience is in the United States and around 30% in California um So now it's more like a general um Housing market news channel talking
About all things related to the housing Market and um because of that you know Views and other re Revenue sources have Grown from that as well I think the the Thing that strikes me most is your Authentic approach to this and to Building this and there's a lot of loan Officers out there Originators in General that they say I need to be on Social media I need to make content I Need to I need to what am I going to do Can you speak a little bit about finding Your own voice and being authentic to Yourself and having people respond Positively to that type of content Versus something that's forced and kind Of how people can figure out their own Lane for what's best for them yeah Absolutely I mean I think my like Contents kind of like tailor to people Who are more analytical which I happen To be analytical I love sharing like my Analytics regarding what's happening in The market and so the people reach out Tend to be people in tag for example uh They tend to be kind of like nerdy like Myself so just acting like yourself Because if you're acting like someone Else and then people reach out they find Out you're not being authentic then That's you're losing trust and so um I Always tell people that through video is The best way in my opinion unless you're Face to face the best way to build
Rapport and trust with someone and That's through video in my opinion and So people watching my videos you know They watch you know my 20 minute video They might watch you know 10 minutes U 15 minutes and in one single video they Might get an idea about who I am but Watching multiple videos which um I'm Not sharing I haven't done any Advertising whatsoever I haven't paid For ads since 2019 um never paid for ads um for my YouTube channel so people reach out to Me again they feel like they know like Know like and trust me already which is Absolutely mind-blowing so anyone who's Looking to start a channel um the the Thing that kind of um made me kind of Start was that if this person can do it Then I can do it as well and I can Barely talk and but you know people seem To you know like the content because I'm Sure as best as I can unbias related uh Reports regarding the housing market Which I found the media in general um Can be a little bit biased on that so I Think people appreciate this the Transparency and honesty regarding What's happening right now it's amazing Amazing that you're not having to pay For lead gen I'm sure that's music to Some listeners years Z I do that when it Comes to adding value to Consumers and I I do want to get into this new reality
At post Nar settlement and how we can Add value as professionals here but when It comes to adding value to Consumers Without paying for lead generation what Sort of things have you found to be the Most valuable and telling your audience That people have really responded To um that's a really good question I I Think that um just I I just I share my I Try to do my give my own take regarding Like a report so so for example if red Finn announces a report or the national Associat Realtors um announces a report I kind of take a deep dive into the Numbers to share my own um uh take Regarding what's happening versus um you Know I actually try to go to the source Of the data rather than sharing a news Article about that report if that makes Sense so I try to be authentic um Sharing my own analysis of the what's Happening and so people kind of um seem To get some value out of that and that's A whole point of the channel I'm not Making videos based on what I think I Like I'm trying to make videos regarding What my viewers want to um want want to Watch and um you know it's it's Generated a great business for us so Jim I do want to bring you in here since People are are looking at you sitting in Your office there and and I want to talk About the future Of kind of these these Partnerships
Together when it comes just historically Speaking before we get into what's Happening post Nar element working Together as a lender and a realtor what Are some of your tips that you picked up In your time as a lender you have a very Successful origination business how do You add value how do you build loyalty How do you keep th those Partnerships Strong yeah great question um more than Ever right now Robbie we got to be well In front of that life event before it Happens so before you know Realtors Would run around with a listing Agreement trying to get signed and then React and get the lender involved well We're kind of flipping the script on how We do that at our company Jason and I Both are um at the same company revest Homes and the goal we have is to get as Far in front of that family making those Decisions before they make it we believe That's by providing value through Knowledge through information uh and Also just giving tips that are helpful And it's less about trying to get Someone to buy a house today to Refinance today it's about making sure That they're set up for the future and Then when they're ready and when the Opportunity is there we're the natural Fit for them it's no they're going to Jason they're going to Jim they're going To teams like ours that have already
Built that report and again that video Element has become more and more Important just like we're doing now um In your history Robbie I love with your Whole family and Legacy in this industry It started as datadriven article and Emails and it's now morphed into video And podcast right so it's you're doing The exact same thing in your whole um Career also so to me it's just getting As in front of that opportunity as we Can to make sure people are making good Decisions and sometimes the answer is no Sometimes you're not ready um or no it's Not a good time to buy and that goes so Much farther being genuine and authentic Than just trying to get something done So I think that you can see through Jason's Channel um even one of his Videos got 41,000 views on it how many hours Jason Have you had of people watching your Videos how many this is crazy Robbie Yeah this is wild so um I you make a Really good point to I want touch on as Well is that you're we're getting the Viewers for people who are just starting Their search uh whether they want to buy A house get a loan refinance or um Potentially move to Sacramento or other Areas as well so kind of like the if Think of a funnel work kind of the top End here people are doing the research And then they reach out when they're
Ready which is super important regarding Um content in YouTube so actually did Some um digging on numbers for you guys So the channel uh which again I started Back in October 2019 um I have uh 28 million views on The channel again no advertising Whatsoever all 100% organic on top of That here's the Wild Thing 2.3 million Watch hours this means that people have Consumed a 138 million minutes these are 138 Million minutes of people watching my Videos that equates get this 263 years if one person theoretically Was watching my videos 2477 days a week 263 years or a th000 people watching my Videos 247 for 3 months straight so YouTube um you have a obviously a wide Reach but also engagement as well you Know it' be impossible for me to um Speak to someone for 263 263 years right So uh the engagement and reach on YouTube is just absolutely mind-blowing And highly recommend it for any loan Officers or agents out there right now Having both having both pieces right you Gotta have the knowledge you have Expertise um Jason and I both have Multiple licenses I'm um I'm my series 5565 Jason's a CPA by trade so we have These extra layers of knowledge that Give us a little more insight to be
Providing value that's not bias it's Neutral right you got to be in the Middle on this stuff to make people see Both sides of the of the data to make Sure they're making their own decision So and J Jason those are crazy Statistics I know from some of the other Interviews I've done it seems like YouTube really is the best medium for People to put content out there because It it lives there and there's a Repository of it and people go back can Go back and get whatever that you know Viewers can go back through months and Months or years and years of content so It's a great place to be Jim you Mentioned that that oh sorry Jason you Want to say something quickly no sorry I I just absolutely I agree with you Thanks Robie jimy you mention you guys hold Multiple licenses both you and I Jason I Didn't know you were a CPA but I do want To talk about this new trend emerging of Dual licens dual licensing you yourself Are realtor and an originator and I'm I'm going to kind of press you here Because Jim was the one who gave me such Kind words about my family and what I'm Doing you give me any kind words yet so We're gonna press you here what are the Pros of dual licensing from the a Buyer's perspective or maybe from the Industry perspective what are the the
Cons of it what are the you know the Benefits of of keeping those separate Like yeah what what is the give us give Us both sides of the coin here where is It better where is it not Better I can Start on yeah I can share um so we own Our company um our company's a Dr California licensed company we have our Real estate lending licenses all In-house all under one ownership all Under one company the benefit there is That if you have experts like I love Doing loans and Jason loves real estate You're getting the best of in my opinion Best service that's available in the Marketplace so smart companies smart Teams will develop a plan like this to Be able to to lever off of both and Guess what else we can do we could give Discounts if we wanted to for First Responders in our community we could do A first-time home buyer credit as long As it's all consistent and the same for Everybody we can offer those between Jason and I we can you know toggle our Toggle our elements to make sure that it It creates the value that's needed to Get the deal done like I'll support Jason as an owner of the mortgage Company and offering a lower cost option If I can to help him get a um purchase Contract I'm sure the same thing will Happen on his side with these new Nar
Changes so I just like having the Flexibility to shift and pivot we have The things we need to have Under One Roof that is going to be the model of The future I think for a lot of smaller Communities across the country so it Will take you know it's going to be a Model that will become more popular and We're way ahead of it we've been working On this for three years so it's really Exciting to see things starting to take Off Jason Yeah I mean absolutely 100% agree with That Jim being a licensed Lo officer and Uh real estate agent we can provide a Lot of value to our clients um for the Things that Jim mentioned and just also On a side know in California uh a loan Officer has to be also a licensed realy Agent so he had to get that kind of First I think before becoming an Originator which is I know different in Other uh States as well but yeah being At reest homes um and being with Jim BL One of the top Originators uh in the Country uh just absolutely and then Jim And I have been great friends for over 35 years as well so was a best friend Best man at my wedding as well uh so It's awesome to work with a friend and Also with someone who has such a high Level of expertise in Industry as well So I mentioned the phrase earlier Providing value and I think that's kind
Of become more and more the name of the Game especially in an environment where There's so much transparency or there's More Choice out there people are trying To justify their value Opposition Jim let's start with you and Then we'll go back to Jason again how do You see the future of Partnerships evolving and moving forward From here it's obviously kind of early Doors with the Nar settlement recently Being implemented and it feels like the Wild west a little bit when it comes to These Partnerships how do you see it Evolving over time going Forward I look at my job is kind of like Being a family it's like a family office Kind of kind of world where you're going To have the online Shoppers that want The lowest lowest lowest right that's Not us we don't want those people but we Believe that um the focus is going to be Around surrounding that client with the Best resources in their community that They need so the CPA wealth advisor Estate planner all those other insurance All those people that are needed a vital Part of that family's home ownership Journey not only just for the Transaction but for the future that's What I'm excited about so we have Technology Partners I have fintex that I'm an adviser and an angel investor in That are giving us the opportunity to
Capture all that information and be be Available when we're needed so we're not Only providing relevant information That's relevant today we're giving People the tools to have those um in Their ecosystem of what they need when They need it so we're always thought of As that provider of those resources not The One-Stop shop for everything but We're able to get those um Tools in Front of people when they need them and Like I said last time on our show Robbie When you had me on um I look at myself As bat loone man like I don't want to be Annoying sending out like pumpkin pie Recipes in the mail but when you need me I want that symbol to go up in the air And then we're ready to go we have all The information we need and We're Off to The Races so I want to be valuable when I'm needed I don't want to be in the way Of people living their lives or partners Of mine not wanting to get annoying Phone calls just we're providing value Come join our our group and and learn More and be part of It Jason yeah I would pigb on that is it You know with this Nar settlement U it's Kind of a status quo for me you know the Procedures involved in you know helping People um on the real estate side has Have changed but I'm going to be Focusing still on doing YouTube um going To be focusing a little bit more also on
Doing short firm content as well like on Instagram even did a Tik Tok as well Recently uh but just providing value to Um everyday consumers and um you know People reach out uh if they want to buy Or sell a house or have any um Lending Um uh needs as well so just you know Status quo for me just going to be Keeping posting videos on YouTube and Other platforms as well just providing Value what I think that people uh would Learn from and also benefit from as Well before I let you two go here today We talked some a couple takeaways that Listeners can use going forward when it Comes to enhancing these relationships What are a couple big things you want People to really stick with uh Jason Let's start with you this time yeah I I Have a big one so um I always tell People that um you know if you have if You're a real estate agent get on YouTube because of that you know Viability reach Factor engagement but Loan officers have an even a bigger Benefit uh than uh agents because as an Agent if I'm making videos about you Know let's just say like the a national Report that got released a very very Very small percentage of those people Want to buy house in the greater Sacrament area right but as loan officer Um you may be licensed you're licensed At least in one state but you also may
Be licensed in multiple States so your Reach and your um ability to help a lot More people is so much greater than a Real estate agent so for any loan Officers who watching or listening to This uh podcast you know just hit record You start and then just start making Videos about what people are asking you Questions about um things that um maybe Have expertise on um I would highly Recommend you do that Because um you're really missing out on Opportunity in my opinion if you're not Doing that but it's been a wonderful um Uh platform for us and it's really been Working out it's a lot of work but um You know again paying no ads whatsoever Um for past five years Jim you brought Jason and me together which I'm so Grateful for so I'm GNA give you last Word today couple takeaways for Listeners wow thanks um I I truly Believe that the future is continue to Add value being consistent and also Sharing stories a lot of families people Forget in the mortgage business we think It's all numbers and sents it's equally Emotional as it is financial so the more We can share stories to um get to that That dream of someone's goals we're Going to be better off so I'm trying to Do a better job telling more stories About my career about successes we've Had even failures that's kind of life so
If you can relate to people that they're Going to choose you out of the crowd Because they relate to you they Understand that you're a human being um And just being authentic and again not Pushing people into one decision or the Other I I always try to give a lot of Options there's a lot of great tools out There we have a lot of them internally But just creating creating value by Giving people information to make good Decisions and that's life and um I've Learned as much being the interviewing Loan officer to clients as they are to Learning about what program or strategy They should look at so it's a two-way Street and passion is everything um us Three on this call have passion for this Industry and we're going to be in it for A while so it's exciting to see the Future and I'm glad that get to Collaborate with guys like yourselves so Thank you for having us On yes very very very happy uh this this Was great guys Jim I look forward to Having you back on the show when Whenever as always and Jason I'm so glad That we got to meet today I think this Is the start of a good relationship Between us so thank you sir thank you Robbie it was a pleasure um speaking With you I really appreciate you having Us on thanks Robbie [Music]
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