The Alimond Show
Welcome to The Alimond Show --join us as we share our entrepreneurial guests' stories, uncover their secrets to success, and explore the unique paths they've taken to build thriving businesses in our community.
In each episode, our host, Aliyah Dastour, sits down with a diverse group of local business owners, from the corner cafe to the boutique shop, from tech startups to family-run enterprises. We peel back the curtain to reveal the trials, triumphs, and transformational moments that have shaped their entrepreneurial journey.
Discover the passion, perseverance, and innovative thinking that fuels these businesses, as well as the challenges they've overcome along the way. Whether you're a budding entrepreneur seeking inspiration or simply a curious listener interested in the stories behind your favorite local spots, The Alimond Show has something for everyone.
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Join us every week as we celebrate the unsung heroes of our local business community and explore the vibrant tapestry of entrepreneurship in our area. Tune in to The Alimond Show and get ready to be inspired, informed, and motivated to support and nurture the businesses that make our community thrive.
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The Alimond Show
John Ginty - From Teacher to Real Estate Leader: Embracing Mentorship, Navigating Market Trends, and Building Strong Client Relationships
John Ginty is more than just a name in real estate—he's a story of passion and resilience. After leaving a teaching career in Virginia, John embraced the world of real estate with open arms, guided by the supportive nudge of his father. His journey wasn't always smooth, but his determination saw him transform from a solo agent into a team leader at JCF Real Estate under Samson Properties. Listen as John shares his approach to mentorship, emphasizing collaboration and support over the conventional high-pressure tactics that often define the industry. His commitment to helping agents grow organically is a testament to his belief in the power of teamwork and the importance of nurturing a positive working environment.
This episode also unpacks John's insights into the ever-evolving real estate market. From the creative use of TikTok and Lemonade to the importance of utilizing local data, John discusses how he stays ahead of market trends and navigates challenges like fluctuating interest rates. He shares strategies for balancing traditional methods with modern social media tactics to engage clients effectively. With a mantra of "Create relationships, build opportunities," John underscores the value of genuine connections and dedication in building a successful real estate career. Discover how strong client relationships can open doors to new opportunities and learn about the impact of gathering stellar reviews on platforms like Google, Zillow, and Facebook. John's story is not just about real estate; it's a powerful reminder of how passion, perseverance, and personal connections can pave the way to success.
My name is John Kinty. I have a team called JCF Real Estate that is part of a bigger brokerage called Samson Properties, and I provide all real estate services to everybody, whether it's renting, buying, selling, investing you name it, I do it.
Speaker 2:You do it all. I love it. Give us a little bit of a backstory about yourself and how you got involved in the real estate industry and how what you've done today has led you to where you are now in your career.
Speaker 1:So well, kind of long story short, but I'm originally from New York. I moved down to Virginia about in 2005, so about 20 years ago. I did it for a teaching job. So I used to be a teacher, a master's degree in education, taught in the public schools, health and phys ed for about seven years and then I got a little burnt out with that and I've always come from that mentality of helping others. So I thought to myself, what else could I do in this world that I could be helping others and thought about becoming a police officer. 911 operate across my mind. So many EMT, so many different things.
Speaker 1:It was actually my father who recommended to me why don't you look into real estate? I did that so many years ago. I enjoyed it, so I signed up. I took the licensing class and I will tell you, ask any realtor. The licensing course is so dry. It's all real estate law. Most people it's boring. I fell in love with it right away. I found it so interesting and even though it was just very dry material, it's real estate law. How exciting can it be? I don't know. I found it fun, I found it interesting, I loved it, so I went from there. That was in 2012. So I've been doing this 13 years now, and every year I'm trying to grow more and more, help more and more people. I started off as an individual agent and then I joined a team, and then I created my own team.
Speaker 2:Wow, that is incredible. I like how your dad was like hey son, why don't you take up real estate? Okay, dad, thanks, that was great. Yeah, great idea. Dad, thanks, shout out, dad, I love that. What has that been like being your own agent and now starting your own brokerage team? What was the transition like and when did you know you were ready to go to that next step?
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's tough to say. I knew I was ready a while ago as an individual agent. I was struggling. I knew I was ready a while ago as an individual agent. I was struggling. Then I joined a team and that's what I recommend to any new agent Join a team. There is very few realtors get into this business and really take off as an individual agent without proper mentorship. Yes, so I did six years and I was averaging maybe two to three transactions a year. I joined a team and I grew it Eventually. I was doing about 30 transactions a year, wow, okay. So I knew myself I was ready to do my own thing. And then I had other people too. I had many other people saying why are you still on that team? You should be doing your own team. You could do your own thing. That's a compliment, right?
Speaker 2:there team.
Speaker 1:You should be doing your own team. You could do your own thing. That's a compliment right there. And eventually I was like you know what, let me do it. And for multiple reasons I decided let me do my own thing, give it a shot. And I've been having my own team now for a couple of years and growing you loving it, I love it. I love it. I love doing my own thing and being able to take other inexperienced agents, new agents, under my wing and help them grow their business and teamwork. And I always tell other agents like you, join me. I don't consider you just a team member or just like an employee. I don't want that relationship. I want more of a partnership. Yeah, you join me, we're in this together. Yes, we'll go door knocking together.
Speaker 1:We'll't want that relationship. I want more of a partnership. You join me, we're in this. Together We'll go door knocking. Together We'll do open houses together.
Speaker 2:Let's think of ideas.
Speaker 1:Yeah, if you have an idea for us to grow our business together, shoot it at me. If I've done it before and it's failed, I'll let you know right. Yeah, of course, but if it's new, it's something new, it's something different. I'm willing to give it a shot. Hey, that's great.
Speaker 2:That's awesome and I feel like because of your background, just because you were in the education system and you want to help others clearly and just training and being able to help other real estate agents reach their goals with you, I think that just totally was in your cards there to always help educate.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it really is, because I tell agents hey, welcome to the business, it's tough, you need the guidance. You can join one of these many, many teams that's out there who is paying for leads. They're paying Zillow, they're paying other websites tens of thousand dollars a month and they're going to ask you to sit in a cubicle and make calls eight hours a day, five days a week, and wait until you kind of get lucky. Yeah, all right. Yeah, wait until something rolls in. I'm not going to do that. I'm going to take you under my wing. I'm going to work with you. We're going to do things together. We'll do phone calls together. We'll call my database. We'll go do or not to people to call see if you get lucky.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no. So, yeah, the good old fashioned way Talk to people yeah.
Speaker 1:Let's get out there, let's meet people and do it together.
Speaker 2:I love that. And how big is your team currently?
Speaker 1:right now, Currently it's small. Hey, currently there's only three of us Okay, not licensed. There's two that are non-licensed. Okay, there's two that are non-licensed. There are two others who are working on their license and there's two others that I'm having current conversations with about joining.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm looking forward to it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's the start of a new year, new opportunities, new growth. I love that.
Speaker 1:How exciting really for me about being very um. The correct word is be very um directional and very like purposeful. I think that's a great word. Yeah, not only just set those goals, but actually like live the goals.
Speaker 2:Yes, you know absolutely.
Speaker 1:I've set goals all my life, right, there's been many I haven't reached. Hey why? Because I just set them and set them aside. Yeah.
Speaker 2:You didn't do them.
Speaker 1:No, you got to live it, you got to live every day.
Speaker 2:Every day, you know what your goal is.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Love it, thank you. And then, how do you approach marketing? I know you told me a little bit about you know, reaching out to people with your own database and promoting properties to potential buyers, and what strategies have you found to be most effective, or maybe not most effective?
Speaker 1:Actually, for me, right now, my biggest marketing tool is social media. Yes, specifically TikTok. Tiktok has been taking off for me, so when we just had that ban, I was like I panicked. I believe it, if you're popping off over there.
Speaker 1:I was like oh, my goodness, I just reached over 7,000 followers. I'm getting like every day. I'm getting not only just comments on videos, but I'm getting private messages. I'm getting almost on a daily basis people messaging me saying hey, I'm looking for this, I'm looking for that, Can you help me with this? And it's more and more and more Wow so. And it's more and more and more Wow so.
Speaker 2:When this ban came about, I was like uh-oh, this is just popping off, what other apps?
Speaker 1:And I signed up for Lemonade and did all that, oh, yes. But TikTok, thankfully. It was like 24 hours of not being able to use it.
Speaker 2:It was actually 14. But who was counting? Excuse me? Barely you Exactly. But no, that's great that you found like a social media platform that's working for you and is popping off. Can I ask what content you're putting up up there? Are you dancing? Because I can see that. I can see that.
Speaker 1:No, I don't dance.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:Maybe I should do more of that. I'm trying to think I don't think I've danced Yet, I've done like some peekaboo type of stuff. Okay, so I've done like some peekaboo type of stuff, like the video spanning, and then I kind of jump out. It was like a jump scare, but not really scary. Just to be a little fun, I've seen that yeah.
Speaker 1:But most of my content is home tours. It's just going to listings and just doing walkthroughs and just putting it out there. Hey, did you know? This is what you can get for $500,000 in Ashburn, whatever the case is. But I also like to put what really gets me more followers and more interaction with people. It's kind of like the silly and or thought-provoking.
Speaker 1:Yes, that's the best and like answer questions Like do a tour that blends like two bathrooms, two really nice bathrooms. Which bathroom do you prefer, one or two? And then people comment and then it's okay, well, that's nice. Would you like a home with this type of bathroom? We can help we know just options, yeah you know so, but I love the social media stuff. I never really was big into it it was never a big thing and now I just I love it.
Speaker 2:I make my proud of you. Just I love it. I make my own videos.
Speaker 1:That's awesome, yeah, I make my own videos, I edit them, I do it all myself.
Speaker 2:Wow, I'm so proud of you for that. That's awesome. A lot of people come through here and they tell me that it's been like a challenge or they're just starting, which I think that's the key just starting and getting out there. Just do it.
Speaker 1:You just got to create the content and put it out there, right, and see what works for you. Yeah, some people I see other realtors successful on TikTok and YouTube and so on, and their type of content is very different from mine, Right, but it works for them.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly what I'm doing works for me, and you don't want the same stuff over and over. People will be like, oh, I already follow someone like this. Like do I need three follow accounts?
Speaker 1:like that. Yeah, exactly what I do need to do more of is actual educating.
Speaker 2:With my background, that's great, but put a little bit of like comedy, silly twist, because that's, I feel like that's your vibe, which I'm digging. So that's great yeah. And then let's see how do you stay up to date on the latest trends and developments in the real estate market, and what resources do you like to rely on?
Speaker 1:I like to rely on what I'm actually experiencing Firsthand Right. Firsthand experience Right. I can read, I think, a lot of what mistake that either consumers and or realtors make is reading what's in the news and they're taking these trends and interest rates and this is what's happening in the market and it's like national real estate stuff.
Speaker 1:I'm focused on Virginia and West Virginia Like, yeah, worldwide and what's going on in the economy and the market. But I'm hyper-focused and what is the market? And if somebody's asking me about buying a house in Martinsburg, west Virginia, I want to be talking to them specifically about what the market is there, not nationwide market?
Speaker 2:trends.
Speaker 1:It may be very different when you really pin it down to one specific town For sure. So my experience, statistics and things that I'm pulling from our MLS, as well as talking to other agents mortgage lenders, title companies what are they experiencing? Because my experience doesn't say it all. No, I know that, Gotta find out. Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 2:Love it. That's great. And then let's see what do you see as the biggest challenges facing the real estate industry in the next few years, or maybe even now, and how do you think they can be addressed?
Speaker 1:These interest rates are going to come down. We just know not to be political and expose to what side I'm on, or anything like that.
Speaker 1:But we know that President Trump he prefers a lower interest rate and stimulate the housing market and so forth, so he's already stated that he's going to be doing this. So those rates are going to come down. Well, what happens when their interest rates come down? The buyer demand goes up, right, which means home prices go up. So it is going to result in an increase in inventory as well, because there are so many people who have wanted to buy up, buy down, buy a new location, whatever it is, but they've been hanging on to this. I got a 3% interest rate right here. Why am I going to sell this and buy something with a 7% right? So when the rates come down, inventory will come up, but the demand is going to far exceed that. The increase in that demand is going to cause those prices to skyrocket.
Speaker 1:We're going to go back to how it was in COVID times, back in whatever that was 2020, 2021, right During those times bidding wars, people buying houses, unprotected right? No home inspections, no appraisals. That's what we're going to get back to when these rates, if they go down fast, they go down an excessive amount. They drop a percent 2%. We saw sort of a teaser of that, I think it was last year. Yeah, we saw sort of a teaser of that. I think it was last year. About this time a year ago, the rates went down half a percent to a percent.
Speaker 1:And the demand went up and we started seeing competitiveness again. But if it really goes down, it stays down and goes down. You get into the fives. Hey, we're going to see those bidding wars back and then, overpaying for houses unprotected.
Speaker 2:Yes, that's, great insight there to think about. I'm sure people are like. They're always like I'm waiting for those interest rates to go down, like I don't want to bite the bullet. Yeah, so she's like. Everyone's like just buy now.
Speaker 1:I just had that conversation literally an hour, hour and a half ago. I was with a client showing a home they were renters and With a client showing a home they were renters and I said why are you choosing to rent instead of buy? Invest in yourself, not in somebody else. And they said well, we're waiting for those rates to come down. I said you may think that that's going to save you money, but in fact it's going to cost you more.
Speaker 2:And they're like what, and then I explained what I just explained to you and they're like oh okay, Maybe we should talk to our lenders, yeah. You should.
Speaker 1:Of course I have my lenders.
Speaker 2:I can introduce you to yeah, no, I love it. No, and see you're having those conversations as well, so maybe someone who was not in on that conversation now will listen to this podcast and take some wise words there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I hope so.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and then, in your opinion, what are some of the most important factors that buyers and sellers should consider when choosing a real estate agent to work with?
Speaker 1:Choose me.
Speaker 2:That's it. You heard it here first, y'all.
Speaker 1:I'm sorry, there are other options. No, just John. Everybody listening. There are no other options. No, john, just come here. Exactly no. But in all seriousness, yeah.
Speaker 1:So an agent who is experienced and I say that with I don't know a grain of salt. You can have a lesser experienced agent who is better off than someone. Don't take someone who says, oh, I've been doing this for 30 years. It doesn't mean they're experienced. They could have sold one house a year for 30 years. They don't have the experience right. You want someone who's selling actively, who's active in the market, has their finger on the pulse, who really knows what's going on and who's going to be attentive to you. I can't tell you how many times I hear from people who. They come to me. They were working with another agent. They come to me and I start helping them and I'm very attentive. I might be responding to a text at 11 o'clock at night, 6 o'clock in the morning. By the way, I don't sleep Clearly not y'all, and people ask me that all the time. They're like when do you sleep?
Speaker 2:I'm like I don't know when I find time.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, so you know, so many people come to me and they're like this is so different. Another realtor.
Speaker 2:Thank you for caring about me and like answering me, like at this time Exactly actually doing your job.
Speaker 1:That's the way I look at it. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm just doing my job, like you don't have to thank me. Yeah, you asked me to help you. I'm helping you. That's my job. Yeah, yeah, you who just take a couple of days to get back to them or ghost them completely, or just do the old set you up with an automated listing alert through the MLS Okay, when something comes to your email, you're like let me know. Whereas I'm a hunter, you're active.
Speaker 1:You're a buyer or renter and you're looking for something. I'm a hunter for you. Watch out world. I will set up those automated listing alerts on the MLS. You will get those automated emails. But I'm also behind the scenes. I'm talking to other agents in those markets that you're looking in. I'm talking to people. I'm on social media and I'm looking for stuff that's not in the MLS for you. I look at real estate as a business of relationships and opportunities. You'll hear business of relationships. I've heard that all my career. I hear that from everybody in this business. I take it one step further. It's a business of relationships and opportunities. I create relationships not only between me and other people my clients, vendors and so forth but I will even connect people to other people.
Speaker 1:There you go See, and it's all a big spider web, and the bigger my web is, the more people I can help, exactly, and those opportunities come with it. Yes, I want to create opportunities again, not only for myself, but I want to create opportunities for others. I have a client right now. She's, you know, she's a house cleaner and right now kind of struggling in the the, the company that she works for, I don't know she's not making a lot of money. I said why don't you just start your own cleaning company? How do I do that? I've started my own business, I'm sitting down with her and I actually teamed her up with another person I know who cleans houses, and now they're talking about starting their own company.
Speaker 1:Look at you and I'm right there with them and I made the list for them. This is what we need to do, step by step. These are the next steps.
Speaker 2:You're awesome for that.
Speaker 1:Right, and that's their business. Yeah, but you help get it started.
Speaker 2:Sometimes you just need that push and you don't have people who believe in you.
Speaker 1:And you a real estate agent, just you're changing lives here potentially. Yeah, see, that's all I want to do. That's great. I look at somebody like Tony Robbins. I love Tony Robbins. I listen to him almost on a daily basis. Okay, and that type of person who has such a positive impact on so many people on a daily basis, I know I'll never be that Tony Robbins type of level.
Speaker 2:Maybe you could.
Speaker 1:Maybe I could be right, but this starts right here.
Speaker 2:Yeah, right here we got the lights action camera, baby.
Speaker 1:I won't forget the little people. Thank you so much. But to be someone like him, you know, just constantly positively affecting person after person. I would love to do that.
Speaker 2:In a positive way, yeah.
Speaker 1:That's what I want to do every day help somebody. I would love to do that.
Speaker 2:In a positive way.
Speaker 1:yeah, that's what I want to do every day help somebody. That's awesome. Thanks for sharing that. That's awesome. That makes me happy. That's like there are good people in the world.
Speaker 2:still, yeah, I'd like to ask you is there anything that I have not touched on or talked about that maybe you would like for listeners to know about you or your business, your industry?
Speaker 1:Maybe you have a new product coming out or you're writing a book. You have the floor.
Speaker 2:That's funny that you said writing a book.
Speaker 1:I'm always right, so I have a book. It's a for sale by owner book. It's to help people who just refuse to hire somebody hire a realtor to sell their house. They really want to try it on their own. I partnered with another agent who I actually trained myself and now he's a big success in Miami real estate down there.
Speaker 2:And.
Speaker 1:I decided let's write a book together. Let's help people who are trying to sell on their own, and then we'll give them the guidebook and they do it great. If it works, awesome, we helped them. If not, maybe they come back to us and then we sell it for them and help them out that way. So we're wrapping that up. Hopefully within the next month or two that'll be out and we'll be giving it away to whoever wants it. But yeah, that, and what's the title? Oh my god.
Speaker 2:Still in the works.
Speaker 1:I forget it's okay Off the top of my head because it's so fresh.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it is, don't worry.
Speaker 1:It's not like it's been a published book for six years, but it's coming.
Speaker 2:Y'all Be on the lookout 2025. Exactly John's book.
Speaker 1:It'll be out soon hopefully, but yeah, so that, and then Just grow business and help more people and help other realtors grow. Yeah, you know, I just want everybody to know that you come to me and you're going to get taken care of and you can read all my reviews. You know, google, zillow, facebook.
Speaker 2:Read the reviews.
Speaker 1:The proof is in the pudding there's nothing. And that's another. To go back to your other question about choosing a realtor read reviews.
Speaker 2:Oh, yes, you know.
Speaker 1:And I have nothing on any place. You can find me nothing short of five stars, yes so, and I pride myself on that. Yeah, that's hard work right there too.
Speaker 2:You got to like put it in no bots or things like that, and I'm going to knock on wood, because sometimes those haters listen and they're just like you got five stars. Well, now I'm gonna give you a four star review, so y'all stay out of that. Yeah, karma, okay, exactly, so it'll come back to bite you. Yeah, exactly, don't even. But yeah, no, that's wonderful and that's amazing, and we also strive for that too. We're just like we gotta get those five stars, like yay, but no, we're, we're proud of you here at all in one studio. Yeah, all right. My final question is do you have a quote, a mantra, a song lyric that has inspired you in your life or has resonated with you, that you use as inspiration, and would you mind sharing that with the listeners?
Speaker 1:Oh my goodness, that is a tough question. No, I'm trying to think.
Speaker 2:Maybe there's something you always tell your real estate people and they're like yeah, that's the quote that John would say that he tells us. It's your catchphrase, maybe.
Speaker 1:I don't know. My mind goes back to like what I was saying before about it's a business of relationships and opportunities.
Speaker 2:The more people you meet, the more relationships you have, the more opportunities you create for yourself and others, Absolutely hey you stand and live by that I'm always spitting that out because I live it.
Speaker 1:That counts Just like when I was talking about my goals. You set goals. You've got to live your goals. You have a passion, you have a mantra. You've got to live it. You've got to be able to spit that out at all times, that's right. Your 30-second elevator speech right. You've got to have that in the back of your head, ready to go.
Speaker 2:Exactly.
Speaker 1:I guess that's where I would go is create relationships, build opportunities for you and others. I love that.
Speaker 2:Well, thank you so much for sharing that, and thank you for sharing your insight, wisdom and for sharing that. And thank you for sharing your insight, wisdom and for sharing a little bit about what the market is going to be looking like. So we appreciate your time and you just being here.
Speaker 1:Thank you. Thank you for having me, you're so welcome. It was some fun talking to you Yay.
Speaker 2:That's what I love to hear y'all.