Stay Paid Podcast

Episode: BHHS Chief Coaching Officer's MUST DO in 2026 for Real Estate Agents | Jimmy Burgess

Date: December 29, 2025
Hosts: Luke Acree & Josh Stike
Guest: Jimmy Burgess, Chief Coaching Officer, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices

Episode Overview

In this episode, Luke and Josh welcome back Jimmy Burgess for his third appearance on Stay Paid—a rare honor among guests. They dive deep into essential real estate strategies for agents to thrive in 2026, focusing on relationship-driven business, database engagement, and a high-value, repeatable CMA strategy. Jimmy not only shares immediately actionable tips but also offers mindset shifts for sustainable growth, all wrapped in his motivating, down-to-earth delivery.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. “Buy Lunch, Not Leads”: Deepening Relationships with Your Sphere

[03:00 – 07:35]

• Strategy: Shift focus from buying leads to investing time and modest money in personal connections—specifically, regular lunches or coffees with past clients, referrers, and community contacts.
• Concept Origin: Jimmy credits agent Heidi Harris for this approach: “She just stopped completely buying leads, and she started going to lunch.” (Jimmy, 04:15)
• Execution: Schedule 2–3 non-salesy meetups per week, catch up genuinely, and ask, “What can I do to support you?”—whether it's supporting their business, kids’ sports, or community efforts.
• Impact: “The year after she did this, her business increased 70%.” (Jimmy, 04:50)
• Psychological Rationale: It taps into “the law of reciprocity.” Support others and they naturally reciprocate with referrals.
• Key Moment:

  "It's not about the event, it's about the invite." (Luke, 05:52)

• Extra Insight: Let your sphere in on your goals (e.g., “My goal is to help 50 families this year”) to make them feel part of your journey and invested in your success.

2. Database Growth & the “Deal of the Week” Touchpoint

[07:36 – 14:07]

• Database First: Jimmy urges agents, especially new ones, to prioritize building a database.
• Deal of the Week Email: Weekly email featuring the “best deal” (e.g., lowest-priced condo, biggest price drop) in their market. Subject line consistency is key.

  “If you don’t have a database, currently the biggest and best thing you could do in 2026 is build a database. ... Everyone in the industry is understanding the value of sending out a deal of the week to your database.” (Jimmy, 07:43)

• Formatting Tips:
  • Scannable, text-based, brief with bullet points (thus readable in the “F-shape” pattern).
  • Strong hook in the first line (e.g., “I’ve scanned the MLS, and this is the best deal I’ve found in Destin, Florida this week…”)
  • Clear call to action: “If you’d like to see photos and full details ... just reply back to this email and I’ll send them your way.”
• Benefits:
  • Drives replies, boosting email deliverability and deepening engagement.
  • Encourages conversations and positions agent as a market expert.
• Personalized Variant: Send targeted texts/emails when a relevant deal happens near someone in your database (e.g., “What did you think of that price?”).

  "It's a great way to reignite your database... you're getting people to raise their hand." (Jimmy, 10:30)

3. Unsolicited Video CMAs: Personal, Valuable, Unexpected

[14:08 – 24:24]

• Strategy Origin: Jimmy pioneered this in 2018—recording a personalized video CMA for past clients, owners, and sphere without being asked.
• Step-by-Step Execution:
  1. Make a list of homeowners (clients, sphere, farm, referrers).
  2. Daily, record and email a 3–5 minute video:
     • Start with Google Earth zooming into the client’s home, capturing their attention.
     • Review current comps, pending sales, and listings pulled up on the MLS.
     • Show an estimated net sheet.
     • Subject line: Always “[Address] Valuation Update”.
     • Include: “If you ever wonder what your value was in [Month, Year], search your email for [address/valuation update].”
     • No Hard Sell: “I never mentioned, ‘Do you want to sell? Do you want a list?’ ... just let them make the best decision for themselves.” (Jimmy, 21:08)
• Impact:
  • From 72 videos in one quarter: $11M in listings, $9.1M closed.
  • "That was about a $3,600 per hour activity." (Jimmy, 16:26)
  • Tail effect: listings appeared 18 months later due to email longevity and relevancy.
  • High open/engagement rates (85%+ on first email).
• Follow-up: Track who opens the email; for those who don’t, text a remail with a gentle nudge (e.g., “I want to make sure I sent you the right link”).
  • When multiple plays are detected, prioritize them for a friendly check-in call (“Hey, just wanted to make sure you got it, see if you have any questions.”).
• Pro Tip: For leads not ready yet, repeat quarterly to “lock in” future listings.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Stop buying leads and start buying lunch.” — Jimmy Burgess (03:58)
• “When you ask the question, ‘How can I support you?’ the law of reciprocity kicks in.” — Jimmy Burgess (05:00)
• “Top producers will hear this and they will go execute. Mediocre producers will hear this and they’ll go back to doing nothing.” — Luke Acree (32:12)
• “If somebody offers you your dream job, take it.” — Jimmy Burgess (25:04)
• “I get to take 25 years of making mistakes and start being able to help agents maybe miss some of those…” — Jimmy Burgess (26:21)
• “I wanted to help and affect a million agents do at least one more deal in their career.” — Jimmy Burgess (27:30)

Important Segment Timestamps

• [03:00] “Buy Lunch, Not Leads” — Relationship/Nurture Strategy
• [07:36] “Deal of the Week” — Database Touch Strategy
• [14:08] “Unsolicited Video CMA” — Differentiation & Long-Tail Listings
• [22:26] Tracking Open Rates & Following Up on Engagement
• [25:04] Why Jimmy Returned to Coaching (Berkshire Hathaway)
• [29:52] Where to Find/Connect with Jimmy

Key Takeaways for Real Estate Agents in 2026

• Growing a sustainable business will be less about chasing new leads and more about deepening existing relationships.
• Consistency with simple, value-driven strategies—like weekly “deal of the week” emails and unsolicited personalized CMAs—can create compounding results.
• Discipline, execution, and genuine care for your sphere will set top producers apart from the rest.
• Leverage technology wisely (BombBomb, Google Earth, MLS automation) but keep the focus on the person, not just the transaction.
• Don’t be afraid to share your goals—let your sphere become part of your journey.

Connect with Jimmy Burgess

• YouTube: Jimmy Burgess’s Channel
• Instagram: @jimmyburgess
• Inman: Regular contributor (mentioned upcoming article naming Stay Paid as a top 2026 podcast!)

Final Motivation

“Rewind the whole episode and go do these top three things... the difference between top producers and mediocre producers is execution.” — Luke Acree (31:48, 32:12)

Don’t. Just. Listen. Execute.