It’s arrived! The real estate podcast you’ve been waiting for. Hosted by dynamic real estate duo James Harris and David Parnes, Rise Above The Ranks is dedicated to helping you elevate your game as a real estate agent. Each week, they will take one pressing topic or issue facing real estate agents everywhere and will tell you exactly what you should know about it. And here’s an added bonus: They’re going to share stories from their experience and give you the advice they wish their younger selves could’ve heard so you don’t make the same mistakes they made.
The Agency chatted with James and David, asking them a few questions about the series, which launched on August 15.
Q: Bond Street Partners has grown to be a dominant force in luxury real estate—not just in Los Angeles, but around the world. What has surprised you about your partnership over the years?
JAMES: Our trust and resiliency to push ourselves to be better. We’ve surrounded ourselves with an incredible team, and we’re eager to see what the next 10 years look like. There are times when it isn’t easy, but we are incredibly aligned on our goals of being the best real estate team in the United States, which allows us to have honest conversations when we need to.
Q: What inspired you two to do a podcast?
DAVID: We’ve received incredible feedback on our real estate newsletter, The Blueprint, so a podcast was the natural progression of our media company. For the past five years, we’ve been getting so many questions about how we got to where we are today, and what we would do in certain situations. We have so much to share and really believe that if real estate agents have more information, then the industry is better as a whole.
JAMES: Exactly. We also wish that someone would have given us this information we are going to share when we got started. We didn’t have a mentor, and we want to be that person for agents everywhere. There’s also a ton of fluff out there in real estate media. If you’ve met us, you know we get straight to the point. Consider this your opportunity to sit down on the couch with us and hear how we sold $3.5B in real estate in 10 years.
Q: How often will it be released?
DAVID: We’ll be sharing a new episode once a week, every Monday morning. They’ll be snackable 15-minute episodes—each one dedicated to a single specific topic. We’ll be sharing our own personal stories and experiences throughout.
Q: Did any particular podcasts give you inspiration for your own? What are some of your favorite podcasts right now?
DAVID: We really like the podcast Robinhood Snacks. It’s so easy to digest, and it’s straight to the point. People’s attention is valuable, and we know that by delivering a 15-minute podcast, we can create immediate value like Snacks.
Q: In the first episode of Rise Above the Ranks, you discuss how an agent can go about choosing the right brokerage for them. What do you think is most important to keep in mind during that assessment process?
JAMES: Understanding what you need to succeed is number one. Do you need structure? Or do you want to try something out on your own with some guidance? Do you want continuing education? Or someone to tell you what they did? Remember, you are interviewing the brokerage as much as they are interviewing you!
Q: What are some other topics you’ll be covering on the podcast in the coming months? Will you bring on any special guests?
DAVID: Door knocking 101, cold calling, how to break into the luxury market, best open house strategies, how to set realistic expectations for your sellers, how to keep loyalty and win repeat clients … the list goes on!
Q: You also send out a weekly newsletter, The Blueprint. How do you decide what goes in each week?
JAMES: We cover the stories and advice that we think are the most applicable to succeeding as a real estate agent—information you need to go out and be better at your job. There’s a lot of information available and we curate what the best in the business think you should know. Plus, it’s digestible in five minutes, so you become smarter and more successful with a very small time investment.
Give Rise Above the Ranks a listen and boost your business. Check it out on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
