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EXECUTIVEAGENT OJ Rodriguez
E x e c u t i v e A g e n t M a g a z i n e - S a n G a b r i e l V a l l e y - J a n u a r y, 2 0 2 1
MAGAZINE
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OJ RODRIGUEZ INVESTING IN A PROSPEROUS FUTURE Written by H. K. Wilson - Photography by Ian Wiant
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n 2021, the CENTURY 21 Real Estate brand is celebrating its 50th anniversary. CENTURY 21 Citrus Realty in San Dimas is also celebrating, as the office closes 2020 in California’s top three and commemorates 49 years in business. At the helm is Broker/Owner OJ Rodriguez, a secondgeneration real estate professional and dynamic leader, who has built his brand into a San Dimas household name. He says that serving the community with the utmost professionalism begins with a supportive environment where agents have the tools, training and resources to excel. “We have a slogan here: ‘We’re a personal development company that specializes in real estate.’ At the end of the day, we make sure that agents who work here will earn more money in a shorter period of time than at other brokerages because of the tools.
What I know is that in order to have a great company, you need to have great agents and staff, and you get that by investing in them.” CENTURY 21 Citrus Realty hosts 11 trainings per week to help its agents build skills and expand their businesses. OJ incorporates the coaching principles of the Mike Ferry organization, and he personally engages with two coaches who help him remain sharp as a leader. While many real estate offices provide only an office manager, CENTURY 21 Citrus Realty maintains a marketing manager, training coordinator, customer relationship manager, transaction coordination team, lead generation team and on-site IT support. “We know that agents have choices of a lot of brokerages out there, and we take their careers very seriously.”
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Lucy Hollingsworth, Chief of Staff; Committed to great ‘Coaching’ one agent at a time…20+ years supporting successful real estate careers When OJ entered real estate in his early 20s, his dad was already on his way to retirement. OJ saw that done right, real estate was a career that would allow him to support his young family and create wealth-building opportunities for others. By the age of 23, he was earning a solid six figures, and he never looked back. “I was willing to do the work,” he says. “I just wanted someone to give me the tools I needed to succeed. I designed this company with that in mind. If you show up with a burning desire to succeed, I will give you
all that you need to excel at a high level. I think a lot of brokerages don’t teach you how to run a business. Since most agents haven’t been independent contractors before, it requires learning some different things, like how to read a P&L and a balance sheet, how to write a business plan and track the metrics involved in our business. C 21 is like a brotherhood, and collaborating with other brokers and owners is priceless. Many have helped me as mentors along the way, and I enjoy doing that for other people.”
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OJ also leads by example as a real estate investor. “Investment in real estate is a huge perk of being in the business. I invest in our business and our company. I own our building. I believe if you’re in the real estate business, you should own real estate. I invest in a lot of different kinds of real estate, and I try to teach agents why that’s important and how to recognize opportunities when they come up.” 2021 is on track to be a very good year. “I am looking forward to expanding our relocation division, and I also want to continue to focus on growing our gross closed
commissions and creating more value for agents and customers. We’re a Quality Service Award and President’s Award winning office. Our service and numbers speak for themselves. Our customers are happy with the way our agents are performing. Based on their feedback, we are constantly trying to figure out how they can have a better experience with us. It is always on the forefront of our minds, and we work on it daily. I no longer produce; my job is to oversee operations and put the flag on the hill to help my management team drive everything in that direction.”
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&LWUXV 5HDOW\ OJ offers an in-house real estate school for people who want to begin their careers with a company that sets them up for success. “When I created the way we run the licensing course, I wanted it to be easily accessible to people and be the fastest, easiest, cheapest live licensing course on the market. Ours are live instruction every week, now via Zoom. You’re not just logging onto a platform and answering questions. Ours is an interactive and entertaining instruction format.” CENTURY 21 Citrus Realty’s reputation in the San Dimas community for nearly 50 years speaks for itself. Buyers and sellers keep coming back for the high level of service they receive, and agents choose it for its un-
paralleled professional support. And the team continues to share its success by giving back to people in need both locally and afar. According to OJ, one of the top things he’s looking for in the agents he hires is coachability. “I want them to show up and take action on the things we teach them. If they show up with that, we’ll provide the rest. If someone is serious about growing their real estate business, I don’t think they’ll find a company that will provide a stronger value proposition than ours.”
OJ Rodriguez, CEO, Broker/Owner OJ is pictured with Elizabeth (Wife), Six children and his Mother ExecutiveAgent Magazine
OJ RODRIGUEZ CENTURY 21 Citrus Realty 1100 Via Verde San Dimas, CA 91773 Tel: (909) 592-8500 Email: OJ@c21citrus.com Web: www.c21citrus.com DRE # 00848848 ExecutiveAgent Magazine