Jimmy Nelson

By Robbyn Moore

Photos by Sasha Marceta with Skyview Experts

Photos taken at Cranbrook Custom Homes at Montcaret in Northville

Whether it’s in the field of real estate or on the court in basketball, Jimmy Nelson has dedicated his life to helping others succeed. His leadership efforts have developed careers, won championships and, most importantly, changed lives.

Prior to his work in real estate, Jimmy was the high school basketball coach at Center Line High School where he was named the 2010 Coach of the Year for Macomb County’s Silver Division. After 15 years of leading and mentoring athletes, Jimmy decided to leverage his experience and launch a new career. In 2011, he was hired at Quicken Loans as a team leader and trainer. In this role, he coached regional mortgage bankers on how to understand the fundamentals of business analytics as well as how to plan for sales.

Through his work at Quicken Loans, Jimmy acquired extensive knowledge of industry team building and a coaching style that easily transferred from the court to the office. His experience eventually led him to Keller Williams Metro in Royal Oak where he became a productivity coach, showing agents how to develop customized business plans while arming them with the necessary tools to stick to it. “I have always been a coach for people in my career,” he said. “Whether it’s in sport or business, the same rules apply: create a goal, develop a plan to reach that goal and then put in the work to achieve it.”

Jimmy’s work soon became the catalyst to bigger dreams. “I was ready to take my career to the next level,” he recalled. “I read the book ‘Rich Dad Poor Dad,’ and it was life changing for me. It made me realize that the only way to make a true living was to think outside the box. I have always enjoyed building relationships, creating conversations and helping others achieve their goals; therefore, real estate was the perfect fit to leverage my greatest strengths.”

When Jimmy joined the team at Brookstone, REALTORS®, it was there that his real estate career jumped into high gear. He took his passion for helping others and applied it to the real estate industry. In 2019, Jimmy had the highest volume for the fourth quarter within his brokerage, and in 2020, he became the top listing agent.

Currently, Jimmy is the agent development director at MARK Z Real Estate Experts powered by eXp Realty. He works closely with their team of over 80 agents to ensure that they are all finding their own successes. “Along with three other team leaders, I help our agents discover their goals and provide them with a plan to get there,” Jimmy explained. “Our team’s culture is what separates us from everyone else. Our support staff, agents and administrators are second to none.”

Jimmy has worked hard to build a 90-day business program that helps guide new agents into real estate. “The greatest reward is seeing agents succeed as a result of my coaching on a daily basis,” he shared. “There is no other thing in my life that I enjoy more than watching others become successful.”

Jimmy’s biggest challenge is helping his agents keep their businesses under control. “We are currently having an issue with too many leads, and our agents are struggling to juggle so many clients. Our focus is to keep our agents feeling comfortable with their current businesses while maintaining good command of their calendars,” he said.

In addition to his work at the brokerage, Jimmy is also a co-host on the podcast, “Free for All Friday,” which is the #1 Q&A-style podcast for real estate agents. “Being the co-host of the podcast has been a true blessing for me,” he said. “We get to communicate with real estate agents from all over the world via this platform — another medium for me to continue helping others.”

Jimmy is also the freshman basketball coach at De La Salle Collegiate High School where he continues to commingle his positive energy and optimistic mentality in and out of the gym. “I believe in falling-forward thinking,” he said. “Falling forward enables people to dream big and make mistakes. There is only one way to create a path in life and that is to keep going in the midst of failures. There will be times in our lives when we fall, and that’s good, because the real growth comes when we pick ourselves up, learn from the fall and continue to move forward.”

Jimmy defines success as adapting and overcoming each and every obstacle. He said it’s important to have the ability to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. “You cannot grow unless you get uncomfortable,” he shared.

Twenty-one years ago, Jimmy married his wife, Chrissy, whom he said changed his life with her unwavering support and insight to family and faith, making him the man he is today. Together, they have two sons — Jack, 17, and Nick, 10. The boys are very active in sports, and as a family, they enjoy attending various sporting events, fishing and taking annual trips to Alabama and Florida.

Jimmy is always looking for agents who need help in their businesses. “Whether it’s through 90-day business planning or just general questions on how to leverage their business partners, I am happy to provide assistance,” he said. “This business can be isolating, especially at the beginning or when there’s a market change, leaving agents feeling like they’re on an island. I want to help eliminate any frustration by providing support and business solutions through my mentorship.”

His biggest advice for anyone wanting to become a leader in this business is to be a role model for others to follow. “Don’t expect others to do something that you are not willing to do yourself,” he said. “If the garbage needs to be emptied, empty it.”

Jimmy’s advice, words of encouragement and leadership skills have made his clients into his friends, his colleagues into his mentors and his athletes into successful adults. Jimmy’s family is the cornerstone for everything he does, which has allowed him to make a positive impact on as many people as possible in business and in life.

CELEBRATING LEADERS Jimmy Nelson from MARK Z Real Estate Experts - eXp Realty