Key Takeaways
- Consistency creates opportunities long before visible results appear, and Christian Givens proved that continuing to create content eventually turned social media into a dependable source of business.
- Authenticity builds stronger relationships when professionals show up as themselves while still protecting healthy boundaries around their private lives.
- Long-term success requires more than production because health, relationships, mentorship, systems, and personal growth all contribute to a sustainable and fulfilling career.
The REI Agent with Christian Givens
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The Real Estate Breakthrough Usually Starts Long Before Anyone Notices
Success rarely arrives looking like success at first.
Sometimes it looks like an empty rental property, a disappointing year, an awkward video, a financial loss, or months of work that seem to be producing almost nothing.
Christian Givens knows that journey firsthand.
Long before building a recognizable personal brand and generating consistent business through social media, Christian was simply trying to figure out his next move. His path included buying property at a remarkably young age, struggling through a difficult investment, losing his father, leaving the security of a traditional job, investing heavily in coaching, and continuing to create content while people around him wondered whether any of it was actually working.
What eventually emerged wasn’t an overnight success story. It was something far more valuable.
Christian built a career by learning how to keep showing up before the evidence told him that showing up was working.
“I just had bigger vision for my life.”
That bigger vision became the thread connecting almost every chapter of his journey.
He Started Building Wealth Before He Had Much Money
Buying a Duplex at 22 Changed His Perspective
Christian’s relationship with property began early. After attending Liberty University and briefly working as an assistant to an agent during college, he remained in the area after graduation and bought his first home at just 22 years old.
It was a duplex.
Instead of waiting until he had a huge income or perfect financial circumstances, Christian put the money he had into an asset. The rental income from the other side covered the mortgage, giving him an early lesson in how strategically purchased property could change the economics of everyday life.
His second investment delivered a very different lesson.
Christian bought another property after moving away, expecting the strong local cash flow to continue working in his favor. Instead, the home sat without a tenant for roughly a year. At the time, he was earning around $36,000 annually while carrying the mortgage and continuing to spend money on improvements.
Eventually, he decided to sell.
The frustrating twist was that a tenant appeared almost immediately after the property was listed for sale.
Yet that difficult experience taught Christian something that spreadsheets alone couldn’t teach. A property manager who understands one neighborhood may not understand another. His second property was in a very different part of town, and in hindsight, he believes choosing a manager who knew that specific area could have changed the outcome.
The investment didn’t become the success he originally imagined, but the lesson stayed with him.
Grief Forced Him to Think About the Life He Actually Wanted
A Safe Career Wasn’t Enough for a Bigger Vision
Christian eventually returned to Maryland, where he was originally from, and earned his real estate license. He worked in the business full time for a period before taking a position with a nonprofit.
Then his father became sick and passed away.
Christian didn’t describe grief as something he simply finished and moved beyond. Instead, once he reached a better headspace, the experience caused him to think more deeply about where his life was going.
He had a job. He had stability. But he also recognized that his income was capped and his ambitions weren’t.
“I just had bigger vision for my life.”
He also couldn’t shake his love for real estate.
In 2021, Christian returned to the industry full time and went solo.
That decision didn’t immediately produce the success story people might expect from looking at his career today.
In fact, 2021 was brutal.
The Year Everyone Else Was Winning, Christian Was Losing Money
Sometimes Growth Looks Terrible While You’re Living Through It
The market was moving quickly in 2021, and many agents were celebrating extraordinary years. Christian wasn’t one of them.
He sold only a couple of homes and estimates that he lost roughly $20,000 while investing in the growth of his business.
He wanted mentorship but struggled to find the right person organically. Instead of deciding that support wasn’t available, he paid for coaching.
It wasn’t cheap.
Because he was living with his parents and had managed to save some money, Christian made a deliberate decision to invest those savings into becoming better. He wanted the business knowledge, discipline, and mindset necessary to stay in the industry long enough to succeed.
Meanwhile, he was also placing another bet on himself.
He was creating content.
People Asked Whether His Videos Were Actually Making Him Money
His Answer Was Simple: They Will
Christian was already comfortable with social media before returning to real estate full time. He had modeled for fun in college, participated in photography meetups around Washington, DC, and enjoyed creating online content.
After seeing agents use social media to grow their businesses, he realized he could do the same.
He began creating TikTok videos, voiceovers, educational content, and eventually property-focused videos.
The problem was that the business didn’t immediately follow.
While other agents appeared to be closing deal after deal, Christian was making videos that didn’t seem to be producing much revenue.
People at his church noticed.
They asked whether he actually got clients from all those videos.
At the time, the answer wasn’t really yes.
“I will.”
Christian kept creating anyway.
Eventually, the answer changed dramatically.
He began consistently closing 10 or more transactions per year directly from social media.
The strategy hadn’t suddenly appeared. The results had finally caught up with the work.
“I’m going to show up and be consistent no matter what it looks like.”
That mindset became one of the defining lessons of his career.
Stop Chasing Every Lead Source and Double Down on What Works
The Numbers Told Christian Where to Focus
As Christian worked with the coach who later became his business partner, they began looking carefully at where his business was actually coming from.
The answer kept pointing back to social media.
So instead of endlessly searching for the next strategy, Christian leaned harder into the strategy that was already producing results.
When business slows down, he creates more.
When he has additional time, he thinks about new content.
He also holds client events to maintain relationships with people he has already served. The goal isn’t simply to constantly ask people for business. It is to remain visible, useful, memorable, and connected.
Christian even learned a subtle relationship strategy from his coach. He doesn’t have to turn every conversation into a sales pitch. He can simply let people naturally hear that he is working with clients, showing homes, writing contracts, or creating content.
They remember what he does without feeling like they are being sold.
His Personal Brand Works Because the Person Online Is the Person Clients Actually Meet
Authenticity Became a Business Advantage
Christian’s content evolved over time.
Early on, humor became an important creative outlet while he was processing grief and other difficulties in his life. Later, he began filming more home tours.
A longtime friend who worked as a videographer eventually helped him improve the production quality and consistency of those tours.
That shift helped Christian discover his strongest content lane.
He spent significant time showcasing new construction, which eventually became roughly one-third of his annual business. More recently, he has increasingly showcased luxury homes across the DMV as he works toward attracting more luxury clientele.
But the houses aren’t the entire strategy.
The personality behind the camera matters just as much.
Clients who first discovered Christian online have told him that he is exactly who they expected him to be when they finally met him.
“You are the person that you portray yourself to be online.”
Christian considers that one of the highest compliments he can receive.
His brand isn’t built around creating a more impressive online version of himself. It is built around making the real Christian visible enough that the right people feel comfortable working with him.
Going Viral Isn’t Worth Losing Yourself
Christian Knows Some Stories Are More Valuable Kept Private
Authenticity, however, doesn’t mean broadcasting everything.
Christian has occasionally looked back at personal posts and wondered whether he shared too much. Social media can reward vulnerability, drama, conflict, and intensely personal storytelling, but Christian has learned that there must still be boundaries.
He openly acknowledged that his family has experienced enough drama to potentially generate enormous attention online.
“I could have the most viral account on TikTok if I really, really wanted to share everything that we’ve been through.”
He chooses not to.
Those stories involve other people. Publicly sharing them could create perceptions, conflict, and consequences that cannot easily be taken back.
That realization reveals an important distinction for anyone building a personal brand. Authenticity isn’t the same as unlimited access.
A person can be genuine while still protecting the parts of life that don’t belong to the internet.
The Videos Were Bad, and He Posted Them Anyway
Perfectionism Would Have Killed the Career He Was Trying to Build
Christian can look back at some of his earliest home tours now and see every flaw.
The camera lens wasn’t always clean. Videos moved too quickly. The production quality wasn’t where he wanted it to be. He didn’t yet know everything he wanted to know about the properties he was showcasing.
He posted anyway.
Today, when he sees newer agents creating similarly imperfect videos, his response isn’t to laugh at them.
It’s to encourage them to keep going.
“But I didn’t let my lack of skill or the lack of quality that I wanted stop me from showing up.”
That may be one of the most important lessons in Christian’s entire story.
The polished version people see today could only exist because the imperfect version was willing to practice publicly.
“You gotta really push past that perfectionism, you know, for the sake of growth.”
Three Posts a Day Built Something More Important Than Followers
The Challenge Built Christian’s Confidence
At one point, Christian and another agent challenged themselves to post three times every day for three months.
It was exhausting.
Interestingly, Christian doesn’t remember his audience exploding during that period.
Something else happened instead.
His confidence grew.
He learned what kind of content he actually enjoyed making. He discovered what audiences responded to. Most importantly, he strengthened his ability to be consistent.
After posting three times a day, posting once a day no longer felt intimidating.
The exercise changed the creator before it changed the audience.
That is often how meaningful growth works.
Success Isn’t Success If the Business Consumes the Person Building It
Christian’s Bigger Goal Is a Life That Works as a Whole
The conversation eventually returned to the philosophy at the heart of The REI Agent Podcast. Building a successful business means very little if everything outside the business is collapsing.
Christian has been thinking more intentionally about that balance.
“I can’t sacrifice my health for the sake of business.”
He doesn’t want to sacrifice important relationships either.
His goals now extend beyond production numbers. He is thinking about health, relationships, personal fulfillment, client experience, business systems, and the kind of person he wants to become while pursuing professional growth.
When asked for his biggest pieces of advice, Christian returned immediately to consistency.
“Don’t focus on perfectionism, focus on consistency.”
He also encouraged agents to be patient with themselves. Building a strong pipeline can take a year or two. Difficult markets can test even excellent agents. Hard transactions can also become the moments when professionals prove exactly why their expertise matters.
And then came the lesson that reaches far beyond real estate.
“You have to show up for yourself first in order to show up for everybody else.”
Hard Markets Can Become Training Grounds for Great Careers
Use the Difficult Years to Build the Foundation
Christian doesn’t pretend the market is always easy.
He described the recent environment as one filled with unusually difficult transactions. Yet he also sees opportunity inside those challenges.
If an agent can perform during difficult years, stronger markets may eventually reward all the skills, systems, relationships, and discipline developed during the struggle.
“Use these years to build, you know, build upon your foundation.”
For Christian, that means continuing to refine his content strategy and improving the systems that make his clients’ experiences smoother.
It also means understanding that difficult seasons aren’t necessarily interruptions to growth.
Sometimes they are where the growth is actually happening.
No One Builds Something Meaningful Completely Alone
Who Not How Changed the Way Christian Thinks About Growth
When asked about a book that influenced him, Christian named Who Not How.
Its central lesson reinforced something his own career had already demonstrated. Growth becomes much easier when the right people are around the table.
Christian’s journey included coaches, mentors, a business partner, a videographer friend, team members, clients, and others who contributed different strengths along the way.
He came to recognize that there is often someone who already knows how to solve the problem standing in front of a person.
Building the right network isn’t simply a business tactic. It can change the speed and direction of personal growth too.
The Breakthrough Belongs to the Person Who Keeps Showing Up
Christian Givens’s Story Is a Reminder That Progress Often Arrives Quietly
Christian’s journey isn’t inspiring because everything worked.
It is inspiring because plenty of things didn’t.
A rental property struggled. A year in business produced a financial loss. Mentorship was initially difficult to find. Social media content didn’t immediately generate clients. Early videos weren’t polished. Personal struggles could have easily become reasons to stop.
Christian kept going.
He invested in himself. He found coaching. He studied what was working. He posted when the audience wasn’t responding the way he hoped. He improved the quality. He learned his voice. He protected his boundaries. He built relationships. He became more intentional about his health and his life.
Then one day, the videos that people once questioned were consistently producing 10 or more transactions a year.
That is the lesson hiding beneath the entire conversation.
People often want proof before they commit. Christian’s story suggests that commitment frequently has to come first.
The work happens before the confidence.
The repetitions happen before the skill.
The consistency happens before the recognition.
And sometimes, the person who eventually looks like an overnight success is simply the person who kept showing up long enough for everyone else to finally notice.
Stay tuned for more inspiring stories on The REI Agent podcast, your go-to source for insights, inspiration, and strategies from top agents and investors who are living their best lives through real estate.
For more content and episodes, visit reiagent.com.
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Mentioned References
Transcript
[Mattias]
Welcome back to the REI agent. My guest today is Christian Givens, a DMV native real estate agent serving the Washington DC metro area who has built one of the most distinctive personal brands in real estate with over 68,000 Instagram followers drawn to his faith driven, values based approach to his business. Christian has grown his audience without paid ads leading into authenticity, community and a clear point of view that resonates far beyond his market.
He operates in one of the most politically and economically dynamic markets in the country and brings both a ground level read on the DMV and a thoughtful perspective on how agents can build real influence without compromising who they are. Christian, welcome to the REI agent podcast. Thanks for having me.
It’s always fun to talk to somebody that’s not too far away, that knows what, when I say go Dukes, you understand what I’m saying? Yeah. Christian, you said you actually went to school not too far from me as well.
And then that’s kind of when, maybe where you got your start in real estate. Tell us a little bit how you’re, yeah, what got you into real estate and that whole story.
[Christian Givens]
Yeah, so I went to Liberty University, class of 2014, crazy. Okay. And while I was in college, I don’t think I mentioned this to you.
Like I was my senior year, I was an assistant for an agent down there for like maybe a month or two. It wasn’t very long.
[Mattias]
Okay.
[Christian Givens]
But it was a very interesting experience. It wasn’t a bad one. And then when I graduated, stayed down there for extra year, got a job working at the school and I purchased my first house down there.
Okay. At 22, it was a duplex and probably the best investment I could have ever purchased at that age. You know, like what else do you do with your money when you’re that young?
[Mattias]
That’s wild, yeah.
[Christian Givens]
I’m not making a lot of money either. I’m just like, I’m gonna put it into this house. And then I purchased my second one down there.
After I moved away, I just realized like the Lindsbergh market was just so good for cashflow. So I purchased a second property down there. I think I was like 25 at that point.
Wow. That house didn’t last very long. It was a, that was a lesson learned.
I only hold onto that one house for a year, mainly because we didn’t have the best time getting a tenant in it. And we were just putting so much money into that house. And I was just like, I can’t maintain two mortgage.
Well, one mortgage was covered by my tenants, but this new mortgage plus investing every month into some major update.
[Mattias]
Yeah.
[Christian Givens]
So ultimately ended up like putting the house for sale. And as soon as I got to put it on the market, we had a tenant, which I was so, I was happy about, but I was bummed about, I was like, this could have happened a year ago and I would have kept the house.
[Mattias]
Wait, so did you have it for a year without a tenant the whole time?
[Christian Givens]
Yeah, a year.
[Mattias]
Oh, wow.
[Christian Givens]
Without a tenant. The mortgage was a lot, but I wasn’t making a lot of money at that point. So it was like, when you’re making what $36,000 a year, it’s like, that’s nothing.
Like I’m spending all my money on this mortgage that I’m not paying for.
[Mattias]
Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, totally. That’s a lot of vacancy.
That’s pretty crazy. So wait, so that would have been what, like 2018-ish, 2016?
[Christian Givens]
Yeah, 2017-ish, yeah.
[Mattias]
Yeah, interesting. That is a long time to go without a tenant. That would be rough.
And I would think a lot of people would be considering to sell there. I mean, you typically try to do all the analysis you can for, you know, like try to have like your CapEx, try to have your maintenance, all that kind of stuff. And then you also are supposed to factor in vacancy, but I don’t think anybody would factor that long with vacancy.
So that’s definitely a cashflow eater.
[Christian Givens]
Yeah, it was definitely. And I think the biggest thing that changed us finding a tenant was that we had our house listed with the same property manager that maintained our other house and different parts of towns, you know, completely different vibes. One was in a more family-friendly neighborhood, the first one.
The second house was more downtown and a different environment. So I should have moved to a property manager that knew that particular part of town better. And I think I would have gotten to it a lot quicker, but that’s my opinion.
[Mattias]
Well, yeah, I mean, and, you know, you did the, I mean, kudos to you for investing that early. That’s pretty crazy. I don’t think a lot of people can say they bought a house that young, let alone two.
So that’s awesome. And, you know, it can be a challenge. I mean, you did the classic, it sounds like classic house hack for the first one, right?
You were living in it. And then right here with the second half, did the second half pay for the full mortgage?
[Christian Givens]
Yeah, 100%. Yeah, that mortgage was so cheap.
[Mattias]
Different days, right? Oh yeah. It was great.
Oh, that’s awesome. Okay, so when you moved and you moved to Maryland, to the DC market?
[Christian Givens]
Yep, back to Maryland, where I’m from. Originally from Laurel, Maryland, which is in four counties. I grew up in the Prince George’s County side of Laurel, which is north of DC.
South of Baltimore. Was living with my parents and moved up here for a job that was only for about a year. Well, actually it wasn’t even a full year, it was probably seven months.
And then once that seven months was up on that job, I got my real estate license and was doing real estate full-time for a couple of years on a team. Then got a full-time job at a nonprofit, working there for three years. And then my father got sick while I was working there.
He passed away. And I was just kind of like, thank you. I was just, once he passed and I was, I stayed in my job for maybe two more years after he passed.
But I think once I was like over, not over the grief, but kind of in a better head space, I was like, okay, I need to do something that’s going to help me go to the next level of my life. And I stuck. You’re capped at your income when you’re working at certain places.
I was at a nonprofit at that. So wasn’t making a ton. And I just had bigger vision for my life.
And I couldn’t shake my love for real estate. So that’s when I decided to get back into real estate full-time. So it was in 2021 that I came back full-time.
[Mattias]
Okay. And at that, and when you came back, were you on a team immediately again, or did you go in solo?
[Christian Givens]
Solo. Yeah, I was solo for a while, actually up until I guess early this year, last year at some point. So yeah, it’s been solo.
And it was, my biggest challenge coming back was trying to find mentorship. I was really seeking it out, but people are so busy and I wasn’t seeking out in the right way. But I just had a hard time finding somebody.
And then I eventually met who was now my business partner at the Yacht Club in DC at an event. And she recruited me to our old brokerage and then she was coaching me. And I owe a lot of my growth, I feel like, to the coaching that I had with her.
It really helped me to become focused on the business methods that we’re working on, like working for me to get clients.
[Mattias]
So yeah. Yeah, I mean, mentorship is so huge. It really is.
I mean, if the Holy Grail, if I could like draw out a map of how a young, hungry agent could kind of start their career in the whole REI agent world would be to do what you did, buy a duplex, like have that W2 so you can get a duplex, live in one half or rent out rooms, whatever you gotta do, live for free, maybe have a little bit of cushion for the utilities as well from the rent. And then find like an agent that’s so busy that they need help and they’re willing to pay a little bit for the help. And then you do everything that you can for them.
And while you have your license and you’re trying to build your business as well and you learn and you take that opportunity also as a great mentorship where it’s a true win-win where you’re, again, bending over backwards, having that mindset of like, I don’t focus on what’s in it for me. When you’re trying to attract a mentor, like if everything is just kind of like you’re analyzing, is it worth my time? What they’re asking me, you need to be like, no, give me more.
How can I help you more? And then that is a great way to learn and kind of build your business. And as I say on the show a lot, from as soon as you’re able to buy another kind of duplex or whatever, start building up that portfolio and don’t let your, as your income increases, don’t let your lifestyle just skyrocket as well because things aren’t always great.
And let your passive income help fund your lifestyle increase. It’s awesome that you were able to find that then. And I guess what, in 2021, the business was moving.
What kind of strategies did you use to, I think honestly, in that kind of timeframe, and this may not be the case for you, I feel like it’s almost harder to learn the fundamentals of the business when things are so crazy, depending on your lead source, kind of like if you’re growing it organically, whatever, or if, I think if you’re, people who were like paying for Zillow, for example, in that timeframe could get a ton of business coming in, like they could get a ton of deals and it can maybe seem like transactional and that deal flow will always be there. And it’s maybe hard to remember or hard just to find the time to nurture the past clients. I’m curious what kind of strategies you did to kind of get started then and what the mentor was teaching you.
[Christian Givens]
Yeah, so my biggest thing was when I was looking into getting back to the business, I was already active on social media, like just doing my own thing. I used to model in college for fun. So most of my content was just like me going to street meets in DC for photography.
So I was already active on social media, we were working with some agents that were doing social media content. And I was like, this is a cool way to grow your business. So I started really delving into creating real estate content and it wasn’t just houses, it was more so at that point, me doing like the voiceovers on TikTok and like some educational pieces.
And that’s kind of where I was like, I’m going to grow my business here. While everyone is having a great 2021, my 2021 was awful. It was the worst.
I think I took a loss that year. I did sell a couple of houses, maybe two. And I think I took like a $20,000 loss because I was investing money into just growing.
Since I couldn’t find a natural mentor at that point, I paid for coaching. I forgot to mention that. I did pay for coaching.
I don’t think I met Kisa until 2022. So I paid for coaching 2021 and it was a great experience. It was expensive, you know, coaches are not cheap.
And I had a little bit of extra money in my bank because I was living with my parents. So I was able to save some money and I was just like, I’m going to invest in this. And, you know, I was just determined like whatever it took to grow and to get the acumen I needed to have the mindset to stay in the business, to do that.
So I paid the money for that. So yeah, 2021 was hard. 2022 was getting better.
I was just learning consistency, you know? So my biggest thing was, okay, I’m going to show up and be consistent no matter what it looks like. Everyone else was having an amazing year in 2021, you know, and closing all these deals.
And I’m just back here making my little TikTok videos and people at my church are like, how’s your business going? Is he just making all these videos? Do you actually get clients from it?
And at that point I wasn’t getting a ton of clients from it but I was like, I will. And I just kept doing it. And then I guess, look up, I wake up, like closing, you know, consistently 10 or more deals a year from just social media.
And that’s kind of where Kisa and I were like delving in. She’s like, okay, where’s your business coming in? So 2022, 2023, you know, we were looking at my numbers and she was like, yeah, if most of your business is coming from this source, then you delve in more.
So from her conversation or looking at my numbers and actually the stats, you know, I was like, okay, let’s look at it. I just focused on social and that’s what I was doing. So when things get slow, because it’s been, you know, it’s been an interesting year.
It’s been a good year, but not like last year. Last year was amazing. I just delve in on my content.
I’m like, okay, I’m gonna just create. I have time to think. I have time to get out there and create what I wanna create.
I’m doing events with my clients every year as well as another way to, you know, stay engaged and in touch with my previous clients. So I’m trying to just be top of mind at all times. And yeah, that’s where everyone is right now.
Everyone’s online. So I show up there daily.
[Mattias]
Yeah, no, I think consistency. It sounds like you were really focused on building the, yeah, like that pipeline in 2021 and showing up consistently just means a ton. Like I just, you know, I’ve mentioned this a couple of times as well, but I, you know, I started off blogging when I started and I don’t think there was a ton of people reading it consistently.
The blog didn’t really take off and grow and become this like, you know, big thing, but I shared it every time on social media. And I feel like that alone did something like people, you know, whether they clicked on it or not, they saw, okay, Mattias is posting another thing about real estate. Okay, this kid’s really doing it.
Cause he’s just like, you know, three times a week, he’s putting a blog out there about real estate that I’m not reading. But you know, it’s like, it was consistent. And I think that like it did, you know, it was just a constant reminder that, you know, I’m in this game, you know, I’m in this, I’m doing this.
This is my job. And I think, you know, to your, it sounds like you caught a vein where people were actually using your content or consuming it, but it does the same thing, right? Like it reminds people constantly that, you know, you’re in the business.
[Christian Givens]
Absolutely. Yep. And it’s so funny because that is the, that was the goal.
It’s like, I just want people to know I’m in the business. And I remember one thing my coach taught me was when you’re talking to people, you don’t have to talk about real estate, you know, but if you’re on the phone with somebody, end it with real estate. Like, okay, sorry, I gotta go.
I have to go meet a client to show a house. Let’s get chatting with you. I’m like, that was like a game changer.
It’s like, dang, I don’t have to call you and ask you for business. You already know what I do. I’m just gonna subtly remind you what I do.
Like, okay, I gotta go. I have a contract to work on. I gotta go.
I’m gonna go shoot some content. You know, I’m like, I’m always reminding people in not obnoxious ways. Okay, I’ve worked here now.
So let me go do the thing that pays my bills.
[Mattias]
I like that a lot. I think it’s where if you focus on the other person, if you focus on value and you’re caring about the other person and they know that what you do, like, you don’t have to, yeah, you don’t have to be like, so do you know anybody that’s buying a house? You know, like thinking about it, you know, like it comes out naturally if you’re like, if you’re in flow with people.
So, you know, we talk about the, like the ninja method or the, you know, the, just the forward method of communicating with people. So you’re talking about their family, talking about their occupation, you’re talking about their recreation and their dreams, all the things that they care about, right? They’re gonna remember that you’re in real estate.
And so like, if they had a really good experience with you, had a really good conversation, they felt really heard, they couldn’t believe that you remembered this detail about them or whatever. Next time they are in a conversation with somebody who’s thinking about buying or selling, they’d be like, oh yeah, this person’s awesome. You should talk to them.
And it doesn’t have to be like this, like, oh God, he’s calling me again. Like, he’s gonna- What does he want? What’s he want from me?
And I gotta just quickly plug it, cause I do now, we have a CRM that’s kind of built to kind of build that relationship with your clients, with your sphere. Like we have the forward stuff built in there. It’s got an algorithm.
So I’m a little bit tired of AI. I think like when there is unauthentic content out, it doesn’t really, it kind of has inverse effect. If you’re talking to a robot, if you’re, you know, in a chat, if you’re having a voice call and it’s obviously AI on the other end or whatever, it’s an AI image even.
I feel like if a blog is a perfectly crafted blog and there’s an AI image on it, I’m like, I don’t really believe this. But anyway, so this whole, the whole concept of the CRM is that it is, you are entering the data. The data helps give you better ways of connecting with your clients.
And so like, you’re still the person talking to the people, but it’s easy. It’s like five, six people a day. You reach out to them and, you know, it gets better and better because you’re giving it more data.
You’re asking questions about their family. You’re asking, you know, trying to figure out their kid’s ages. You’re trying to figure out, you know, so then it can tell you, hey, you know, so-and-so’s kid is going to first grade.
It’s going to be a big transition. Like, you know, you want to reach out to them and wish them luck on this new journey or whatever. And so this is where like we can use technology to increase our like actual, real authentic relationships with people.
And I think that’s what gets lost often in this space. Yeah.
[Christian Givens]
That’s awesome. That’s awesome. Which CRM is it?
[Mattias]
So yeah, go to REIAgent.com and it’s on there. So it works with Google or Outlook.
[Christian Givens]
Okay.
[Mattias]
If you have any of those accounts, then it would work.
[Christian Givens]
I’m a Google person, so that’s awesome. I’ll have to check it out.
[Mattias]
Yeah, yeah. But anyway, so tell us a little bit more about like what kind of content ideas you have and what kind of, where you saw some growth like from like certain content types that were real estate related.
[Christian Givens]
Yeah. So I think, like I mentioned earlier, I started with just like the voiceover, kind of the trendy things that were on TikTok. And I enjoyed those things.
Like I did a lot of comedy things. Okay. And I, but I recognized partially that I was in a really dark space.
And I’m like, you know, still grieving my dad, going through my mom’s personal stuff. I realized like when I’m mentally just going through it, humor is like my default. So I need to watch something funny.
I just need to make everything lighter. So that’s kind of what I defaulted to when I was, you know, creating my TikToks at that point. And then, you know, I would say around my 30th birthday, before my 30th birthday, I started to do a little bit more home tours, just by myself.
I would go out and just shoot houses and model homes and things like that. But then I took a trip with one of my good friends, like my best friend, William from college. For my 30th birthday, we went on a cruise to Mexico.
And when we got back to DC, he was like, I feel like I need to help you with your videos. He’s a videographer. And so he helps me like to really, really be consistent with my house tours.
[Mattias]
Okay.
[Christian Givens]
And the quality went up.
[Mattias]
Okay.
[Christian Givens]
And I was just like, this is it. This is what I was missing. So I kind of shifted from the comedy stuff.
I don’t do as much. I still do it every blue moon, like probably once a quarter. But like my bread and butter has become like just showcasing the real estate in the DMV area.
I focus solely on new construction for a long time.
[Mattias]
Okay.
[Christian Givens]
And I do a lot of new construction as a result of that. I’m just, I’ll say at least every year, about a third of my business is new construction. Okay.
But I started shifting more in the more recent years into showing like luxury homes in the DMV.
[Mattias]
Okay.
[Christian Givens]
That’s the goal is to shift to more luxury clientele. My price went up for sure. I still serve all price points.
If you’re watching this, don’t worry. I serve all price points, but I just love, I realized people love beautiful homes. Like no matter if we can afford it or not, I can’t afford a $5 million house.
I still want to go see it too. You know what I mean? So I’m like, yeah, people love that.
And what I find is that when I started doing the content on the TikTok content, the feedback I got from clients meeting me then was, oh, you are relatable. Oh, you are who you display yourself to be online, you know? And then the feedback from the house tours is, oh, you understand the aesthetic I like, you know?
[Mattias]
Okay.
[Christian Givens]
But it’s still the same, like you’re still showing up. And when we meet you in person, we’re not disappointed in who you are. You are the person that you portray yourself to be online, which is like the highest compliment in my opinion that you can give me.
Cause I’m like, thank you. Cause I don’t want to be not myself, like on camera, you know? So that’s kind of, that was my strategy.
And yeah, so now I’m still doing the house tours. Right now, my team and I, we have a comedy series-ish that we work on together. Like, so every time we have a new listing, we do this thing called open house.
And it’s kind of like the office, but for real estate. So we just kind of keep it short, three minutes, just to introduce the house and, you know, just to get people to see us in a different light. We’re humans.
We like to have fun. Real estate is stressful enough. So we try to make it as light and fun as we can with that series, so.
[Mattias]
Let me ask you about some of the comedy approaches you’ve taken and kind of like things that have resulted from it. I see it a lot. I see a lot of different angles.
I don’t know if you’ve seen Tampa Bree. She is hilarious.
[Christian Givens]
Oh yeah. She is hilarious.
[Mattias]
She is like a standup comedian. It is insane. But you know, my broker would roll over.
I mean, he’s not in his grave, but he would die and then roll over in his grave if I did anything like that, because it wouldn’t be, it wouldn’t come across as professional to him, right? Right, right. And like, I mean, she is so funny.
So I’m not saying that in a negative light to her, but I’m just curious about what lines you have to draw or what kind of, how you have to walk, like showcasing professionalism. Yeah, yeah. And then also I think I’ve seen content that gets negative on the house itself that they’re in.
And I feel like that’s to be funny. And I think that can also, I don’t know how that would go over with the client, if they would find it funny or if they’d be like, are you marketing my house? So I’m curious if what kind of like approaches you’ve taken and what’s worked for you.
[Christian Givens]
Yeah, so when it comes to the comedy approach, like one, I want my content to reflect who I actually am. I’m not crass. I’m not inappropriate in most cases.
I grew up in a very conservative family. So I tend to lean more, hey, I’m more reserved. I’m more moderate in my approach to everything.
I don’t wanna turn anyone away. So I try to be middle ground when it comes to the comedy. Like I’m not being dark, super dark.
I’m not being inappropriate. You know, I just, if it makes me cringe, then I’m not posting it.
[Mattias]
Sure, sure.
[Christian Givens]
You know? And more so, like if I would be ashamed if my mom saw it or if my pastor saw it, I’m not posting it.
[Mattias]
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[Christian Givens]
Like I’m not explaining myself to anybody. So that’s kind of my line for that. So yeah, I just try to keep it, you know, family oriented.
Like it’s someone that if your kid watched it, they can watch it. It would not be something that they couldn’t watch. And also I have like a ton of nice and nappy.
So I’m like, I just wanna be respectful of that. Sure. And then when it comes to the homes, you know, yes, I’m never, I’m not gonna be a critic of anybody’s house.
And if I don’t like it, I probably won’t post it. Like, it’s just how I am. If I have a client’s home who is a little bit of a fixer-upper, I try to find the positive in it.
I’m gonna do my best to find the selling point, whether it be the community or it be the size. Like I’m focusing on what is the reason you want the house and not the ick that someone else might focus on. Because my job is to sell the house, you know?
So yeah, when I’m featuring homes that are not my listings on social media, I’m always going for eye candy or something that’s just like a wow factor or something that’s unique. I’m not looking for things that are like, I can poke at. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I can poke at anything if I really wanted to. But like I said, when it comes to my own client’s homes, I’m highlighting the best part about that house, whether it be the community, location, whatever it is. So yeah, my job is to protect my client’s best interest in that home and that’s what I do.
[Mattias]
Can you describe like one of the comedy things that like kind of, you said it’s kind of like The Office. Can you kind of explain a little bit more if somebody hasn’t? I mean, go check out his socials and you’ll see it.
But like, yeah, I’m just curious if you can explain that a little bit.
[Christian Givens]
Yeah, so for example, I just have a listing that launched maybe two weeks ago in Bowie and my business partner, she has a grandson. So for this episode, he was acting as a buyer and there’s only two. So he throws all his stuffed dolls and he’s like, they’re all around the listing and I’m just like giving them a tour and I’m like, it seems like your friends have made them so comfortable.
So I’m like going through like trying to figure out are they really gonna buy the house or not? So things like that, so that’s one example. And then another example, me and my other team members we did my other listing in Glendale, also near Bowie.
It’s a bigger home. And Ed, who is my team member who I love dearly, we were like joking with him like he would get lost in this house. So like looking for Ed in the house, you know, like at the beginning and then poking fun at Ed and like, you’re just making light of things.
[Mattias]
Okay, I love it.
[Christian Givens]
Things like that, yeah.
[Mattias]
Did you ever have something that you posted that you regretted or that like a client or somebody kind of reacted poorly to?
[Christian Givens]
Oh, that is a great question. I don’t think I’ve had anything that a client has ever reacted poorly to but I’ve definitely posted things that I’m like, maybe I shouldn’t have posted that. But for me, it’s more so like, cause on TikTok, you can rent, you can vent.
Like, you know, that’s where I go and vent about life. So sometimes I would like go and vent about what’s going on personally. Like, I’m not talking about real estate all the time.
And then I realized like, I think some people really appreciate the authenticity but for me, it’s like finding the lines, it’s like, okay, where do I draw the line on my personal life that like, people don’t need to know this about me or this is more appropriate for my counselor.
[Mattias]
You’re doing better cause you’re here right now.
[Christian Givens]
Yeah, yeah. So it’s like, this may not be appropriate for everyone to know, but there are so many things I want to talk about on TikTok that I just haven’t. Cause I’m like, if you guys knew the drama my family has been through, like I could have the most viral account on TikTok if I really, really wanted to share everything that we’ve been through.
But I’m like, dang, I don’t want to do that. Cause it will be involved. Everyone else involved around the situation would see it and it’d become a big thing.
And I’m like, I don’t know the reality of what actually happened and people have perceptions of what happened. You know, I’m like, I know the truth. And I’m just like, I can’t post what I want to post because people are going to have perceptions of me that may not be true.
But yeah, so.
[Mattias]
Yeah, no. And I think like, you know, again, it seems like even if you’ve had some things that you may be like, ah, maybe I shouldn’t have shared that. Like, I mean, you’ve continued.
And I think a lot of people will get hung up on like maybe wanting everything to be perfect or they just have this block to social media to start for a lot of people. And I think, you know, getting in front of the camera and just talking is difficult for a lot of people. So I think, you know, it’s something that I’ve, you know, I’ve mentioned this again a few times, but I think, you know, doing some sort of challenge where you’re just recording yourself, talking to a camera and just have no intention of actually posting it is something I think that could help you kind of just get comfortable with it because you just get better at it as you go.
I think, like, I don’t know, I feel a lot of people that have content out there that have YouTube channels or whatever, they will often like talk about their first, like their first videos as being really cringe or like, they’re like, oh, I don’t even want to, I feel like I should go back and delete them, but they’re still getting views. They’re still getting like leads for me. You know what I mean?
[Christian Givens]
Like- Yeah, no, I’m with you. Like I could go back and just like do the same thing. Like my home tours that I was doing on my own, like they were so bad quality.
Like, I’m like, oh my gosh. Like, and you know, it’s so funny because now like when I see agents who post videos like that, I’m like, yo, keep going.
[Mattias]
Yeah.
[Christian Givens]
You know, people reach out to me and they ask me, you know, what to do differently. And like, one of my biggest advice is like clean your lens. Like I see people with their videos or it’s just foggy, I’m like, just clean the lens.
Your video will be like 10 times better, I promise. But yeah, that was me. You know, I was the kid that had the foggy lens and that was like, the videos were way too fast.
I couldn’t see anything. And you know, like- I’m not. Like not knowing the materials in the home and like just growing.
But I didn’t let my lack of like skill or the lack of quality that I wanted stop me from showing up. And I think that’s what, you know, really does set you apart. Like you gotta really push past that perfectionism, you know, for the sake of growth.
[Mattias]
Yeah. I mean, you gotta put yourself out there. If you’re not putting yourself in a position that you’re a little bit uncomfortable, you’re not growing.
Like you gotta, in all different areas. And if this is something you wanna do, like you gotta do it. You gotta just get reps.
[Christian Givens]
Yeah, get the reps, yep.
[Mattias]
10,000 reps to master something is what Arnold talks about, right?
[Christian Givens]
Yeah. I think what helped me a lot to get the reps, like there was another agent who we were friends on TikTok. I don’t know if he’s doing real estate now, but I should check in on him.
But we were talking and I remember we were just like, yeah, we should like do a challenge. So we did a challenge where we posted three times a day. Oh, wow.
Three months. And that was the hardest three months for me to do content. But I did it.
And it really, really helps me to grow that consistency bone. So now I’m like, I can post a day. Once a day is nothing.
Like that is, I do that in my sleep, you know?
[Mattias]
Right.
[Christian Givens]
I’m trying to get back to like a twice a day rhythm, you know, and that I’m just to grow again exponentially. But I don’t think my account grew a lot during that three months. But what I did do, it grew my confidence.
And it helped me to learn the content that I enjoyed making and content that people engage with more. So it was just a good lesson for me.
[Mattias]
Yeah, sometimes you just have to set up, like you’re very intentional. And that’s just a life thing. I think like if you’re not intentional about how you spend your time, you’re gonna get consumed by whatever, you know?
And maybe consuming content, maybe consuming. The thing you get consumed by, but you need to be aware of where you spend your time and what you want. And I think if you do find success in real estate, like it’s very easy to then also just get consumed by that and not forget about everything else and not live healthy, not exercise, eat unhealthy, not, you know, spend as much time with your family as you want.
Sorry, whatever’s important to you. So I think just taking like, you know, annual, quarterly, all those kinds of things, like taking a look at your business, your life, really thinking about where you wanna be in five years, where you wanna be, what does your life look like in an ideal world? Because you can make it happen.
You just have to be intentional and use your time.
[Christian Givens]
Yeah, no, I appreciate you saying that. That’s been my goal this year is like, holistically, what do I want? Outside of just doing well in my business, like I can’t sacrifice my health for the sake of business.
You know, I can’t sacrifice my relationships for the sake of business or just the things I wanna do. So yeah, you saying that really is a good reminder for me too.
[Mattias]
Yeah, what about some golden nuggets for our audience? What do you got there?
[Christian Givens]
Yeah, I mean, so since we were talking about it, I would say don’t focus on perfectionism, focus on consistency, show up, you know, even if it’s not perfect. Like if your goal is to do content, just push it out. Like don’t focus on the perfectionism, you’ll grow.
Like you will get better with time, you know? And that’s the one thing you gotta remember. Two, I would say, be patient with yourself.
You know, like this business, real estate is not always a fast business. You know, sometimes it might take a year or two to really build out a robust pipeline and that’s okay. Like be patient with yourself, be kind to yourself.
The market is hard, even for top producing agents is hard. This year has been the year of the hard deal. Like I’ve done decent business, but every deal has had something that has made it so difficult.
And this is the time that we really get to like grow our, like show our worth, you know? It’s like when every transaction is easy, it’s like, are you really working? But it’s the hard deals that really allow you to just kind of show like, this is why I’m getting paid, I’m getting paid.
So that’s the second thing. I guess the third thing would be to, holistically, to your point, like take care of you first. Whether, if you had to get up earlier to do that, you know, to work out or to pray or to eat a proper breakfast or spend time with your loved ones, just do that.
Like you have to show up for yourself first in order to show up for everybody else. And that’s something I am actively working on. Like I don’t do that the best, you know?
So yeah, that’s advice I’m giving you guys, but I’m also taking myself.
[Mattias]
I love it. I have to say quick, I don’t know, you know, talking to people in different areas, every market’s different. But I definitely understand where you’re coming from.
And I’ve heard a lot of people say, you know, like this has been a year, this has been really difficult. And just real quick, like, you know, the dynamic we see often is kind of this, it’s not really a shift of the power in the negotiations and stuff yet, but it’s kind of a little bit less off balance. And so sellers are a little bit frustrated that they don’t have quite as much leverage and buyers are expecting more and kind of leaves both a little bit frustrated.
I think maybe some of that is where that that difficultness comes from. And so I don’t know if there’s a way to get like better perceptions like on the forefront so that people have like better expectations in the transaction, that might help. But I did talk to somebody recently who said that they, you know, like the amount of, they had like this amount of activities that result in a sale, like they keep, this is a coach for like teams.
And if you do as many activities, this usually results in a sale and it’s like 150 or something like that. And he’s like, now it’s 300. And you know, that might sound depressing and it might be like, oh, but a lot of people who like really, really killed it, like people who like seasoned agents that were like just really hitting their stride and just, you know, just dominating markets in the last boom, they built everything kind of through the slow times, right?
They were perfecting their skill. They were perfecting their stuff. Now is the time to do that.
And people are getting weeded out a little bit. There’s gonna be people that leave the industry. And so this is time to, you know, perfect your craft to build up and it will be worth it.
And this is just the reality of the market. It’s not always sunshine and rainbows.
[Christian Givens]
No, it’s not. And I would say if you’ve done well in the last two years, which were some of the hardest real estate markets, then, you know, to your point, like get ready for the good ones, but use these years to build, you know, build upon your foundation. For me, that’s, all right, what’s my content strategy?
You know, what are the systems I wanna implement to make my client experience smoother? That is a big deal for me. So that’s what I’m focusing on, like my client experience.
[Mattias]
Sure. Hershen, what about a favorite book? One that’s fundamental that you think everybody should read or just one that you currently really enjoy?
[Christian Givens]
Yeah, one of my favorite books that I’ve read, oh, it’s probably Who Not How. And I think it made me realize that, you know, like having people around you, solid network to help support is really, really, really essential if you’re gonna grow. Not as a business owner, but as a person.
You know, there’s always someone that has the answer to the problem that you have. And you might be someone too, as well. So yeah, that book was really good for me in my growth in business.
[Mattias]
I love it. I love it, it’s a great one. And then where can people find you on social media?
Obviously, you mentioned TikTok and Instagram. What are your handles? We’ll have this in the show notes.
And if anybody, you know, listen to these golden nuggets, all this stuff that we’ve talked about today, and you’re driving down the road and you can’t write things down, go to REIAsian.com. You can get the newsletter that will have the two weeks, or sorry, the two episodes that week summarized, sent to you by email every week. And then also there will be a blog for this episode, as well.
So you can get that content that way, as well. But anyway, Christian, where can people find you?
[Christian Givens]
Yeah, so my handle on Instagram and TikTok are the same. It’s @ChristianGRilter. That’s the handle for both.
And then I have a team page, as well, on Instagram. It’s @Givens.Group. Awesome.
[Mattias]
Well, Christian, thank you so much for being on the show. It was a lot of fun talking to you. Thank you so much for having me, Tias.
This is great.
[Erica]
Thanks for listening to the REI Agent.
[Mattias]
If you enjoyed this episode, hit subscribe to catch new shows every week.
[Erica]
Visit REIAgent.com for more content.
[Mattias]
Until next time, keep building the life you want.
[Erica]
All content in this show is not investment advice or mental health therapy. It is intended for entertainment purposes only.
