James Respondek of Sotheby’s International Realty exudes a quintessential Southern California vibe, but the surfing aficionado didn’t set foot in the Golden State until he was 25 years old. By then, he had already bought and sold his first property – at a profit – and traveled the world. Respondek, who started selling real estate professionally more than 30 years ago, has earned numerous awards and recognitions, including “Outstanding Service and Production in Sales,” “Top 100, California,” “Number 1 Sales Associate” and “President, Estates Division West.” In this interview, he shares how it all happened.
Frances Sharpe: Where were you born?
Respondek: I was born in a small town in southeast Texas. My dad was from a small town in Texas, graduated from Notre Dame and was a naval technician. At the end of World War II, he was in Sydney, Australia, where he married my mother who was Australian.
Sharpe: Are you from a big family?
Respondek: I have three brothers, so my mom had her hands full. Then, when I was seven, my dad passed so she had even more responsibilities raising four boys all on her own.
Sharpe: What did you like to do as a kid?
Respondek: I played baseball, football and learned to surf in the Gulf of Mexico. When I was almost 13 we moved to my mom’s home country of Australia.
Sharpe: How did the move to Australia affect you?
Respondek: It turned out to be a really good experience for me. Australia gave me great surf and introduced me to playing rugby and to track and field.
In addition, the Australian education system is excellent, and the people are very pleasant, positive, entrepreneurial and pioneering. It was a great fit for me.
Sharpe: What were your first paying jobs?
Respondek: My first jobs were mowing lawns and making deliveries from the local pharmacy. In high school I got a summer job on a construction site and earned enough to buy my first car. I was so proud that I bought it with my own money.
Sharpe: When did you first become interested in real estate?
Respondek: At every opportunity, I would go on surf trips up and down the New South Wales coastline. Everywhere I stopped I would check out the local real estate market and began developing a great curiosity for real estate.
Sharpe: Can you recall your first foray into the real estate business?
Respondek: I bought my first piece of property when I was 18 for a little over $5,000. I managed to secure it with a mere $20 deposit and convinced my mother to help me finance it.
A year later, I sold it for $3,000 more than what I’d paid for it. That convinced me that real estate was a good thing.
Rich Schmitt/Staff Photographer
Sharpe: How did you end up in Southern California?
Respondek: In my early 20s, I traveled all around the world. I went to Indonesia and Micronesia. I even took a driving trip from London to Bombay along the Silk Trail – passing through Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. At the age of 25, I decided to move to California.
Sharpe: When did you officially get into the real estate industry?
In 1979, just one year after arriving in California, I got my real estate license and started my career in Pacific Palisades with Tim Corliss. Tim was a great real estate mentor and trainer, and I learned so much from him.
Sharpe: How did your career progress?
Respondek: Two years later I joined June Scott, a luxury boutique broker, who was very well known in the high-end market.
A couple years after that, I joined Jon Douglas and enjoyed 15 years building my business. “Jack,” as he was known to his friends and colleagues, was a very smart, competitive and charismatic guy’s guy.
Jon Douglas Company merged and morphed a couple of times and finally became Coldwell Banker.
Sharpe: Where did you go from there?
Respondek: In 2002 I was privileged to have Alan Long recruit me to partner with him and DBL to expand his company, building offices in the Palisades, Brentwood, Santa Monica and Malibu.
The market was on fire at that time. The offices were built and in only two years we received an offer to be purchased by Sotheby’s International Realty. Good timing!
This good fortune enabled me to purchase a piece of property close to my favorite semi-private surf beach at Point Dume where I built my island-style, “green” dream house.
My wife Shalane and daughters Chloe and Tessa and I love the beach lifestyle. I love being with Sotheby’s, a heritage-rich brand known worldwide.
Sharpe: What have you noticed most about how the business has changed throughout your career?
Respondek: The business has changed so much over the years. When I first started out in real estate, a contract to purchase or list a house was a total of one page.
Now you could fill a book with all the forms that are required. The paperwork is so copious that it can be very daunting. On the other hand, technology has made a lot of things easier. For example, information and visuals can be disseminated in real-time on many different devices.
Sharpe: What hasn’t changed about the industry?
Respondek: What hasn’t changed is the need for market knowledge, contract knowledge, negotiation skills, people skills and trust.
Buyers still need to actually see a property and have an on-site sense and feel for the property that doesn’t happen on a screen. The presentation and staging of properties has become very important for this reason.
Sharpe: Where do you see the industry heading?
Respondek: Technology will keep improving, providing faster and more exciting visuals, but the basic fundamentals will still be the foundation of successful real estate careers.
Sharpe: What do you think makes the Palisades so appealing to buyers?
Respondek: One thing is sure, people are still choosing Pacific Palisades to make their home as I did many years ago because it’s the perfect blend of the mountains and the beach with a wonderful family community.
5 things I love about the Palisades:
Location (close to the beach)
Great Village atmosphere
Family community
Wonderful schools
Friday night lights
James Respondek of Sotheby’s International Realty can be reached at james.respondek@sothebyshomes.com or (310) 255-5411.
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