Jay & Ashley Nelson, "Results are a compound effect of great action", Real Estate Advisors & Team Leaders at eXp Realty, shares their story on Global Luxury Real Estate Mastermind with Michael Valdes Podcast #220
Jay & Ashley Nelson have decades of real estate experience between them. The Nelsons were ReMax owners, and Ashley's family owned a Century 21 franchise when she was growing up. The passion and deviation they feel for the agents in their organization are heartfelt. They genuinely want their success...
Jay & Ashley Nelson, "Results are a compound effect of great action", Real Estate Advisors & Team Leaders at eXp Realty, shares their story on Global Luxury Real Estate Mastermind with Michael Valdes Podcast #220
Jay & Ashley Nelson have decades of real estate experience between them. The Nelsons were ReMax owners, and Ashley's family owned a Century 21 franchise when she was growing up. The passion and deviation they feel for the agents in their organization are heartfelt. They genuinely want their success before everything else, and it shows. The lessons they learned throughout their career are powerful, and they candidly share their story in this interview.
More About Jay & Ashley Nelson:
Nashville’s Jay and Ashley Nelson knew the good, the bad and the ugly of being broker-owners. The Nelson’s owned a RE/MAX franchise and Ashley’s grandparents owned a Century 21 franchise, so they were deeply knowledgeable. When a friend, who was a brand-new agent, insisted they watch a video on eXp Realty, Jay told him, “We love you, but there is nothing you can show me in real estate that I probably haven’t already wasted a million dollars on.” Somehow, Jay and Ashley relented, watched the video and were stunned.
“We paused the video halfway through and said to each other, ‘We are leaving RE/MAX and doing this!’ We filled the application out that very night,” said Ashley. “We were able to come to such a quick decision because eXp Realty solved the challenges of owning our own brokerage and allowed us to do all of the things we love about owning our own brokerage and be able to do it on a global scale!”
The couple joined eXp in May 2017.
Jay and Ashley reconnected as adults in Nashville where Jay was an aspiring country singer and Ashley a business director with the Paul Mitchell Schools brand. They got into real estate in 1999 with a small mom-and-pop agency, learning the ropes. And still, to this day, are actively selling real estate.
“We just love it,” said Jay. “People get sick of it because they don’t make it part of who they are. If you care about the process and the people, it’s very inspiring. It’s a big deal for people to buy a house. Everyone is different, but it is rewarding when you come across someone who is appreciative. When we are selling houses, the client is our friend and stays our friend.”
Like many real estate professionals, the 2008 housing crash hurt them badly. “I had 122 townhomes in default. I went down pretty hard,” said Jay. “I learned a lot. I learned what I won’t do again. But I believe you’re never failing, you’re just learning.” Ashley agreed. “You define yourself when you’re on the bottom and on the top. How are you going to behave in both situations?”
The two weathered the storm and have reached a comfortable lifestyle, selling real estate, coaching agents, and enjoying their five adult children and first grandchild.
Learn more about Jay and Ashley Nelson:
Years in real estate: Since 1999
Gross sales and transactions in 2020: $17.5 million on 45 transactions.
Brokerage history (in order of most recent to oldest):
eXp Realty (May 2017-current)
RE/MAX (2004-May 2017)
The Realty Association (1999-2004)
Main territory: Nashville, Tennessee and surrounding counties
Number of people on team: We are individual agents with a full-time assistant.
Accolades, accomplishments & awards:
RE/MAX Hall of Fame Award
RE/MAX Lifetime Achievement Award
4X eXp Realty ICON Agent
About Michael Valdes:
Michael Valdes is the President of eXp Global. He is currently the only Latino President of a publicly traded real estate company in the country (Nasdaq: EXPI). In his first year of joining, he has led a team that has opened 12 countries in 12 months without ever getting on a plane which is a feat that has never been done in the industry. This model has successfully touched the lives of thousands of people across the globe and given them an opportunity to change their lives.
Michael was the former Senior Vice President of Global Servicing for Realogy Corporation. In that role he oversaw the international servicing platform for all Realogy brands including Century 21, Coldwell Banker, ERA, Better Homes & Garden, Corcoran, Climb and Sotheby’s International Realty in 113 countries. He had been with Realogy in a variety of roles for 15 years. Prior to that, Mr. Valdes was Director of Private Banking at Deutsche Bank for a decade where he oversaw a book of business of just under $1 billion. He has the distinction of being the first Director in the United States of Latino descent.
Mr. Valdes is the Chair of the AREAA Global Advisory Board and co-host of the 2020 AREAA Global Luxury Summit. He is also a current member of the NAHREP Corporate Board of Governors. Additionally, he is a the Executive Chair of eXp Latino and former member of the Realogy Diversity Board as well as the Executive Chair of the ONE VOZ, Hispanic ERG. He is a former Board Member of Mount Sinai Hospital in Miami Beach as well as the Shanti Organization in San Francisco. Michael was also a Board Member of Pink & Blue for 2, an organization started by Olivia Newton-John to promote breast and prostate cancer awareness.
Michael is also the host of "The Global Luxury Real Estate Mastermind" podcast which focuses on interviewing global leaders in the industry. It is currently distributed in over 90 countries and has over 10 million impressions. He is also a current member of the Forbes Real Estate Advisory Council.
He currently resides in New York City and has a home in Miami.
