EP 134: How an AI-Forward Agent Delivers Better Client Results

[upbeat music] Welcome to Real Estate AI Flash, the podcast that helps you understand how AI is changing real estate and the strategies you can use to win. I'm your host, Rajiv Saja. In today's episode, I sit down with Chris Saxon of Nest Realty to explore what it really means to be an AI-forward real estate agent. Chris share- shares practical ways he's using AI to deliver better outcomes for clients, from creating hyperlocal market insights and streamlining client communication, to leverage AI as a personal coach that helps refine his consultations and improve his service over time. If you're looking for practical ideas to save time, make smarter decisions, and create a better client experience without losing the personal touch, this conversation is full of strategies you can apply today. Let's get to it with Chris. Welcome to another episode of Real Estate AI Flash. I can't believe we're recording this in early July, but this is airing in August, so hopefully the summer is going well for everybody. And we have Chris Saxon with Nest Realty from Charlottesville, Virginia, joining the podcast. And Chris and I hooked up at a industry event in Austin in last year, and, uh, we sort of stayed connected, and here we are. Chris is doing some cool stuff, including on his bio, he says he's AI forward, and I'm sure we'll get into all of that. And Chris, welcome to the podcast.

Hey, thank you so much. Yeah, I'm so glad we stayed connected. Man, I'm super grateful for all the work that you're doing, um, in y- in your job-job and your, and your podcast job to, to keep us, to keep us sharp, to keep us in front of all this, so-

Well, look, it's a village-

... I'm trying to make it

... as you know, Chris. We, yeah, we all need to do our part. It's a village for sure with all of this stuff going on with AI. So, um, I barely gave you an introduction, um, location and broker, but, um, so take us through, people that are watching on YouTube or listening, love to know, get, get to know Chris and how did you get into real estate and bring us to today?

Yes, sir. Yeah. So I love one thing about this career, it seems like everyone has a different path. Um, not a lot of majors in, in real estate sales in college, but, um, I was one of those. Um, I graduated college from UNC in Chapel Hill 2009 and, um-

Go Tar Heels

... for 10 years. Go Heels. Uh, thank you for that. Um, I was in healthcare consulting, um, so going to health systems and doing a variety of project management, advisory, software implementation, um, a lot on the billing side and some on the clinical side. Um, and then very long story short, a combination of my, uh, my first child, now my oldest, um, was born and coming on seven or eight months old, and I was traveling all the time and m- my wife was a de facto single mom, and I was missing, uh, you know, time at home, and I called it my, my quarter life crisis. Hopefully, if the numbers shake out, that's right. Um, and I had figured I got one shot at this to make a good change and did a lot of soul searching and talking and, uh, felt like doing real estate would be a great fit. And I really enjoyed the process of buying my own house and renovating it and doing