Prepared exclusively for James Choi

James, you've built real momentum. Now let's build the business you want to own.

You've built a career around communication, marketing, and helping people make important decisions. You've translated those strengths into real estate production. I spent some time studying your business, and I see some interesting opportunities worth exploring together.

This isn't a presentation about changing brokerages. It's a look at what you've already accomplished, where you may want to go next, and what a more intentional growth strategy could look like.

Let's map out the plan Explore your business

Mediterranean-style Orange County residence at golden hour

Built on experience. Focused on what comes next.

$9.37M

2025 Recorded Sales Volume

2025 Closed Transactions

UCI

University of California, Irvine

English + Korean

Client Communication

02 / The person behind the production

Your background is an advantage. Let's build around it.

James, one of the things that stood out to me about your story is that real estate wasn't your first professional chapter.

You moved from Northern California to attend UC Irvine, built experience across corporate industries, managed customer relationships, and worked on marketing initiatives designed to drive real business results.

Those are valuable skills to bring into real estate.

Marketing teaches you how to attract attention. Customer service teaches you how to earn trust. And real estate gives you the opportunity to turn both into a business with long-term value.

You've already taken meaningful steps in that direction.

Your clients describe you as responsive, patient, professional, and willing to go the extra mile. Those aren't small things in this business. They're the foundation of a reputation that can compound for years.

You also work with clients in both English and Korean, giving you the ability to build strong relationships with people who value communicating in either language.

And outside of real estate, your interests in cars, car shows, golf, and travel give you something important that no brokerage can manufacture: an individual identity that people can connect with.

The question isn't whether you belong in real estate.

You've already answered that.

The more interesting question is what kind of business you want to build from here.

Corporate marketing experience

Customer relationship skills

Proven real estate production

An authentic personal brand

That's a strong starting point. And I think it's worth seeing how much further it could go.

03 / Understanding the numbers

There's real production here. And a story worth understanding.

I don't believe in judging an agent by a single year's numbers. I look for patterns: what they've proven they can do, where their business comes from, and what they want to accomplish next.

$9.37M

2025 Sales Volume

2025 Transactions

112%

Approx. Volume Growth, 2024 to 2025

$5.35M

Courted Last 12-Month Volume

$891K

Courted Average Sale Price

$2.46M

Irvine Volume, Last 12 Months

5.0 / 5

Zillow Rating

Zillow Client Reviews

Production history

Year	Recorded Volume	Closed Sides
2023	~$765,000	1
2024	~$4,420,000	5
2025	~$9,370,000	10

Your growth from 2023 through 2025 demonstrates meaningful progress. The next opportunity is understanding exactly what drove that growth and developing a model that can produce the kind of results you want more consistently.

A question worth exploring

Your recent Courted activity has been predominantly buyer-side, while your 2024 history also includes listing transactions. That raises an interesting strategic question: would growing your seller business make sense for the future you want to build?

Production figures are directional, based on public production research and MLS data, not a complete private business record.

04 / Five opportunities to explore

You've built the foundation. What's the next layer?

Every productive agent eventually faces the same decision: keep operating the way that created their initial success, or deliberately build the systems and relationships that will support the next stage.

I see five areas worth exploring in your business.

Building more business you control

From opportunity to ownership.

Your brokerage has built a strong buyer-lead operation, and access to that infrastructure can have real value.

The opportunity I'd want to explore is how much of your production comes through company-generated opportunities and how much comes from relationships, referrals, and systems you've developed personally.

There's no reason to abandon a lead source that's working. But there may be considerable value in building additional sources of business that remain connected to you.

→ More control over your future pipeline

Developing the client relationships you've earned

Every closing should strengthen your next year.

You've already served clients who speak highly of the experience you provided. Those relationships are an asset.

What happens after the transaction?

A deliberate client communication system could help turn excellent service into future introductions, repeat relationships, and referral opportunities.

The objective isn't more automated messages. It's staying meaningfully connected to the people who already trust you.

→ Turn good client experiences into long-term relationships

Developing a stronger seller business

Your buyer experience can become seller credibility.

You've spent meaningful time representing buyers across a wide range of properties and communities.

That experience gives you a practical understanding of what buyers notice, how they compare homes, and what influences their decisions.

Those insights can strengthen your seller consultations and listing strategy.

If building your listing business is a priority, I see an opportunity to develop a clear and repeatable approach around the experience you already possess.

→ Build the listing business you want

Establishing a more distinct market identity

Known everywhere, or known for something?

Your production and website show experience across multiple Southern California communities.

That geographic reach has advantages.

At the same time, there may be an opportunity to become more recognizable in a specific city, neighborhood, or client segment.

Irvine is an interesting starting point, given the concentration of your recent transactions.

The right direction depends on what kind of clients and business you most enjoy.

→ Make your market positioning intentional

Putting your marketing experience to work

Your professional background deserves a bigger role.

You came into real estate with experience in corporate marketing and customer management.

I would be interested in exploring how much of that experience is already reflected in your individual real estate brand.

With a more structured content strategy, better database organization, and practical AI tools, you could build a marketing operation that works consistently without requiring you to create everything manually.

→ Turn existing strengths into repeatable systems

None of these opportunities requires starting over. They start with understanding what already works.

Let's discuss the opportunities

05 / Where your business could grow

You already know the territory. Now let's choose where to build authority.

Your recent transactions show meaningful experience in Irvine and the surrounding Southern California market.

That creates an interesting strategic decision: continue serving a broad region, establish a stronger geographic specialty, or develop a deliberate combination of both.

Last 12-month volume by city · Courted

Irvine

46.0% · $2,460,000 · 3 transactions

Tustin

21.7% · $1,160,000 · 1 transaction

Santa Ana

18.5% · $987,500 · 1 transaction

Murrieta

13.8% · $740,000 · 1 transaction

A / The Irvine opportunity

Your strongest concentration of recent production is in Irvine. A focused strategy could build on that existing experience through neighborhood knowledge, targeted market communication, client introductions, and a consistent local presence.

B / The buyer-to-seller opportunity

Understanding what buyers actually want creates an advantage when working with sellers. Your recent transactions provide experiences you can use to develop stronger pricing conversations, property-preparation recommendations, and listing presentations.

C / The personal brand opportunity

Your background in marketing, your ability to communicate in English and Korean, and your established client reviews create meaningful foundations for an individual identity. The next step is choosing a clear positioning strategy and building consistent activity around it.

More territory doesn't automatically mean more business. Sometimes a clearer strategy creates more opportunity than a larger map.

06 / The platform behind the plan

Good tools create access. A real partnership turns them into action.

Anvil has built an established operation, including meaningful buyer-lead resources. I respect what they've created.

My interest isn't in telling you that everything would be better somewhere else.

It's in understanding what you've already built and exploring whether First Team's platform, combined with the way I work personally with agents, could help you accomplish something different.

Area

Your existing foundation

What we could build together

Lead generation

Your existing foundation

Existing brokerage opportunities and buyer experience

What we could build together

A structured plan to develop additional personally generated opportunities and referrals

Individual brand

Your existing foundation

Your professional website, published reviews, and marketing background

What we could build together

A clearer market identity, individual campaigns, and stronger brand consistency

Buyer relationships

Your existing foundation

Demonstrated buyer representation experience

What we could build together

Database follow-up, RealScout client cultivation, and an ongoing referral strategy

Listings

Your existing foundation

Historical listing transactions and meaningful buyer-market knowledge

What we could build together

A personalized seller-acquisition strategy backed by First Team's listing resources

Business technology

Your existing foundation

Existing company resources and your current working processes

What we could build together

Hands-on CRM organization, targeted AI applications, and practical workflow improvements

Business growth

Your existing foundation

Your current production model and support network

What we could build together

A personal growth plan with direct strategy sessions, implementation, and accountability

The First Team platform

Marketing resources, technology, legal support, local market tools, buyer and seller programs, relocation relationships, and a respected Southern California brokerage brand.

The Jacob Lawlor partnership

Personal business strategy, implementation support, AI integration, coaching, accountability, and a commitment to helping agents use the resources available to them.

First Team provides the platform.
I provide the strategy and execution.
You get a growth partnership built around your business.

Explore the growth plan

07 / What this looks like in practice

Different agents. Different goals. Real examples of what's possible.

I don't believe every agent needs the same strategy.

What works for an experienced top producer may be completely different from what works for someone developing a personal brand or a stronger listing business.

These are three agents I've worked with, each with a different starting point and a different opportunity.

Relationships into production

Turning natural strengths into an extraordinary business.

Valerie entered real estate after working in hair salons. She already knew how to connect with people and earn trust.

We built her business strategy around those natural abilities rather than trying to turn her into someone she wasn't.

By combining relationship development with clear business strategy and consistent action, Valerie built meaningful momentum.

$50M+

Volume in first three years

$23M+

2025 sales volume

91%

2025 production growth

“His coaching and marketing strategies have helped me grow my real estate business with more confidence and clarity.”
— Valerie Bourg

The listing and brand opportunity

Taking an established agent into a new market.

Marlene joined from a boutique brokerage with experience and talent, but wanted more proactive support in building her personal brand and entering the coastal luxury market.

Together, we developed her market positioning, connected her with First Team's marketing resources, and built a plan around the business she wanted to attract.

$4M+

Listing secured within 90 days

$10M

Volume closed within six months

68%

Year-over-year growth reported

“His one-on-one training, guidance, and support with personalizing my brand have been beyond anything I expected from a manager.”
— Marlene Hennings

Modern systems and AI

Finding new opportunity inside existing relationships.

Sharon was already a respected, productive real estate professional.

Rather than teaching her how to sell real estate, we focused on using AI, smarter communication, and more intentional relationship strategies to identify opportunities within her established network.

The results demonstrated how much additional value can exist inside relationships an experienced agent has already developed.

$24M

Approximate annual production

$10M+ buyer opportunities identified

76%

Increase in average sale price

Buyer opportunities identified are prospective, not completed transactions.

“He is always there when his agents need him, ready to help, offer guidance, and share his deep understanding of the industry.”
— Sharon Custer

These are individual experiences, not promises about what another agent will achieve. The important pattern is that each agent received a strategy built around what they already did well.

Let's build a plan for your business

08 / The right tools for the right problems

Technology should support your business. Not become another job.

James, given your background in marketing and customer management, I suspect you'll appreciate the difference between having software and having an actual working process.

These are the First Team resources I'd start by exploring with you, based on the direction you want your business to take.

Follow Up Boss

Personally owned relationship and pipeline management.

Organize your existing database, create meaningful follow-up categories, track future opportunities, and make it easier to maintain relationships after closing.

RealScout

Buyer cultivation and engagement intelligence.

Keep future buyers connected with relevant properties while understanding their search activity and timing.

Sneak Preview + Buyer Delivery System

Early inventory awareness and internal buyer demand.

Create additional ways to serve active buyers and develop stronger seller conversations around the demand First Team can help identify.

Does not guarantee access to every off-market property or a buyer for any listing.

Market Trends + Branded CMA

Local market authority.

Turn housing-market data into useful conversations with buyers, homeowners, and future sellers, especially in the communities where you choose to build your presence.

Listing Activity Report

Seller communication.

Show sellers what is happening with their property's marketing, exposure, and activity through consistent professional reporting.

Luxury Presence + MAXA

Individual branding and marketing.

Strengthen the visual and written identity of your business through websites, landing pages, professional marketing materials, and consistent campaigns.

Testimonial Tree

Reputation development.

Build a systematic way to request feedback and strengthen the visibility of the positive client experiences you're already creating.

First Team Forward

Potential solutions for move-up homeowners.

Explore eligible buy-before-you-sell options that may help homeowners overcome timing challenges when purchasing their next property.

Subject to program eligibility and approval requirements. Financing and eligibility are not guaranteed.

Tools are only valuable when they get used. That's where my role becomes different.

We could use AI to organize your marketing ideas, prepare personalized client communication, create market-specific content, develop listing presentations, and simplify repetitive parts of your workflow.

Not to replace your client relationships.

To give you more time to develop them.

JACOB LAWLOR

Regional Branch Manager
First Team Real Estate
Mission Viejo + San Clemente

09 / Who you would be working with

The company matters. So does the person beside you.

James, my role at First Team goes beyond running the Mission Viejo and San Clemente offices.

I work directly with agents on the actual mechanics of building a stronger business.

That includes examining where their transactions originate, identifying the opportunities they're leaving on the table, putting better systems around their existing strengths, and helping them use modern tools and AI in practical ways.

I don't expect an experienced agent to start over.

I want to understand what they're already doing well and help them do more of it, with greater consistency and better organization.

Pillar 1 · Strategy

Define what you want your business to become, identify the opportunities most aligned with your strengths, and build a focused plan around them.

Pillar 2 · Execution

Work together to set up the actual systems, client campaigns, market plans, and follow-up habits. A business plan isn't useful if it never gets put into practice.

Pillar 3 · Modern AI and systems

Use practical technology to strengthen your marketing, communications, preparation, and follow-up without losing the personal service that makes your client experience valuable.

Your effort deserves better leverage.

That's the partnership I'd want you to evaluate. Not whether I can offer you more tools, but whether I can help you use the right ones to build the business you want.

Get to know Jacob Lawlor

10 / A potential working plan

Let's make the next chapter intentional.

If we decided there was a good reason to work together, I wouldn't start by handing you a generic training calendar.

I'd start by understanding how your business works today, where your best opportunities originate, and what kind of production and lifestyle you want to build.

Your existing foundation

Successful buyer transactions
Established client testimonials
Your own professional website
Corporate marketing experience
Experience across Southern California
A history of meaningful production growth

What we could develop

More personally generated opportunities
Stronger repeat and referral activity
A deliberate listing-growth strategy
Clearer geographic market positioning
Better-organized client relationships
Practical AI and marketing workflows
A business plan tied to your goals

The business math

At your recorded average sale price, even a few additional transactions can materially change the numbers.

~$7.13M

~$8.91M

~$10.70M

8 transactions

10 transactions

12 transactions

Calculations use the Courted rolling average sale price of approximately $891,250. These figures are arithmetic illustrations using a constant average price, not predictions. Your actual results depend on clients, market conditions, transaction economics, and execution.

A possible first 30 days

WEEK 1

Understand the business

Review your existing lead sources, database, expenses, client relationships, conversion rates, and current pipeline.

WEEK 2

Build the foundation

Organize the priority systems, align your personal brand, and identify the client groups and markets offering the clearest opportunities.

WEEK 3

Launch the first initiatives

Begin a deliberate client relationship campaign, a targeted market strategy, and the first practical AI-supported workflows.

WEEK 4

Measure and refine

Review real activity, adjust the plan, and establish a consistent working rhythm around your production goals.

The objective wouldn't be to change everything about how you work. It would be to identify a few improvements that could make a meaningful difference.

11 / Our next conversation

I have some ideas. I'd rather hear yours first.

James, this research gives me a starting point, but it doesn't tell me everything about your business.

It doesn't tell me what you enjoy most, what frustrates you, what your goals are, or which opportunities are already producing your best results.

That's what makes the conversation worthwhile.

01
“What part of your business are you most proud of building so far?”
02
“What changed between 2024 and your strong production year in 2025?”
03
“How much of your business comes from company opportunities compared with clients and relationships you've developed yourself?”
04
“Would you like to develop more listings, or is your ideal business primarily buyer-focused?”
05
“If you could change one thing about the way your business operates today, what would it be?”
06
“Two years from now, what would have to be different for you to feel you've reached the next level?”

My goal for our conversation is simple. I want to understand where you are, where you're trying to go, and whether I can offer something meaningful to help you get there.

Confirm or reschedule

Let's take a closer look at what's possible.

James, we're scheduled for our follow-up conversation on Friday, October 16, 2026, at 4:00 PM Pacific via Zoom.

I'm looking forward to hearing more about your business and sharing a few specific ideas.

If you need to confirm any details or adjust the time, you can reach me directly.

Text Jacob Email Jacob

Jacob Lawlor · 949-201-0899 · JacobLawlor@FirstTeam.com

First Team Real Estate · Mission Viejo Office

FRIDAY

OCTOBER 16, 2026

4:00 PM PACIFIC

ZOOM FOLLOW-UP CONVERSATION

Prepared for James Choi

You've already built something valuable. Let's see what comes next.

James, you've demonstrated that you can develop relationships, serve clients, and produce meaningful results.

I respect that.

If there's an opportunity to help you build a more consistent, personally owned, and scalable business, I'd enjoy exploring it with you.

And if there isn't, I still think we'll have a worthwhile conversation.

Either way, I look forward to meeting with you.

Jacob Lawlor

Regional Branch Manager
First Team Real Estate
Mission Viejo + San Clemente

Let's map out the plan

First Team provides the platform. Jacob provides the execution.