For team leader Khrista Jarvis, every day is a new opportunity to prove that women not only do it all, but do so with grace under pressure.
Jarvis, along with business partner Nicole Jung and their 11-woman team in Contra Costa County, who last year recorded more than 300 transactions and $600 million in sales, was named the top medium-sized team in Northern California last year, according to industry rankings, and fifth in the nation.
Operating from their own suite of offices in Danville, the team recently affiliated with Coldwell Banker Realty as a founding member of the brand’s Global Luxury Lifestyle Ambassador Program, a move that enables team members to combine their intimate knowledge of the local market with the global reach of a major enterprise, Jarvis noted.
“As mothers, as well as very busy real estate professionals,” says Jarvis, “our goal is to provide flexibility and support for all of our team members while providing 24/7 white glove service all over the world to every one of our elite clients.”
Barbara Pronin: What brought you into NorCal real estate, Khrista?
Khrista Jarvis: I was born and brought up right here in the San Ramon Valley and graduated from St. Mary’s College in 1996 intending to be a journalist. But I started working as an assistant to a close family friend who was a REALTOR®, and the rest is history. I loved everything about it—and still do! I learned fast and worked hard, and in 2000, I was ready to go out on my own.
BP: When did you team with Nicole?
KJ: About 15 years ago. Nicole’s background is in the legal industry. She was just getting into real estate when we met through a family connection—and we bonded instantly. She has a keen eye for detail, and we were both very busy, so it didn’t take long to realize we needed help. We started with a transaction coordinator, which gave us more time to build business, and we’ve been building the team ever since.
BP: What’s the make-up of the team today?
KJ: We are four agents and a support team of seven, including a listing coordinator, marketers and a full-time designer who ensures our high-end listings are seen at their absolute best.
BP: How do you organize and communicate with a team of 11?
KJ: The goal is to provide seamless service. We have a weekly team meeting, of course, plus several smaller meetings, and we talk and text all the time as we need to. Our clients have our personal cellphone numbers, and we couldn’t do the volume of business we do if we were not fully in tune and able to step in for one another at a moment’s notice.
BP: What’s the secret to your success, both personally and as a team?
KJ: Three things, I think. First, because work-life balance is so incredibly important, the great support of my husband and family as well as the flexibility our team allows for. Second, we have been a part of this amazing community for 25 years. Our kids go to local schools, we support local charities, and we’re a constant and natural presence at community events. Everybody knows us. They know what we do, and how well we do it. And third, our exemplary service. Every one of our clients truly feels that they are our only client—and that is exactly how we want it.
BP: How have these pandemic years impacted your business?
KJ: What the last couple of years has taught us is that we have to be able to change and adapt to do the best job for our high-end clients. For example, many of our clients are now more mobile than ever given that they can work from wherever in the world they wish to live. It’s one reason we enjoy having access to Coldwell Banker’s international reach.
BP: What do you foresee in the luxury market in the months ahead?
KJ: We are still seeing heated competition in a low-inventory market. We were able to negotiate $38 million-plus over asking price for our sellers last year, and I’m looking forward to another banner year in 2022.
BP: Is there any further team expansion in your plans?
KJ: The real estate world never sleeps, and our objective, always, is unparalleled service to an elite clientele. We have been focused primarily here in the East Bay area, that is, east of San Francisco, where we live, but as we attract more clients from South Bay—Santa Clara and the Silicon Valley—we are absolutely open to expanding to meet demand.
For more information, please visit www.khristajarvisteam.com.
Barbara Pronin is a contributing editor to RISMedia.
