Above: Joe Simms
There’s an adage about “old dogs and new tricks,” but Joe Simms—leader of the Joe Simms Group, a family-centric team at RE/MAX Properties East in Louisville, Kentucky—will have none of that. In fact, after more than four decades as a real estate professional, Simms decided at age 70 that he was going to shake things up and chart a new course for his career by enrolling in Buffini & Company’s One2One Coaching program.
By doing so, in relatively short order he earned his team the Certified Full-Service Professional (CFSP) designation, and was seeing great results in his day-to-day workflow. Looking back at that decision and the sequence of events that followed, Simms points to it as being the best thing he ever did.
Growing up in Manton, Kentucky, Simms earned degrees in economics and business administration from Western Kentucky University. He also obtained a real estate degree.
Breaking into the business as an agent with Century 21 in 1979, Simms ventured over to become part of RE/MAX in 1999—and he never looked back. In 2003, he began putting a team together, and one year later, he co-purchased RE/MAX Associates, which merged with RE/MAX Properties East in 2020.
2004 also marked the beginning of his association with Buffini & Company, and ever since, the Joe Simms Group has consistently ranked among Kentucky’s top sales teams.
A well-respected industry leader, Simms has served as vice president and president of the Greater Louisville Association of REALTORS® while remaining involved in both the Kentucky Association of REALTORS® and the National Association of REALTORS®.
Between himself and two experienced real estate agents who are REALTORS®, one a former colleague he recruited away from Century 21, as well as his two daughters, the Joe Simms Group boasts an amazing 140 years of combined real estate experience.
That experience has helped him survive the ups and downs of the Louisville housing market, instilling in him a confidence he shares with his team and colleagues as they collectively weather the challenges present today.
“We’ve had a pretty good year so far, and last year was pretty good, too,” explains Simms. “We came in at No. 8 in the state, but as I like to tell folks, when it comes to no drama, my team is consistently No. 1. Mentally, physically and financially, I’ve learned how drama takes a toll.”
Facing many of the same pressure points shared by colleagues across the country, Simms notes that the Louisville market is still seeing a shortage of inventory—especially in the range below the $350,000 threshold—which is leading to a lot of showings and multiple offers.
Drilling down further, Simms goes on to explain that while interest rates continue to fluctuate, people are adapting to the higher rates. “I think they realize that if they can get into a home now, they can always refinance if the rates come down from there.”
While it’s been over two decades since Simms incorporated the full spectrum of Buffini & Company coaching programs into the mix, he maintains an enthusiastic connection to those methods and everything that has sprung from them over the years.
“I was a mentor, the person trained to lead those education classes,” says Simms, “and I loved Brian Buffini’s approach to sales, how he treated his clients and how he taught his agents to treat their clients, as it’s the way I enjoy selling.”
In 2020, as the COVID era was just beginning, Simms merged his office into RE/MAX Properties East, which freed him of a lot of administrative tasks. But it also brought him to a period of reflection.
“I was kind of not focused, or better yet, not accountable—and accountability is something that is overlooked a lot,” reveals Simms, who was listening to one of Buffini’s podcasts about coaching and decided to sign himself up.
Not only did his coach help reel him back to focusing on some of the basics that kept him busy, but he also kept him accountable.
“I’ve never been happier to be focused. I was loving the work, and I was loving my team, but I was missing being accountable to somebody,” says Simms, who recently made another big push to place his team even further ahead of the competition through the CFSP designation.
“I truly believe that the more complicated real estate gets, the more important it is for clients to see not only our experience, but that we have the training and certifications to make buyers and sellers feel confident that we know what we’re talking about,” adds Simms. “That’s so important today, and we lead with that in all of our marketing and advertising.”
Buffini & Company’s commitment to service is another tried-and-true aspect Simms holds in high regard.
“Service has gone by the wayside with a lot of companies, but it hasn’t with Buffini,” he says. “It’s like businesses used to operate, with that important person-to-person interaction. You have to work hard for your clients, and respect your clients, but the big thing is follow-up. That’s huge. We work really hard on the follow-up.”
As he turns his attention back to the continued professional development of his team, Simms returns to the importance of coaching.
“I tell my agents to financially plan to include Buffini & Company coaching, to set aside the money and rather than sticking their toe in, to jump right in,” says Simms. “I pay a certain amount every month, but the ROI comes in the form of expertise and knowledge from a coach who talks to people all over the country. So for that monthly investment, I get the CRM—which is the best CRM I’ve ever seen—I get the education, and I learn about what’s happening in other states that might happen here. It’s the best bargain you can sign up for.”
Reflecting on the many things he’s learned through his association with Buffini & Company throughout the years, Simms doesn’t hesitate for a second about note cards being the No. 1 thing he still does every day.
“The challenge was that I have horrible handwriting, and it takes forever for me to write notes, so my coach, Tony, helped me devise a template so I can type my personal note but then sign and address it by hand,” says Simms. “It sounds like a minor thing, but I hold myself to sending out 30 a month. It’s all about getting it done…and accountability.”
For more information, please visit https://www.buffini.com/cfsp.
Editor’s note: this article was updated on June 5 to reflect updated trademark usage guidance from NAR.
