Meet Kevin Bond | Realtor with RE/MAX Real Estate Group

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kevin Bond and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kevin, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
Within the last year I’ve come to understand time blocking. Being self-employed means that you get to set your own hours, but then you also HAVE to set them. You can easily get sidetracked with personal and family life and push the work stuff out until it finally gets pushed to the next day, and the next.

At first, time blocking to me meant that at a specific time every morning, I would do the same thing. I’d have the same routine, start working at 9 a.m., take a break at noon for lunch, and get some other work stuff done from 1-5 p.m.

Because I live in reality, and I’m a dad, and a husband, and because of COVID which normalized the work from home structure, my time is not linear. I can’t always be ready to start working at 9 a.m., sometimes I don’t get started until 11 a.m. Sometimes I don’t get any work done that day.

That’s ok.

I’m in it for the long haul, and the work will get done. My life isn’t any busier than anybody else’s.

And that’s where I started to understand time blocking as not setting aside a specific time to work, or to be with family, but to set aside the time AS IT CAME UP.

So I wouldn’t actually get to start working until 9:30 a.m.? Then I’d start working then, and I’d set a stopwatch, to count how long I’d been working.

Who cares if I worked from 9-12, or from 3-6 p.m., or from 3-6 a.m., or from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m., as long as those same three hours of work got done?

If I was counting my time that I worked from home, then I could give myself evidence that I had indeed been productive for the day. That accountability made all the difference for me.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
So I’ve been a real estate agent for 5 years now, with RE/MAX Real Estate Group in Colorado Springs. Before that I didn’t really have a great job skill, so I spent a lot of time working at bars, restaurants, offices, just trying to find something that I was passionate about. I got a later start in discovering something I liked, and once I got going in real estate, it was a great match for me!

I’ve been working for the same office (RE/MAX Real Estate Group) since I got my license. Learning the legal stuff in order to get my license was not exciting, but learning the basics of real estate on a real estate team while I studied for my license was!

The getting clients part was the much harder part. It takes a lot of networking and referrals in order to get there. Some real estate agents I’ve heard of did huge amounts of business in their first year. I wasn’t that lucky, or maybe I wasn’t that hardworking, but I’m at a point finally where I can make a living and pay my bills, and I’m very grateful for that!

Starting any business is hard. It usually means that you have to live below your means for the first several years before you finally start making enough to live normally. I had to make sacrifices in the beginning, and learn through a lot of trial and error, how to have a successful real estate business.

I really enjoy discovering new information about the local market in Colorado Springs, and the whole state of Colorado. I pay attention to the real estate market trends, nationally and locally. I like being one of the first to learn about real estate related events and news in Colorado Springs.

As an example of fun fact trivia I know, although Denver has a larger population the Colorado Springs (700k vs 464k, respectively), the real estate market trends are very similar for both cities. They have very similar levels of inventory, days on market, and home appreciation rates, though Denver is typically more expensive. Also, as an aside, the whole Denver metro population is at nearly 3 million.

What sets me apart from other agents is responsiveness, knowledge, and networking. I answer my phone. To me this is common sense, but so many people complain to me about other agents not answering their phones.

I enjoy taking classes to broaden and deepen my knowledge of things like appraisals, lenders, title companies, negotiating, legal stuff, etc. I also have connections with many different local businesses and contractors, and I continue to grow and develop my list of vendors I know, like, and trust.

What I’ve grown into in my career is a sense of competency, and the ability to explain it to a first-time homebuyer. I take the time to inform people, and to give them my opinions based on my experience and knowledge.

I respond, I know a lot of things about real estate, and I try to help people buy or sell a house, condo, townhome, or land.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Well you have to see Garden of the Gods, that’s for sure. I know it’s a tourist trap, but I promise you you’ll be in and out way quicker than a day at Disneyland, and you get to see natural vertical red rocks that tower in the sky!

Colorado Springs is right next to Pikes Peak, so you want to take advantage of the natural scenery and dry climate as much as possible. If Garden of the Gods is too busy for you, try Red Rocks Canyon, just south of GotG. Similar scenery and rocks, and fewer people.

Definitely visit Pikes Peak, whether you drive up to the Summit House, hike up the mountain, or take the Cog Railway up.

There are also some in city natural parks you can hike in, like Palmer Park, Ute Valley Park, Austin Bluffs Open Space, and the smaller Sunset Mesa Open Space. They are all beautiful!

There is also the Sante Fe Regional Trail that run north and south through Colorado Springs.

For restaurants, my wife and I like Mirch Masala (Indian) and Thai Taste, both next door to each other. We have been trying to cook at home more though, and if you’re looking for quality local beef, lamb, pork, and chicken, there are a couple great companies that I know of, like Ranch Foods Direct, and Corner Post Meats.

Try out Mueller State Park also, which is in the mountains west of Colorado Springs. Get lost in over 5,000 acres of mountains!

That’s the best part of Colorado Springs is the hiking, and getting outside. Fewer bugs too, so you can enjoy being outside!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’m grateful to my parents, for having the patience and love to raise me with a strong moral compass, and to my wife, for being the most loving, kindest, most supportive partner I could ask for.

Website: https://www.kevinjamesbond.com

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Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJbzSodHbzXRuBPq92Ba0g