How to Real Estate Today
Raw, unfiltered real estate conversations about how to win in real estate today. We're here for real estate agents, investors, flippers, buyers and sellers.
How to Real Estate Today
18: Kim Buckner Talks Growth + Strategy
What if I told you that you don’t have to navigate the real estate world alone? This podcast was created for women just like you—agents juggling business, life, and everything in between—who crave real conversations, heartfelt support, and practical wisdom. Join Rebecca Green, Kim Borcherding, and Kim Buckner as they share their journeys, lessons, and laughter to remind you that success is sweeter when it’s shared. Let’s grow together—press play when you’re ready.
In this episode of How to Real Estate Today, we’re sitting down with Kim Buckner—a Real Estate Coach for Women, Course Creator, and proud new Grandma—to talk about what it really takes to juggle family life and a thriving real estate business. From boundary-setting and burnout to raising the bar when business gets slow, Kim brings the kind of perspective every woman in real estate needs to hear. We dive into how the industry often pushes women to compromise their time, energy, and standards—and why it’s time to stop. Plus, Kim shares her latest passion project: the W.I.R.E Mastermind (Women in Real Estate) launching April 30th, and her brand new Buyer & Seller Guide templates that are helping agents show up more confidently in any market. If you’ve ever struggled with saying no, felt isolated in your career, or wondered how to build a business that works with your life, not against it—this one’s for you.
📍Rebecca Green + Co. -https://www.rebeccagreen.co
📍Kim Borcherding- @heykimborcherding
📍Kim Buckner- Women in Real Estate- https://www.kimbucknerrealtor.com/wire
Takeaways:
- Building a real estate career takes time and experience.
- Authentic coaching is essential for individual growth.
- Women in real estate can benefit from supportive communities.
- Maintaining high standards is crucial, especially in tough markets.
- Mindset plays a significant role in achieving success.
- Agents should focus on building their own equity.
- Managing expectations is key to avoiding burnout.
- Continuous learning and adaptation are vital for success. Get comfortable with saying no to maintain balance.
- Clients may not remember specific details but will remember how they felt.
- Don't sacrifice personal time for clients who won't appreciate it.
Rebecca Green (00:02)
Hi there, welcome to How to Real Estate Today. I'm Rebecca Green. I'm here with my co-host Kim Borcharding and our guest Kim Buckner. We're really excited to unpackage real estate with a twist and a new voice. So Kim, thanks for joining us.
Kim Buckner (00:19)
Thank you guys for having me.
Kim Borcherding (00:19)
Yep.
Yes, guys, I have been dying to get Kim on this podcast when we were planning this a long time ago. And I'm thinking about all the people I want to have on my podcast. Kim was definitely top on the list. So Kim and I know each other because we're both licensed real estate agents at EXP Realty. And I actually coach with Kim, I don't know, a year or two ago when I actually had this idea that I was going to build out my team.
And then I went sideways, like, nevermind, I'm putting that down, I'm going a different direction. So I coach with Kim. I know she's a great friend and somebody I truly respect and value. So Kim, excited to have you here today. Can you just share, so Rebecca really doesn't know much about you other than I speak highly of you. Can you share a little bit about who you are and your story personally and also kind of professionally?
Kim Buckner (01:11)
Sure, first of all, thank you. Thank you so much for your very kind and gracious words. I love you to pieces. So I'll send you your check later. But I have been in real estate for 15 years. And it started out just I was an individual agent. And then just kind of progressively, you know how it just it builds, right? And I had no idea what I was doing. But about, I don't know, maybe five years and
Rebecca Green (01:19)
You
Kim Buckner (01:41)
or
so, it started to go really well. I started to build out a team again, not knowing what I was doing. And in the interim of all of this, I ended up being offered a position. I was at a very large company, and I was offered the position of team leader and CEO. And I thought, my gosh, like, what am I, I have no business doing something like that, right? But I was always taught, if you have an opportunity, say yes to it. And if it works, great. And if it doesn't move on.
Right, so it did it did indeed I did that for about six years almost seven I guess and in three different states And the just the leadership journey alone of learning how to I took that office We had about 98 agents when I started and after four years, I built it to 250 so Building a staff built, you know taking care of agents all the things It was a learning experience. I do think it took about 26 years
Rebecca Green (02:39)
Thank
Kim Buckner (02:41)
off of my life and the money that I made was put into Botox and injections to recover.
Rebecca Green (02:42)
Thank
Kim Buckner (02:50)
from the damage done. However, it was a phenomenal learning experience, right? And was one of those things that if I had to do it over again, I would definitely do it. I would do it differently, but I would do it. And the biggest takeaway I can say is I learned in that journey is I spent a long time building wealth for other people. spent a lot of energy and a lot of time building something and protecting something and making something profitable that was not mine, right? They paid me handsomely. I don't mean to make it
like I was on the corner with a cup, but it was by no means right what they were being compensated. So in all of that, part of that was I coached our top producers. So like the top 20 % of that office, I coached them. And so then I decided to get formal training and I did that and I became a coach with one of the larger organizations. And when you're a part of those organizations, you are told who you will coach, how you will coach, your calls are recorded, you need to say this, you need to
Rebecca Green (03:22)
Thanks
Thank you.
Kim Buckner (03:50)
say
that and that was just not how I operated. Not at all. I mean if I'm coaching Kim her needs are very different than then Rebecca's needs right and so and the way that I talk to her has to be very different right she receives things differently than you receive things.
Rebecca Green (03:58)
Totally.
Kim Buckner (04:07)
And so I decided to venture out on my own. And so I started Bucktown coaching, gosh, six years ago, 2019. And then about three years ago, I made the decision to only coach women. So the long and short of it is, I am a realtor who has worn many hats. I've been in leadership roles, coaching roles, as far as administrative, whatever you would wanna call that, as far as a leadership role.
In a company, I built a team for myself. I've helped other agents build teams. And now I am in all of that. The thing I can say is I was just on a mastermind right before this, and it's all women and they're all really big producers. And one of them is a brand new mom. And she was really struggling with some hiring issues on her team. And I said, the only piece of advice I can give you is remember to keep the main thing the main thing.
And the main thing will always be your marriage and your children and your family. And as long as you do that, everything will fall into place. You will get screwed. People will mess over you. People will lie to It will happen, right? All the things will happen. And as long as you keep your priorities straight and in alignment with where they should be, it will all work out. I can assure you will not work out the way you planned or the way you thought.
Kim Borcherding (05:29)
you
Kim Buckner (05:31)
But it will all work out. So I can say in being now in my 50s that that is much easier for me to do than it was when I was in my 30s. I struggled with that a lot.
Rebecca Green (05:44)
When
Kim said earlier, when Kim Borgerding said earlier that we were, you know, soul sisters from different coasts, I could not have listened to that story and resonated anymore. Like it resonated with me so much. You you talked about, so I ran the marketing and business development for a Sotheby's franchise in Oregon and Southwest Washington.
hired 200 agents, started, there were only 50 agents, wore lots of different hats in that organization. You talked about like, wait, I'm building somebody else's business. And I speak to that by saying, you you have to stop building equity in somebody else's business and start building equity in your own. And at the end of the day, to be honest with you, 250 agents later, I was like, whoa, that is like way too many agents in my space all the time.
I mean agents are different breed, right? I love them, but like that was a lot. And so when I went back to my own business, you know, all of the things that you spoke about, building the team, know, worrying about family and making sure that you set your priorities, like that all resonated with me so, so much. But also the idea of, you know, not building equity in somebody else's business.
but also what you talked about was experiencing. And I heard you talk a lot about like layering, you're layering different things into your business over time instead of diving in and taking it all at once. you know, that absolutely resonated. then lastly, I'll say the whole idea that, you know, I always speak to, and the coaching journey, our journeys are similar. I always speak to, you know, I try to meet agents where they are. Right. You know, meeting agents where they are.
different stages of their life and stages of their career. And you mentioned like, you know, the different, you know, in a training capacity, say this, do this, here's your, I don't know how that works with every agent because we're all so individual. And I love that you, you know, tapped into that right away. Like, no, this is not for me because it doesn't seem realistic or authentic.
Kim Buckner (07:55)
No, and mean years, I cannot tell
you the training. It was the most intense experience. Again, wonderful, it was phenomenal. I got to train with some phenomenal leaders and just the expectations and all the things. It was literally a full-time job. I'm not even remotely kidding. Going through the training process to be a coach with them. And now I look at it and I just think it was literally the most unauthentic.
Rebecca Green (08:01)
Yeah.
Kim Borcherding (08:21)
you
Kim Buckner (08:23)
It just, you you again, you do you have to meet people where they are. I am going through that leadership journey. It was probably one of the biggest gifts that I took away from that was being able to read personalities, right and very quickly understand what type of personality someone is, how I can or cannot speak to them, how they will receive what I say to them, right, how they are going to retain and absorb the things that I say to them. And that has served me tremendously, whether it's in coaching or in real estate or just in relationships in general. But in all
Rebecca Green (08:47)
So smart.
Kim Buckner (08:53)
of those things and I can say this now as someone you know in my 50s and and being done with that portion of my life is all of those people that I spent so much time as far as in that organization right the people that were above me that I was making money for the agents that I was like pouring into and losing sleep over and all the things none of those people are in my life today now my husband and kids are still here
right? None of those people, right, in spite of, right, but none of those people are in my life today. You know what? I will say this. I do get, I'm gonna say probably
Kim Borcherding (09:21)
Yeah
I'm sure you get a Christmas card from them, Kim, thanking you for all the effort.
Kim Buckner (09:34)
six calls a year of gratitude, which is phenomenal, but I'm going to say six at most out of 250 human beings, right? Not to mention the 25 above me that were making a shit ton of money over me. bleep, sorry. But.
Kim Borcherding (09:49)
Yep.
Rebecca Green (09:49)
Okay, okay, wait, this
is like a bit of a segue. This is a bit of a segue because this is such a weird, I've been in the business just to, I mean, I've been in the business for 30 some years, right? I've worn different hats, just like you, different brokerages, everything. What you're speaking to is something Kim and I talk about a lot. Real estate is such a weird industry, right? Like such a weird industry. And like this brokerage model where you're all like here and you're.
siloed based on the location. You're siloed based on like you were working for a certain group. Like your network, your community are these people you didn't pick, you didn't choose, right? And then you leave and they have the most amazing amount of respect for you and then admiration, appreciation, all of this. And then you leave and you're dead to them.
Kim Buckner (10:35)
Right, yeah. And I mean, the constant, I need you, can you you know, all the things, have you got a minute, can I pick your brain, can I meet with, you know, and you're spending hours with these people, you know, talking them through God knows what, right? And they're just not in your life today. And so it really did teach me. Yeah, it really.
Rebecca Green (10:54)
If as professional,
we could just appreciate people for people regardless of where they were, what brokerage they were. Kim and I love this because she's an EXP broker, I'm a real broker. If we could just appreciate people more as professionals, I think the industry would grow in ways that it really needs to grow. So I'm sorry you've been through that, I've totally been through it as well.
Kim Buckner (11:17)
It's the same.
No, literally I wouldn't
be where I am today if it weren't for those experiences, right? All of those things have added up to where I am today. And so they really were blessings in disguise, right? But yeah, most models really are severely antiquated. And if agents really could see how much that is holding them back and just how small-minded the average agent is. But I mean, again, this goes back to when you look at the statistics of last year, right? It was insane. It was like 70 %
Rebecca Green (11:24)
Yeah.
Kim Buckner (11:50)
of agents sold two or fewer homes like that's crazy
Rebecca Green (11:53)
Yeah, less than two months.
Kim Buckner (11:56)
Yeah, that is crazy. So when you talk about like there isn't, there's clearly a gap, right? There's clearly a need there that agents aren't getting, you know, in traditional places. And I will say, in our group as well, Kim, like even being at eXp, one of the things I didn't realize was how critical it was, like which group you became a part of. My old company, when you signed up with your sponsor, it didn't matter. It didn't matter who your sponsor was, because you really never even connected with them again. And they had nothing to do with individual organizations, right?
You could pick whoever's a sponsor, move on, all is well. Here, I got really fortunate, really fortunate. And I mean, just like ridiculously lucky because I had no clue. was just like a, you know, kind of throwing a dart that I did not join a local group. And I joined a group that was across the country, which was just unheard of, right? And really outside the box for people here. But I kind of live outside the box. That's my zone. It's my comfort place.
Kim Borcherding (12:51)
I'm
Rebecca Green (12:52)
You thought out community.
I think we all have common thread here. We all thought out community in a very different way than an office location or a brand. We sought out community based on like-minded individuals. We sought out community based on people who were doing things differently, out of the box.
Kim Buckner (13:04)
Yes.
Rebecca Green (13:14)
we sought out community where we could have really enriching conversations. And we talk a lot about the importance of collaboration over competition. It just makes everything better for everyone involved. So I love that.
Kim Buckner (13:25)
It's critical.
It's critical. And I'm telling you,
with women especially, I feel like so many women were raised, especially women, I'm in my 50s, right? So when I was younger, it was very much a competitive environment when it came to women, right? And there are still women to this day that think, well, the only way for my light to be brighter is if I dim yours. Like they just, it's a really, it's just this crazy dichotomy of how women interact with each other. And so it's so important. I think that's part of the bonding with Kim and myself is when you're a part of this group,
Rebecca Green (13:41)
Mm-hmm.
weird thing.
Kim Buckner (13:57)
that just everyone is really supportive and it's just this reciprocal relationship of give and take and support and all the things instead of this cutthroat I can't I'm losing if you're winning dear God like yeah
Rebecca Green (14:09)
Yeah.
Kim Borcherding (14:10)
Yeah, I mean,
I mean, Kim, would you agree like our experience where we are, our eXp is like unlike anything I'd ever seen or heard of. It's like you're the most nourishing like sorority. I mean, in a good way, whatever. I have a positive, you know, where it's just like you have all these people cheering you on and helping you. And it's just like, wow. And they're all so brilliant. So.
Kim Buckner (14:18)
Yeah.
Well, it's this abundance mindset, right? Where most people operate and function in that scarcity mindset. And so when you're in this environment of abundance and everyone's doing well, right? They're all doing well, they're all succeeding. So it doesn't, I mean, it takes nothing from them to pour a little bit into someone else and help to lift them up. It's not affecting them or hurting them, right? And it's just, when you're dealing with everyone on a local level, it just changes that entire narrative, yeah.
Rebecca Green (14:36)
learn.
Totally.
Totally.
Kim Borcherding (15:04)
So scarcity, so that was something that Rebecca, Rebecca, what was your question you had for Kim about that? Cause that kind of was something we were talking about earlier.
Rebecca Green (15:12)
Yeah, I heard you mention that when business becomes scarce, agents tend to lower their standards. And that's something I'd love to speak to because I speak to that all the time. know, when business becomes scarce, I do. I do. Because you're here. You're here. And that's what the podcast is all about. Because here's the thing. I couldn't agree more. Like when business is slow,
Kim Buckner (15:27)
do you really want me to say that, Rebecca? Do you really want to hear what I have to
Kim Borcherding (15:30)
Yes. Tell us why you thank him. Tell us.
Rebecca Green (15:42)
Get better when business is down work harder and smarter and implement something that's going to affect change Don't just scramble to get whatever you can get that's bullshit. That is getting you nowhere fast So yeah, I want to hear your thoughts on that
Kim Buckner (15:43)
Yes!
Yes.
mean, there are just the
very basic thing that I could say is that when agents are desperate for a deal, right, their standards lower, their the communication is different, right? Again, it's just operating in this total scarcity box, right? Like that's just where they're living. And it's this I'm scared to death this deal is going to fall apart. So I'm going to do this or I'm going to do that. And it's not always the most ethical thing, right? Or I'm going to leave this out or I'm not going to tell this or I'm not going to tell that. And listen, one deal.
And listen, where I am is very different than where you all are. When we're talking about my average price point here, if you're selling a $400,000 house, you're about $150,000 above the average price point here. So when you're talking about for a $6,000 or $7,000 commission, I am not.
Risking my reputation my license my name like it is not worth it And there are so many agents that don't give a shit like they will just I mean they concede and let go of all those things for a check and I get like I get the lights have to come on like I'm not you know being unreasonable here or unrealistic I understand that and it should not come at the expense of your reputation or the reputation
Rebecca Green (17:10)
Yeah, or your client.
Kim Buckner (17:12)
of all of us when you're out there operating
Rebecca Green (17:12)
Yeah, exactly. Or your client.
Kim Buckner (17:14)
that way. Yeah. And clients are seeing that. And then they just think we're all the same, right? We're not all the same. I promise you everyone is not of equal intelligence. Everyone is not of equal character. Let's say that, right? We are not, we are not the same. And the difference between me and a lot of other people is I'm not afraid to say that. Like we are not created equal. And I'm okay with that because I've worked my ass off to be where I am. So I'm okay. Like someone said the other day, well, I don't want to make it sound like I'm better than them.
Rebecca Green (17:26)
Integrity.
Kim Buckner (17:42)
I am better than them. I mean, I'm not. Your baby's awake. My husband just popped in. So that was phenomenal. She's probably gonna need a bottle too if you want to warm that up. Your boss is up. Yeah, yeah. So, but yeah, I don't mind saying it. I am better. You all are better, right? And the reason I'm better is because I work harder every single day to get better and to make the agents around me better.
Rebecca Green (17:53)
you
you
Kim Buckner (18:11)
I mean, I had a deal recently that was a FISBO and the owners said to me, well, we feel really bad that you're having to do all the work for both sides. And I said, sweetie, I do anyway. Just normally somebody else walks away with half the paycheck. Like I'm used to doing work. I mean, number one, I want it done right. Number two, I don't wait three days to respond to someone. So yeah, so it's true.
Rebecca Green (18:12)
Yeah.
Kim Borcherding (18:24)
yeah.
Rebecca Green (18:33)
Well, kudos
to that first sale by owner for picking up on that. I mean, what a blessing that was, because most of them have no idea. So you hit the jackpot with that first sale by owner. The fact that he mentioned it, they mentioned it. That's awesome. So you also, so, know, in, in, coach, I coach a lot to operations and systems. That's my spiel for sure. And you mentioned like, okay, now I'm just not going to do things the way I do things just to get the deal done. It bites you in the ass every single time.
Kim Buckner (18:37)
Oh, yeah. Oh, right. But I was like, yeah, I was like, no big deal. I was like, this is just one other day. Exactly. It's just another day at the office.
Yeah.
Rebecca Green (19:02)
And, you know, when you start operating outside of your systems, outside of your standards, the level and room for error is huge. And when you think you're like, okay, I'll do it, I'll just do it. They want me to do it this way, I'll do it that way just to do it. It never ever pans out. It always creates, it's like the snowball effect, right? It creates a bigger problem down the line.
Kim Buckner (19:02)
yeah.
Rebecca Green (19:29)
And so, know, from a value, and that goes to me, for me, that speaks to confidence in yourself, confidence in your process and your procedure, right? Confidence in your ability and your desire and skill set in order to be able to articulate it to people, right?
Kim Buckner (19:36)
Mm-hmm.
Absolutely. And I'll tell you, Rebecca, when I had a larger team and, know, in hiring, when I hired buyer's agents, clearly they had very different personalities than I did. So many people, when you're hiring, you want to hire people that are like you and that defeats the purpose, but that's a conversation for another day. So I would, when I had buyer's agents, they were always like, you know, really high-eye personalities, you know, the people that were whatever, right? And they were very kind and, and very gracious and, you know, would kind of, you could maybe walk on them a little bit more.
Than you could someone like me right and so anytime there would be something going on in a deal The agent on the other side would always always call my buyer's agent They would try to bypass me and go to them right and I knew immediately I'm like you you have now you are this is malintent I don't even know where we're going with this But the fact that you were too scared to pick up the phone and call me tells me what your intentions were right? But that's the thing and and I have protected like
Rebecca Green (20:32)
you
Yeah.
Kim Borcherding (20:41)
Totally, yeah.
Kim Buckner (20:46)
ferociously protected my reputation for the past 15 years. And people can say a lot of like, Kim will tell you how it is or she'll chop you down or she's not gonna mince words, but they're never gonna say she lied or she didn't do the right thing or right. Like that's just not gonna happen to the point now where if someone were to say that the other person would call bullshit, right? Like, yeah, yeah, there's no way I, Kim just kind of held back a little. She didn't tell me the whole, yeah, no.
Rebecca Green (21:00)
Yeah. Yeah.
Kim Borcherding (21:08)
Hold on, babe, you must be high.
Kim Buckner (21:17)
So that's it, is you just have to like outrun that, right? You have to work so hard that people just can't even deny who you really are.
Rebecca Green (21:25)
your marketplace, Kim.
Kim Buckner (21:27)
We're tiny so we have when I say tiny our town where we live. There's about a population of 400,000 And so right now just like with everyone else inventory inventory is crazy low So it's just a really small market right and and the thing that I think most agents Yeah, most agents that's a fair word to say most when they get into this industry They really underestimate how many more times they're gonna interact with agents, right? Like they think I can bulldoze or I can whatever right? I can
Rebecca Green (21:34)
Okay.
Kim Buckner (21:57)
treat this however I want because when this transaction is over it's done. Well it may be with that client but I promise you you're gonna run into that agent again and we all have those agents that when the phone rings and you see their name you're just like ugh you know and they may say that yes yes absolutely but people just underestimate that
Kim Borcherding (22:08)
Yeah. Or you're excited to hear from them. You're like, my gosh, I want to work with that agent because they're incredible.
Rebecca Green (22:12)
We can do this. Yeah.
Kim Borcherding (22:18)
Kim, because you coach agents, so you're in production right now and you're coaching them and you coach as well. So you do run both business simultaneously, correct? What are some of the biggest kind of common threads that your challenges you're seeing with your coaching clients? I'm sure there's probably some common things that-
Kim Buckner (22:28)
Yes.
my gosh, most of my work always has been and for sure right now is around mindset.
So we, know, a lot of them are at such a level. Most of my producers are, you know, above 10, 15 million. Some of them are in the 30 million range. So they have their systems pretty much, you know, in check, but mindset is always a struggle and it's just, and it never fails. It's the biggest producers that struggle with it the most of this. I've just closed a deal and I may never close another deal, right? Or, or I have my goals set for this year and maybe that's too high. Maybe I need to adjust my numbers.
Rebecca Green (22:44)
Interesting.
Wow.
Kim Buckner (23:10)
excuse me so
We that's definitely a common thread across the board and that is I coach agents from coast to coast. So it doesn't matter what market they're in. It's the exact same thing with everyone. And the other thing is, is everyone is impatient. Again, the type of person who would want to hire me is a big producer that is, you know, they're making decent GCI. They're probably pretty driven individuals because they've built a business that's big enough to do right. So they have this
Rebecca Green (23:32)
You
Kim Buckner (23:42)
crazy expectation that they put on themselves of what they should be doing and the biggest issue for us and for these types of personalities is it's really hard to feel like you're winning or to feel like you're dominating because you are constantly moving the finish line.
Rebecca Green (24:01)
Yeah.
Kim Buckner (24:01)
It's this constant, like, gotta get
better, I gotta do better, I gotta do So the summit just keeps moving. And so there's this feeling of, I'm not quite doing what I should be doing, or I'm not achieving what I wanna be. See, like, you're laughing because it resonates. Yeah, it's just this constant moving. So that is probably the biggest thing with everyone is just to remind them, you're a badass or you wouldn't be where you are. You wouldn't be able to afford to be on a call with me, that's for sure. Like, you're, you know, I mean, or any coach, right?
Rebecca Green (24:07)
Thanks for
What's
Kim Borcherding (24:14)
Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Kim Buckner (24:31)
You
have to be at a certain level to be able to even do that. So first of all, just take a minute and spike the ball and do a little dance because you've gotten this far, right? But now we've got to talk you through of how we're going to close out that gap. By no means am I ever going to say, stop moving the needle. Like, I'm never going to do that. That's the thing that makes people like us thrive and want to get up every day. But you have to manage those expectations mentally so you don't get stuck in these ruts of unrealistic expectations of who you should be.
Rebecca Green (24:40)
Yeah.
Kim Borcherding (25:00)
Yeah, that's interesting. Totally. Yeah, that's a good point. I could see that. And this is something also for you because you coach women specifically. I'm sure balancing career and family is probably a big theme as well. any kind of, again, other advice, what you said, keep your main thing, your main thing. Any other kind of words of wisdom for people who are struggling finding that balance?
Rebecca Green (25:01)
Yeah.
Kim Buckner (25:16)
all of them.
Rebecca Green (25:16)
Yeah,
always.
Kim Buckner (25:29)
I mean, number one is you've got to get really comfortable with saying no. And again, you have to get out of that school mindset, right? You can't live in that place and be okay with saying no to people. No is my favorite word. I used to say yes to everything. It is, it's my favorite word. Ask my husband, he'll tell you. Oh, Rebecca, 25 years.
Rebecca Green (25:37)
Totally. Me too! But how long did it take you to get there? It took me a really long time to get there and I'm in my 50s as well.
Kim Buckner (25:53)
Seriously 25. I'm not kidding you it took so long because
Rebecca Green (25:53)
Yeah. Yeah.
Kim Buckner (25:57)
I have this thing and I used to have it on my laptop I don't have it up here anymore because I don't need it, but it used to say when you say yes Know what you're saying no to So just
Rebecca Green (26:04)
know what you're saying no to. Yeah, when you say yes, and
I say all the time when you say yes to one thing, you're you're by default saying no to something else. So make sure you thought that through. Yes, absolutely. So that's big thing is really hard to say no. I understand what it really is.
Kim Buckner (26:12)
Absolutely. Yes, absolutely. So that's the biggest thing is get really comfortable with saying no, right? Understanding what really is a priority and what is not a priority. This trip was
the first, we were in New York for five days. My daughter's 23. So we had a blast, right? We were just there and we, this was the first trip and I don't know how long I did not take my laptop and I did not take any calls. Not one call.
Rebecca Green (26:30)
we can.
Love it. Love it.
Kim Buckner (26:39)
And I cannot tell you the first two days people were just maybe she'll give in. Maybe she'll give in. And I kept saying, we'll connect on Wednesday. We'll connect on Wednesday. And one guy, he calls me on Monday and I ignored him. And he sends me a text and says, can you call me tomorrow? We'll connect on Wednesday. In case you didn't hear me the first three times, we will connect on Wednesday, right? Because I am in this moment with my kid and I'm actually enjoying myself and I'm having a good time. And no, nothing's on fire. You don't need anything right now, right? You need a question answer.
But it doesn't need to be answered right now. So it's it's understanding that it's okay for me to do that I'm not I'm not just doing him a disservice. I am not not doing my job, right? I am just moving our timeline a little bit. He's gonna get all the answers he needs in a reasonable amount of time so to balance a family and Really actually be there. I spent years you all years like this. Uh-huh. Yeah. Yeah. Uh-huh. Yeah
Rebecca Green (27:38)
I know.
Kim Buckner (27:38)
Just
not even there, right? Not being present when I was present. And that was one of the goals that I wrote down one year. It's like, you know, when you write down all the things and one of them was be present when I'm present, not just be there and hear a sentence. And, you know, two weeks later it comes up and I don't even know what you're talking about. Right. So being present is number one. And in order to do that, you have to be able to say no. Time management is really, I mean, it's it's a joke. Like it's critical and we all have to do it. And it's so funny. I did I did a post
Rebecca Green (27:46)
That's very good.
Yeah.
Totally.
Kim Buckner (28:08)
about time blocking last year right and I did this whole thing about time blocking is a lie and the only people that disputed it were men and it's literally the here's the thing no time blocking is critical Rebecca don't get me wrong but if you have an infant or a toddler time blocking is bullshit right
Rebecca Green (28:20)
I'm
Not realistic.
Kim Buckner (28:29)
When they're puking,
when they're whatever, they don't give a shit what your time block looks like, right? So yeah, or somebody pukes at school or whatever, right? So that's what I meant when I said time blocking is a lie, right? You by no means, like if you erase it, you have to replace it. Like it has to go somewhere else, right? So we can block all we want, but at the end of the day, if you have little kids at home, you just gotta figure out and juggle it the very best way you can.
Kim Borcherding (28:33)
yeah, yeah.
Rebecca Green (28:33)
Good luck.
Totally.
Yeah.
It's not possible.
And you know what, that totally speaks to you have to meet agents where they are. You have to meet people where they are because I can time block because my kids are grownups, right? Like I can time block. It works for me. It wouldn't work when my kids were little and I was doing, you know, field trips and, you know, gymnastics and, and volleyball and all that.
Kim Buckner (28:59)
Yes.
Right, right, yeah.
Mm-hmm.
Kim Borcherding (29:13)
volunteering
in the art class today like me.
Kim Buckner (29:16)
Right? Right? Yeah. And things just happen like that later. And you know what, Karen?
Rebecca Green (29:16)
Yes, yes, yes. You can't do it, I get it. Yeah, you're time blocking when your
Kim Borcherding (29:20)
Yeah.
Rebecca Green (29:22)
kids are little, or five o'clock in the morning before anyone gets up. Like that's your time blocking. You also have, yeah.
Kim Buckner (29:25)
Yeah and here's the thing
now that my kids are grown you know my my daughter's 23 my son is almost 26 and I will say things to them now like oh my gosh you know we you we would go to the pumpkin patch every year or do you remember when I would volunteer in your art class whatever they're like no and like they don't remember any of that now but but I know what they do remember is how they felt.
They always felt supported. They always felt like I was there. They may not remember the individual things, but they remember that. And I'll tell you right now, your clients aren't gonna remember squat.
Rebecca Green (29:50)
Yeah. Yeah.
No, sometimes don't even remember your name when it comes down to selling again. Yeah.
Kim Buckner (30:02)
They aren't gonna remember Scott.
You're exactly right. Don't get me wrong. I
have some clients that are super appreciative and they are angels and I would love to serve them till the end of time. And then there are others that no matter what you do for them, they want more and it's never going to be enough. So do not sacrifice this little blessing over here for these people over here that no matter what you do for them, they're going to want more and it's still not going to be enough. And when it's over, they're still not going to be happy. So you know what? I'm going to volunteer in art class today because that's way more important than this foolishness.
Rebecca Green (30:35)
Totally.
But it also comes full circle to you being a better human being and you being more, you know, when you're more present and you're happy over here and you're fulfilled over here, you actually, I think, can serve your clients better. You can serve your team better, right? It's a balancing act. Yeah, it's a balancing act that is so, so hard. And also we're in this stupid, crazy weirdness in real estate, this 24 seven nonsense, you know, no one can be good at
Kim Buckner (30:48)
Yeah, absolutely.
Mm-hmm.
Rebecca Green (31:03)
anything 24, I can't even be a good parent 24 seven. There comes a point where I'm like, I have to sign out. Like, I need, I need to check out of this for a second. Right? So, you know, and you also mentioned like, I'll talk to you on Wednesday as agents, we have to remember that we're not surgeons. We're not saving lives. If we're managing our contracts correctly and we have the right systems in place, you don't need to be available 24 seven. And that goes all the way back to you saying when there's scarcity, people like dive in and do anything.
Kim Buckner (31:06)
No.
No.
Rebecca Green (31:34)
Guess what? You're probably working way more hours at that time too. Right? Because you're not, yeah. I want to make this clear. This is a real, don't know, a bit ago, but she, we came down with this presentation over the last few seconds, right? And it was gonna be excellent.
Kim Buckner (31:38)
you are. I had an agent that very thing. This was on a deal, I don't know, a little bit ago, but she, we came down to negotiations over inspection items, right? And it was gonna be X dollars
for these inspection items. And her people just weren't budging. And do I think it was because of a lack of negotiation skills? Maybe. However,
it is what it is, right? And so she comes to me and says, do you want to just split it? And I said, why would I do that? And she goes, what do you mean? I said, that's not my asset. I'm not getting a check for all of that equity on closing day. My check is for my services that I'm doing. I'm not paying for their gutter to get fixed. Are you kidding me? Why would I do that? And she was dumbfounded.
Rebecca Green (32:02)
in social counseling.
Kim Borcherding (32:22)
Well.
Kim Buckner (32:30)
that that was a line in the sand for me. could not understand, she thought I was just so unreasonable and I just thought she was a weak agent that didn't know how to negotiate so she was just gonna take money out of her own pocket to fix it. And I'm like, that's a good way to go broke, right? Like we've all done that at one point or another, don't get me wrong, right? But I'm not doing it today, you pay your own. Yeah.
Kim Borcherding (32:47)
Oh no, that's my favorite thing. I mean, again,
a rare occasion, but when someone's like, do you want to split it? That's when I go, no explanation. That's it. I'm like, no. And I wait for this like awkward. I'm like.
Kim Buckner (32:55)
No. And that's all I see. You're exactly right. No.
Rebecca Green (33:00)
I can't decide.
Yeah, what Kim just said was really interesting. What a great way of phrasing it. You're asking me to take money out of my pocket because you lack the negotiation skills to, and also I would say communication skills and ability to educate and advocate correctly. Like all of that plays into it. So you get to a point where you're like scrambling. You're like, okay, whatever, we've just got to get the deal done. Let's go this route. And that's, I see that.
Kim Buckner (33:26)
yeah. Can I?
Rebecca Green (33:30)
I see that a lot. And that's a skill-based thing, right? Like hone your skills. And that goes all the way back to saying like, when things are scarcity, lower your standards. No, get better. Learn more.
Kim Buckner (33:33)
It is!
And you know, that's
it. I love to use sports analogies just because everybody understands it, right? But there's this interview, the guy that used to train Michael Jordan, I can't think of his name right now, but anyway, he was his trainer for 20 years, right? And after every single game, his first question that he comes into the locker room, okay, Mike, what time are we hitting it tomorrow? Five, six or seven.
Those were the options, right? Every day, five, six or seven. And he was like, depending on the mood, if it was a loss, if he was pissed, whatever, five, six or seven. And I'm here in the gym. And he was like, that man was here every day. Nobody else on the team was, right? Nobody else on the team was, but he was there every single day at five, six or seven, right? And he was clearly the best one on the team.
Rebecca Green (34:21)
the best one in the industry. Yeah.
Kim Buckner (34:21)
Yet he was the one, yeah, yeah, right? But he was the one that
Kim Borcherding (34:24)
ever.
Kim Buckner (34:24)
showed
up in the room. And so whenever agents ask me things like that, I'm like, if I could tell you the thousands and thousands of dollars I have spent and hours I have spent honing my skillset, traveling all over this country to learn and increase my skillset, right? Like I don't just get down on my knees and pray for the best every day, right? Like you are on, you're in masterminds, you're on Zoom meetings, you are, you know,
Rebecca Green (34:37)
totally.
Kim Buckner (34:51)
doing role play with people, whatever you can do, right? Going to conferences, sitting through trainings to get better. And if you're not doing that, shame on you. Then you deserve to pay for the inspection repairs. I mean, seriously. I don't, and then.
Kim Borcherding (35:06)
You've saved all
the money from not doing continuing education and your time, you should have the extra fun for that!
Kim Buckner (35:11)
We're all just innovators, right?
Rebecca Green (35:11)
my god.
Kim Buckner (35:14)
But it just kills me. And I'm like, what makes you think you are exempt from trying to get better? I don't care what your volume is. Yeah.
Rebecca Green (35:21)
industry? I know, because what
industry like what sport like, you know, what industry is that? Okay, there's always and I'm not talking about the CE courses that the escrow companies like that also bolstered industry like what? What is this? This is our continuing education. That's why 70 % of agents sold two houses last year. Let's be honest, because they went to the CE courses.
Kim Borcherding (35:32)
No, no, like.
Kim Buckner (35:32)
No, no, those are bullshit.
Nobody, yeah, no.
Ugh.
Rebecca Green (35:45)
I mean,
no shame or shade on some of the great escrow companies out there or title companies, right? It's like, when things go here, you got to go here. it's really interesting to see the mentality in your market, in our market, in any market. I think that exists.
Kim Buckner (36:06)
Mm-hmm. yeah, it's very big like half-assed, you know, woe is me, victimhood type mentality, right? Like they deserve, they're owed, right? Because I have a license, I should be successful. I know, I could go on all day about it. Yeah.
Rebecca Green (36:11)
Yeah.
Kim Borcherding (36:21)
Yeah, that's not Kim's vibe. Let me tell you, if
Rebecca Green (36:21)
doesn't work.
Kim Borcherding (36:24)
you're gonna be crying about something, she's gonna tell you while you're doing the work.
Kim Buckner (36:28)
Yeah. I mean, I'll give you a few
seconds to cry over it and then I'll be like, are we done? Okay. Moving on.
Kim Borcherding (36:33)
Yeah,
Kim, can you tell me about your women in real estate and what that is? Just share with us and our listeners here what you're doing with wire.
Kim Buckner (36:46)
So on my stories,
well Amy and I have, so Amy Peterson is my partner. Women in real estate, we just call it WIRE, the WIRE mastermind. We're gonna be starting it at launches at the end of the month. But I've had, like, I will say things on my stories, I'll tell stories about whatever I'm doing in a mastermind that maybe I participate in or whatever. Or just the lack of community.
that most women in this industry have, right? It is very lonely, especially when you hit a certain level. It's extremely lonely. It was very lonely for me when I was running a team and I was the CEO of this company, and then I would go to a school function with my kids, right? I was not like the other moms.
Rebecca Green (37:08)
Hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Kim Buckner (37:26)
there weren't very many moms there that I could have conversations with that I felt like understood me or, you know, it can be very lonely, right? It can be very, very lonely. And so we really, the intent here was to create a community. Hi, love, hi.
Rebecca Green (37:26)
Mm-hmm.
Okay.
Kim Buckner (37:44)
Yeah, hi. The intent was to create a community where women felt safe, right? Where women had a place where there were other people like them, where they could talk about things, where they could say, oh my gosh, I, you know, I owed so much money on my taxes, I thought I was going to jail. Or I didn't even know how to form an S-Corp, right? I didn't know the difference between an LLC and an S-Corp. Like a place where you feel safe to come and sound dumb, right? Like, because that's how we feel when we lack or don't do something correct.
Right like we have this this feeling of inadequacy or whatever and so we want everybody to know we've all been there Right. We have all been in that space So it was just and I would say things in my stories like my gosh, you you know Do we need a community do we need a place and every single time was a hundred percent? Yes So we just started talking about it and we had addressed it and talked about a couple years ago And you know, we did a little retreat we did something and it was very very well received And so we finally just sat down and said, know what? We're doing it. We're gonna we're just gonna have this thing
Rebecca Green (38:19)
Yeah.
Love it.
Kim Buckner (38:43)
launch this mastermind. It's going to be a weekly thing so it's four weeks at a time so you can come in you know just do four weeks with these women if you want to keep doing it you can if you don't. Yes, yes absolutely where you could just come and be a part of this little tribe this little sisterhood.
Kim Borcherding (38:51)
clear, on Zoom so people from all over the country can participate.
Rebecca Green (39:01)
It's a community that people sought out, right? Like instead of just being pigeonholed into a local space, you have sought out like-minded people. That's amazing. I love it. Well, we are close to time here, which is a bummer because I feel like there's so much more to talk to you about, Kim. My goodness.
Kim Buckner (39:05)
Yes.
Yes.
You
Kim Borcherding (39:22)
We can
have her back. actually, I get to see Kim here soon. So I'm gonna be on the road traveling to conferences and Kim, are you going to Savannah? I know you're at Rise, but you're going to both. Okay. I'm gonna see Kim in Savannah and in Scottsdale this month. yeah. Kim, also Kim, can you share with people, like where do people find you? How they connect with you? If they wanna kind of follow along and what you have to say.
Kim Buckner (39:24)
Cheers!
Rebecca Green (39:24)
Even I hate you.
Kim Buckner (39:27)
Yes!
I am, yeah, Morgan and I are both, yeah.
Yes, very excited.
Rebecca Green (39:40)
I love it. Well, Kim, thank you so much.
I'm dead.
Kim Buckner (39:49)
gosh.
Thank you. Ken Buckner Realtor. So on Instagram, it's Ken Buckner Realtor. My website is kenbucknerrealtor.com. Try to keep it simple and easy, but everything is on there. So all the information about the wire mastermind coaching, whatever, right? It's all there, but you can find me on Instagram or my website.
Rebecca Green (40:05)
Love it.
Kim Borcherding (40:09)
Okay, awesome. And I hear your grandbaby back there. So I know. Oh.
Rebecca Green (40:09)
Amazing.
Kim Buckner (40:12)
I know she loves it when you're talking and she wants to talk to you. I had to,
I had to like show her, I had to just address her for a second. I didn't want her to think I was ignoring her.
Kim Borcherding (40:20)
Yep.
Rebecca Green (40:22)
Kim, it was awesome meeting you. Thank you so much. I'm sure we're going to do this again. One of these days I'm looking forward to meeting you in person.
Kim Borcherding (40:24)
Thank you.
Kim Buckner (40:28)
You as well. Thank you so much ladies. This was great. Thanks. Thanks. Bye bye.
Kim Borcherding (40:30)
Perfect. All right. Awesome. Thanks, Kim. Appreciate it.
Rebecca Green (40:33)
Thank you.
Kim Borcherding (40:35)
Bye.
Kim Buckner (40:39)
Okay, I'm going to take a quick pic if you all will. Everybody smell pretty for the camera and be like, hi ladies.
Kim Borcherding (40:41)
Yeah, I'll smile.
Rebecca Green (40:44)
Yeah, that's a good idea. We could all do that.
Kim Borcherding (40:47)
Totally. So I think I took
one and Rebecca has a bitch face.
Kim Buckner (40:51)
I warn people, Rebecca, okay? I give you a warning, ready? One, two, three, cheese!
Rebecca Green (40:52)
Perfect. Thanks, Kim. OK, yeah. Thanks, Kim. Thanks, only Kim.
Kim Borcherding (40:55)
I
