In this episode of Pocket Hours, Jennifer's guest is Nina Zerbo, a seasoned real estate professional whose path into the industry was shaped by years at Microsoft and Apple, retail leadership, and project management. Nina shares how those skills translated seamlessly into real estate, particularly through open houses and relationship-building.

Jennifer and Nina talk about the realities of building a sustainable, people-first real estate career. With a focus on real estate fundamentals, open houses, referrals, buyer relationships, and long-term success, the conversation explores what it really takes to thrive in today's market, beyond flashy marketing or quick wins.

Nina tells listeners about her first year in the business, the power of mentorship, and why she focuses on human connection over sales scripts. She also discusses how referrals, intuition, and staying true to her personality have helped her build a career she genuinely enjoys.

The conversation wraps with thoughtful insights on mindset, market uncertainty, and why slow, steady growth and service-driven real estate will always win in the long run.

Connect with Nina Zerbo at windermere.com/directory/agents/nina-zerbo.

Jennifer Nelson is the founder of Scout Real Estate: scoutrealestate.com. Information on how to get your clock hours and other offerings for Scout School are also listed at scoutrealestate.com/scout-school.

Pocket Hours theme music, Welcome Home, composed and performed by Jennifer Nelson.

In this episode of Pocket Hours, host Jennifer Nelson dives into the realities of building a sustainable real estate career, one rooted in service, authenticity, and long-term impact.

Jennifer is joined by Stephanie Hunziker, a South King County real estate agent with nearly 12 years in the business and a background that includes professional poker dealing and customer-facing work long before she got into real estate.

Stephanie shares her unconventional path into the industry, why she spent years building confidence on teams before going solo, and how community involvement and social media authenticity have shaped her business.

Their conversation centers on navigating market shifts and interest rate spikes to redefining success beyond sales volume, exploring what it really takes to thrive in real estate while protecting joy, balance, and purpose.

It's a refreshingly honest look at real estate business growth, personal branding, and showing up consistently in both strong and challenging markets.This episode reminds listeners that joy, connection, and consistency are powerful drivers of a real estate career built to last.

Connect with Stephanie Hunziker at stephsellsseattle.com or @stephsellsseattle on IG.

Jennifer Nelson is the founder of Scout Real Estate: scoutrealestate.com. Information on how to get your clock hours and other offerings for Scout School are also listed at scoutrealestate.com/scout-school.

Pocket Hours theme music, Welcome Home, composed and performed by Jennifer Nelson

Real estate agents know that client experience, referrals, and long-term relationships are essential to a thriving business, and this episode of Pocket Hours delivers practical, high-ROI strategies to turn clients into gifts that just keep giving.

Host Jennifer Nelson is joined by a full table of Scout brokers including Sarah Lewis, Tyler Webster, Rebecca Ross, Annelize Naude, Lalo Creme, Lorena Lee, and Garrett Thomsen. They gathered together to share entertaining stories, fails, wins, and lessons learned through years of thoughtful gifting.

With ideas like real estate client gifting, closing gifts, referral systems, and pop-bys, Jennifer and the Scout brokers share meaningful, creative, and memorable gift ideas that strengthen trust and spark referral momentum.

From personalized gift baskets to subscription-based surprises that keep clients thinking about their agent long after closing, this conversation is packed with insight and humor every agent can learn from.

The Scout real estate pros will help colleagues up their game for memorable moments that deepen relationships, spark referrals, and help them become the agent clients never forget.

Jennifer Nelson is the founder of Scout Real Estate: scoutrealestate.com. Information on how to get your clock hours and other offerings for Scout School are also listed at scoutrealestate.com/scout-school.

Connect with any of these Scout Team members at scoutrealestate.com/our-team.

Pocket Hours theme music, Welcome Home, composed and performed by Jennifer Nelson