Meet J.D. Songstad | Santa Monica, CA

“Populus felix in urbe felici.”

Some people say Santa Monica’s motto is “Happy people in a happy city,” while others claim the original Latin phrase translates to, “Fortunate people in a prosperous land.” However one wishes to translate it, Santa Monica seems like a dream place to live with its coastal mediterannean climate, extensive shoreline, and gorgeous real estate. For J.D. Songstad, “MrWestside [sic] Real Estate”, selling in this idyllic location is nothing short of an incredibly spectacular career.

J.D. Songstad has been in the business since 1999. Before he was an agent, he was in the Air Force and when it came to considering a logical next step, J.D. took a personal inventory. He knew he was a “highly intelligent” person, but he didn’t have a college degree. J.D. also had previous experience in sales and thought about what would be the best fit for him. Real Estate seemed to tick all the boxes for J.D. and after he made the transition, there was no holding him back.

Being based out of Santa Monica, with its 300 plus days of sunshine a year and plethora of shops, restaurants, and attractions, J.D. has an interesting blend of clients. From doctors, to lawyers, to entertainment professionals, to tech industry folk, J.D. loves to serve his clients by making things as simple as possible for them. In fact, one thing that does offer J.D. some challenge is that desire for perfection with every transaction. There are “so many moving parts” to all transactions that sometimes all you can do is “put fires out,” which J.D. finds frustrating as he is trying to deliver nothing less than excellence to his clients. And, in some cases J.D. can offer more than that. For example, through acquiring a recently expired listing from another agent, J.D. was able to stage the same home within a week and sell the property 11.5% more than its previous list price.

J.D. prides himself on being “very responsive, easy to get ahold of,” and highly communicative. He also sees himself as very “tech savvy.” When asked what convinced him to download NuOp, J.D. said that he received an email from us that piqued his curiosity. He wanted to see if NuOp would be a way to potentially get some leads. He was very pleased to find that the way NuOp creates a “direct connection” between agents is “fantastic.” J.D. also tells me that “a lot of other companies try to take a chunk” of agent commissions, but NuOp does not do that, nor will we ever.

As far as his personal character and what J.D. loves most about being an agent, J.D. tells me that one of his favorite things has to be seeing “the excitement of first time buyers or people getting their dream home.” One particular couple that stuck out in J.D.’s mind was an older couple, whose children had grown and moved out. J.D. was able to help the couple buy their dream home on the beach in Santa Monica. To see his clients “light up with major enthusiasm” in achieving their dreams is something J.D. feels privileged to take part in.

Offering some of the best sunsets on the west coast, Santa Monica truly seems like a special place in which to be an agent. The city’s motto seems to get it right. Getting to sell properties that create “happy” and “fortunate” people seems like a “happy” and “fortunate” career that we wish MrWestside [sic] continued success in doing.

J.D. Songstad, Realtor®

MrWestside Real Estate

Direct Office Line: 310–571–3441
E-mail: JD@MrWestside.com
Website: www.MrWestside.com
RE/MAX Estate Properties