Why I Joined Redfin: Jonathan Chvala

Jonathan Chvala is a Redfin principal agent in Chicago. He joined Redfin in May 2024 after building and managing a successful team at Keller Williams. We caught up with Jonathan to hear more about his experience at Redfin so far. You can follow him on Instagram at @jonathansellschicago. 

Tell us about your career before Redfin.

I first fell in love with real estate when I worked for an apartment company early in my career. I started as a leasing agent, and eventually worked my way up into full-time property management and real estate development. I got to do a little bit of everything, from working with architects and investors to pulling permits for new projects, but my favorite part was always doing showings and being on the people side of things. 

After that job, I took a brief detour pretending to be a Harvey Specter suit-and-tie type as a federal HR staffing agent in DC. It didn’t take long to realize I hated it, and I had to think hard about what I really wanted to do with my life. My friends told me I’d make a great real estate agent. I was hesitant at first, but I got a job with a well-known team in DC and absolutely fell in love with it. I was there for a year and a half, then went to build my own team at Keller Williams. 

Why did you decide to join Redfin?

My wife and I moved from DC to Chicago and I was looking for a new brokerage. I hadn’t considered Redfin before because earning a salary just didn’t appeal to me. I know that some people value that security, but for me it felt demotivating. My opinion on Redfin changed when I heard about Redfin Next. As a principal agent, the splits are really working out for me, and the leads I get from Redfin are helping me build my pipeline in a new city.

What makes Redfin different from other brokerages? 

I’ve worked at other brokerages with different business models, and the Redfin model just makes sense. Since the brokerage and my team take care of most of the back-end stuff, I’m free to focus on my customers. Leads are a big part of that. When I was running my team, we were heavy on online lead generation– I was spending over $50,000 per month getting leads from the major portals. At Redfin, those leads are not only free, they’re high quality and the flow is more organized. I’ve been getting Redfin leads for eight days, and I already have two listings and am about to get a buyer under contract.

Aside from that, what I love most about Redfin is the support I receive from my team. They make me more efficient so I’m able to do a ton of business and make a great income, but I can also take an evening off and have a date night with my wife without worrying that things aren’t getting done. Agents often feel like they have to choose between having a successful business or a life, and here it’s possible to have some balance. 

What would you tell other agents who are thinking about joining Redfin?

I can genuinely say I wish I was here on the Redfin Next plan years ago. I was definitely one of those people that assumed since Redfin charges customers less, they lacked quality or service, but that just isn’t true. If you’re a newer agent, I think this is a great place to learn and get quality leads. If you’re further along in your career, this is an amazing place to grow. I get to work with agents like Dan Close and Niko Voutsinas who are doing hundreds of deals a year, and I know I’ll learn a lot from them.

Why should a buyer or seller choose to work with a Redfin agent? 

Redfin has a reputation for saving customers money, but I think it’s a lot more than that! You should choose to work with Redfin if you care about the quality of your agent and the value you receive as a client. As someone who recently went through the hiring process, I can tell you that Redfin has high standards. They look for agents with a lot of experience and a track record of happy customers, so you’re going to work with someone great. I also think the data and tech resources Redfin provides are pretty unique. You’ll never have a question about what’s going on with your deal and what the next step is. 

Want to take your real estate business to the next level? With Redfin Next, you’ll earn a big traditional split on your own deals, coupled with Redfin.com customers, benefits, and support. Learn more at redfin.com/next.

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