Local Legends with Jess: Arizona Edition
Local Legends: Arizona Edition is a podcast that shines a spotlight on the incredible individuals making waves across the Grand Canyon State. Hosted by a passionate local connector and community advocate, each episode features candid, heartfelt, and often humorous conversations with Arizona’s most inspiring entrepreneurs, nonprofit leaders, creatives, and community changemakers. From real estate rockstars to nonprofit heroes, magicians to mentors—we’re bringing you the stories that make Arizona legendary. Tune in to be inspired, entertained, and reminded of the power of local connection.
Local Legends with Jess: Arizona Edition
Closing Day… But in Pajamas?
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This episode of Local Legends with Jess – Arizona Edition brings the energy, the laughs, and the realness with Nina and Sheer in a fun, unfiltered “slumber party” style conversation. From building authentic connections in real estate to the unexpected power of social media (yes, even TikTok), this episode dives into how genuine relationships—not sales tactics—are what truly drive success. You’ll hear how one DM turned into a fast, seamless homebuying experience and why showing up as your real self is your biggest advantage.
It’s a refreshing reminder that business can be fun, human, and full of personality. If you’ve ever wondered how to stand out, attract the right people, and create meaningful client relationships, this episode will leave you inspired, laughing, and maybe even rethinking how you show up online.
These are the local legends shaping our communities.
Real stories, real talk, and powerful conversations.
Local Legends with Jess — where Arizona’s stories connect.
Welcome to Local Legends with Jess, the Arizona Edition. I'm Jessica Benevento, your mortgage matchmaker, opening doors with ease and bringing you the stories behind Arizona's most inspiring people. From best-selling authors and elite athletes to business badasses making moves across the valley. These are the local legends shaping our communities. Get the inside scoop, real talk, and powerful conversations you won't hear anywhere else. Local Legends with Jess, where Arizona's stories connect. And welcome to Local Legends. Here with me, Jess. This is the Arizona Edition, and I have two amazing, fabulous guests with me today. Nina and Sheer. And this is the first slumber fucking party. And we are going to count our Fs today because there may be a lot of them. Count too many. Way too many. Okay. Thank you, first off, for agreeing to be on this. Thanks for worse.
SPEAKER_01I've been so excited to be on this.
SPEAKER_02I'm like, please give me my moment. Highlight of my week. And we're having a slumber party this week. Even better. Great idea. Okay. We are not putting on our eyebrows because we don't want to fuck up makeup. F-bomb two. Right?
SPEAKER_00Really?
SPEAKER_02I mean, I'll do it.
SPEAKER_01So lame. It'll peel off and I'll have like Yeah, no, I'm not because I have a I put on my spray tan too. So I'm like, all right.
SPEAKER_02All right. We will use these later. All right. Okay. But we are cuzzy and we're comfortable.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Do you know why you ladies are local legends?
SPEAKER_01I would love for you to tell me. Okay.
SPEAKER_02Well, I'm coupling you both together because anything that um anything I do, like any clothing I have in my business, um, it's pretty damn special because I homeownership, I I love what I do, right? I'm passionate about it. Um, and the whole process is, you know, it's it's it takes a village to come together. And you're really in this like crazy deep relationship for anywhere from a month to three months together with someone. And this was really special with both of you. And I just it just re-ignited my passion for doing what I do because I get to be and do life with fucking cool people as bomb number three. Um, and especially both of you, because A, you Nina, when I met you, you had just, I think you just got your license, right? You were working for a management company and just your eagerness and excitement to learn and also to feel stupid or feel, you know what I mean? Like just like I don't know what I'm doing. And I like I love that authentic, the humility, like, because it is, it's so rare, especially in the beginning of anything, like you don't know who you could trust or talk to. And I just saw a light in you, and I'm like, this girl is fire, and you're just gonna kill whatever you want to do. But especially in real estate, like I I I come across so many agents, and you're different. Like you just are again, you're just a fucking star. Thank you for it. Um, and it's funny because social media, you're like, and I think I told you, like, you need to show up on social media because people need to see who you are. And social media is such just an outlet for people to really show up and be seen without being salesy. And that brings me to you, Mishir. How did you meet, how did you meet Miss Nina? I met Nina on social media. On what platform? It was on TikTok, which I think so fucking weird because all I get is weird comments from creepers. No one wants to do real estate or get a loan from me. It's fucking weirdos. But when Nina was like, oh my gosh, I have a girl that wants to see a home, and I'm like, really? She's like, Yeah, on TikTok. And I'm like, oh my God, it works. It works. It works. And I think I remember, I was like, how what was your impression? Like, what made you reach out to Nina? Like, what did you see?
SPEAKER_00So I remember I was, it was early in the morning, or was it late at Oh yeah, no, it was early. It was super early in the morning. Like I had came up with the idea with my mom that we were gonna start looking, like seriously, for a place. And first thing I did it, I'm like, go get her. I'm like, I'm going to TikTok. I gotta find like someone who has like the same eye as me. Right. Because you can find like many realtors that'll they'll take you to see like any house that's on the market. Like, Nina's got this eye, like she sees the little like cute ones. Like, and I saw that on her content. Yeah. And I respected her hustle. And I was like, this is like a dream client, a lay down to the DMs. Like, hey, I see this house, I want to see it, and I'm ready to put an offer. Like, nice to meet you.
SPEAKER_01Right, right.
SPEAKER_00And I just felt like that was so special, and there was this connection, and it was perfect. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Like, shout out, Nina.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I know.
SPEAKER_01I love this. Oh, it makes it so fun.
SPEAKER_00It makes it so much more special.
SPEAKER_02I know, because it's real, it's a real connection. It's not just business-y, and you called up a brokerage and said what agent can show up. Like you, and I have my license. Oh, that's right.
SPEAKER_00I didn't even need to. I was just like, I don't want to deal with this headache right now. Like, and then Nina crossed my path.
SPEAKER_01I know it was so cool. It was honestly, that's my favorite story because it happened so fast. It was just like such a connection. Like she, like, I can tell you the timeline exactly. Like, right. She reached out to me on a Tuesday morning and literally was just like, I want to work with you. Like, here's my number text feed. And normally you have to like fight for it. Totally. Be like, hey, like, let's go to coffee, let's do this and this. She was like, Text me, like, I want I want to buy this house. I'm ready to close it. I'm like, yeah, she's ready to close it. So I later text her, like, we get on a call and she's like, okay, also, I just want to like, I have a um an appointment with the Zillow agent. Should I cancel it? I'm like, oh, yes, you should cancel it. Immediately 100%. I will literally meet you anytime, anywhere, like any time of day. Like, it's fine, I'll take care of you. Yeah. And so she did. And then we met the next day. We should we saw a property, we almost offered, but this didn't work out. And then um, yeah, by Friday, we saw another one and she loved it. And then by Saturday, I think we were like under contract. Like, and but that's where it's like working with you is amazing too because you answer so quickly. Like, whenever I need something, I'll just text you and you answer it. No matter what time. A phone addiction, and I get a lot of shit. Nobody's predicted, I can't. You're texting and she already responded. Also, like it has to be like that because time is of the essence. It is, and like you can lose something so fast if you're not like you could have lost it in a second, but you were on it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, you were on it. Yeah, and I respected that so much because it's so rare. Yeah. So when you see someone who like genuinely hustles, it's like a passion. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02And you want to work around, you want to be around those kind type of people. Like it's funny because you might, because we're none of us are from here, right? None of us were born here. No. Where are you from again? Illinois. Illinois. And you're from Florida, right? So East Coast, like just it's it's very laid back here, I feel. And even 17, 18 years later that I've been here, I still I see it and I love it because it's an advantage that we have over sure people here. Because people are laid back, which maybe someday I'll get there, but like I don't think we have it in a relax.
SPEAKER_00This is relaxing.
SPEAKER_02We're really trying.
SPEAKER_00We're trying hard. We're gonna relax.
SPEAKER_03It doesn't stop. No.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. So going to like, where did okay? I you're you live in Florida, family's in Florida. Where did Arizona come from? Like, what made you pick Arizona?
SPEAKER_00Yeah. So first it was a birthday trip that I would run out here with a couple of my friends. Like, it was like the place everyone's birthday would come around, and it's like, yeah, we're going to Arizona, obviously. From Florida? Yeah. Okay. Like you have to think, I've seen the whole East Coast. Like to leave the state of Florida, it takes eight hours at least. Yeah. So yeah, you hit like South Carolina, Georgia, like, I haven't seen the desert. Right. Okay. So we were like, let's do the desert. And then it was like a pattern of ours. And then I remember I was doing real estate at the time, and we passed by a Keller Williams. And then it kind of hit me like, like, what if, what if I uh what if I came out here by myself? Like the first time I kind of branched off to that like independent thought. Yeah. And then I came home, my brother picked me up from the airport one time and just told me, like, you're going. Like he was like actually screaming at me in the car, like, like you're going. How old are you when he's when he says this to you? Like, I think 18. Okay. 18 or 19. And he was like, just like screaming in my ear, like, You're my little sister. Like, what, like, what's the worst that can happen? Like, you can like kind of telling me like you can get away with it. Right. Like, you're going. And then he took me to dinner, and the server was like our regular server. Uh-huh. And she was like, You look really happy. And then from then on, he was like, Yes. And then we signed the lease the next day. Really? Yeah.
SPEAKER_02So that was so you were here? Like you were here. And was he here as well? Yeah. Okay.
SPEAKER_00And it was like a regular drive home from the airport, but like it just moved something in me. Like it wasn't even like a factor I could debate debate. I just was like, all right, like I gotta go for it.
SPEAKER_02So then what made you replace it? We were renting. What made you say, okay, I'm gonna buy?
SPEAKER_00One definitely being in like the real estate world, like it's a goal for I'd say every realtor to want to acquire their first property, but just knowing the value and knowing that I was committing to like a new chapter for myself, it was something that was like a no-brainer for me. Right. And renting was it was convenient for the time, but you know, exploring, but once you know that a place is for you and you form your community, it's like you know you wanna lay your home there too. Right. You didn't like renting that place. No, could you tell?
SPEAKER_02You were like, you need to get me out of here, Jess. I'm sleeping on this fucking balcony. What are you doing? Bad vibes in there. I'm sleeping, right? Why were you sleeping on the balcony? I don't know.
SPEAKER_00Like ever since I was younger, like if I was sad, I couldn't sleep in my room, I'd sleep on the couch. Right. So it like the whole apartment. Like, I just like yeah, I wasn't feeling it. So I slept on the balcony, and it was so nice. It was like on the 21st floor, like it was gorgeous. It was cold. I'm sure it was cold.
SPEAKER_02It's amazing. I know. What did we was that process wasn't it kind of a shit show? Oh yeah. Closing. My eviction. Oh my god, that's right.
SPEAKER_01We discovered that Sheer didn't share some things along the way.
SPEAKER_00So I I had all these credit cards and like I I lost my brother last year. So it was uh cut me some slack. I had a tough year. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. Which I mean, everybody has like something they're you not saying that I mean that's a huge thing to go through, but most of the time there's something in the past that like deters somebody from the streets.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, everyone's struggling with something. Yes. So it's like it it threw me off for a second. It's not about how many times you fall, it's about how you get back up between. Yep. But it yeah, so I wait, I forgot.
SPEAKER_02It was a shit show. Something at the like oh yeah. So I had the credit cards, and not just, I'm just saying, yeah, as we know. It's there's always something that happens within the 30 days of buying a home. Um but what yeah.
SPEAKER_00So I put my rent on the credit card, credit card, like I actually did it on time, but they bounced it. Yes, like for fraud or something. Yeah, then they evict me and they don't even tell me. I find out like once the letter's in my door. Right. And to me, I just submit the payment. Like, what are you talking about? And so it was asking for the report to send to the mortgage lender.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Like because we look for verification of rent to make sure you're qualified. I mean, it's everything is risk, right? So the not me. It's the I'm just a middleman, right?
SPEAKER_03Don't shoot the messenger.
SPEAKER_02Shoot the messenger. But the underwriter or the lender wants to know that they're lending to someone that has a good history of paying. And all of a sudden I get a call, like, hey, can you call Sheer? Because she has a couple eviction notices. And I'm like, what the fuck? No, she doesn't. Like, yeah. And I knew too, because apart, like income is fine. Yeah. I'm like, she's fine. She'll pay it. She'll pay it. Just a reminder.
SPEAKER_00How do we get it? How do we get it off? Uh we wrote a note. You Jess suggested like we could either push this. This is another thing that's amazing about Jess. You can either push this out a week. Keep in mind I'm sleeping on the balcony. She's like, don't forget. She's like, we can push this out a week, or like, you know, we can always exhaust the option of writing a letter. Yeah. And then I wrote a letter, just truthfully being honest, like it's not about insufficient funds. It was just I was going through a hard time. Because it really wasn't.
SPEAKER_02It's not like you didn't have the money.
SPEAKER_00I wasn't even lying. Yeah. No, I know. And they've responded, well, yeah. Yeah. And then we close. Same month. Let's go. Because before my brother's birthday, it's about three weeks.
SPEAKER_01We close on the the day we were supposed to. Because I remember we were kind of just like, oh my God, please. Like, please, please, please. And then but that's a that's a testament to you though, as well, because you're so good at what you do, like you're very um creative when it needs to be, or you're just like, you're quick. Very quick. She is called some might call it fraud. I'm not, I'm just creative. No, so creative. It's like, but you're quick with everything. Like I was also going through another transaction. That's right. At the same time. Which made me look so good. I love when people fucking. But you are just it was so bad. Like that transaction was Did it close? I don't think I asked you. Like I literally put through tears and prayers and like everything.
SPEAKER_00You started breathing afterwards. It was crazy.
SPEAKER_01It was horrible. And it was the worst transaction. So it's so important, like who you work with, obviously. And I'll never work with anybody else. But you know if I can't, like if I can keep it that way, I will. I know sometimes you can't control things who you work with, but like if it's up to me, I'm merging materials.
SPEAKER_00Oh no, just is like safe.
SPEAKER_02Jess is like for sure. Well, and I think too, like it's funny when when agents like on the on the listing side, I have a I have a deal right now and um it's a VA deal, so veteran. And they have different guidelines than other normal or conventional FHA, other loans, right? They have their own, they're their own bank essentially with their own set of rules. And a termite inspection came back, and there's all these things that now have to happen before we could, you know, kind of give a green light to that that inspection, that appraisal, because that's what the VA um yeah needs. And the listening agent was appalled, and she on the phone, I'm on the phone with it, and I'm literally talking, and she I'm looking at her picture, and she's this tall, blonde, which I'm not, but she looked like legally blonde, like legally blonde, like and she was like, This is so ridiculous. I can't believe like in just the way she was talking, and I'm like this the whole time. I'm like, okay, cool, all right. Just as if it's my fault. Like it's I'm the, I'm like, it's not my, I'm not my term, my dude. Yeah, I didn't do this, I didn't set these standards, but just my point of telling you that and how she was such a bitch, A, you don't know who I am. Because if you were really nice, maybe I would work with you. Now I won't. I hope you have a shitty lender. But B, we're all trying to get the job. The goal is to say the goal is never to just completely kill a deal, it's to get to and also you have no idea.
SPEAKER_01Like at some point, you guys will probably work together again. Like the industry is actually so small. So small. Like you will arrange.
SPEAKER_02And honestly, like there is a very small amount of people I've come across the six years I've done that is that are really horrible, but they're there.
SPEAKER_00I'm like, yeah, help and you land on them.
SPEAKER_02I always always land on them too. How do you survive? How do you, how are you successful? They can't be successful. I can't imagine.
SPEAKER_01I know it, but it's also that's the other thing, too, is back to social media, you can really present anything you want. And anyone could think that you were like killing it, like the best total. But then behind the scenes, like you could, it's like so different. But it's just funny how you can paint yourself a certain way, but like for sure, you know, you quickly find out it's like not how they presented themselves at all.
SPEAKER_00I will say also, like from the younger generation perspective, as like being I'm the grandma.
SPEAKER_02No, not even though you're the mom and the mother. Wait, this is a child.
SPEAKER_01Oh my god, wait, yes.
SPEAKER_02Oh we have three generations here, guys. I'm 68.
SPEAKER_01I'm 68.
SPEAKER_02Do you know I'm 68? Yeah.
SPEAKER_00No, you're 12. And another life. One thing like I struggled with so much when I got in the business was like people will just look at you and like you feel it. Like, yes, you feel the judges.
SPEAKER_01As a woman, though, so many men try to like strong arm you. Oh, like it's like I've been in this nice to meet you 25 years. And like this, it's like great. I really don't care, honestly, because it does not really apply to how things are right now at all. Like, doesn't it?
SPEAKER_00If anything, we have the advantage. Yeah. Because like you give one of these older agents a phone and tell them to post on social media, it's like we're still in the camera roll 15 minutes later.
SPEAKER_02So true. They're so anti. Yeah. And yeah, that's what, yeah. Anytime I hear in my 25 year, I'm like, no. And it's usually like intentionally. It's the same. Ever.
SPEAKER_01Even six months ago, it was different. Well, we just had a conversation about that because I asked you a question and I was like self-conscious about it. And she's like, no, like things change all the time. No transaction is the same. Every six months, everything's different. And I was like, you're right. I guess like, because literally nothing's the same. No, like it's not changing. And it's always gonna change.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. But that's something that's like that perspective, even is rare. Cause like I've had many mentors, met many agents coming out here, many different people in the industry. It's rare to have someone like you where like you are pushing to educate, pushing to network, pushing to have these experiences. Like it's not a, it's not like uh everyone has it, they're hard to find. It's like you're like a hole in one.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, no, and she'll never make you feel dumb either. Like, I ask her everyone. And she just chill laughs. Because if you feel dumb, I'm a little bit more.
SPEAKER_02No, she'll make herself feel dumb before she makes you feel like. And I just I don't think I've been so, and I'm still self-conscious, insecure about so many things. And I just remember like the people that made me feel not that well, like I there's not that many, you know, like I felt really stupid in a lot of rooms, and I hated that feeling. But the people that made lifted me up and made me feel good, like I just that was everything. And that could change someone's trajectory in life. And I just want to provide that because again, we're all in this together, we're all trying to be successful, not have money worries, like and just just fucking thrive. I know it's gay. Slay. Like I just want to stay slay with cool people. She's been abusing sleigh lately. I know. I've been hanging out with my.
SPEAKER_01I've been doing, I say period too much. I'm like, period.
SPEAKER_00I'm like, okay, low-key.
SPEAKER_02Like, what the fuck does low-key? What did you say on a text yesterday that I was like, oh, that's a slang and I don't know what it is. Turn up. Turn up. I probably said turn up. Is turn up mean? It's so stupid. Like turn up.
SPEAKER_01Turn it in. Yeah. Turn it up. Yeah, it's so fun to be like turn up.
SPEAKER_02So if my husband, my husband, my son like hits a home run. Well, I can I scream turn up. Turn up you're a loser. Or will the kid will the kids know what I'm doing? I would be, I would be so dead. Yeah, yeah. I'm gonna do it in video. Get it on camera. Yeah. That would be hilarious, like as a reel. I've got a million percent. I got two reels that went viral. One was when I interviewed Luis Gonzalez, and another was when I went to the baseball field, and you have to pay to get in every game, like all these tournament fields. And I went up to the guy and I said, I'm gonna shoot a reel, just go with it. And he's like, Okay. So I had my daughter video me sneaking in and not paying, it went viral. I'm like, this is the shit. The one you don't even try every single day, I get four likes. And this went viral of me sneaking in. So I'm gonna do turn up, I guarantee.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and the real key is like a little argument going in the comments because the more people that people have to fight. Yeah. So if you can somehow post something a little controversial, but like nothing that would really be it's like opinion.
SPEAKER_00Anything with an opinion.
SPEAKER_01People start arguing, and then your engagement just goes up.
SPEAKER_02You're right. Remember we did the trump, like we didn't even say Trump, but we kind of did it and it kind of went off. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Well, even like it's things that are so silly. Like sometimes I also post like restaurant videos and stuff on TikTok, and I posted in I don't know, like Canal Club or something. And it got it kind of went viral. But these people start like arguing in the comments about whether it's a good place or not to go. It's so weird. And like they're just like fighting amongst themselves. I'm like I mean people.
SPEAKER_00So they take it really far. But haters haters will keep paying the bills. Right. So it's okay. Like say it, period. And just be nice to them. Like just be nice to them, but like keep going. Right. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01It pays the bills, unfortunately. It's all about the engagement. Right. The more engagement you're getting, good publicity, bad publicity, also.
SPEAKER_02So we're all social media hookers right here, right? We all love the social media. Now you're doing great. You're getting it. So are you?
SPEAKER_01You're like, I've seen your videos. It's addictive.
SPEAKER_00Oh, these two, I will like say their name and be like, go watch. Like it's not some social medias, like you could see, like, definitely want it's like the beginning. Yeah. I don't like to say like it's bad because what is like what's bad and what's good. But yeah, you can tell when someone's new to it, and you can tell when someone has some experience.
SPEAKER_01I think I I finally got out of the imposter syndrome because totally it did.
SPEAKER_02Which I was like, what are you talking about? You are anyone that meets, and you too, like you just you're both glowing, like right away. If someone says hello to you, you both have like the most inviting aura about you that like you're trustworthy right away. Like you could just tell you're just good people. All lined and connected. No, 100%. But you gotta show up on social media, especially if we're in business and we're looking to attract people that want to do business with us because you have you have you have the yeah, what's that word? Oh, is this a good? What is that word that I'm looking for? It's French. No, because it's Genesei quoi. How do you say it? Genese qua? What does it mean? No, I think it means no. You both have the Genesei quoi. Okay, you're because we gotta wrap it up. Your ideal client, who do you want to attract? Because you're a local fucking legend here in Arizona. And never forget it. Tell me, you're an agent with me. Yeah. Who would you like to?
SPEAKER_01I I truthfully really enjoy first-time homebuyers. Like I love the process of shear and a couple other ones I've worked with as well. Um, because like the it's just excitement. Like they're genuinely so excited. And sometimes when they don't realize they can do it, and then how you know the process is a lot, it's a complicated process. But if I could make it easy for you and make you feel like you're understanding, then like that's the most important part to me. So I love first-time homebuyers, but I've also kind of like to dabble in the luxury space a little, but um Oh, you are so in the luxury space.
SPEAKER_00She's like knee deep in the luxury space.
SPEAKER_01What are you talking about? I would like to go a little further, but I don't know. It's like I like both of that. I mean, it's like completely different spectrums, but I just I like those two a lot. How do we get in touch with you? Um, you can find me on Instagram, TikTok, email. I don't know if I'm supposed to look at the camera, but um look at the camera, give a plug. Yeah, my TikTok is Nina Friends. My Instagram's Nina Friends. Um, so my last name is F-R-U-E-N-D-T. Yes. It's a lot. My first name's Nina again. Me neither.
SPEAKER_02I don't think I even tried to pronounce my last name ever. Yeah, it's a lot.
SPEAKER_01No, I know. I'm there every day. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Miss Shear. Hello. What do you do? I need to talk about what you did. Oh. Your social media company.
SPEAKER_00Oh, I have the a company called the Desert Media Agency. And it's a brand development and media company. And I'm super, super excited because I get to take all these small companies or small ideas and turn it into like this family's next chapter of life. And it's cool to see that, like, you know, just giving people some confidence and some direction, right? What they can create and how much more they believe in themselves. You know? Yeah. We're just talking about that. But yeah, you could find it on Instagram. It's called The Desert Media. It's also online at www.thedesertmedia.com.
SPEAKER_02I love it. Who's your ideal client?
SPEAKER_00Just a small business, or do you want a large, like honestly, we work with all different sizes. Like I have people who are just at the beginning stage of having an idea and brainstorming. Right. And I have people who have been in business for 10 years. Yeah. So 35 years actually. Correct me. So my personal favorite, I love the beginning because I like seeing the confidence change fast. Yeah. Because, you know, the instant gratification in our generation. But I love to see, like, you know, one day to the next, someone was doubting their whole existence and now they're like super passionate about this whole idea. And you make it happen. And I make that happen. Yes.
SPEAKER_02I love it. Well, you girls are local fucking legends. And I love you. And thank you for our slumber. We love you. Thanks for having us. This was amazing. I love you both. We'll be back, don't worry. And that's a wrap. Thank you. Bye.