Good Neighbor Podcast: Orange County

From Hospitality To Homes: Gerson Seise On Modern Real Estate

• Rachel Fyffe & Gerson Seise

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Looking for a saner way to navigate a chaotic housing market? We sit down with Gerson Seise Realty - Real Brokerage Technologies, who turned a hospitality background and property management experience into a client-first approach that actually lowers stress. Instead of chasing rate headlines, Gerson explains how to prepare for a purchase by controlling what matters most: your debt-to-income ratio, your credit health, and a steady income. When those pillars are in place, you can move quickly on the right home and refinance later if rates shift, avoiding the trap of waiting while great properties pass you by.

Gerson shares how growing up in a family-run cafe in Newport Beach shaped his service mindset, then walks us through the practical lessons he carried into real estate: clear communication, attention to detail, and a deep respect for community. We explore the recent changes and settlements influencing real estate agents today and why coming in “new” helped him adopt modern practices without unlearning old habits. He also breaks down how he markets differently—focusing on long-term relationships, joining the Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce, and using Instagram to highlight local lifestyle touchpoints like restaurants, parks, and sunset walks. That shift from listing-forward content to neighborhood living helps clients picture themselves in a place, not just a property.

We also get personal: why he’s delaying his own podcast until he can give it proper focus, how food and walkability guide his neighborhood scouting, and why he believes the best agent is the one who’s the right fit for your values. If you want a grounded, modern blueprint for buying or selling—rooted in readiness, trust, and community—you’ll find a lot to take away here, from mortgage timing myths to practical prep steps that make offers stronger and closings smoother.

Visit: https://gersonseiserealty.com/

Enjoy the conversation, then subscribe, share with a friend who’s house-hunting, and leave a quick review to help more neighbors find the show.

SPEAKER_00:

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Rachel Five.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Now, if you're looking for a realtor who brings real brokerage technologies in helping you buy or sell your home, well, that resource is closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, Gerson Seiss, with Gerson Seiss Realty and Real Brokerage Technologies. Gerson, how is it going?

SPEAKER_02:

Hi, Rachel. It's great. How are you?

SPEAKER_01:

I'm wonderful. Well, you know, we're really excited to learn about your reality business. So tell us about your company.

SPEAKER_02:

So I'm very new, actually. Um I've had my real estate license for a few years now, but I've been doing this full-time for a year in August. And being new, especially in Laguna Beach, has been challenging. And but this year, with all the new uh settlements and laws and regulations, I was able to hit the ground running when the main topic was and with current and seasoned real estate agents and realtors was to get them out of the old and into the new. But since I didn't do the old, I was just able to pick up the new and learn it and go straight from there.

SPEAKER_01:

Wonderful. Well, how did you get into this type of business?

SPEAKER_02:

Um, I grew up in a family-based business in Newport Beach. Um, my parents owned a cafe market in an apartment complex that I worked, I worked through for the market through COVID, and then it made the change from hospitality, food, and beverage to property management, and then it kind of all just trickled into each other.

SPEAKER_01:

Wonderful. Well, what do you think are maybe some myths or misconceptions in your industry?

SPEAKER_02:

A lot of people focus on like interest rates and mortgage rates and down payments and the numbers when those change every day for anyone depending on different circumstances. I like to tell my clients really to focus on your debt-to-income ratio, your uh credit score, um maintaining a uh steady income. And the biggest thing is when you're ready. When you're ready, every and you have those things that you've kept on top of for a relative good amount of time, everything else falls into place. Mortgage rates you can always refinance, lenders are there for that to help you if you want to, because if you want the house, it's not necessarily going to be there when the numbers are right. What's important is you're ready for it and we can work with the rest.

SPEAKER_01:

Wonderful. Well, now we know marketing is at the heart of every business. So how are you targeting customers and attracting you know people to your reality business?

SPEAKER_02:

My um, unlike most real estate professionals, my business is client-based, not location-based, since a lot of my clients came from my previous careers. They followed me. So um my business is very community-driven, and I've uh joined local Chamber of Commerce, Laguna Beach specifically, and it's really helped introduce me to the neighborhood that I'm a part of because I spent so many years rushing off to an office in another town that I didn't live in.

SPEAKER_01:

Wonderful. Have you ever thought of doing your own podcast?

SPEAKER_02:

I have. Um we'll see. I I tend to hyperfixate on things. Um, I'm better at that when the time's right. And right now I have so many little things going on that I don't have the uh proper time to give to a podcast, but I thought about it.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, right on. So now outside of work, what do you like to do for fun?

SPEAKER_02:

I love food. I love checking out new restaurants, walking around town. Um I'm not necessarily a beach person, but I enjoy sitting on the at the parks that overlook the beach, sunsets, stuff like that. So I've been able to really incorporate my interests with my business because that's what I really post more about on my Instagram than necessarily just homes.

SPEAKER_01:

Wonderful. Well, Gerson, please tell our listeners one thing they should remember about Gerson size reality.

SPEAKER_02:

I may not be right for everyone, but if I'm I want to be right for my clients. There are so many realtors and so many real estate agents out there, especially right now, that have different strengths and weaknesses. We're not all meant for everyone, but I like to be there for the people that trust me because that's really what this relationship starts, because I'm helping guide you through the biggest, one of the biggest purchases in your life.

SPEAKER_01:

Wonderful. Well, how can our listeners learn more about Gerson Seiss Realty?

SPEAKER_02:

Um, my website, GersonSizeRealty.com. Um, my main social media is my Instagram, which is uh GersonSeiss Realty, and then everything on there, my phone number, my email address, uh text, call me anytime.

SPEAKER_01:

Wonderful. Well, Gerson, I really appreciate you being on the show, and we wish you and your business really the very best moving forward.

SPEAKER_02:

Thank you so much. It was great.

SPEAKER_00:

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnporangecounty.com. That's gnporangecounty.com or call 714 941 862.