After joining eXp Realty in March 2021, former professional surfer CJ Hobgood and his wife, Cortney, have launched Team Hobgood and with it, a fun video explaining their journey from surf life to a clothing line (Salty Crew) and real estate.
CJ Was a Professional Surfer Until Joining His Wife in Real Estate
Until the age of 35, surfing was all CJ Hobgood knew. When he retired from the circuit in 2015, he was ready to give his wife, Cortney, what she gave to him: The support of pursuing her “thing,” but most of all a pledge of oneness.
“Doing a sport or being an athlete, in general, is a very selfish endeavor. I was on tour for seven years and my family had to sacrifice a lot. So when I retired, I thought, ‘what can I do to return the favor for my wife and family?’” said CJ. “She got into real estate and she’s really good at it. How can I support her and add to what she’s so good at?”
While CJ was pursuing his surfing career in faraway places such as Tahiti, Fiji and Hawaii, Cortney kept the home fires burning, working and raising their three daughters. After a stint in medical device sales, Cortney turned to real estate, joining a small mom and pop firm. Once CJ retired, he joined a different small brokerage.
But they both felt limited by their earning potential until connecting with longtime eXp Realty agent Renee Funk, who convinced them eXp can fulfill their niche to expand and tap into CJ’s huge surfing network.
“We very quickly learned the reach I had with the sphere I didn’t even know I had created over the last 20 years as a professional surfer,” said CJ. “Friends were calling me from all over the U.S., wanting to move to Florida and we knew very quickly we had to make some moves fast and get our team up and running.
“eXp was always in the back of our minds,” said Cortney. “And when CJ started getting all of these leads, we wondered how we could maximize our potential. At eXp, we can run our own business (the Hobgood Team Powered by eXp), but transact anywhere in the world and get tremendous support from eXp.”
Learn more about CJ and Cortney Hobgood:
Years in real estate: Since 2020
Gross sales and transactions in 2022: $12,543,000 on 25 transactions
Brokerage history:
- eXp Realty (March 2021 – current)
- NobelGate Realty (CJ – Sept. 2020-April 2021)
- Wemert Group Realty (Cortney – March 2020-March 2021)
Main territory: Orlando/ Central Florida (Cortney) and Brevard County / Space Coast (CJ)
Main focus: Single-family homes and investment properties.
Number of people on team: 4
Accolades, accomplishments & awards:
- 17 years on surfing tour 1999 – 2015
- World Surfing League – World Surfing Champion 2001, Rookie of the Year 1999
- World Surfing Games Champion 2008
- “Get Barreled in Tahiti” YouTube video with C.J. Hobgood & Samsung Gear VR 360
- “And Two If By Sea” Amazon Prime video documentary
- Co-founder/owner of Salty Crew apparel company
What makes eXp special to you?
“We have the ability to scale our business. We have some pretty lofty dreams as it pertains to real estate and the surf industry, particularly wave pools around the world. eXp is the only brokerage that gives us the complete freedom to work on these goals without hindering our reach and our dreams. To us, everything else is just icing on the cake.”
Have you had any experience or success with eXp’s global revenue share and commercial businesses yet?
“Revenue share is one of those things that is a ‘bonus’ for us at eXp. We believe that organically our friends from around the world who are agents will ask us about eXp and the time will come when we will share in this experience. That is exciting! For now, though, we are focused on our business and supporting our customers and friends at a high level.”
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