Real estate is a passion in the Culbertson family. Colby Culbertson’s dad, mom, grandfather, and uncles have all been successful in the business and now, Colby continues the legacy.
Colby’s father, Jeffrey Culbertson, and his cousin, Michael Culbertson, are partners in the Culbertson & Gray Team in California with eXp Realty.
“Working with my father and three cousins — one a partner in the business — is truly more than I could have ever dreamed of 16 years ago when I received my real estate license,” said Colby. “We all treasure the fulfillment we get from helping others achieve success. It’s a fundamental leadership viewpoint we share.”
While Colby has been a real estate agent since 2004, his active career as an agent took a bit of a detour for a few years. While working for Coldwell Banker, he was recognized for his leadership and moved over to their corporate side. Then Zillow took notice of Colby and hired him away in 2012 to lead business development. While working at Zillow, Colby kept his real estate team going in Sacramento and a decision had to be made — one or the other. Colby chose to dive back into real estate, but this time, he took notice of eXp Realty.
“For me, it’s always about ‘how do we make our agents better and in a position of success?’ We want to make sure people want to stay. It was eye-opening from a foundational perspective in how our philosophies and eXp’s were aligned. There are multiple opportunities. That’s what intrigued me to join eXp,” said Colby.
Learn More About Colby Culbertson:
Years in real estate: Licensed since 2004.
Gross sales and transactions in 2020: $103 million on 192 transactions.
Brokerage history:
- eXp Realty (April 2020 – current)
- Coldwell Banker (June 2004 – April 2020)
Main territory: Greater Sacramento area. Expansion teams in Orange County, California; Boise, Idaho; Atlanta; and coming soon, Reno/Tahoe.
Main focus: Mid-market and luxury.
Number of people on team: 41 agents.
Accolades, accomplishments & awards:
- ICON mega team (2019).
When and why did you join eXp?
“My good friend Jon Pugh had recently left a very successful Keller Williams office in Southern California that he had helped grow. He was a die-hard KW guy, so I reached out and asked him ‘Why?’ Jon is someone I have tremendous respect for, and I also know him well enough to know he’s not a compulsive “mover.” I reached out and told Jon to sell me on why he left, and why someone with a team who has a heavy focus on growth would make the same jump. After our initial conversation, I started to do more research and two weeks later, the ball was in motion to move our team.”
What makes eXp special to you?
“A fundamental leadership viewpoint I share with my dad (Jeffrey Culbertson) and cousin, Michael Culbertson (my business partners) is this simple philosophy: If we make the primary investment of time into the growth and success of our people, then naturally more success and growth will come to our overall business. This was one of the defining conditions for us when deciding to move to eXp. The company has truly been built atop that basic fundamental principle, the training, the revenue share, the stock — it’s all directed at improving the lives of the agents that represent their brand.”
Is there a significant experience you can share since you joined eXp?
“The willingness of staff and regional leadership to help us get answers and solve problems with incredible turnaround times due to the company’s use of Workplace. For example, if we have an issue with a commission demand, we can quickly chat to our contact in Workplace and get an answer and a solution in under 30 minutes. At our old company, this was generally a chain of communication that we were not involved in after bringing it to the attention of the office administrator. It could sometimes take days to get a response to similar questions and issues.”
What is one thing about eXp that surprised you?
“The culture of collaboration. It’s real — it’s not forced. From top team leaders to individual agents, everyone is celebrating each other’s wins, and offering free coaching and training. It’s an incredibly different dynamic compared to the big-box broker we moved from. For us, this is at the top of the list of things we love about eXp because this is one of our teams’ core values. We are better together.”
Best tip to share with other agents:
“Most agents don’t realize the difference between success and failure is a thin line. The agents who are willing to do what other agents are not will find themselves quickly on the right side of that line.”
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