The 3 Core Values That Built a Multi-Million Dollar Team with Chris Gurnee

Nov 19, 2025

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Suneet sits down with Chris Gurnee, a Seattle-based real estate powerhouse who has been dominating the Pacific Northwest market since 2004. Chris shares his incredible journey from selling shoes at Nordstrom for 11 years to building one of Washington State's most respected real estate teams. With brutal honesty, he reveals the critical systems and mindsets that have kept him successful through multiple market cycles—from his obsessive phone discipline (60,000+ calls and counting) to his revolutionary approach to team culture built on faith, family, and work harmony. Chris doesn't hold back as he discusses his biggest early mistakes, why he resisted coaching for 20 years, and the game-changing impact of finally submitting to professional guidance. He shares tactical gold including his pre-negotiation strategy that closes deals before even showing properties, his unique Jedi mind trick for overcoming call anxiety, and why he's aggressively recruiting right now in preparation for the coming rate drop and buyer surge. Whether you're a solo agent struggling with consistency, a team leader trying to scale, or just someone who wants to understand what separates the top 1% from everyone else, this episode delivers actionable insights you can implement immediately. Chris's philosophy is simple but powerful: use the phone relentlessly, stay ahead of market shifts, show up for your team consistently, and never stop learning. This conversation is required listening for anyone serious about building lasting success in real estate.

Chapters:

(00:00:00) - The Power of Sacrifice: Are You Aligned with the Journey?
(00:01:18) - From Nordstrom Shoes to Real Estate: The Foundation of Customer Service
(00:03:00) - Making the Leap: Why I Quit My 11-Year Job to Sell Real Estate
(00:04:00) - The Biggest Mistakes: No CRM, No System, No Coach
(00:06:00) - Why I Never Had a Coach Until Now (And Why That Was a Mistake)
(00:09:00) - Building a Team Culture: Faith, Family, Work Harmony
(00:11:00) - Pre-Negotiating Every Deal: The Strategy That Closes More Listings
(00:13:00) - The Art of Negotiation: Stroke the Ego and Follow Up to Death
(00:15:00) - Phone Power: How 60,000 Calls Built My Business
(00:16:00) - The Jedi Mind Trick: Overcoming Call Anxiety Forever
(00:19:00) - Preparing for 2025: Why the Buyer Bloodbath is Coming
(00:21:00) - Write It Down or Lose: The Habit That Changed Everything
(00:22:00) - The Biggest Mistake Team Leaders Make: Not Showing Up
(00:24:00) - Final Advice: Get Coached Now, Don't Wait 20 Years Like I Did

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