Hidden Gems: Meet Keegan Cin of Cin Coast Realty

Today we’d like to introduce you to Keegan Cin

Hi Keegan, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I moved to Santa Monica, California from Boulder Colorado, when I was 19 years old in pursuit of a modeling and acting career when I had the opportunity to sign with a large agency. I moved here with just a motorcycle and not knowing anyone in the area. Shortly after moving to California I was in a motorcycle accident, and while I was ok, it drained my bank account and derailed my plans for modeling and acting as that was my only means of transportation. In need of getting back on my feet and in need of money to get by I searched for a job in the restaurant industry as I had previously excelled at a fine dining restaurant back in Boulder. Ironically, my apartment was only a few blocks from a two Michelin starred restaurant named Melisse. Not knowing what I was in for I printed resume and walked over to apply, with the front door locked, I snuck in the back and up to the second floor where I encountered the General Manager, why quickly through my resume in the trash, criticizing me for making it out to the owner and chef but not him, in need of a job I persuaded him to give me an opportunity and that I would either be his assistant manager in 6 months or that I would be willing to quit. This was enough for him to give me a chance, for the first two months I was only scheduled 2 shifts (the restaurant was open five days), so for the other three days of the week I would still show up at the restaurant and volunteer my time and be there for the entirety of a work shift, for the sole benefit of learning everything about the restaurant and being seen as an asset to the restaurant. I asked to be raised to a “Captain” (Server) status three times, within the next three months each time being shot down. While this is going on I made a decision I needed a car to survive in LA and a motorcycle wasn’t enough, being fearful of debt at 19 I realized it would take far to long to buy the car I wanted for cash, so I leaned into a friend who did well in the stock market, thinking that was my solution to make money quick, he sent me 4 books on the stock market, one being “One Up Wall Street” by Peter Lynch, in the fourth chapter it discusses “The mirror test” which essentially questions you by asking before investing in stocks, do you own a home? In that moment, I realized that I shouldn’t buy a car but instead a house. Not knowing about low down payment options I believed I needed 20% down to buy a home, I was faced with two thoughts, 1) I want to buy a home before my 21st birthday, approximately 15-18 months away 2) How am I going to save approximately $100,000? At this point I am working at Melisse 5 days a week from about 3pm-1am Tuesday through Saturday. The next day I went and applied to morning restaurants, I as able to secure another job where I had to be at the restaurant at 5:30am to set up for breakfast service, and I would finish between 1:30-2pm Tuesday through Sunday allowing me to have Sunday afternoons and all day Monday off. After approximately 6 months of working the two jobs through talking to my mom she made the comment that if I was going to be putting in this much work I might as well make my commission, through that recommendation I found a real estate course which was operating on Monday evenings. To me this was perfect because I could study Sunday afternoons and Monday mornings and head to class on Monday evenings. While I was taking these courses I was also moved into the Maitre’d role at Melisse, so I thought I was solely getting my license for my own purchases. I entered escrow on my own purchase with the anticipated closing happening two weeks prior to my 21st birthday things felt like they were on tract, that was until I ran into escrow issues with the HOA resulting in having to cancel escrow. I decided to stay focused on hospitality while merely dabbling in real estate, that was until a luxury agent came into the restaurant one night, we hit it off and had great conversation and he encouraged me to come mentor under him. Taking him up on the offer, I got to see real estate in a whole new light, showing luxury condos and homes in Santa Monica and learning from a true master of the craft drew me back into real estate. I then decided to re-engage the idea of purchasing my own place, I ended up buying a condo in Long Beach CA, still working in the restaurant I felt the desire to expand real estate into the new city I called home. I was invited to join a top producing team in Long Beach when I was 22 years old. I worked for this team for approximately 5 years where I learned the more traditional real estate approach, learning systems and how to run my business truly like a business. I became one of the teams top producers and also assisted in training the new agents, largely because I made it my goal to understand all aspects of the contracts and negotiations at a deep level to ensure I was always the most prepared in the negotiations. After five years with this team I felt it was time to break off onto my own. Shortly after leaving the team I was in a position to start my own team and had an agent join me. I created my team “Cin Coast Realty”, with a focus on serving the costal communities, as thats where the members of my team live and we all enjoy the beach activities, surfing, community, and overall the community we want to serve. My first year after leaving the team I was recognized as one of the top producers at my brokerage. Continuing on the next year we were given the opportunity to list a home designed by the famed mid-century architect John Lautner. Setting a price per square foot record at the time for the neighborhood positioned us to continue our growth. We transitioned to Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and were recognized with their “Chairman Circle Gold” Status last year classifying us within the top 2% of agents within our brokerage nationwide. As we entered this year being my tenth year in the industry our team continues to grow, as we continue to push towards elevating the level of services clients should expect from our industry.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Hasn’t been smooth at all, getting into real estate with only a motorcycle in the beginning made listing appointments quite interesting to say the least. In addition after losing the escrow on my first property I felt defeated in the process between that and being looked at as “a kid” only being 22 years when I began actively selling was initially hard on my confidence in the space, however I have always been fortunate enough to surround myself with exceptional mentors. Between them and continuously reading and furthering my education I have over come my struggles by focusing on being a knowledge broker, allowing me to over come the challenges. One thing my mentor told me early on is that its ok to not know the answer to everything and that people will respect you more if you are honest about it and show determination in finding them the answers vs making something up and hoping you are correct

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I started my team “Cin Coast Realty’ Nearly three years ago, after already being in the space for approximately seven years. We have worked hard on being the go to team regardless of our clients needs, we have sold everything from first time condos, to luxury homes, famed architects home, and commercial sales and leases. Our focus has always been on delivering the highest quality of service and skills, we are Luxury Property Marketing Certified, Probate Specialist Certified, Commitment 2 Excellence Members, BPO (Broker Priced Opinion) Certified, and working on a few more currently. What we are most proud of is the idea of legacy, sharing our clients legacy, and establishing our reputation legacy on the sole principal of always acting as a true fiduciary and in alignment with our moral compass. We often discuss Warren Buffets quote ” It takes 20 years to build a reputation, and 5 minutes to ruin it” We have practice that we would rather turn down a business opportunity if it conflicts with our moral compass vs compromising our integrity.

How do you think about happiness?
Happiness to me comes from family, and when I say family I do not necessarily mean blood line, I mean those that you see and treat you as family. Moving to California not knowing anyone, I have had to build my family through friends and community, with the majority of my closest friends starting as my clients. Having a sense of community of people who know they can count on you blindly and that is reciprocated is a true blessing in this life. So having the ability to spend time with them and share memories with them is what brings me my happiness.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.CinCoastRealty.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cin_keegan
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CinCoastRealty
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/cin-coast-realty-newport-beach