Today we’d like to introduce you to Jami Kinton-Sluss.
Hi Jami, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
Honestly, I never imagined working in real estate! My background is in journalism, social media, and entertainment – and still is. I’ve been working as a host for the last 12 years for the Cleveland Indians, turned Guardians. I’ve been acting, modeling, and dancing since high school, but I actually went to college for journalism. I was a reporter for seven years at the Mansfield News Journal, and then went on to write for Cleveland Magazine and other publications and even to own my own social media company. I’m a former performer for the Radio Disney Live show, which turned into Fusion Live and I still host and perform in shows all over the country.
But even with all that craziness, right now my main focus is real estate and my brand-new baby, Allie.
My husband Grant’s family has owned Sluss Realty for over 52 years. When he and I began dating back in 2020, I remember giving him a couple “helpful” suggestions about his marketing and social media. Before I knew it, I had another job! I absolutely love it through and it’s really given me another outlet honestly to combine all of my skills and just get as creative as possible.
Life got a little more challenging – and better – when we had our first baby last February, but she’s really just enhanced our lives in every way possible. Allie even started acting and modeling as well, doing shoots for Enfamil, American Greetings, and more.
Our family has a lot on the horizon, including an upcoming, ongoing segment on our local TV station that Grant and I will host together! I’m really excited for that!
But like I said, the main work focus for me and Grant is Sluss Realty. We run our brokerage in a very unique way. Despite the fact that all of our agents are independent contractors, we treat them like a team. We are constantly thinking of ways for everyone to get together for fun group events, and we give them 100% support. None of our full-time staff, including our family, sells real estate. We are solely there to make sure our team has everything they need.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Before having a baby, I was a “never say no” kind of person. I would work myself into the ground and just have sleep take a backseat to every single opportunity that came my way. That in itself was challenging, but fun, too. Just before COVID, I used to travel a ton. 2019, I think I was in a different state every week.
Now, I’m a lot more selective with the auditions I take and the jobs I do outside of real estate. My job as marketing director comes first and my most important role as Allie’s mom is number one. Fortunately, she’s such an amazing baby and we have an unbelievable support system, so I’m able to do more than I thought I’d be able to do. My favorite time to work now is from about 2 a.m. till 6 a.m. when I don’t have to feel guilty.
There’s a lot more pressure when it comes to the real estate industry. We are the largest and fastest-growing brokerage in North Central Ohio – and that’s amazing! But, of course, that has its own elements of challenges. Great marketing is all about NOT staying stagnant, so I’m constantly thinking of ways to improve what we do. That isn’t the hard part because I’m never without ideas. The hardest part is finding the time to do them all!
My husband, Grant, is my rock. Being one of the brokers at our company is everything. We completely understand each other’s position and we are both completely on the same page with just about everything. We’ve also been best friends for over 20 years so that helps, too. But the best thing about working together is that we have total trust. We are both fighting for the same cause and that’s to make Sluss Realty the best it can possibly be and to serve our agents, staff, clients, and community with the highest service possible.
As you know, we’re big fans of Sluss Realty. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We are a real estate company that is completely community focused. We are constantly giving back, whether that’s through our Community Spotlight series, volunteerism, hosting a drive, donations, and so much more. Then, of course, we do everything to give as much support as absolutely possible to our agents and team. We were also one of three finalists for Small Business of the Year through the Chamber in 2021. We’re incredibly proud of that.
The unique thing about us, again, is that our family and full-time staff doesn’t compete with our agents meaning we don’t sell real estate. At most other companies, they do. We are super focused on giving all of our time to making our team successful so there’s no time for us to sell. We believe that putting their interests as our top priority is the best possible model and it definitely seems to be working. Our camaraderie and team spirit is incredibly high and our team knows we have their backs 100%.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
Grant’s dad, Bix, and his grandfather, Gerry, who started Sluss Realty, both laid an incredible foundation. They believed in putting the interests of the team and clients first, and we still believe that thought process is what has made us so successful.
I also draw from every aspect of my background, so I give a lot of credit to my media mentors – my old news editors Larry Phillips and Larry Gibbs. I utilize my writing skills constantly. I’m always writing articles about our agents and so much more.
I’m also constantly pulling from my continuing background in entertainment. We do lots of videos and photos, etc. and so much of what I’m doing was learned on a set somewhere!
Contact Info:
- Website: slussrealty.com
- Instagram: @slussrealty
- Facebook: Facebook.com/slussrealty
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@slussrealtyco.2357
Image Credits
Timothy Russell
