A third-generation native of the South Bay, Joe Buck was born and raised in Redondo Beach. After graduating from Redondo Union High School, he earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Southern California, where he played Division 1 basketball. He continued playing basketball professionally for a decade. Meanwhile he got involved in the real estate industry in 2009 when he acquired his first income property. In 2015 he retired from professional sports to pursue his career in real estate full time and joined Compass two years ago.
What does Joe Buck – South Bay Properties stand for?
As a real estate specialist and licensed Realtor®, I embrace the ideology that residential real estate is about more than just properties. It’s about people. It’s about pride of ownership. It’s about your most valuable asset. It’s about your family’s home and creating lifelong memories. It’s about relationships and trust. Real estate is really about YOU. I pride myself on attentiveness to my clients’ needs and maintaining an open line of communication throughout the entirety of the home buying and selling process.
How has your experience as a professional athlete helped your performance as a Realtor?
I became passionate about real estate investing at the same time I was playing professional basketball. Leveraging the success of my income property venture paved the way for future investments and provided a wealth of knowledge and experience in the industry. So after I retired from basketball, it was a natural fit to turn real estate into my full-time work.
Channeling the foundation and fundamentals of my professional athletic career and applying them in every aspect of my business help me be competitive for my clients. I have an obsessive attentiveness to detail, and I strive nonstop for perfection. This was second nature for most people in the world of professional sports, but it’s rare to find that level of detail and perfection in the business world—and it’s definitely what differentiates me in this competitive market. So far in 2022 I’m undefeated for buyers!
Living and playing around the world has also enhanced my ability to adapt quickly to variable circumstances and develop immediate rapport with people from all walks of life. The recent pandemic shutdown was similar to some of the more intense preseason training phases where the objective was to add more difficulties to the normal routine so you were challenged under extreme conditions. During that year or two of the shutdown, I felt like I was “training in sand”—everything was a bit heavier, more challenging to trudge through. But my business became fully adapted, even under that extra “weight.” It’s this tenacity that makes me unrelenting when it comes to my clients’ best interests.
Tell us why open houses are important to you.
I hold a lot of open houses because I love the personal interaction aspect of this business. It always gives me a chance to engage with my community—meeting neighbors and potential clients. A good chunk of my business comes from meeting people at open houses, and I think it’s because people immediately get a sense and first impression of how I work and how much emphasis I put on doing right by my clients.
Describe your working style.
I am obsessive with details, structure and systems and demanding of myself in all categories. My clients understand this about me, so they give me their ultimate trust to lead the way—whether it be constructing an offer or operating through my listing-preparation process. I attribute my success to having systems in place for everything, which helps clients successfully close whether they are buying or selling. Compass leads the industry in tech systems designed to keep agents organized to meet our clients’ needs and the day-to-day necessities of the business.
What do you love about working in the South Bay?
I genuinely love the process of helping people buy and sell in my hometown. This is the best place in the world—nothing comes close to the South Bay. I truly have such a sense of pride in helping people find their new homes here where they can experience the best lifestyle on the planet.
How would clients describe you?
Here is a review from a recent client:
“If 10 stars were available, he would get 12. I’ve worked with and been around many agents over the last 10 years, and Joe makes them all look like they’re in slow motion. The BUCK stops here. Literally! Joe isn’t just a real estate agent. He is a business. He understands the ins and outs of every aspect of the buying process—from inspections to contingencies, appraisals and market trends. When my wife and I were in the process, it seemed like there was a list of 20 things that had to be checked off before closing. And if any one of those went wrong, it could derail the whole closing. Joe was always calm, cool and collected. He was always over-communicating, and even though he was working with other clients, he always made time to take our phone calls and talk through buying scenarios with us. His knowledge and experience are unparalleled, and we look forward to working with him on future transactions.” – Shawn P.