Stephen O'Hara

With a love for ‘all things American’ and a passion for the quintessential Southern California lifestyle, Stephen has always seen things a little differently than others in the real estate industry. At age 5, I had a successful Kool-Aid stand, learning the importance of products, pricing, and service. At age 12, I sold stationery products door-to-door, eventually selling to retail stores. I was the first to sell Pentel pens. If you brought a Pentel almost anywhere, I put it there! As America’s Youngest Entrepreneur, I was a media darling, giving interviews on TV and in publications. In 1980, Entrepreneur Magazine named me to their ‘Franchise 500 list’. I drove a Lincoln Continental to high school, which resulted in a trip to a courtroom! Securing my legal emancipation at age 16 enabled me to handle the legal issues surrounding my businesses. Throughout High School, I owned 3 used car stores. I approached Chrysler and was awarded my first new car store. I knew the legal aspects of repossessed cars, so it was easy to partner with a school friend selling foreclosed homes. In 1976 I got my Florida Real Estate license to access the MLS to look for deals to purchase for myself. The concept of a Certified Pre-Owned car was mine with Franchises in 22 States. I founded Detroit II, which had a good run, but nonetheless resulted in a 43-million-dollar bankruptcy. I dusted myself off and considered what big-ticket item I could sell. Licensed in CA in 1987, I closed 176 Real Estate sales in my first year, and 4 years later, opened three CENTURY-21 offices, recruiting and mentoring more than 500 agents. I was one of only 25 Real Estate agents featured in the book ‘Billion Dollar Agent–Lessons Learned’ (Steve Kantor). I sold my franchises and joined RE/MAX. In 2005, I earned a Lifetime Achievement Award, ranking #1 in CA, #11 in the USA, and #14 amongst the 106,000 RE/MAX agents worldwide. Steve Jobs said, “You can’t connect the dots forward; you can only connect them backward.” I disagree. You can connect the dots forward, but you must collect the dots first! The dots are our values, skills, talents, lessons learned and hard-won knowledge. We need to leverage, especially when serving the luxury real estate market. We all have unique experiences, expertise, and epiphanies. These are the ‘dots’ that we can connect forward to a customized ‘next’ step that leverages who we are at our core. Today, I help successful agents make informed moves that lead them to aligned results—results that help them reach financial goals, achieve the lifestyle they want, and achieve meaningful success in all areas of their lives—not just their careers. My best strength is my ability to connect with people. While luxury real estate is often conducted in affluent social circles, it must be done carefully to avoid being “salesy.” Nurturing high-quality relationships is the only way to build trust and uncover opportunities. Despite changing economic tides, the demand for luxury properties remains steadfast. I counsel successful agents invested in learning and growing to step up and secure their status as a leader in the luxury marketplace. If you share my love with real estate, I can help you to connect the dots for a prosperous career as a luxury property professional.