“It’s not about how many agents we have. It’s more about our brand presence and how people react when they see it. I want people to know that the agents at MDG truly care and are all in for their clients.” – Chris

Despite a life journey that took him in a different direction, Jason Mesnick always thought about real estate as a career path. “I was selling life insurance and medical benefits and nobody wanted to talk about that. Real estate was so lively,” he explains. Then his life changed when he was on season 4 of The Bachelorette in 2008 and subsequently got chosen to be featured on season 13 of The Bachelor, making him a known TV star. Jason’s experience on The Bachelor made it clear that he’s going to pursue what’s meaningful to him for the rest of his life. 

“When I came back from The Bachelor, I realized that everyone making TV shows really wants to be making TV shows," he says. "I walked out of there thinking, ‘I really have to do what I love.’ Shortly after that, I got into real estate.” Jason got his real estate license 10 years ago and hasn’t looked back since. 

Chris Dalto is a former Bellevue police officer who was inspired by hard work and many conversations with people in real estate to pursue it as his life path. Despite hitting rock bottom at 23 years old, his resilience and determination allowed him to build quick momentum in the industry, selling ten homes in his first three months and eventually surpassing 100 homes and more than $100,000,000 sold in just 3 years.

“When I started, I went into a phone booth and made cold calls and would not leave the phone booth until I made one appointment. It could have taken me 20 minutes or 6 hours. I was consistent and never gave up. The key is to do things that others won't, and become the best at it,” Chris explains. After spending four years looking to partner with someone in the industry, Jason had a chance encounter with Chris at the COMPASS office. “We sat down to talk about our businesses to see if there was an overlap. After a month of brainstorming projects, Chris said we should do something bigger and combine our brands," says Jason.

A Thriving Partnership 

Jason and Chris officially joined forces in the fall of 2022. They have a lot of similarities in their values and big-picture approach, but they each bring unique strengths that combine to set their partnership apart. Acknowledging those differences is what helped them build a strong and diverse team of hardworking people. “We were intentional about how we were building our team and who we brought in. We want people that all fit and work well together,” says Jason.

Chris also stresses the importance of creating a thriving and supportive culture that inspires people to be their best. “Culture is a big part of our vision. It only takes one bad apple to ruin the atmosphere, so I think it’s great we decided to focus on it from the start,” he adds.

As they continued to think bigger, Jason and Chris realized they’d outgrown what Compass had to offer for their goals. Their drive and ambitious spirit led them to join Real Broker in November 2023. “The biggest driver for me is I always liked to build things. Real has a lot of entrepreneurs and that entrepreneurial spirit is what drew us in," says Jason. “Real is also very social media driven. I follow a lot of successful agents on social media and most of them are at Real or moving to Real. Why send a mailer to 500 houses and spend $500 when I can get 30K views on a video I can create with my phone? Your social media is your resume so you have to be very mindful about it," Chris points out.

Jason and Chris now lead a dynamic team at Real which includes Jason's wife Molly Mesnick, Monica Church, Jason Sass, Montana Preston, Devin Leon, Tyler Morgan, RaeAnne Marcum, and Elsa Kurahara. Together, they’ve amassed an impressive following of over 2M people across Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook. 

Looking into the future, Jason and Chris’s primary focus is on building a strong brand presence that becomes a household name in the industry. For now, they plan to keep learning from their teammates, partners, and network while working hard to realize their full potential together. 

“At Real, we can add value to everyone, not just the buyers and sellers. It’s the entrepreneurial spirit. We care about treating our contractors, plumbers, and painters like family. It’s not our responsibility, but we’re impacting people’s lives through our connections and what we’re building.” – Jason

Outside of real estate, they also find value in staying active with morning workouts, yoga or finding solace in the outdoors. When asked what truly motivates them they responded with the same answer, family. Success to them is much more than a numbers game – it’s about leaving behind a tangible legacy for their families.