Aaron Kirman has built one of the most powerful names in luxury real estate. Founder of Christie’s International Real Estate Southern California and a veteran of more than $23 billion in sales, his story might appear polished, almost predetermined.
But as he revealed in a wide-ranging conversation on the Luxury Presence Podcast, the path was far from conventional and the lessons he shared were both unexpected and deeply instructive for agents at every stage of their careers.
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How early struggles become the foundation of his career
Kirman did not enter real estate from a position of ease. He openly acknowledged his challenges with dyslexia and communication as a child. Instead of hiding from these struggles, he used them to fuel his approach to business.
“I was a kid that couldn’t read, write, or basically talk,” Kirman said. From that limitation came the insight that he would need to find his own path. Real estate provided both an outlet and a sense of possibility. By his late teens, he was riding his bike through wealthy neighborhoods and imagining the life he wanted to build.
Kirman explained that what appeared to be a weakness became an advantage. “Weakness turns into strength,” he said. His difficulties with reading and writing pushed him to develop an extraordinary focus on communication and human nature, ultimately shaping his career as a master connector.
How mentorship and community are non-negotiable for new agents
While Kirman started as a fiercely independent 18-year-old, he believes today’s real estate landscape demands a different approach. His advice for new agents was clear: Mentorship is essential.
“My first, most important advice is, find a mentor that you like and that you trust and that you can work under,” he said. With 90 percent of business now concentrated in the hands of the top 10 percent of agents, the industry has become increasingly top-heavy. In Kirman’s view, young professionals cannot afford to go it alone.
But mentorship is not enough on its own. Kirman advised that agents must also build authentic communities around their personal interests. For some, this might mean church groups, for others, golf clubs, or even music festivals. He cited the example of an agent on his team: “All he does all day is play golf. But he was able to get into the private golf clubs. And he has a very, very powerful, legitimate business.”
The throughline is authenticity. “Once you find your people, your people become your clients. Your clients are ways to make money and they’re your friends,” Kirman said.
Why marketing a $200 million listing is not that different from a $3 million home
With career-defining properties on his résumé, Kirman has become synonymous with high-end sales. Yet, he insists that the marketing fundamentals apply across the price spectrum. “It’s different and it’s not,” he said when asked about the difference between a $200 million listing and a $3 million listing.
On the one hand, the mechanics remain consistent: Social media, advertising, and presentation. On the other, access becomes the deciding factor at the ultra-luxury level. “Access is the most important thing,” Kirman explained. “Once you have access, once the right people are picking up your phone, it’s easy to cross connect the dots”.
Rather than relying on cold calls, Kirman cultivated relationships with business managers, family offices, CPAs, and attorneys. “Those people have Rolodexes that I don’t have yet. I’m going to prove myself to those people. And now I’m gonna be in business,” he recalled. That strategy, carried over decades, has given him one of the strongest networks in the world.
How to determine whether a listing is worth it
When evaluating whether to represent a property, Kirman uses a framework he calls the “three Ps”: People, property, and price.
“I evaluate all of those things, and I decide if this is worth my time. ‘Cause my time is my money,” he said. Ideally, all three factors should align: The seller must be reasonable, the property marketable, and the price realistic. If one or more fail to meet the standard, Kirman does not hesitate to walk away.
He learned through experience that setting unrealistic expectations can damage both reputation and results. “No, you’re not gonna get this number. Yeah, you’re not gonna sell it in a week. And here’s why,” he tells clients. Far from pushing clients away, this honesty has become a hallmark of his brand. “Really smart people actually like the opposite. They want to hear the truth. They want to hear from an expert.”
Off-market deals reveal the hidden power of scarcity
While most of the industry focuses on listings in the public eye, Kirman prefers to test properties off-market first. At the ultra-luxury tier, privacy, exclusivity, and controlled exposure often lead to faster and higher-value deals.
“If you have a scarcity, it’s probably better to try to find the person off market,” he said. Sometimes that period is brief, lasting only two weeks while photography and marketing materials are prepared. Other times, it can stretch for months, depending on the property and client.
Kirman emphasized that exclusivity often appeals to billionaire buyers. “One wants it […] and all of a sudden you have that magic sale,” he explained. Still, he balanced this with pragmatism: “I’m good. I know a lot of people. My database, my marketing is probably better than most. But I don’t know everybody and it’s a really, really big world out there”.
The takeaway: Leverage off-market strategies, but never hesitate to go public when the time is right.
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How setting goals means survival
Kirman admitted that he once believed success in real estate was largely random. His husband, a banker, challenged that view early in their relationship. “If you don’t have a goal, you’re out of business,” his husband told him.
Kirman decided to set an audacious target: $50 million in sales per month. He wrote it on a whiteboard and tracked progress relentlessly. “Once I did that, I was like, okay, how am I gonna get to 50 million this month? What is the easiest way for me to hit my goal? Is it a reduction? Is it a new listing? Is it a buyer?”.
The results spoke for themselves. Month after month, he hit the target. The process revealed an important truth: Clear, written goals create accountability, focus, and momentum. “A good goal is pretty important to success,” Kirman said.
AI is already transforming real estate, and those agents who resist will fall behind
Kirman has long embraced technology, but his perspective on artificial intelligence was particularly striking. “AI is one of those things that’s going to change the world. And if we’re not embracing it and ahead of the curve, incorporating it into our world, then we’re gonna be behind,” he said.
For his team, AI is a working tool. From identifying buyers to targeting digital outreach, the technology is embedded in their daily operations. Kirman explained: “If somebody’s looking at houses that are 80 million in pattern and that person happens to be in Hong Kong, and we could still identify that person, not by name or number because that’s obviously illegal, but ways to make sure that our listings are at the forefront of their computer screen, we’re winning”.
He also tested generative AI personally, using ChatGPT to estimate the value of one of his own homes. The result matched the offers he was receiving. “Chat GPT was dead on with the offers that I was getting. I mean, it knew. It was dead,” Kirman said.
For agents, the message is simple: AI will not replace the personal connections at the heart of real estate, but it will define the competitive edge of the next decade.
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Kirman’s journey, from a child struggling with dyslexia to one of the most recognized figures in global real estate, reveals that success is not about shortcuts, but about strategy, persistence, and authenticity.
At Luxury Presence, we share that belief. Our mission is to equip agents with the tools, technology, and brand support they need to stand out in today’s crowded market.
If you are ready to take your career to the next level, connect with Luxury Presence today. The future of real estate belongs to those who prepare for it.
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