We Don’t Just Offer Support—We Give You the Blueprint to Grow
Who Is 1st Class Real Estate SD?
Developing Leaders One Agent At A Time
In order to build a great company, you have to build a great team. You have to develop leaders that are driven to grow each and every single day! The ones that show up, put in the work, know the systems, serve others, and also bring a positive attitude no matter what the day brings. We are proud to have the team that we do!
Obsessed with building systems that empowered agents, no out of the box cheesy scripts, no generic drip marketing that increases unsubscribe rates, no company meetings that are generic useless information, no ownership of agent leads, no high splits, no putting agents in a box, no micro managing, no unfair corporate rules, no paying useless fees for no reason, and most importantly, a strong leadership commitment that shows people how to live the life we wanted...wealth building while creating freedom, putting GOD, Family, and agents 1st.
Our Leader
At the age of 12 Josh Pono had a vision, given to him by his grandfather to build a big real estate business. As a child with bi polar parents struggling with PTSD and Addiction, real estate was a way to make sure that his children never felt the same pain. Obsessed with proving the doubters wrong, Josh realized he had a lot to learn and he wasnt going to get there without acquiring the skills needed.
Josh Pono spent the first 8 years consulting and training agents at companies like BoomtownROI, KvCore, Inside Real Estate, Zurple, Kunversion, Agentjet, Z57, KW, Exp, Exit Realty, Zip Realty, C21, Berkshire Hathaway and the list goes on. Over the first 6 years he sold 200 plus homes including 50 homes in 2020 while managing a team and growing a local brokerage. He obsesses about systems and efficiencies. He builds out the CRM to save agents time and copy cat his processes that helped him achieve the success he has. He trains the tactics, questions, and unique value props that work! 16 years of obsession, failures, and refined systems are weaved into the fabric of this company every day.
Starting at the age of 24 he joined Real Estate Marketing Companies Like Z57, KVcore, and BoomtownROI. Why, if he was going to build a big business he needed to know how all the best agents advertised, created leads, followed up with the leads, and led their teams/companies. After 8 years of helping some of the biggest names in real estate grow their brands, in 2017 he took his $60k and bet it all on a move back to San Diego as a licensed agent. In his first year he sold 33 homes all of them outbound with cancelled, internet leads, circle prospecting, and open houses. He was rookie of the year with Big Block Realty but there was a problem. He knew how to close leads at a high rate, but he didnt really know about how to be a real estate agent. He barely knew how to spell AVID. Next stop, Master the Transaction process. He then went to work with one of the brightest business owners in the game, Brian Cane, a Gary Keller Top 100. There he was the lead listing agent, sales manager, and brokerage trainer. Over the next 2.5 years he sold over 100 homes and learned the ins and outs of how to own a brokerage, escrow, mortgage, and still live a balanced life. In 2023 he opened the first 1st Class Real Estate office in San Diego and got to work. In 2025 he opened Secure Path Escrow.
