Meet James
James works with a wide range of clients, first-time buyers, growing families, seasoned investors, and veterans utilizing VA benefits. Regardless of price point, he brings a high-energy, hands-on commitment, personally investing himself in every deal to ensure the strongest possible outcome.
Before real estate, James spent over 20 years in public service as a U.S. Army soldier and later as a law enforcement supervisor with the Oakland Police Department. That background shaped his calm, disciplined approach to high-pressure situations, skills that now translate directly into decisive negotiations and confident client representation.
Alongside his sister and business partner, Zara Rowbotham, James co-hosts on HGTV and CNBC, sharing their expertise and passion for real estate with a national audience. Together, they are known for their high-energy approach, deep personal investment in each property, and the use of elevated, media-driven marketing, leveraging professional video, strategic storytelling, and premium exposure to position homes at the highest level.
Their negotiation results speak for themselves. In one luxury transaction, James and Zara worked diligently with the buyer’s agent to successfully negotiate a buyer $675,000 above their original offer. In another, through a property listings strategy, they identified the right buyer and secured $352,000 above the initial offer. In a third example, James and Zara stepped in on a luxury property that had previously struggled to sell with no offers; within two weeks of taking over the listing, they sourced multiple buyers with competitive offers and successfully negotiated the winning buyer $410,000 above their initial position. In Diamond Heights, during a newly remodeled luxury listing, they drove exceptional demand and negotiated the winning buyer $874,000 above the listing price.
These outcomes reflect what clients receive when working with James and Zara Rowbotham: focus, persistence, and proven leverage in competitive luxury markets.
For James, real estate is about more than transactions, it’s about energy, commitment, trusted relationships, and helping clients make confident, well-executed moves toward their next chapter.
