Former CBS 47 meteorologists Justin Sacher and Jenny Toste are reunited once again as real estate agents with Realty Concepts in Fresno. Photo contributed

Central Valley residents who tune into CBS 47 for weather advice can now turn to some former on-air talent to buy or sell a home.

Former meteorologist Justin Sacher has joined Jenny Toste’s team at Realty Concepts after leaving the news station and getting his real estate license. As real estate agents, both Sacher and Toste said their backgrounds in journalism have nurtured a passion for learning, trust and communication.

Sacher joined his former coworker and fellow meteorologist in October as Toste goes on year four with the Fresno real estate company. He had been at CBS 47 since 2008 as the weekend meteorologist.

After becoming a homeowner in 2015, Sacher says he fell in love with home architecture. Before becoming a Realtor, he loved going to estate sales and open houses.

“Even before I was picturing myself becoming an agent, I just loved getting to know the different styles of homes in Fresno,” Sacher said.

 

One of his favorite pastimes is driving  along Palm Avenue to see the housing styles progress through the decades at each major intersection, from Fresno High School all the way north.

Now he is working on differentiating between builders based on features in the home.

Toste said of Sacher, “He wants to be the best at whatever he does.”

When Sacher was reporting on wildfires, he enrolled in a course on firefighting to better cover the natural disasters.

So much of real estate involves trust, said Toste, and as meteorologist/journalists, it was their responsibility to build that trust.

Toste got into the business for her love of people, marketing and negotiations. One of her favorite things to do is help people prepare before they buy. She especially enjoys sharing about the investment aspects of homeownership. For instance, she has helped new parents plan out how to use a house to pay for college when the child gets older.

They both get to use skills they picked up from their years in journalism. Working daily stories in a newsroom helped Toste pivot to deal with different homes and people in the same way. As a journalist, she feels she is a life-long learner, something essential in the real estate business. And having to renegotiate contracts in her career has helped her do the same with her clients.

For Sacher, his work in journalism helps him disseminate information from inspectors to buyers who might not understand industry speak.

Toste’s team of herself, Sacher and Realtor Joumana Witt covers Kings, Tulare and Fresno counties. Sacher says he loves working with his colleague again.

“Not only are we friends, but we’re former coworkers,” said Sacher. “Never go into business with a friend — different people have different wisdom on that, but working with someone before gives you a good idea of what they will be like to work with.”