Jim Kimmons Expertise: Real Estate Education: Northwestern State University Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico Highlights Author of "The Real Estate Agent's Desk Reference" and "70 Things First-Time Homebuyers Need To Know," among other titlesA practicing real estate brokerWrote articles for Realtor magazine, as well as many online resourcesWorks as a freelance business writer Experience Jim contributed nearly 300 articles to The Balance over the course of more than 11 years. A practicing real estate broker since 1999, he also has ghost-written several books on the topic, in addition to publishing three books or e-books under his own name. He also operates the website World Wide Wordsmith. Education Kimmons spent two years at Northwestern State University studying liberal arts. About The Balance The Balance, a Dotdash Meredith brand, makes money easy to understand. We give people tools they need to not only make smart financial decisions but also prepare for the experiences they will have along the way. Our team of expert writers and editors have extensive qualifications in the topics they cover, and many of them have MBAs, PhDs, CFPs, and other advanced degrees and professional certifications. We require our writers to use primary sources in their articles, which are also approved by our Financial Review Board and fact-checked. You can learn more about the standards we follow in producing accurate, unbiased content in our editorial policy.