James Dwiggins is the chief executive officer of NextHome, Inc. He’s third-generation in real estate—his grandmother and grandfather, father and mother all in the business. James brings to the table a sharp, innovative, and forward-focused vision. He’s been in the real estate franchise business since 2006, originally joining Realty World Northern California & Nevada as director of technology and strategy, where he was promoted to vice president five years later. In May 2014, he cofounded NextHome (with Tei Baishiki) and ran both brands until 2020, when Realty World International acquired the region back. In January 2015, James (and Tei) launched NextHome as an independent national real estate franchise. 

Prior to joining Realty World, James cofounded—also with Tei, a decades-proven partnership—VREO, Inc. developer of groundbreaking enterprise-level internet applications for agents and brokers. VREO pioneered biometric signature software for paperless transactions and garnered numerous industry accolades, including the coveted Inman Innovator Award for its breakthrough technologies. Previously, James cofounded USA Virtual Tours, which he helped to grow nationally until its acquisition in 2001. 

James speaks regularly and is a frequent media expert on real estate and other cross-industry franchise and technology advancements. He has been featured as a RISMedia Newsmaker and on the Swanepoel Power 200 list. Franchise Business Review recognized him as the leader of the number-one real estate franchise (and number-one across industries) in owner satisfaction for three years in a row. Jamesis host of the Real Estate Insiders Unfiltered Podcast. 

Originally from San Luis Obispo, James grew up playing soccer and went on to join the California state championship team. He studied business and criminal law at Cuesta College. Today, he loves riding horses and racing cars—he met Tei, who he went on to work with for over 20 years, drag racing on a Friday night when they were both teenagers. NextHome is their third company together.