by Michele Newbern Gillis
Staff Writer
Charlene Perez learned early how to appreciate the simple things in life.
Growing up on a farm as a child, she and her siblings found interesting ways to have fun that didn’t require money.
“We were poor and didn’t know it,” said Perez, the 2002 Northeast Florida Association of Realtors president. “My brother, sister and I had all sorts of weird pets, like a goat that flipped over every time you yelled at him. We didn’t have a lot of toys, we played by imagination. I had this wonderful mother who was the strongest person in the world. We worked hard on the farm and I grew up in that environment where things were expected of you and you were held accountable for them. I don’t think there is a thing in the world wrong with people doing that today, to expect things of you and then hold you accountable for them.”
As NEFAR’s new president, Perez has some goals she wants to accomplish this year.
“Glenn [East] and I met this past week to work on our goals,” said Perez. “One of our main goals is to start a mentoring program.”
They got the inspiration for the mentoring program from a recent trip to the National Association of Realtors convention where Richard Mendenhall, the 2002 president of NAR, gave a speech on the “power of one”.
“I wrote down all sorts of notes,” she said. “And now it means even more because of what has happened in the world and what is happening in real estate. We are seeing a little bit of a change in the market right now, although we don’t think it will be a tremendous change. So, the power of one. What he was really talking about is volunteerism.”
For a few years now, NEFAR has contemplated putting together a mentoring program.
“We want to bring in people who are interested in finding out about how NEFAR works; what they can do to make our association better and what it means to be a director,” said Perez. “We want to bring in new people, realtors and affiliates who want to learn what they can do to be more involved in NEFAR.”
Perez said NEFAR has 3,100 Realtor® members and that’s not counting affiliates.
“I would like to bring back the days when we knew one another,” she said. “It used to be that we would deliver contracts back and forth to one another so you met the other realtors. When you picked up the phone you could put a face with a name. You knew about them and their family. But, now with technology, including fax machines and e-mail, we don’t get to meet and know our other realtors. It’s much easier and a much happier time when you can do business with people you know.”
She would also like to revive realtor “fun days.”
“We would get together and get to know each other,” she said. “I would like for us to get to know the builders better. We have all sorts of people who have so much knowledge in this business. I can think of the people who mentored me including Bill Watson, who has tremendous knowledge; Cathy Whatley, who has so much knowledge, and Dan Jones, who is the strongest person that I have ever known. He has such determination and drive and great goals and he knows so much about real estate. Glenn East is a fountain of knowledge and Walter Williams, who has been in the business a long time knows everybody.”
She said the mentoring program would include new agents and those who have been in the business, but haven’t been involved in NEFAR.
“We have all sorts of teachers in this business and could use them on the education committee,” said Perez. “They’d be super on the education committee. We have so much knowledge and experience outside of real estate that maybe we can make use of it.”
Perez was ask to join the executive committee as secretary before becoming president-elect and now president.
“I’ve always thought of myself as a worker,” she said. “I’ve worked on education, legislative, RPAC and grievance committees of NEFAR. I’ve done just about everything I could. I chaired RPAC for three years and that was fun, I really enjoyed it. Then I got on the board of directors and then they asked me to be secretary. I enjoyed working with Dan and the others on the board so much. There are three magic words in the English language and they are, ‘I need you.’ And that’s what they did, they said, ‘We need you.’”
Perez will not be installed until January, but is already planning how she can help local Realtors®.
“One thing is that we are a pretty heavy presence as an association in Jacksonville,” said Perez. “I want to increase our presence with the Chamber of Commerce; I think that is important. We represent a large group of people in Jacksonville that are making a difference. We just need to be more professional and educate the realtors. Education is very important.”
Of all the real estate agents in Jacksonville, only 3,100 are realtors.
“They have a choice, it is their choice,” said Perez. “I think that is something that we can do is show them the benefits of being a Realtor®. There is a tremendous educational benefit. The second thing is to show them why they need to adhere to a code of ethics and standards of practice. If you were selling your home, I would think you would want to deal with someone who has to adhere to a code of ethics and who governs themselves by the code of ethics.”
Perez said NEFAR will offer courses on technology, contracts and computers in the coming months.
Perez, who is following in the footsteps of Dan Jones, likes to say she is filling a size 14 shoe with a size five foot.
“We are just different people who we have different goals I’m sure,” she said. “He’s very driven and has a great sense of humor. He has the ability to put everybody at ease with his Southern sense of humor. I wish I could grab that from him and take it. I can’t tell a joke worth a darn. If I could take something from him I’d like to have his drive and his sense of humor.
“Dan’s goal was that everyone should be a homeowner. He had at least two large educational seminars where people could come in and hear everything about real estate. He has more drive than anyone I know. I don’t know how he does it. He’s just great. He is so involved in his church, with Boy Scouts and his family. To keep all this going all the time, plus run a business and be successful in real estate takes a lot.”
Perez grew up in Tennessee. After high school she attended St. Thomas School of Nursing in Nashville and became a registered nurse or 14 years.
Her first job was in the burn ward of a pediatric hospital. Next, she worked in the communicable disease ward of an indigent pediatric hospital in Texas.
She was married at the time to a naval officer and endured 11 moves in 12 years, which kept her from continuing her nursing career.
“It was enough just to get moved, I think.”
After her children were born, she decided to work for a builder in Maryland.
“I didn’t make much money, but I really enjoyed it,” she said. “I decided when I came to Jacksonville to go back to college so I went to FCCJ and took some business classes. Then I became a stock broker for Dean Witter for almost 10 years.”
In 1985, she got her real estate license and went to work for Watson Realty.
“My first manager was Tom Pittman, who is now with Coldwell Banker,” she said. “I started with Watson because I wanted the training. Like others, I left and went with ERA for a short time and with Walter Williams for short time and then I came back.”
Perez called Bill Watson and told him she wanted to come back. In 1992, she was hired in recruiting and training at the corporate office. Then Watson asked to manage the office on Atlantic Boulevard overlooking Pottsburg Creek. She said yes.
This year, Watson built a new, much larger office.
“It’s just gorgeous,” said Perez. “It is so pretty and personally I think it’s Mr. Watson’s prettiest office. It’s so open and bright and the view on the water is great. And we have lots of room to grow.”
As a manager of 23 agents, Perez is not a mother hen. She does the same thing for her agents as she would expect for herself.
“What motivates me is a good pat on the back for something I did well, recognition for something I have done well and if I haven’t, [done well] bring me in the room, close the door and let’s talk about it,” said Perez. “People should be happy when they go to work in the morning, if they are not then than there is something wrong. Everybody likes one another here and respects one another. We get along real well and have a lot of fun. I hire a lot for attitude; they all have a great attitude. “
Perez labels herself a walking Chamber of Commerce.
“We have wonderful property values and we have great weather,” she said. “It’s not boring like South Florida; we do have a change in the weather so you can have a change in the outfits you wear. It has gone from being a small town to being a cosmopolitan city. We have tremendous opportunity for growth and we have such great areas, including San Marco, the beaches, Mandarin and the Northside. Look at our sports, we have great sports. Jacksonville offers so much. There is so many different things that you can see and do.”
As for downtown, Perez has high hopes.
“Hopefully we are going to bring more residents downtown,” she said. “And hopefully we are going to improve the night life downtown, that would be great. We have tremendous opportunity with the waterfront and the Jacksonville Landing.”
When she is not working, she loves to play golf.
“If I could come back I’d be 5-foot-8, with long legs and long blonde hair and hit the ball like Tiger Woods,” she said. “I love all sports. I love to play golf and to fish. I’m not great at any one sport, but I’m a tremendous spectator.”
Perez lives in Marsh Creek and is engaged to Frank Ferren. She has three children, Diane, Lori and Stephen, and three grandchildren, Jessie, 8, Spencer, two and a half and Dawson, one and a half.