Jason Hoffman has been a residential Realtor with Coldwell Banker Palazzo Realty in St. Augustine Beach for two years. He specializes in single family houses and condominiums.
BEFORE REAL ESTATE?
He was in the restaurant and hospitality industry for 17 plus years. “I did everything from doing dishes to running a restaurant. I started out at 14 years old as a busboy.” Since he moved to St. Augustine, he has worked at Sunset Grill, Café Iquana, Longhorn and the Oasis restaurants.
MOVED TO ST. AUGUSTINE?
In 1989 to go to college. He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Flagler College.
WHAT MADE HIM GO INTO REAL ESTATE?
“I just wanted something that was a little bit different. It got to that point where I said enough is enough and I needed a change. I had known Tony and Dee Palazzo for years and they kept asking me to come work for them. I finally decided that I needed to do something with my life. I either needed to continue in the restaurant business and get back into management or the offer was on the table from Tony and Dee to come work for them. I chose them.”
MENTOR?
“Tony has been a great mentor. He showed me the ropes. I’ve known him and his wife since I got out of high school and they have always been good honest people. I bought my first house through them. I knew that I was in the right spot to be trained properly.”
HOW DO YOU LIKE REAL ESTATE?
“I love it. Anyone in real estate would agree with me on this. The first six months in real estate is so difficult. It is so discouraging that I was ready to say I had made a bad decision and go back and get a restaurant management position. But, Shelly Trela of Premier Properties happen to call when I was having a down day. She told me to hang in there and that she hadn’t gotten her first paycheck until after six months. That kept me going until things got really rolling.”
HOW HAS YOUR PAST EXPERIENCE HELPED YOU IN REAL ESTATE?
“Being in that industry, you meet so many different types of people from so many different walks of life. You really get to understand different characteristics of people and how they deal with certain things. So, I think in this business, it has helped me because of having that experience of dealing with different people, different types of moods, dissatisfaction and appreciation of things you can kind of roll with it one way or the other. Ultimately, this is just another customer service industry. If don’t leave my customers satisfied, they won’t come back to me.”
LOOK AT THINGS DIFFERENTLY?
“I look at real estate more as an investment. I think that is the business side of me. A lot of times someone might say, ‘Oh, I love that house’ but it backs up to I-95. I’ll tell them I hate it. I’ll tell them that. I’ll be honest with them. I’ll also tell them that ‘I don’t think it is a great investment. But, if you love the house, I don’t want to discourage you from buying it. But, these are the things in my professional opinion that I see that are potential problems in the future if you go to sell this house.’”
PAST EXPERIENCE IN BUILDING?
“My grandfather was an electrical contractor and so was my uncle. So, I spent my summers working for my uncle and that’s how I got accustomed to this business. Being around the office you hear all the real estate stuff going on and being out in the field you learn all the hands on stuff about the homes. So, it’s always been like second nature for me.”
WHAT IS THE MOST CHALLENGING THING ABOUT REAL ESTATE?
“Turning a customer. Getting them to feel comfortable to do business with you.”
WHAT HAS HELPED YOU MOST TO GET YOU WHERE YOU ARE TODAY?
“A lot of drive and determination. A lot of goals for what I want out of my life for today and in the future. I have a lot of high aspirations for myself and for my wife and our future family. In order to reach those goals, I know that I have to put in a lot of effort into anything that I want to do whether it is business or personal.”
LESSONS LEARNED?
“Think about what you are going to say before you say it and don’t let your emotions get involved.”
ADVICE FOR A NEW REALTOR?
“I would give the same advice that was given to me. If this is something you want to do keep on keeping on and don’t get discouraged.”
WHERE HE’S FROM?
California.
FAMILY
He has been married to Jessica for one year.
WHAT DOES HE LIKE TO DO WHEN HE IS NOT WORKING?
Travel and watch television and movies.
FAVORITES
A movie he saw recently and would recommend is “Bad Boys II.” His favorite movie of all time is “The Godfather” trilogy. The last book he read and would recommend was a biography on David Lee Roth. “I was a big Van Halen fan, I still am.” When relaxing at home enjoys tuning into “Third Watch.” He notes his favorite restaurant as Raintree.
- by Michele Newbern Gillis