Penny Parker Taylor and Susan Mayer have been partners at Coldwell Banker Walter Williams Realty in Ponte Vedra Beach for four years on and off, but most recently since January.
HOW DID THEY GET TOGETHER?
They were in real estate class together several years ago but didn’t know each other. “When we both went to interview for our first position out of school with Coldwell Banker Walter Williams Realty, we ran into each other there,” said Taylor. “We were both single moms and we decided to team up. We needed to help each other and we got along very well.”
TAYLOR’S REAL ESTATE HISTORY
Taylor joined Coldwell Banker Walter Williams Realty four years ago. She then left to go to Arvida before going back to work full-time at Healthease where she did sales and retention work. She was recently married and her husband said he would support her decision to go back into real estate so she re-joined Coldwell Banker Walter Williams Realty in January.
MAYER’S REAL ESTATE HISTORY
Mayer joined Coldwell Banker Walter Williams Realty four years ago. She then left to go to Arvida where she worked until Coldwell Banker Walter Williams Realty purchased Arvida last year. When Taylor came back in January, they teamed up again.
WHY ARE THEY PARTNERS?
“Our strengths really compliment each other,” said Mayer. “It is a very synergistic relationship. Penny is very outgoing and a real people person and I am more numbers and contract oriented.”
HOW DO YOUR STRENGTHS HELP?
“A big key is our strengths because we can build on that,” said Taylor. “Susan is very detailed oriented and meticulous. That’s not my strong point and I feel very uncomfortable with that. It’s hard to build a successful business when you have to wear so many hats. In real estate you have to wear a lot of hats, so we just build on each other’s strengths. She’s perfect in her area and I’m perfect in going to different events and dealing with people.”
WHERE DO THEY SELL?
They are both natives of the area, so they feel very comfortable with the whole Jacksonville and Beaches area.
WHAT IS DIFFERENT ABOUT SELLING AS A TEAM RATHER THAN ALONE?
“My background is healthcare and healthcare is based on teamwork,” said Mayer. “Real estate tends to be a very loner type of organization. There’s not that give and take in the development of a team. That’s what it does for me to have a partnership; it makes me feel as if we are working together as a team. We can bring partnership to real estate.”
MAYER’S HISTORY BEFORE REAL ESTATE?
Mayer has a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Florida State University. She was a registered nurse for more than 20 years.
HOW DID YOUR PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE HELP YOU NOW?
“It’s all about people. Coming from a healthcare background where you deal with truth and honesty, the integrity has to be there. It’s the foundation of it all.”
WHY DID MAYER GO INTO REAL ESTATE?
“I was looking for something with more income potential. I wanted something a little more upbeat. Healthcare has changed a lot over the years and it’s very high stress. I was looking for a lot more flexibility than it offered.”
TAYLOR’S HISTORY BEFORE REAL ESTATE?
Taylor worked with her father at Durham, Parker and Sons as a site contractor for most of the Marsh Landing and Sawgrass areas. Her father ended up selling his company so she became an independent distributor with a network marketing company. She started a car detailing business with a product she had found with a network marketing company. “I was building a network of people with that product and I was offering car detailing on the side to get extra income.” She did that for eight years before getting her real estate license.
WHY DID TAYLOR GO INTO REAL ESTATE?
“I had been around site contracting and I liked homes and people and I figured it was a good way to combine a lot of my skills that I learned in the past.”
HOW IS YOUR TEAM UNIQUE?
“When one person is down, the other person is up,” said Taylor. “You can always constantly keep motivated.”
“We are very hard workers and we like to be productive,” said Mayer. “We like to stay busy and we know that about each other.”
WHAT HAS HELPED YOU MOST TO GET YOU WHERE YOU ARE TODAY?
Taylor said perseverance and life experience. Mayer said her very deep faith in God and a very strong network of family and friends.
LESSONS LEARNED?
“Relationship building is the key to this business,” said Taylor. “You really have to earn people’s trust.”
“Just when you think you’ve seen it all, you haven’t,” said Mayer. “There is always something new.”
WHAT DO EACH OF YOU LIKE TO DO WHEN NOT WORKING?
Taylor enjoys riding motorcycles, boating, camping and fishing. Mayer enjoys playing tennis and shuttling her children around to their various activities.
FAMILY
Taylor recently married Sam Taylor, publisher and owner of Folio Weekly. She has two sons, Ryan Thomas, 19 and Gavin Thomas, 16.
Mayer has three children, Natalie, 13; Alex, 12 and Christopher, 11.
RESIDES
Taylor lives in Intracoastal West and Mayer lives in Sawgrass Country Club.
FAVORITES
Taylor said she enjoys the “Mummy” movies. “I love adventure movies; I’d love to be an archeologist.” A book she read and would recommend was an autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt. When dining out, she enjoys Matzu at the beach. When traveling, she likes anywhere in the Caribbean. When relaxing at home, she enjoys tuning into C.S.I.
Mayer cites “The Bell Jar,” by Sylvia Plath as a book she would recommend. When relaxing at home, she enjoys watching the Lifetime Channel. When traveling, she enjoys Sanibel Island. When dining out, she highly recommends Buca di Beppo.
- by Michele Newbern Gillis