Josie Deal has been a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Jasinsky and Associates in Fernandina Beach for 11 years.
BEFORE COLDWELL BANKER?
She was a concierge at the Ritz-Carlton on Amelia Island.
WHY GO INTO REAL ESTATE?
“I met Bruce Jasinsky when I first moved here which was 20 years ago. The first time I met him, he said I should go into real estate. I got married, had a baby and then started working at the Ritz. He kept saying that I should get into real estate. Finally, I decided to go ahead and take the test and see what happens.” She started part-time with Coldwell Banker Jasinsky and Associates while still at the Ritz until she decided to dive in full-time.
“I’m beyond full-time now,” she laughed.
HOW HAS YOUR PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE HELPED YOU IN REAL ESTATE?
She helped set up appointments for the clients, gave directions, made reservations and basically took care of any kind of need they could possibly have. “That was a great job because it was so different and you met people from all over the world. Now, I’m doing the same sort of thing as far as meeting people from all over. The background I have from the Ritz has helped me because I was there to totally to serve and you don’t say no to anything. You direct them in another direction and find out what can help them. That is the same type of service that I give as a Realtor.”
ADVICE YOU GIVE TO NEW AGENTS?
“You have to have a tremendous amount of patience. My motto with real estate is ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you’ and ‘In the long run, what comes around goes around.’ Even if someone doesn’t buy a piece of property from you, if you give them the type of service that you would give to yourself, then it’s going to come back to you eventually.”
LESSONS LEARNED?
“Sometimes, you can not fix everything. You do your best to make people happy, but if you feel like you are responsible for every little thing that happens, you just can’t stay in real estate.”
PET PEEVES
“People not being on time.” Deal said she’s had some experiences where clients were two or three hours late for an appointment to be shown homes. That upsets her because the homeowners prepared their home to be shown and since the client was late, they may not get see all the homes on the agenda. “It really affects the people who wanted to show their home.”
SPECIALITY
She concentrates on residential real estate including oceanfront condominiums and second homes. She also does some commercial real estate here and there.
FERNANDINA MARKET?
“It is much more specialized. The good part is that we are not that big.” She said it only takes about two days to show a client pretty much everything they need to see. “That’s all it takes since the selection is not that big. Fernandina is only 13 miles wide by one to two miles long on the island.”
HER AREA
Amelia Island, Fernandina Beach and Yulee. If someone wants to see an area she is not familiar with, she refers it to another agent in that area.
WHAT TYPE OF CUSTOMERS DOES SHE GET?
Deal said she sees a combination of customers including retirees, baby boomers looking for a second home and families.
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
She is a member of the Amelia Island/Nassau County Board of Realtors.
WHAT DOES SHE LIKE ABOUT REAL ESTATE?
“The people you meet, the diversity of it and not having to stay at a desk all the time. I like being out and interacting with other agents and customers.”
BIRTHPLACE
Tifton, Ga.
CHURCH
United Memorial Methodist.
COLLEGE
She has an associate’s degree in secretarial business from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.
RESIDES
Summer Beach.
FAMILY
She has been married to Jim for 20 years. They have one son, Brian, 18.
FAVORITES
She cites her favorite all-time movies as “Gone With the Wind,” “Harvey” and all of the Fred Astaire movies. “I love musicals.” When relaxing at home, she enjoys tuning into “Cheers” re-runs. When traveling, she enjoys anywhere in Europe. When dining out, she frequents Brett’s Waterway Café. A book she read and would recommend is “The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood,” by Rebecca Wells.
- by Michele Newbern Gillis