by Michele Newbern Gillis
Staff Writer
Melissa Lewis has been selling real estate in the Avondale/Ortega area for over 20 years and truly loves her job.
“I love it when someone comes to me and says, ‘OK, I need a house and this is kind of what I want’ and for me to go find it,” said Lewis, who has been working at the Prudential Network Realty’s Avondale/Ortega office for three years. “I like matching the house to the person. I love houses. Buying a house is an emotional decision and it is the biggest investment anyone is ever going to make.
“Buying a house, where you live and how you live in your house have a lot to do with whether you are happy and whether it fits your life.”
Since she has lived in Jacksonville most of my life, she knows the area inside and out.
“I grew up in Venetia and lived in Avondale when I first got married. I live in Ortega now,” said Lewis. “This is home to me.”
Lewis said that people who are looking in the area are looking for a traditional old neighborhood and selling in the Avondale/Ortega area offers a wide variety for buyers to choose from when looking for their new home.
“The difference between selling here and selling in a new community is that this is a little more diverse,” said Lewis. “All the houses are different, they have different styles. You have Spanish, prairie style houses, stucco that aren’t quite Spanish and brick. It’s more of an eclectic feel.”
The houses aren’t the only things that are different, Lewis said the area attracts old, young, artsy, professionals and blue collar workers.
“It makes it a very interesting neighborhood,” said Lewis. “It’s a non-transient area. It’s very stable. In 20 years, I’ve really never seen the prices go down, thought the prices might stabilize.”
Lewis said the starting prices in the area would be in the high $200,000’s.
“It’s hard to make a lot of money in this area compared to, say, a Beaches agent who just cranks it out,” she said. “I just sold two houses with some people I have been working with for years. You develop relationships with your buyers and sellers here. It’s a long term commitment.”
Lewis specializes in waterfront properties. She sells all over Jacksonville, but concentrates on her home area.
Twenty years is a long time to be in real estate. Many don’t succeed or get bored, but Lewis has stuck it out and still loves what she does. What is her secret?
“You have to love what you do,” said the mother of three. “You have to be a good people person, have empathy and a lot of education. You need to know what is going on.”
She said that the Super Bowl, in time, would increase corporate interest in Jacksonville as well as influx of second homes in the area.
Lewis got into real estate because she liked looking at houses. She started with Coldwell Banker Realty in Venetia over 20 years ago, then went to Watson Realty for a few years . She worked at Atkinson and Knight for 12 years until she decided to join Prudential.
Lewis has a bachelor’s degree in history, with a fine arts minor from Vanderbuilt University. She has been married to attorney Richard Lewis, who is head of the corporate department at Smith, Hulsey and Busey.