Joan Reynolds has been a Realtor with Realty Executives of Jacksonville in Mandarin for a year and a half.
BEFORE THERE?
Reynolds has been in real estate for 15 years working for such companies as Silverman Realty, Magnolia Realty, Watson Realty, Vanguard Realty and Home Finders Realty. “I’ve lived in seven places since I moved here.”
BEFORE REAL ESTATE?
She owned a gift shop in Chatham, N.J. named Cachet for eight years. “I started it from scratch and it’s still there, 30 years later with the original employee I hired.”
WHAT MADE HER GO INTO REAL ESTATE?
“The most successful part of my financial life has been what I bought and what I sold. So, real estate was a good match for me. I just feel that real estate is a really good investment for a woman. I think women do really well in real estate. I think they have really good gut instincts. I think I have them and didn’t act on them a lot of times.
“When I came here, the savings and loan thing had hit the fan. The foreclosures were a really good market. They were something I was interested in both for myself and other people.”
HER MARKET?
Reynolds said 24 percent of the market is single women.
“Single women are a huge market and I’ve always worked with them. I’ve always had a passion for helping others find a good deal, and it has mainly been helping single women, whether they were divorced, never married or a single mom. I just felt that those were people who needed a partner in that transaction. I became their eyes, hands and feet.”
HOW DOES YOUR PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE HELP YOU NOW?
“As a business owner, I learned to watch the little things. I watch the details and how much everything is. I try to make sure every nickel people spend needs to be spent. If they can save $100 by updating a survey or save something entirely by using different title companies, I try to do that for them. I call the different title companies and check prices.
“To me, having worked with single moms who have a certain amount of money to buy a house, every nickel mattered. That’s how the business part translates into being very careful with someone else’s money.”
WHAT ARE YOU DOING DIFFERENT IN THIS BUYER’S MARKET TO GET BUSINESS?
“I’m going out to churches to talk to women about buying real estate and investing in it. I want to educate them about real estate. My feeling is in educating women about real estate, taking the scariness out of it, telling them what’s involved and encouraging them, some of them will become clients.”
WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE MARKET?
“We are running out of houses that a single person can afford. I’ve sold houses for under $100,000 for 12 out of the 15 years and there just aren’t any left. The investors have bought them all. Unless a single woman is making a very good salary, $165,000 to $175,000 is a minimal house they can afford in a nice area. That’s the other thing: I want to get them in a nice house in a nice area that will be worth something down the road. That’s what I notice. We are losing that lower market.”
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT REAL ESTATE?
Reynolds said she likes the people. “I like connecting with the people and being a necessary part of that partnership, from finding the house to closing on the house and staying in touch with them after.”
BEST PROFESSIONAL ADVICE EVER RECEIVED?
“Do what interests you. Stick with what you love. Gary (Harlow, her broker) is very good about that. He is very good at encouraging us to do what you love to do. I’m very happy here. Everyone has always wanted me to do real estate the way they thought real estate would work. He just gets behind you. He’s very encouraging to just do what you do, and you keep getting better at it. This is a very good match for me.”
ADVICE FOR A NEW AGENT?
Start with something you love being around, such as new homes, historic homes or waterfront homes – for me, helping single parents find a safe home they can afford. That way, even when times are difficult, you will still be surrounded with something that gives your soul satisfaction.”
PET PEEVE?
“Making friends with new technology.”
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS?
Northeast Florida Association of Realtors.
WEB SITE?
www.joanreynoldshomes.com.
-by Michele Newbern Gillis