Mark Jenks has been a Realtor with Re/Max Specialist for 11 years. He was with Watson Realty for 10 years prior to that.
SPECIALITY?
Jenks specializes in real estate owned (REO) and foreclosure properties and has his entire real estate career. “I’ve been doing it a long time. I had been working for Watson Realty for a year when a position opened up in their relocation office, which was handling their REO’s. I interviewed for it and it put me in a direction I would have never thought of going in. It has worked out to be a good thing.” He has an assistant, Sandi Callen, who helps him with his work.
TOP PRODUCER WITH RE/MAX?
Jenks ranked No. 1 overall in Florida for total residential transaction sides closed in 2007. “I was kind of shocked.”
WHAT MADE HIM GO INTO REAL ESTATE?
Jenks went into real estate right out of college. “My family has been involved in real estate for a long time. I was urged at a very young age to get my real estate license as soon as I could.”
WHAT’S DIFFERENT ABOUT WORKING WITH REO’S AND FORECLOSURE PROPERTIES?
After he gets the property, he is responsible for maintaining it and paying the utilities until it sells. “It’s part of the service we give these clients. They are supposed to reimburse you once the property sells.” He puts it on the Multiple Listing Service and then emails to about 450 people. “We market it, tell them what we got and try and get it under contract as quickly as we can. That is only part of the battle. The rest of the deal is getting it to close.”
DOES HE WORK WITH OTHER REALTORS?
“Yes. My assistant and I market to the other Realtors because we want to co-broker the deals. They sell the homes for us. I’d say 75 percent of what we sell is a co-brokered deal. I get my business from the banks and loan services companies.”
AREAS HE COVERS?
Duval, Clay, St. Johns and Nassau counties. “I spend a lot of time in my car.”
WHY WORK ON THIS TYPE OF PROPERTIES ONLY?
“I like them. I’m not into hauling people around in my car. I’m not a buyer-type guy. I haven’t put anyone in my car in 20 years. I just don’t do it. It’s just more appealing to me and is a more niche market that I got into a long time ago and I just found what I loved.”
WHAT’S GOING ON WITH FORECLOSURES?
“There is a large amount of inventory out there and it has to be absorbed. The banks have a lot of inventory. They are inundated. They need to get them off their books. It’s all a big cycle. This happened, maybe not to this extent, this is a little bit different, but this happened in the late 1980’s. It’s a correction. I think we’ll get through this and now is a good time to start buying. There are some excellent buys out there right now.”
BEST ADVICE HE’S EVER RECEIVED FROM A CO-WORKER?
“It was from Sue Fonda (now with Morrison Homes) and she said to not get so caught up in the small details of a deal, that you don’t see the big picture to bring it all together specifically on things that were falling apart.”
ADVICE FOR HIS FELLOW AGENTS?
“Try to get your customers off the fence. Now is the time to buy. Rates are great and there are a lot of motivated sellers.”
COLLEGE
He has a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Florida.
- by Michele Newbern Gillis