She has been a Realtor with Exit Real Estate Gallery on San Jose Boulevard for two years, emphasizing the Beaches, Intracoastal West and Mandarin. Before there, she was with Zip Realty for three years. Her past jobs include being a certified appraiser for the state of Colorado for five years and working for Merrill Lynch for nine years as a securities lending officer.
Past experience help?
“On the lending side, just having the knowledge of what the appraiser is going to look at and what the underwriters are going to look for. Obviously things have changed, but the foundation is the same. It’s also important to know the different products that are out there. One bank may offer a certain product and another doesn’t, so knowing that diversity and which banks have more flexibility is very helpful. When speaking with clients, I am very well-versed in knowing what the requirements are going to be for the different products. On the appraisal side, it is very helpful to be able to go into a property and to a CMA and I have a bit more knowledge as to what an appraiser is going to look at, even though it is a bit subjective. I know what they are going to look for and typically what type of adjustments they are going to do.”
Education
Geoghegan has three different bachelor’s degrees in neuropsychology, biology and sociology from the University of Colorado. Her intent was to go into the psychology field, focusing on research, but life had other plans for her.
Life changes
She moved to Jacksonville to work on a Master’s/Ph.D. program at the University of North Florida, but she has a son who has developmental issues and she needed to focus on him. “I couldn’t take the time the master’s degree would have required. I had to take some time out for him and obviously my children come first. So, I went to the sales side and became a Realtor. I love it, so it worked out great!”
Why real estate?
“I did the appraisal job because it was flexible and I always found it interesting with my background at Merrill Lynch. The appraisal job was fine and it did well for its purpose, but I am very much a people person and as an appraiser you don’t have a lot of interaction unless they are not happy with their appraisal. So, when I went into the real estate sales side, it was definitely more of a fit for me.”
Leads are the key
Geoghegan started with Zip Realty which had a strong lead program for their Realtors. “I like the lead system. They generated online leads and I felt it was a good way to start out in real estate because I didn’t feel I had a very broad sphere of influence. It did pan out to do very well for me. I built up my client base mostly by the leads and they have created referrals. I’d say right now 60 percent of my business is from referrals.”
Market?
“Certainly since the beginning of the year, and more in the last quarter, I am starting to see a trend of homes coming off the market much quicker than they used to. We have a lot less inventory than we used to. Six to nine months ago, our normal time frame for a house to sell was six months and now it’s more like three months.”
Buyer’s market?
Geoghegan came into the market when it was going down, so she didn’t know any different. “Some Realtors who are struggling were in the uptrend market, so they are trying to find new ways to do business to keep themselves going, but it was just there for me. I think the Internet leads were huge for me. Starting with that and getting comfortable with that gave me a broad spectrum to learn from. I worked with first-time home buyers to million-dollar home buyers. I had customers who paid cash and those who needed loans. I also worked from the Northside of Jacksonville to St. Augustine. When you take those internet leads they are not always based in your primary area. It was a great learning curve and helped me build up my client base.”
Best advice from a co-worker
“When I started, it was good for me to learn a broad spectrum of clients and areas and it was Stephanie White, a former team leader at Zip, who told me now that you have developed yourself and have the knowledge, focus on a specific area. I have a much more in depth knowledge of the Beaches and Intracoastal West instead of a having a broad knowledge of the overall area.”
Advice for loan officers?
She tells loan officers two things — never look at it as a sale and communication is critical. “I’m in the business of relationships. This is probably the biggest purchase a person makes. It’s not just a sale. I don’t expect a lender to treat the client as a sale either. I want them to build that rapport and relationship and in order to do that, there has to open communication. Keeping that trust and open lines of communication is very important.”
Professional involvement
Jacksonville Women’s Council of Realtors and Northeast Florida Association of Realtors.
Advice for new agent
“If you are going to be looking for that next sale, you will constantly be chasing that next sale. It will always be about sales. If you build those relationships and trust with your clients, then the business will happen.”
Family
She is single and lives in Intracoastal West with her two children.
Lessons learned
“You can’t please everyone.”
— by Michele Gillis