Sam V. Harrison was not born in Jacksonville but claims to have lived here “the last 100 years.” That’s Harrison’s way of saying that although he’s not a native, he has made Jacksonville his home.
“I started in real estate investment in 1980,” Harrison said. “Real estate investment means I was a landlord. Over a period of several years, I invested in as many as 13 rental houses and learned that real estate is my passion. Over those years, I had a day job and real estate was on the side.”
Then in 2005, in the early days of the economic slowdown, the company where Harrison worked his day job began to downsize and his job evaporated.
“I wasn’t broke, thankfully,” he said. “I owned houses and they provided some income. It was a good time for me to get my real estate license and practice my passion.”
He did just that and went to work for Watson Realty for one year. But he had a dream of starting his own business, which he decided to do in 2007, just at the time the downturn in the economy was beginning to look like a landslide.
“People told me I had rocks in my head,” he said. “And maybe I do. But I started Point to Point Realty, opened my first office in the NEFBA building and went to work. Soon we had a staff of nine agents and we were a regular real estate office.”
Harrison said that’s where he met then-Executive Director Arnold Tritt. Through his encounters with Tritt, Harrison became convinced that joining NEFBA would be a good business move. And, he’s been a NEFBA member ever since.
“Things began to change in 2007, and most of the agents left the business,” Harrison said.
“In 2009, I began to transition into a property management company. In early 2010, we were managing about 25 properties. Today that number is between 175 and 200.”
Harrison gives much credit for his success to his encounter with Starlett Jackson.
“The day she walked into my office was my lucky day,” he said “She was such a good fit for this business. She was a godsend. Starlett obtained her real estate license and as the company grew, she advanced to become the general manager.”
Today Point to Point has five employees dedicated to property management, including Harrison himself, and other agents who sell real estate. The business is 25 percent regular real estate brokerage and 75 percent property management.
“Joining NEFBA was another lucky day,” Harrison said. “You can’t beat it for the networking opportunities and the educational programs. I admit I am not heavily involved in committees and councils, but I do go to socials and try to make the most of networking opportunities.”
Harrison said during the lean years, when other small real estate firms were being forced to close, he continued to expand. In part, he said, it was his affiliation with NEFBA that helped him through.
“They know what’s going on, and NEFBA is where you’ll find the experts, the leaders and the decision makers,” Harrison said. “It’s why I will stay a NEFBA member and why I will tell everyone who is in a field in any way related to real estate, housing or construction to join. NEFBA’s goals are the same as yours and mine. It’s the best value around.”
Harrison is a self-described workaholic. He works six days a week, and sometimes seven.
“My company is my life, and because I have such a passion for it, I don’t have time for much else,” he said. “But I really can’t think of anything I would rather be doing.”