Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennipher Judge.
Hi Jennipher, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in Connecticut and then went to college in upstate NY to study photography and painting. I chose to study those subjects because I wanted to be hands on in school. I’ve always been curious and investigative learning from experience probably more than just reading and memorizing facts. Painting and Photography gave me great insight into so many ways the world works and how I see and equally important how others’ views can differ, how perspective is critical to understand both my own and others.
I ended up going back to grad school for counseling to work with children, but immediately after graduating, moved to Seattle, WA and joined up with a tech start-up doing recruiting. Honestly it made sense, I got to focus on people, it was very fast-paced, and it was exciting. I stayed on that track for a long time, working up to Director level. There came a point in my career however where I wanted something different. In 2011 in Seattle, WA I got my real estate license but at the time didn’t have the guts to transition to Real Estate full time, so I did it part-time while holding down a full-time HR role and being a new mom! Nothing like a challenge to see what you are made of. In 2013 I moved to Austin, TX. My son was 6 yrs. old at the time. We left to get away from the grey weather, I had a great HR role lined up at a growing game studio, so it made sense (at least to me). I began to invest in rental properties which really opened my eyes to the financial gains and diversity real estate can provide. I purchased a home in 2019 which was in bad condition, the intent was to fix it up and move in after about six months. 24 months later was the actual move in date. The process was amazing, horrible and everything in-between. What the process ultimately did though was wake me up to the fact that I was meant to be in real estate as a career.
I love being a real estate investor but as a realtor I get to educate people, understand other’s perspective, listen to where people are and help with ideas as to how and where they can go. Basically, I get to assist in life transitions (trust me counseling and art are both big factors in my life now as much as there were in school. I do believe that you truly should listen to what your passions are and figure out a way to incorporate them in what you do. I have never been happier.
Walking away from a 6-figure full-time job to enter the real estate biz, no salary, no benefits, no stability… at least not at first it was a huge decision but one I had craved for years. What held me up for a while was simply how could I provide medical benefits for my son. When I passed my real estate exam, I had a conversation with my son. I told him I most likely wouldn’t become a real estate agent b/c I didn’t have health benefits. Without missing a beat he replied, ” So you are going to stay in a job you are miserable in just so I can have benefits?” BOOM!!! Mic drop moment. I realized I was making an excuse, that if I really wanted to be a real estate agent then I could figure it out. Two days later, I gave notice to my employer and jumped in. It has been one of the best decisions of my life.
Real Estate isn’t what it seems like to most folks. Yes, you sell homes but truly, you are building client relationships, marketing yourself, helping others, building out a business plan, constantly evaluating your business, yourself and how you can be better. You truly are the CEO of you! I have grown in so many ways in the past 2 -3 years. I have a long way to go but I have also helped numerous people find and sell homes, become investors, helped other small business gain traction, and figured out what really makes me feel alive. I know my son is watching me as are friends. This industry is changing every day with new technology as well as fundamental ways of doing transactions. Some push back on new ways in real estate, but I find it a good challenge, similar to my days in the start-up world. I do truly believe that real estate is based on relationships and knowledge. Real estate is a very tactile profession with constant change that requires incredible discipline. The blend of my education and work experience coupled with my personality and learning style have truly worked out well in this career.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The hardest part of my path in real estate was actually taking the fricken leap to leave a standard job. I KNEW it was what I wanted to do but fear held me back. It was probably the biggest risk I have ever taken. Real Estate is about helping other but 100% you have to look in the mirror every morning, as say, “I can do this”. It is about belief in yourself, understanding yourself and understanding that personal growth and learning never stops.
Has my career in real estate been a smooth road? I don’t know a single agent that would tell you it has been a smooth road. What I can tell you is that for the first three months, it was all learning and sheer heaven. I know a ton about real estate having been an agent in Seattle and an active investor, but down here in TX things are a bit different so I took it all in, met a ton of great agents and brokers both new and seasoned. Due to Covid my ramp up was almost 100% online. After month three in the doubt kicks in, and the reality that you haven’t been paid in 90 days hits. It is a roller coaster of emotions which truly is educational or destructive depending on who you are. It either kills you in the water or it propels you forward. I kept telling myself, “Failure is not an option”. My struggles were not getting paid and having what we call “a drunk monkey” on your shoulder telling you that you can’t succeed. I made ends meet thanks to savings I had prior to starting, and some rental property income I had in place from a few years prior. I latched onto more seasoned agents and asked a ton of questions about what they went through when starting up, and the good news was, what I was encountering was pretty standard. This is that part I was speaking to earlier about learning from others. Many agents quit but those that have a business plan move forward in real estate. I leaned into the premise, If I quit I will NEVER KNOW SUCCESS. Guess you could say I had FOMO. I didn’t want to miss out on my success. It takes time to build anything worthwhile, and there are a few key things you need to do as you ramp up, but you have to be yourself. At the beginning of this new career, I was sure I had to project myself in a certain way, be dressed up, etc. That lasted about five months. I quickly realized that to be successful I was going to embrace who I am and while always growing, be me. I am far more happy and more effective when I am not trying to be something I am not. Am I growing and reworking who I am? Absolutely but in a way that feels genuine.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I have been working in Austin as a real estate agent with Keller Williams for the past 18 months. I specialize in residential real estate both as a buyer’s agent and listing agent, but my goal is more than just transactions. My goal is to build lifelong clients and that means I am a resource to help not to “sell”. I am building my brand as I grown my business. My tag line is “Helping great people find great homes”. I am not part of a mega real estate team that can be transactional. I hand select my clients who I truly can help. I love working with people who know what they want but aren’t sure how to truly get there. In my case, I have a solid group of trusted vendor partners that I love to recommend to clients. Anyone can find a name to give to a client to help. My value add is to provide peace of mind when I recommend a resource. I have spent most of my time networking within the tech start-up and video game community, as those are the industries I worked with for years. I understand the pace, the expectations and passion for technology to get problems solved and that naturally helps when working with these community. I relocated to Austin ten years ago not knowing a sole and can relate to people who are going through a relocation and the uncertainty. I give a first-class client focused experience that is genuine, understanding and responsive. My results create my reputation. My business is built on referrals from past clients and if I don’t knock it out of the park then it isn’t good enough. Every transaction is different be it location, type of home or property and of course the clients, but the effort I put in must always be top-notch. My clients are purchasing a huge $$ asset and quite often have 2-3 other major life changes going on at the same time so creating an open communicative process where you create trust quickly is essential. This challenge is what keeps me jumping out of bed every day. It is a very rewarding journey I am on.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I am not a big believer in luck. The choices and decisions you make in life more times than not create what happens next. Taking time to reflect on what has worked and not is valuable. How hard your work, how open are you to others, are you able to stand back and take in input from others, can you say no to others, are you open to saying yes to new experiences and feel uncomfortable for the sake of learning something new? These all have an affect on what happens in your life. I am a creative person, that said, having a balance of analytics is a powerful and helpful tool I incorporate into most decisions. I will say I have been fortunate to be raised by parents who taught, illustrated to me that life is about taking chances, to be aware and accountable for your actions, and always help and be open to others. Life does have ups and downs, I’ve made some choices in life, like every other human, that I might have done differently if had the chance, but I do try to reflect on where I have been, how I can improve going forward.
I have been told that I am bold, blunt, but also genuine. My son tells me I am savage. LOL. He explained to me that that means, “You aren’t scared to do something new or be held back by fear”. I had a pastor in Tacoma, Washington who was giving a sermon once and I think he put it out there well by saying. “Some days, you have to fake it till you make it.” No matter how you put it, in life and business it is hard sometimes, but it is how you respond that makes the difference and what I have realized is that it is important to realize you can give it your all, but you don’t have to do it all by yourself. If we, as a society have learned anything over the past two years during Covid, it is that people need people and having some sort of self-care/acknowledgment is key. Be self-full not selfish.
Contact Info:
- Email: jjudgehomes@gmail.com
- Website: https://linktr.ee/jennipherjudgeLORE
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennipherjudgelore/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JennipherjudgeLORE/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Jennipherjudge
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyB6mQc4n08Hc2_0M2_2Icw
