Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Kelly.
Hi Jessica, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Life often takes us places we don’t expect to be. If you had told me ten years ago that I’d be where I am today, I wouldn’t have believed you…real estate had never even crossed my mind. I spent my entire life dreaming of becoming a teacher. When I was a kid, I used to teach Sunday School to my dogs after church. I loved everything about it and was so passionate about helping kids, seeing the light bulb come on, creating an environment for them to feel safe and at home. After six years of teaching, the burnout was real and more than I could ignore. I knew my heart was no longer in it, and I also knew it would be unfair to my students if I kept going. I had been thinking for awhile about shifting into a career where I would feel like I was still helping people, but have more autonomy. My husband and I had just bought our first house in 2018, and even after we closed I kept my name on the sign-up list to receive alerts about houses because I just loved seeing them. I’ve always been a very sentimental person – which you may think doesn’t bode well for a sales job. But my sentimentality meant my home was never just a home for me; my room growing up was my safe haven, a place I could go and drop my shoulders. At the time all that meant to my teenage introverted self was a set of twinkle lights (for ambience) and a pink fuzzy butterfly chair. Now it means so much more. My home is where my family gathers. My home is where my mom came and lived with me during her cancer treatments. My home is where my Corgi got his first backyard to run around in. My home is where my husband and I learned valuable lessons of adulthood (property taxes do, in fact, go up!) My home is where I walked in the front door with my baby boy and introduced him to the place HE would call home. When I realized this is how I felt about my house, all I wanted to do was help people find a home they cared about as much as I cared about mine. And so began the most exciting chapter of my life so far!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Real estate is definitely not for the weak. There’s a huge misconception out there that “everybody becomes an agent” because it’s such an easy job to do. While the barrier to entry may be relatively low, the success rate is abysmal. 75% of realtors leave the industry in their first year. 87% leave the industry within the first five years. (Data from the NAR) As much as I wish it was, real estate is not as easy as it seems on Selling Sunset. Your friendly neighborhood agent is not, in fact, likely to pull in a six-figure commission on a sale. One of the hardest hurdles to scale is getting your finances prepared for this career. My husband and I have always been a united front financially, and the only reason I was able to leave a steady (albeit low) salaried job for an unpredictable paycheck is because we planned for this. My husband has a steady income, although he is also in sales, and we consider ourselves good stewards of our finances. In my first year of real estate I closed one deal. One! In my second year, I closed three deals. Better…but still nowhere near a livable wage. In my third year, I closed seven deals, one being my first listing, and earned Top Producer status at my brokerage and a spot in the Multi Million Dollar Club for my Realtor association. My fourth year is on track to be even better, but my third year was the first time I felt like I had finally seen the fruits of my labor. I had to have patience and allow time and diligence to grow my business. No matter how much I was earning, I had to keep putting money back into my business to help promote and stay top of mind for my circle of influence. I had to continue paying my dues and fees for my association, my brokerage, and my personal business expenses. If I didn’t have a solid support system, trust in God to take me to the places He has prepared for me, and a savings account to fall back on, I can’t say I would still be here.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a Realtor specializing in residential home buying and selling in the metro Atlanta area. I have served clients in Smyrna, Marietta, Kennesaw, Cumming, Stone Mountain, and Atlanta. My passion going into real estate was first time home buyers because I think that’s one of the best decisions you will ever make. It’s also your biggest asset, so the importance of having a trustworthy agent is paramount! That’s where I come in – I would say I am known for how much I care. I remember starting out, I wanted to know everything. I wanted to be able to answer every question a client would fire at me without hesitation. I soon realized, though, that this isn’t the most important thing. As the old adage goes, “They don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Clients need to feel safe and be able to trust their agent; this person is handling the negotiations on the biggest purchase (or sale) of their life! It’s a big deal, and I don’t take the responsibility lightly. I have also always been a perfectionist and, to my own detriment, an over-achiever. I try to go above and beyond for my clients because it’s what I would want done for me and my family. I stay on top of market trends, I connect and learn from other agents, I communicate effectively, and I am honest with my clients.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Growing up, I was an “introverted extrovert”. Adulthood has taught me that I lean way more heavily on the introverted side of things, but that has not impacted my ability to form interpersonal relationships. If anything, it has strengthened it! I have learned what I need to recharge – a good book, some alone time, and a nice glass of wine, for example – and now I know how to give that to myself. When I look at my childhood I see the themes of this running through; my favorite time of day at school was always reading. There’s nothing better than building a fort underneath your desk and reading in the dark! Group projects were not my thing – not because I didn’t like working with people, but because I always wanted it done how I wanted it done. You could definitely say I am a control freak. I had a good, loyal group of friends who were a great influence on me growing up. This is something I pray for often for my own children; as a parent I now understand the life-changing importance of having positive influences. God has grown me in more ways than I could count throughout my life and I have loved getting to know all the different versions of myself.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jesskellyrealty.com
- Instagram: jesskellyrealty
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/jesskellyrealty
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-kelly-28870b1b4
Image Credits
Chapters Photography, LLC
