We were lucky to catch up with Derrick Richardson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Derrick, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about serving the underserved.

This is my true passion. I love working in real estate but this is where I really get to serve the people. I have a passion for helping others. I do it for the love of helping people, not for any attention. I’ve been the lead in putting on feeding the homeless events, back-to-school giveaways, Thanksgiving giveaways, Christmas giveaways and much more for more than a decade now. I plan to start an affordable daycare with my church and my own nonprofit one day.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?

In 2020, I was fed up with the corporate life of the marketing and PR world and wanted a change, I wanted to take my career into my own hands, so I decided to pursue a field that I saw a correlation between the person I am, what I desired and what my educational experience would help with. Upon earning my license in real estate, I had a great first year while working full-time in marketing. I took a leap of faith in January 2021, I quit my corporate job and went into real estate full-time.

I typically deal with first-time home buyers the most and I love it as it is a new process for them and I can guide them through. I handle them with care as this is their first home-buying experience and I want it to be memorable for them in a good way. I take on complex situations with customers and let them know it doesn’t matter the state of their situation, it does not matter if their budget is 100,000 or 1 million, I treat everyone the same with respect and attentiveness to their needs. I have many customers but I never avoid any and give them all the adequate time they need.

I take pride in being the “People’s Realtor,” a realtor that puts the people first and ensures their needs are met before worrying about my pockets. I want customers to know if they do it with me first that I will ensure it is done right. If you want it done right…, do it with Dee first.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I’ve had many moments of resilience throughout my life. My journey has not always been ideal. I was not a model student in high school as I did not take my studies seriously and barely graduated. I went to junior college and by the second semester, I was in legal trouble, I was not taking my classes seriously and partying too much and landed on academic probation. I had to take a few semesters off and I slowly started back taking classes and eventually graduated with my AA with a 3.4. This was only the beginning, as I went on to the University of North Florida where I not only earned my bachelor’s but with honors (manga cum laude). Putting myself through college working two to three jobs, while doing internships every semester and still making the dean’s list and finishing with a 3.65. I was able to secure multiple high-profile marketing/public relations jobs while in the corporate world until I could work for myself. My path has not always been easy or ideal but it made me who I am and motivates me daily to continue to be a better businessperson and just person in general.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

The perfect source will always be referrals and I love that about real estate it is an investment in people.

Contact Info:

• Website: DeeSellsJax.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deesellsjax/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeeSellsJax
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derrick-richardson1989/