Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jen McGeehan. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Jen, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
My hubby, Pat, and I, lived in the mountains of Southern California. We had a custom-built, million dollar home on an acre with 2 horses, goats and chickens in the backyard. He worked for the City of Riverside as a fire captain, and I was the buyer/operations manager for eight gifts stores on two national forests. life was good…until it wasn’t!
The real estate and banking collapse of 2008 created a situation whereby we found ourselves in over $600,000 of debt, mostly an interest only mortgage on our home. We put it up for sale, and three years later, it was at half price and no offers! My hubby had had to retire due to work related injuries and two back surgeries. We stopped paying our house payments and our credit was ruined.
We had planned to ultimately move to the Big Island of Hawaii, taking a trip each year to meet with our Hawaii Realtor and look at property…thinking our home would sell at any moment. In 2011 we received an invitation to ranch sit an equestrian friend’s 20 acres, and we ended up using that opportunity to actually empty our home, give the keys to our Big Bear Realtor, fly one horse and goat, 2 cars and a Matson container of stuff to the island, hopping on our own separate flights and move!
After one month, we rented and moved into our Hawaii Realtor’s 24′ vintage yurt. I wrote a book – MY YEAR IN A YURT: God’s Blessings While Living In 450 Not-So-Square-Feet. Fourteen months later, we moved out of the yurt and into our own 9-acre fixer upper. Our home had short sold, we had paid off all our debt, and were ready to begin again!
Two years later, I reinvented my career and entered real estate, passing the test the first time…at 61 years old! I am now a top producer for Coldwell Banker Island Properties, recipient of the Coldwell Banker International President’s Circle Award, have the only lifestyle blog for the Hamakua Coast, and are soon to be mortgage free! I love my life, my career and all that is to come.
It was a huge risk to leave my native state, all that I knew and had, my family and friends, and move to a rock on the most remote landmass in the world, to start a new career, make new friends, travel to see family, and trust that good things were coming. I love to share my/our story, any part of it, to encourage others to take their personal leap of faith…
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
Deciding to get my real estate license was an ah-ha moment!
After moving to the Big Island, into a tiny vintage yurt rental, a neighbor said “yes” when I asked her what she did for a living…property manager…glorified house cleaner, and if she needed help. She loved the way I had decorated our “love yurt.” Up to that point, my work experience centered around marketing – for shopping centers, retailers, fine jewelers, non-profits, and I had owned my own marketing consulting business. Cleaning homes was never on my radar, but when you live on an island, the chances of staying in your original career are very limited, if available at all.
After working for my neighbor for about six months, it occurred to me I should have my own cleaning company, and that is what I did – ROOM TO ROOM: Cleaning, decorating, organizing and senior move management. Then, about 18 months later came the ah-ha moment, I would rather sell homes than clean them!
I took the in-person classes, studied with my flash cards while cleaning homes, and four months later, passed the test. I cried I was so shocked, excited and grateful. At 61 years old, I knew this would be my swan song, my final career! I actually sold my cleaning business to a nice young family man in the area and joined a wonderful brokerage.
The first three years required a ton of learning, and investment of time and money. By the end of that time, I was NOT where I wanted, or felt I should be. After meeting an amazing broker in our company, who took me under her wing and saw in me qualities and opportunities I could not see in myself, I actually ended up changing brokers (not brokerage) to fall under her leadership and mentorship wing. It changed the trajectory of my career!
Now, just two years later, I am exactly where I want to be…a top producer in my area, #3 in our office, and #6 in our company. I really don’t strive for awards, but appreciate those I have received. And it turns out that four dozen years of marketing, it is the best background a person could have to be an effective and successful Realtor! Who knew? Certainly not me.
I am particularly experienced when it comes to moving to the Big Island, having done it myself, and under seriously challenging circumstances! I help buyers plan for their move, to include possessions and pets. I am very knowledgable about tiny homes to estates, small plots of land to huge parcels, equestrian and farming, and can assist those 55+ clients since I, too, am in that category and have my Senior Real Estate Specialist designation. I also am very active with sellers who live on the island, as well as those who own property but live on the mainland. Because I have the only lifestyle blog on the Hamakua Coast, potential clients can go there to see what I am up to, and to get to know me just a bit before they entrust me with one of the biggest decisions of their lives!
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
Because I come from a 40+ year career of marketing, the ability to write has been the element that seems to separate me from my Realtor associates. It seems like so much of my RE career not only includes the writing of listings and contracts, but also the all-important writing of my marketing materials.
The best thing I did was to take the advise of our VP of Marketing and start my own personal blog. That was a large investment at a time when I was NOT making much in commissions. But, I did it anyway, and it stands alone as the only lifestyle blog for my area. I post 4 to 8 times each month on everything from my listings, escrows and sales, to home and garden, the journey of moving here, education pieces on the various aspects of real estate, horses and other pets I have and the island offers, even a faith walk tab. It is beautiful and informative, and helps potential buyers and sellers in deciding if I am a good fit for them.
In addition, I am on social media three times per week. I write all my own posts, gather the photos and determine when each post should go live. I have a gal who handles all the postings.
I have a monthly, large color ad in our local newspaper, a very unique folded business card that is absolutely custom, and I send out custom 8-panel mailers in hand addressed and stamped envelopes to property owners who may be interested in selling.
My motto is to make sure that my marketing materials are 100% unique to my brand, who I am, what I stand for, and what I offer my clients. I absolutely never send out anything that is standard.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
After three years as a Realtor, I still absolutely loved what I was doing. But, I was very unhappy, dis-satisfied with where I was as an agent, felt uncomfortable in the office I was associated with. There was something wrong…something missing. I couldn’t really put my finger on it, and I didn’t know what to do about it!
Then, I met my mentor, a broker for our company who worked out of a different office. It was during the initial stages of the pandemic, and she started a weekly Zoom meeting called Morning Motivations. She was amazing! Everything about her was amazing…super encouraging, knowledgable, warm and friendly. After about four months, she decided the meetings were no longer needed. Afterwards, I called her and we had a great chat. She said she would mentor me IF I wanted that. I grabbed the opportunity.
As time went on it became crystal clear to me that SHE was what my career was missing. I needed encouragement, ideas, support, ways to get my career off the looooong launchpad. She said: You can do it! And, I believed her.
At one point, our company was sold, and when that happened I made the tough decision to stay with my brokerage but move to her office, which, by the way, was an additional 1 1/4 hour drive past the office I was currently working in. It made NO sense on paper, but it made all the sense in my mind and heart. My current broker was so mad he wouldn’t speak to me, didn’t respond to the explanation letter I wrote, which basically said Thank You, but I am moving. It was super uncomfortable for me, and other agents couldn’t figure it out. Of course, I wouldn’t through my ex-broker under the bus. It really wasn’t about him, but about the amazing connection I had with my new broker. And, since I am an independent contractor, I can move if I need or want to.
The courage to make that move, experience the initial uncomfortableness of it, and begin to really build my brand, was the best thing I could have ever done! I love to share the story to encourage others to make the hard change if needed. And I have had that opportunity a number of times. Mine is a success story, and I am so grateful!
Contact Info:
- Website: HomeOnTheHamakua.com
- Instagram: jen.mcgeehan
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jenmcgeehanrealtor
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenmcgeehan/