Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jill Reed. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jill, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you tell us a story about a time you failed?

Fail-learn. I like to think of failure as fail-learn. That’s a pretty trendy thing to say (ala Sara Blakely) but the difference is, I accept that failure triggers for me a cascade of die-hard habitual self-doubt and deprecation. From grad school onward, imposter syndrome and regular negative self-talk dominated my psyche. When I fail, it hurts and it can become a crushing downward spiral.

However, when we moved 4 years ago, I landed on my own, with two small children and two dogs in a foreign country where I didn’t speak the language. After learning to accept that everyday will be filled with new puzzles to solve, my mantra became, “work the problem, solve the problem.” I could have looked at a long list of situations as failures or I could see them as problems to be solved. And because you’re dangling out here on your own, if you don’t figure it out, no one will. It makes it much more difficult to fall back into old habits like negative self-evaluation. So, instead, you learn.

Plant new fruit trees, fruit trees get eaten. Figure out why, manage the bugs, plant again.
Almost weekly flat tires. Figure out who to call, get a kit for the car, learn to change the flat, always carry a spare, learn where to go for patches.
Foreign bank account frozen. Figure out why, resource new contacts, make friends at the bank, learn where to obtain relevant paperwork (post office?) and know the plan for next time.
Need new shoes for the kids, can’t find locally. Shipping is cost-prohibitive. Learn about muling items down, resource new facebook groups for such purposes. Voila, grow your network and get your US wares.
Papagayo winds bring heavy debris onto veranda, breaking furniture, ruining deck. Learn how to use a machete and where to buy outdoor furniture.
Take the wrong road along a steep cliff in rainy season. Learn how to use 4WD really quickly, in reverse.
Wake up one morning and your leg doesn’t work, try to run it off with six miles on the trail. Try to deal with it holistically until physically impossible. Find out you have spondylolisthesis and need spine fusion. Learn how to do that in a foreign country. Have surgery. Heal. Refuse to live a sedentary lifestyle.

By far, our biggest fail-learn has been our home building process. Sometimes, in Costa Rica, you have to take a leap and put your faith in people you don’t know. Choosing the wrong builders and putting a big sum down at the beginning was the start of our problem. At no point in the planning or build was it smooth and easy sailing.

The builder changed structural product on us without asking, forgot to submit information pertinent to getting permits from the municipality and the neighborhood, placed the foundation incorrectly (it had to be moved), hired and fired many different lead engineers which detrimentally impacted the progress, lost materials, tried to use pine instead of teak, misplaced piping, left grey water leaching into our yard, forgot to install hot water heaters, got the specs for the filtration system wrong, left bubbles under tile, tiled at the beginning so all the tile was stained and ruined by the end, used the wrong grout or mismatched it in many places. The list is so long.

This is only a small portion of the problems that arose during our build. We kicked them off the project and moved in nine months ago and we’ve been problem-solving ever since. Suffice it to say, in my line work, knowing more about building a new home in this country has been eye-opening and has given me plenty of hands-on experience and construction contacts to pass along to my clients. Fail-learn.

Due to an excessive number of missed delivery dates during this time, we moved (aka the high season shuffle) approximately eight times.
With two kids and four dogs.
Not easy.
We did it, our family is stronger for it, and I possess a wealth of knowledge about a slew of locations in our area that I didn’t have before. This information informs and benefits my clients on a daily basis.

Fail-learn.

There’s always something to learn from a bad experience or a failed attempt. But you know what I realized more than anything else? My little human family (and dogs) are a resilient bunch. We adapt well, we learn quickly and we move forward.

Jill, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

We moved our little family to Costa Rica from Charlottesville almost four years ago. In my former life, I was in higher education administration, grant management and coaching. My jam was education. When I landed here, I didn’t speak the language, did not have any sights set on residency, and wasn’t sure what my next step would be. Because I’d always written, whether it be curriculum, funding proposals, journal articles or blogposts and social content, I decided to start writing for others.

As it turns out, I am quite good at creating and writing content for real estate and international relocation. Eventually my work included creating content and assisting a powerful real estate broker in my local area. I learned a tremendous amount about the business. A year later I became a realtor myself and closed nine deals in my first nine months. In a short time period, I’ve reinvested in myself and moved on to a boutique brokerage where I have gained significant experience in crypto deals.

Representing both buyers and sellers, I am fortunate to deal with all kinds of properties – turn-key businesses, raw land, oceanview condos, beachfront homes, and everything in between. I serve families, investors, developers, home builders, and those individuals who are chasing the tropical dream. My job allows me to provide innovative solutions, mitigate challenging obstacles, find the needle in a haystack, and connect buyers with sellers. I also get to find and represent some truly amazing properties and people.

I’ve recently picked up an incredible tool for my clients. My private lender network has expanded and as a result I was able to help a seller finally close a deal after multiple extensions and several shortfalls. In Costa Rica, most sales are cash only, so it’s nice to have a lending option that can serve my clients in this fundamental way (pun intended).

Additionally, as someone who has been creating social and marketing content for years, I am confident in my ability to provide my sellers with an extensive buyer network and a critically relevant marketing plan. My mission through my brand at Beachcombing Homes is to provide followers with value-added content regarding real estate in Costa Rica, elevate my firm’s exclusive listings, showcase our breadth of knowledge and share stunning beach properties from all over the world. I’m obsessed with beachhomes.

Can you talk to us about your experience with selling businesses?

My wife and I owned a small farm and business in Charlottesville. The farm hosted guests in our airbnb cottage on site and events in various other buildings. We managed animals, land, and all of the social and technical aspects that go along with running an agriculture-based business.

The two biggest areas of concentration for us were accurate record keeping and curating boutique experiences for our guests that inevitably led to lasting relationships and brand fans. Our loudest advertisers were our clients. We never used any advertising or marketing strategies other than maintaining a website, writing a blog, and posting to Instagram.

Of all the repeat clients, one special family stands out. It was a set of very active grandparents and their twin grandsons who happened to fall in step perfectly with our two young boys. There is nothing more blissful than watching a little group of young boys have endless fun on a farm. They fed baby lambs, rode ponies, learned to take the Bobcat for adventures in the quarry and picked raspberries for days. There were river walks and bonfires, pool days, hikes and so much more. Summer after summer, they returned and our boys still maintain a connection.

Nurturing strong relationships and maintaining communication with clients while offering the absolute best experiences for them is key to creating lifelong supporters.

Putting your best foot forward is tantamount to anything else. This means thoughtful gift baskets, top of the line appliances, high thread count linens, original artwork, oriental rugs and antiques, a well-stocked kitchen, cozy towels, and making sure to take care of the littles and the dogs. It means being available but not intrusive, careful but not unapproachable.

When it came time to sell, we knew we could offer the new owner a strong financial record, superhost status, and a reputation as a warm and wonderful place that brings people back over and over again.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Mid-2020. Writing wasn’t paying the bills.

I pivoted to selling real estate full time. I have thrown all of my being into real estate. I earned my certification from Costa Rica Global Association of Realtors and consequently NAR recognition. I’m also a Certified International Property Specialist. I am registered with the financial ministry in Costa Rica known as SUGEF. I have followed every rule and learned a tremendous amount about the business.

Training under some of the most respected names and brands in realtor social media, I have learned how to grow, maintain and provide important information for my client base. When I was ready to move from my initial brokerage, I entertained multiple offers, but eventually settled in with a boutique business designed to foster relationships, exclusive luxury experiences, and consistently working toward creative solutions for our clients.

As often happens in Costa Rica, one relationship leads to another.

While working with a trusted friend to find an investment property, we discussed an idea she had for a children’s story. One night, inspired, I fleshed out the idea into a full story. In between real estate deals, we’ve managed to work together on the story, illustrations and business idea for almost a year. We launch our book next month.

One pivot leads to another. We will be signing books at the Grove in Los Angeles in March. Full circle.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.malekusgift.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beachcombinghomes/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jill.urquhart
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jill-urquhart-reed-phd-nar-cips-9062096/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/jclaireva