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

Julia, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you tell us about a time where you or your team really helped a customer get an amazing result?

Over the years, I’ve had the pleasure of working with countless families, each with their own unique story and journey. From first-time homebuyers to young couples to retirees and to seasoned investors, I’ve helped families of all backgrounds and circumstances to relocate or/and find the perfect home. Many of them have become my personal friends.

As a realtor, one of the greatest joys of my job is to see excitement of a family as they step into their new home. I get to witness the pure joy and anticipation on their faces as they envision the memories they will create in their new space.

I, also, get to see the long-term benefits of smart property investments. It’s a thrill to see my clients sell their homes for a substantial profit, sometimes after just few years of ownership. It’s a great feeling seeing clients move on to their next chapter in life with a sense of financial security and stability.

In the end, being a real estate broker for me, is about sharing my knowledge and experience with my agents and clients, helping them make educated decisions in order to achieve their dreams and build a better future for themselves. It’s about being a trusted advisor and guide through the complex, and often stressful, process of buying or selling a home. And it’s about experiencing the joy and satisfaction of seeing my clients and my agents succeed and thrive in the real estate market.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My real estate journey started when I moved to Florida in 2004. Having bachelor degree in IT, I have never envisioned myself being in sales, but I had a pleasure working with a very nice, seasoned real estate agent, Barbara. She showed us different areas of Tampa, and was very helpful and informative. She inspired me to try myself in this field.

Hard to imagine now, but at that time, real estate industry was not very evolved online. Many realtors at that time did not believe in websites, they preferred traditional methods of looking for clients like cold calling or door knocking. The idea was to find a “seller”. Buyers were not a desired target for many realtors since buyers are more work driving around and not a guaranteed sale.

Tampa4U.com website was created to be a “one stop shop” to help people not only to search for listings but to educate about areas, process, and more… And the phone started ringing… I got busier and busier trying to help as many people as I could. It got to the point where I had no days off or breaks, and I remember thinking “if I could only have a day or two without phone ringing or emails coming” … It was too much for one agent to handle, so, eventually, a team was formed.

After a few years working for an agency, we felt we could do more on our own, so in 2008, I got my broker’s license and Tampa4U.com Realty was born. Many of our long-time agents were our first homebuyers who saw potentials in real estate sales. Our website was uniquely designed, and for many years, we were topping Google search results and getting lots of inquiries and leads.

Our first office was on Channelside Plaza, where people were strolling, getting our flyers outside our door, and coming in for inquiries. After several years, we purchased our own space in one of the local developments. When the pandemic began, and remote working became more popular – most agents preferred to work from home, we downsized and moved office to West Tampa area.

My first business challenge was when my partner lost interest in real estate, so I was left alone doing all aspects of being a broker: advertising, administrative work, training agents and working with clients. Advertising being the least favorite part of my job, I had to step up, and with the help of my assistant, my webmaster, and my loyal agents and customers, I now own and have been managing the business alone for many years.

The challenge we’re facing now is competing for search engines space with hugely-funded national real estate companies. I now take this opportunity to thank Voyage Tampa and CanvasRebel for their focus on helping small businesses. Thank you for providing us a platform to become more known and to reach out to more customers.

I want to also give my husband and kids a shoutout for their support as I try to balance family and my business. I fix business schedules so I can still spend my time with my family. My husband is always ready to help when I have showings or appointments.

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

A real estate transaction has a lot of moving parts and parties involved, different personalities, problems or situations to deal with. Sometimes one small problem causes a chain reaction that affects so many people. For example: we had a transaction when sellers decided not to sell their home one week before the closing, another one – sellers did not move out on scheduled closing date or left the home messy.

In one sale, where property was vacant, there was a break-in and home was vandalized just before the closing; or how would you like to find out that some family moved in, “renting”, into your future home in a middle of the transaction – that happened during one bank-owned deal. Another memorable transaction was when the inspector fell through the roof while inspecting the attic. Luckily, he landed on a bed.

Most common problem is when lenders are late, It causes delays in the transaction causing tensions and stress to sellers and buyers. And as agents, we have to find a way to deal with these situations and problems, which can be stressful.

In some moments, the thought of having a boring desk job with benefits, not worrying when your next paycheck will come in – crosses my mind. Yes, our commissions are calculated in thousands, which seems like a lot, sometimes even to me, especially on transactions that went smoothly. But not every lead or sale returns a profit. A lot of the work we do is for free, like numerous consultations or showings that do not turn into a contract. Plus, to be successful in this business, or most businesses in that matter, means spending thousands in advertising and various expenses.

In general, being self-employed has its cons and pros, ups and downs. There are quiet times and busy times. We, realtors, worry when there are no sales for a while, or deals fall apart, or when we show homes and clients change their mind or disappear.

But, the most hurtful is ungratefulness, when we dedicate our time and efforts to clients, and they forget about us when time comes to sign a contract. But we move on, because next client might be the one who appreciates the help, and these are the kind of clients that make our job fulfilling and enjoyable.

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

In the beginning of my career, I remember some realtors looking down at us and calling us “taxi drivers” for driving all over the place and showing many homes a day. Their idea of working with buyers was to show up to 5 homes, and if buyers do not make their mind by then – they are wasting your time. Majority of our leads were buyers, many of which are relocating from other states or areas. Having moved from another state myself, I knew that 5 homes is not going to cut it. Tampa is a very large metro area, consisting of three counties and beyond, with so many nice places to live. Without knowing the area, buyers would want to see at least a few different locations, and communities. And I drove … 200 miles a day sometimes, showing all available options… for years sometimes… so when my clients picked a home, they knew it’s the best home for them!

Yes, this approach was more time consuming, but it felt right, it was how I would want to be treated, and our company grew and prospered because we were willing to do more.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tampa4u.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tampa4urealty/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/juliatampa4urealtor
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/tampa4u