We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Justin Powell a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Justin, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a time you helped a customer really get an amazing result through their work with you.

Define conquering obstacles in a tough DFW housing market!

I met my client Beth and her family in the fall of 2021, through my mom (my biggest supporter) who loves talking to any and everyone she meets. She shared with my mom that the cost of renting was no longer affordable and that they’d love to find their dream home. They didn’t have a huge budget and needed to work on paying off some debt and increase their credit score, like many of us. So my mom told her that “my son is in real estate and can help you” and she literally called me right then and there, passing Beth the phone to speak with me.

In the perfect scenario, a client would have a good – excellent credit score, three – six months savings and a 20% down payment of the home purchase price. But even meeting this criteria, in a current sellers market can easily be a challenge getting into a home.

However, this was not the perfect scenario. But where there’s a problem, there’s a solution and for whatever reason, I love facing a good challenge! Fast forward a few days after meeting Beth and her family, I was able to get them connected with a lender of their choice that helped them with credit repair and clearing out some debt. Luckily her husband proudly served our country so they were able to qualify for a VA loan (option for $0 downpayment) . But as you may know this still doesn’t guarantee homeownership.

As our house hunt began, after about 4 showings and 4 rejected offers we found “the one”! Our offer was accepted on a home they were planning renovate. The inspection took place and as we awaited the house to appraise, it didn’t appraise anywhere near what it was listed for. Unfortunately the seller did not want to negotiate their listed price, so with my clients best interest in mind we had to terminate the contract. My client and her family experienced tons of emotions during this time but as their REALTOR, full transparency is best and ensuring that the results showed true in the condition of that property, but most importantly, it saved them foreseen and unforeseen troubles down the road.

After just a day of heartache from the previous house, we were able to put in an offer on a fully renovated home, in the location they wanted and under their budget! Of course our offer was accepted and half way through the transaction, life happened to my clients. They had a slight hiccup that caused a delay with funding and forced us to push the closing date twice. The sellers were not happy. During this time I kept open communication with the listing agent and reassured them that my client was serious and is human. Things happen. After countless days, hours and even minutes we were able to get to the finish line, the closing table! Not only did I get my clients into a fully renovated home, it was their first home and this ultimately cut their overhead in half from what they were paying in rent every month!

Justin, 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?

Life is about finding your passion and fulfilling your dreams while doing it… and like some of us, you’re either the first to attend and graduate college in your family, or went to college, graduated and spent 4+ years studying in particular field that you’d never use. I’m all of the above. I have a Bachelor degree in Education and a Master of Public Administration, but have a great career in Real Estate.

I’ve always known that I’m good at helping others and connecting them to the resources they need. I’d like to think that the time I spent obtaining my education in college didn’t go in vain, but it taught me a lot of life’s lessons.

I got into real estate not only because I’ve always been interested in it, but knowing that I could help change the lives of others for the better. Most if not all the world’s wealthiest people have their footprint in real estate. My goal is to help create generational wealth for my clients and for my family.

In addition to being a REALTOR, I’ve always had a sense of style, when it comes to fashion. Not necessarily what was popular or trendy, but the things that are clean, classic and timeless! I’ve been blessed to be able to provide fashion tips and even style gentlemen of all ages when it comes to casual, business menswear and even black – tie or grooms and groomsmen for weddings.

I’ll always say, what sets me a part is my altruistic approach that shines through when it comes to real estate and fashion.

It’s rare that I think about the things I’m most proud of. I’ve been fortunate to see and do a lot of things in life. What makes me most proud is my six month old son Jordan. He motivates me each and every day to try my best to make him smile, keep him safe and provide a better life than I had, all while showing him how to work for and achieve greatness and leave a positive footprint in this world.

I’ve found a passion in helping others and through continued education and working toward perfecting my craft, I’m proud to announce that I’ve launched my own real estate investment company Powell Resource Group, LLC. Through these efforts we will acquire, hold and sell real property with integrity.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I’ve had to pivot a few times along the way. But the one that stands out to me most is when I left one job without another one to go to. Bittersweet moment: During layoffs, I was offered the opportunity to stay with my company, but I would’ve had to relocate to a small town in South Carolina, all while going through some personal hard times. Being that Dallas is where I call home and where I wanted to grow, I decided that I would decline the offer and resign. With prayer and perseverance, I landed a great opportunity with CVS Health as a Consultant less than three weeks later.

During the pandemic I felt it was truly time to bet on myself. I knew real estate was in my near future, but I had to map a way to get there. I started taking classes, after I took all of the classes I prepared for the exam and although the information came fairly easy to me, the test did not. It’s safe to say that I didn’t pass the first time. However the goal remained the same, I wanted to walk away from corporate America. I finally got my license and I was able to close a few deals and ultimately walk away from the corporate world sooner than I planned.

I’m a firm believer that life isn’t about what happens to you, it’s about how you react to it.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

Since I was a kid I’ve been able to remember peoples birthdays. I’ve made it an effort to stay connected with my clients and friends over time during special occasions and from personal things the’ve shared with me. I think these small things go a long way. It’s a part of who I am, my brand.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @JustinJPowell or @PowellResources
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/justinjpowell-mpa

Image Credits
James Willis Photography