Andy Waller – JPW Realty

I spent 10+ years in the corporate world, and I was getting frustrated with the daily grind of the 9–5.

I was looking for something more fulfilling. My husband is a successful contractor in our area, and we decided that it would be very complimentary for me to get my real estate license. So I just went for it!

At first it was very intimidating, because it was night and day from what I had been doing. I was used to sitting at a desk all day, having a boss who’s got your plans laid out and the projects that you need to do. Then you’re doing a complete 180, and now you’re your own boss. You have to set those goals for yourself.

Finding a support system

I was struggling with where I was at in my real estate career. I had a few friends at JP Willman, so I reached out. After my first meeting, I knew that this was going to be a really good spot for me—the mentorship, the weekly trainings, and seeing how happy everybody else was—I just knew that this was where I was supposed to be.

Since joining, I feel like my real estate career has changed dramatically. When I’m in a bind and I need an answer, I can feel comfortable knowing that somebody on our team is only a phone call away. I can look professional and responsible to my clients in a timely manner. It’s been huge. And the training and support system that we have around here: it’s just amazing just to see the amount of people who come in and bounce ideas off of each other. It’s truly been a total game changer for me and my career.

It’s amazing to see the amount of people who come in and bounce ideas off of each other

Uplifting culture

I love how positive everybody is. Everybody is always just so willing to lift you up. Nobody’s trying to compete with one another. Even though we’re all independent agents, we’re all here working together as a team to help each other out. When you’re down and you’re feeling like you’re not doing as much as you can, there’s somebody here to lift you back up and put you back in the right direction, and get you in that right mindset to be successful.

Building a legacy

We’re here to help people in our community. We come from a very small community and we want to set a good example for our kids too, so they’ll look at their parents someday and say, “Wow, they were hard working individuals, they created their own success for themselves.”

I look forward to continuing to see our vision grow in our community. Both my husband and I really strive to continue helping everyone around us and providing great service.

Advice for other realtors

Look for a brokerage that offers a lot of mentorship, because as much as you think you know everything in real estate, you don’t. That’s just the honest truth. I truly believe that the people who are successful in this industry are the people who can be humble enough to accept that they don’t know everything, find a good mentor, and absorb all that knowledge. When I started, I knew nothing, and I was sitting on an island by myself trying to figure out what the heck to do. And when I came to JP Willman, it was night and day.