Jessica Gilmore worked hard to build an impressive clientele in her rookie year by establishing a strong social media presence. She is also an active member of her community. Keep reading to learn more about this RIS Media Rookie of the Year finalist and her success story.
Jessica’s Story
I was raised in Alabama and grew up in a non-traditional family. My parents were professional opera singers. They were involved in the community, and I was involved in church and pageants. I also love singing and being around people. I was young when I first learned about building my audience. About three years into college, I won Miss Alabama. I took a year off school, traveling all over the state. I met so many people and saw other career paths. It confirmed that I am not ever going to be a 9-5 person sitting at a desk.
When The Idea Became the Reality
After my time traveling for Miss Alabama events, I finished school and graduated with a degree in communications and music. My passion for counselling and being with people came through in my first job out of college, which was in hospice. But I wanted to do something more celebratory of people’s lives.
When Covid hit, my husband had started studying for the bar examination. He mentioned I would always be good in real estate. And once Covid happened, I had extra spare time. I thought, “If I ever had the time to at least pursue this, now is the time.” I was in a job, but it was the best time to study for the exam. A year earlier, I had a friend who left her career and jumped into real estate, and I watched her early success. I told her, “I just want to know everything you did, and I want to do that.” I found out about Real Estate Express from her.
My Experience with Colibri Real Estate
I did all of my pre-license and post-license coursework with Colibri Real Estate. My friend had a successful journey with them, and that is what I wanted, so I chose them, too.
I had another job at the time. It was a huge blessing to go through the course at my own pace and on my own time. I took the quizzes to make sure I was retaining information. There were a lot of terms to learn to speak the language of real estate and a lot of situational moments which helped me a ton for the exam and for my career.
I passed my exam the first time. I was glad to not know beforehand that a lot of people don’t pass the real estate exam. Colibri Real Estate did a great job preparing me for the world in real estate. It showed me that what you learned here was enough to be a real estate agent. I had confidence to get my feet in and settled in the right place to learn the rest.
What It Means to be a Rookie of the Year Finalist
I really hit the ground running with ERA King Real Estate. I won our brokerage’s Rookie award this past February, and I attribute so much of my success to my brokerage. When I was first starting off, I didn’t know what I was doing. So much of the success I have experienced, I didn’t conjure up myself. My friends told other friends that I was a realtor. My family has been so supportive. I have great people around me. It’s been a group effort. I didn’t just get this award… everyone around me did, too. It is such an honor to be a RIS Media Rookie of the Year finalist. Having this award helps me to be grateful for how much I’ve done and to celebrate those moments.
My Biggest Success as an Agent
In real estate, there’s a lot more counseling and mentoring and less home tours. I walk hand in hand with people going through happy times and difficult times. I am in the trenches with people. I am often the first person that people contact when they get pregnant and have big life changes.
The success I am most proud of is the fact that people continue to share with me that they had a great experience. Not numbers or closes or volume but knowing that every single client I work with has referred to me. Going the extra mile and being there for them before, during and after closing. Some of my clients have become some of my very good friends. Seeing the fruit of that labor has been so rewarding. Eventually, I would love to get my broker’s license and have the extra knowledge and expertise to offer to my clients.
What I Tell Aspiring Real Estate Agents
I’m so passionate about this career. It’s not for everyone. A career in real estate is harder than it looks. There are so many different moving parts. No two contracts are alike. No two homes are alike. It is a career where you are constantly learning. Everything is unique to the client, home and situation, and I love that part of it.
You won’t know if you’ll love and excel in this career unless you try. Since the startup costs are relatively inexpensive, especially with Colibri Real Estate, you have so little to lose by just giving it a shot. I knew I wanted to love my job and have a flexible schedule, and real estate could possibly give me that opportunity. It has, and it can for you too!
I’m so passionate about this career. It’s not for everyone. A career in real estate is harder than it looks. There are so many different moving parts. No two contracts are alike. No two homes are alike. It is a career where you are constantly learning. Everything is unique to the client, home and situation, and I love that part of it.
You won’t know if you’ll love and excel in this career unless you try. Since the startup costs are relatively inexpensive, you have so little to lose by just giving it a shot. I knew I wanted to love my job and have a flexible schedule, and real estate could possibly give me that opportunity. It has, and it can for you too!
