By Sandy Parrish
“I’ve found my calling. Real estate is what I should have been doing my whole life.” After 17 years working for Verizon in customer service, project management and marketing, Jennifer Merchant has found the sweet spot in her career. “All of my experience with Verizon really prepared me for real estate because my entire working life has been focused on developing relationships, getting my clients what they need and making them happy. These skills have translated seamlessly into helping my clients with buying and selling their homes. My passion is really connecting with people, networking and just helping and supporting each other,” Jennifer said.
A few years ago, Jennifer, her husband and their two young daughters relocated from California to Dade City, looking for some acreage, a few horses and chickens, and most importantly, a great school for their girls. They found it all. Her daughters both attend Academy at the Lakes with Kenzie in 5th grade and Melody in 1st grade. Jennifer explained, “This school is just incredible and worth every penny,” she said. “They don’t merely focus on test scores. They also teach children extremely valuable and important ‘real life’ skills such as the inclusion of others, friendship, how to be compassionate and support others and work as a team.”
“Actually, Academy at the Lakes is where my love of networking began. Last year, I had more free time to volunteer but I’ve become so busy with real estate that I’ve had to cut back some, so I started looking for another creative way to support the school that I love and came up with this idea. I’m now making a $500 donation to Academy at the Lakes each time an enrolled family buys or sells a home with me or refers someone that buys or sells a home with me. These donations go directly to the Academy’s Annual Fund which is used to support and enhance trips, science related events, educational virtual reality (VR) technology and other school development and initiatives,” Jennifer said.
“Because moving and buying a home are one of life’s biggest stressors, I love to help people navigate that process to make it as easy as possible. I really focus on being very realistic with my clients so they can maximize their situation and avoid having a bad experience,” she explained. “I see very unfortunate cases where a seller has been told an overinflated value for their home just to get a sales contract signed by an agent. Eventually the seller realizes that is unrealistic and is so disappointed in the entire process. I make sure to be very objective and honest so they understand the value of their home and one they may be considering.”
“With all the current online competition such as Zillow and Redfin, as licensed real estate agents, we have to be different and create a supportive and memorable experience for our clients. I tailor my efforts to the needs of each buyer and seller because I understand the appeal of living in a rural area and having more space and freedom because that is what I love, but I can also relate to wanting to be close to everything,” Jennifer continued. “It really just depends on what’s most important to that individual and their family. I enjoy a professional relationship with all of my clients and many have now become lifelong friends. I make a point to always keep in touch and we even have community monthly get-togethers.”
“My father was in the military so we moved a lot and I can really empathize with the impact of that on a military family. I’m currently getting a real estate designation to be able to help military families relocate,” she said. “I believe staying current is extremely important in this industry because of the constant changes, so I continue to take classes to obtain additional training and certifications to allow me to better help and serve people.”
“We’re so fortunate because this area is growing so much. This afternoon, I’m hosting an open house with five different parties who are coming for a tour, and four of them are from out of state. So many people and companies are relocating to Florida, it makes for a very dynamic and exciting real estate market,” she said.
For more information on the Academy at the Lakes donation special, please contact Jennifer at Lombardo Team Real Estate at 805.208.0240 or email jennifermerchant@lombardoteam.com.
