JENNY HWANG IKEDA

EXECUTIVEAGENT MAGAZINE

Jenny Hwang Ikeda Executive Agent of the Month

TM

J

Written by Haley Freeman - Ian Wiant Photographer

enny and Wayne Ikeda are dedicated partners in life and in business. Married for more than 33 years, they are parents of two grown children – Crystal, who is expecting their first grandchild in December and David, who works with them at First Team Real Estate. Together, they have built a real estate practice characterized by extraordinary compassion, expertise and integrity.

Jenny grew up in Korea and came to America as a young art major infused with the entrepreneurial spirit and eager to make her way in the business world. She met and married Wayne soon after her arrival, and she and Wayne went on to own several retail businesses together. Jenny also applied her artistic talents to a career as a freelance commercial and film makeup artist in Northern California, where she worked with prominent political and business figures.

After Jenny began studying real estate investing and buying properties of her own, she decided to obtain her real estate license in 2002. She and Wayne relocated to Southern California, and Jenny enjoyed immediate success working with RE/MAX and Century 21, where she earned numerous top producer awards.

Wayne spent his early career in sales and management for large companies. He also worked as a loan officer.

In 2006, he joined Jenny in the real estate business, and together with a broker they opened an independent real estate company. “Jenny was always the driving force,” Wayne says. “She has the vision and the ambition to be successful. My role has always been more of a supporting one. She’s the one who has made the business what it is today.”

ExecutiveAgent Magazine

Compassion, Expertise, Integrity A Family Affair After getting their business off to a great start, quickly growing to over 100 agents in a first-class office, the market crashed. Years of hard work did not make the business sustainable, and they eventually lost not only their business, but also several investment properties and their personal home. “My favorite Bible verse during this time was Philippians 4:13, ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.’ During this time of staggering loss, I was focused on helping people with short selling their homes. Although the industry average was only a 30% success rate, I was able to close 100% of my short sale transactions. I learned perseverance, determination and to never give up,” Jenny recalls.

Looking for a place to rebuild, Jenny and Wayne decided to join First Team, where the focus is on taking care of clients, rather than earning commissions. At First Team, they found the tools and training to revitalize their passion for the business. “First Team is in a unique posi-

tion because we are not a franchise,” Wayne explains.

“The portion we pay is used to support the agents with marketing resources, like SEO, a call center and print ads.

We are also associated with Christies International and Luxury Portfolio, giving us resources that are not available to other companies.”

Jenny saw an opportunity to put her artistic talent to work by becoming a certified international stager. She and Wayne maintain a large inventory of décor items to help improve the appeal of clients’ homes and earn them top dollar in the marketplace. “I offer staging as a free service to my clients. It’s not hard for me to make a house beautiful. It is part of my nature. Sometimes after its done, the seller sees their own home in a new light and they jokingly tell me they’re not so sure they want to sell it anymore! On average, my clients get a 6-8% higher sales prices than the MLS average for their areas.”

Jenny and Associates: Wayne Ikeda, Jenny Hwang Ikeda, David Ikeda, Mikki O’Flaherty, Anne Dawe, Ashley Bowman ExecutiveAgent Magazine

“Jenny has the training, but also the talent,” Wayne says. “You need an artistic eye to make everything work. Every home is individual. If we don’t have what we need in inventory, we may need to buy it. That’s not something that everyone can do. I am very proud of Jenny’s talent and how well she can present a property to a buyer.”

In 2013, Jenny was recognized with a First Team Hall of Fame Sapphire Medallion award and won 2nd place for the most listings sold out of almost 1600 agents companywide. Jenny has also received the Five Star Real Estate Agent award from Orange Coast Magazine for the last 5 years in a row. “The company awards are nice, but they are based on production. I am proudest of the Five Star Agent award because it is based on customer service. The magazine interviews thousands of people about their real estate transactions during the past year, and the awards are given based on customer reviews. It’s an honor to be recognized for doing the right thing.”

In September, the Shaygan family felt compelled to express their appreciation with these words, “Thank you so much for your courtesy and professionalism during the sale of our home in Woodbury. When we decided to sell it, we had 3 different agents

in mind. After speaking with you, we knew you were the person to represent us. You lived fully up to our expectations, your efficiency and persistence proved to be to our benefit, making the sale easy and painless. The exceptional skills you possess as a Realtor® continued to impress us throughout the selling process and we thank you for your dedication and perseverance, without which the sale would not have been as successful.”

Jenny and Wayne have skills that complement one another.

“This is a business where you need a wide variety of skills to be successful. Between the two of us, we share core values of work ethic and drive, and we each bring different things to the table so that everything gets done,” Wayne says. Wayne’s lending background enables him to help buyers get in the right position to purchase and sellers to evaluate potential red flags that may prevent a closing.

It follows that if two are great, then three are better.

“Our son has been a great addition to our team. He brings a new perspective, and it is sometimes eye-opening to see how the younger generation looks at the world and how to connect with that.”

ExecutiveAgent Magazine

Today, Jenny and Wayne are prospering as they help everyone from individuals to investors to buy and sell residential real estate from condos to luxury homes.

“Some say they could never work with their husband or wife,” Jenny says, “but we have always overcome challenges by keeping Christ at the center and being willing to forgive and move forward. Through all of our ups and downs, I have learned not to give up no matter what. Be persistent, be patient, and always treat others as you want to be treated.”

When they were at their lowest point financially, Wayne remembers driving to the food bank to donate canned goods in his modest car. “When I drove up, the

guy directing traffic there thought I was there to pick up food for my family. The truth is that when we were struggling, we knew there were others worse off than we were. Jenny and I have tried to hold onto those lessons.

We believe that our work life and our faith life are intertwined and not something we can keep separate from one another.”

According to Jenny, “People who are successful are those who are able to do business in any environment and any market and keep a never give up attitude. A large part of success is keeping the focus on the client and their needs. When you are willing to sacrifice your needs to those of your client, the rewards are long-term.”

ExecutiveAgent Magazine

Jenny Hwang Ikeda

First Team Real Estate ​4040 Barranca Pkwy., Ste. 100​ Irvine, CA 92604 Tel: 949-910-9366 JennySellsHomes@gmail.com JennySellsOCHomes.com

CalBRE# 01337143 - 01337158 - 01803195

ExecutiveAgent Magazine