Julie Moraitis

A NATURAL-BORN ENTREPRENEUR AND FEARLESS LEADER

By Robbyn Moore

Photos by Jermaine Buie with Perfect Light, LLC

In simple terms, an entrepreneur is an individual who creates a new business, bearing most of the risks and enjoying most of the rewards. Commonly seen as an innovator and a source of new ideas, an entrepreneur understands the potential of limitless success. For Julie Moraitis — who refers to herself as a workaholic — owning a business and being her own boss is all she’s ever known. She’s been a self-proclaimed serial entrepreneur since college and continues to be a maven when it comes to business acumen.

Entrepreneurship runs deep in Julie’s family. Growing up, Julie watched her father own and operate a successful Chrysler/ Plymouth dealership outside of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Furthermore, Julie found inspiration in her husband’s parents who are also lifetime entrepreneurs.

Julie began her business ventures as a restaurant owner with her husband, Lee. They owned restaurants in Metro Detroit and Austin, Texas. In 2001, they opened their own mortgage brokerage, Atlas Mortgage. Following that, they started a transaction management platform for real estate agents called Realty Commander and rode out the aftermath of the 2008 recession. After they sold their software business to ShowingTime in 2015, and once their three daughters were older and more self-sufficient, Julie saw a natural transition into real estate and an opportunity to work directly with buyers and sellers. “I had so much experience in the industry and loved helping people,” she said. “I knew I could be a great advocate for people through what is most likely the largest investment of their life. I also love problem-solving and just knew that I could guide my clients seamlessly through their home sale or purchase.”

Today, Julie is a real estate agent and co-founder of The Luxe Group — eXp Realty. Her entrepreneurial spirit and ability to connect with people has created lifetime customers and a dedicated network of 120 talented agents. “Right now, I am most passionate about implementing systems that deliver the utmost in customer service,” Julie shared. “Our team is on a trajectory to grow to 500 agents by the end of 2021, and we will accomplish this because of our coaching, training and lean generation strategies, not to mention the fact that all agents earn stock and shared company revenue.”

The collaboration with high-performing agents and watching their success brings the greatest amount of joy to Julie’s career. “I value different ideas and the sharing of challenges, experiences and best practices with my fellow agents,” she said. “It’s the best way to offer unlimited knowledge and guidance to our clients with every transaction.”

Because of Julie’s unyielding commitment to her work, she has grown her real estate business by 460% in less than three years. She attributes most of her success to aligning herself with great leaders who encouraged her to step out of her comfort zone, and, in turn, helped build her confidence. “I can honestly sum up my success with three letters: e-xp,” she said. “I would like agents to know that eXp motivated me to set my goals higher and believe in myself as a leader. When you become a leader, you gain a level of confidence that will take your business to the next level — I’m proof of that.”

Julie’s team refer to themselves as family and consists of top-producing agents who have all learned to “fish” on their own by generating their own business without being dependent on handout leads. “Among the offices in Metro Detroit, Florida, Arizona, California and Nevada, our group of agents are 100% collaboration and 0% competition,” Julie explained. “I am a better businesswoman because of the teams around me.”

For new agents entering the marketplace, Julie highly recommends finding an agent mentor to help navigate the industry. “Finding a seasoned agent who is willing to take you under their wing is the best way to launch a career,” she said. “I work hard every day — coaching, training and leading as a collaborative group with all of the agents in my organization. We share marketing ideas, how to handle all types of situations and, most importantly, we have fun.”

When it comes to team success, Julie emphasized the importance of group collaboration. “One of our agents, Nicole Elizabeth Yeager, is a prime example of teamwork,” Julie said. “Since joining our team, she is absolutely killing it! She has more than tripled her production and brings an abundance of enthusiasm, creativity and great ideas — especially when it comes to social media marketing to the entire team.”

Years of prior entrepreneurship experience shaped Julie’s work ethic. She is a fearless leader who understands the importance of being consistent, finding solutions and caring for others. Her tenacity to tackle challenges is relentless and a calling card that her fellow agents and clients have come to rely on.

Along with her team collaboration, for more than 10 years, Julie has supported Compassion International through contributions to the mentorship and financial support of children in third-world countries. Additionally, Julie supports Team Joseph, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to aggressively fund cutting-edge research to find a treatment or cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

In her free time, Julie is a fitness enthusiast and enjoys daily workouts. She and her husband love to travel and play tennis and golf. They have been married for 27 years and have three daughters — Jillian, 22, Megan, 20, and Lauren, 16. They enjoyed watching their older daughters grow up competing in dance and pom, and they continue to watch their youngest compete in travel soccer. Their elder daughters are also following in their parents’ footsteps: Jillian is a graduate of MSU Broad College of Business and Megan is also pursuing a business degree. May the entrepreneurial spirit live on.

Julie Moraitis - Agent Spotlight