Jennifer Tait

PROCEEDING WITH PASSION AND PURPOSE

By Jane K. Asher, Ph.D.

Photos by Dawn Townsend Photography & Design

When Jennifer Tait became a real estate agent five years ago, she thought she knew exactly what awaited her in real estate: a career that would allow her to explore her entrepreneurial side, utilize her design skills and satisfy her desire to help others. Today, as the managing broker of Brookstone Realtors LLC, Jennifer realizes that all her initial expectations still hold true, but she has also discovered a greater purpose in real estate — and she quickly embraced that purpose to thrive as a leader in the industry.

“Success is waking up excited about your purpose — my purpose is my strong desire to help others achieve their goals,” Jennifer said. “I now know, more importantly, that I am a problem solver, supporter and trusted advisor in helping clients make one of the most stressful and important financial decisions of their lives,” she said.

Jennifer, who bartended throughout college, has always enjoyed meeting new people and perfecting her multi-tasking skills. After graduating with a Bachelor of Applied Science in interior design, she worked as the office manager and designer for a custom woodworking company where she created CAD drawings and hand renderings for custom kitchens, bathrooms and built-ins. She says that both of these pre-real estate careers forged many relationships with people who significantly impact her life today.

In 2014, following a period of strict bed rest, Jennifer gave birth to twin boys. When they were 6 months old, she was itching to reclaim her active lifestyle and ready to go back to work. She knew she wouldn’t be happy going back to her previous office job and a 40-hour workweek, so she decided it was time to pique her interest in real estate. Sleep-deprived yet determined, Jennifer completed the 40-hour class, studied and passed the state exam on her first try. Shortly after getting licensed, she joined Real Estate One in Clarkston. Within half a year, Jennifer’s business took off, and she couldn’t imagine doing anything else. “Real estate is my thing,” she said.

Three years into her real estate career, Jennifer obtained her broker’s license, and after working alongside fellow broker Brandon Mulrenin at Real Estate One for about a year, Jennifer decided to join Brandon at his new brokerage, Brookstone Realtors LLC, and became an agent at his company when he launched it in April 2019.

“Starting at a brand-new brokerage was outside of my comfort zone as I had built my career and reputation at Real Estate One, but after Brandon explained the concept of this brokerage, there was no doubt in my mind that this was a move I had to make,” Jennifer said. “Over time, I naturally fell into the role of assisting him with business development, agent communication, recruiting agents, training, etc. My daily actions quickly transformed into me becoming infatuated with helping Brookstone thrive and grow, and when we opened our second office in October of 2019, I officially took the title of managing broker.”

Today, Brookstone, which includes over 150 agents and a “leadership team” of nine support staff, is officially verified by the State of Michigan as the fastest-growing brokerage in Michigan. With its “agent-centric” culture and “Clients First” motto, Brookstone has definitely proven to be the right move for Jennifer, who has a career volume of $21 million, $7 million of which she generated in 2019.

“Brookstone is definitely unique and does not operate as a traditional brokerage. We are a true, 100% commission-based brokerage, with an agent membership fee of $300 per month and several additional benefits, including training, CRM, lead generation, personal marketing platforms, etc.,” Jennifer said. “Our agents truly want to see each other succeed, and we believe in celebrating our agents’ accomplishments.” As managing broker, Jennifer helps coordinate Brookstone’s Quarterly Summits, Winter Gala and other celebratory events dedicated to recognizing their agents’ individual and team achievements.

“Before I became a manager, my focus was to make a difference in my clients’ lives,” Jennifer said. “That’s still the case, but now as a manager, I am privileged to make a difference in my agents’ lives, which directly impacts their clients’ lives.”

Jennifer is the go-getter and respected leader that she is today because of her upbringing. “I have supportive parents who lead by example — they push me to step outside of my comfort zone and to always do more than I thought I was capable of,” she said. “My family and my core values are the foundation of what has shaped me into who I am today. This foundation has guided me through a series of struggles and failures to the accomplishments I am proud of.”

Jennifer and her husband, Josh Tait — an Army veteran who works in cybersecurity — have been together for 10 years. Jennifer and Josh, along with their five-year-old twins Cameron and Colton, enjoy biking, fishing, game nights, dance battles and spending summer days up North at their family lake cottage. “I enjoy every moment I can with my family — I am very fortunate to have a large extended family, and we regularly get together for celebrations,” Jennifer said. “Spending time with my friends is also something I hold near and dear to my heart: I have some amazing long-lasting friendships and I’m very thankful to have them in my life.”

Jennifer likes to spend her “me time” exercising on her Peloton and running on trails. Her background in design continues to inspire her to get creative when the opportunity presents itself. Jennifer donates to St. Jude’s on a monthly basis, supports the Special Olympics each year and annually runs a handful of races to fundraise for various charitable organizations.

Through hard work, Jennifer has not only shaped a successful career; she’s also engendered an unimaginable amount of passion, purpose and pride in what she does. “Trust that life will present you with new opportunities when you continue to work hard,” Jennifer said. “And If you haven’t found what you’re passionate about yet, don’t settle.”

Celebrating Leaders: Jennifer Tait