Jennifer Zardus

HOUSE SELLING AND STORYTELLING

By Robbyn Moore

Photos by Jessica Laine Photography

Jennifer Zardus, associate broker at Coldwell Banker Weir Manuel, approaches her business like a great novel: Each client plays an important character within the chapters of her story. Like any good storyline, Jennifer’s experiences have had an impact — giving perspective, entertainment, understanding, life lessons, human experiences and enrichment. She strives to fill each chapter in her book of life with unique events, varied settings and happy-home endings.

In 1988, Jennifer entered the real estate business as an advertising assistant at Merrill Lynch Realty — formerly operating under the franchise of the Prudential family of companies. She soon became the marketing director for seven of their offices in the Oakland County area, handling all the advertising and marketing of the properties. She was responsible for corporate advertising, property and agent promotion, event planning and overall print ad placements. She consulted directly with sellers and oversaw the advertising for higher-end properties. In 1995 she earned her real estate license. Shortly thereafter, Jennifer left her marketing director position and became a full-time agent. She embarked on a career attaining many years of top agent status in Oakland County.

Initially, Jennifer got her license to help agents in the sales and advertising process. However, after the birth of her daughter, she saw real estate sales as a great fit for her future. She was young and eager to learn and thought it would be an easy route to take. As time went on, Jennifer focused on the “two mores” in her life: more kids and more income. “How delusional all of that was my first few years in real estate sales,” Jennifer laughed. “I had no time and made very little money. Of course, things eventually clicked, and voilà, it all came together, and I never looked back at a conventional 9-to-5 job.”

There are many defining moments in Jennifer’s life that led her to a career in real estate. Her friends and family are high on the list of influencers, specifically, her parents who intentionally insisted Jennifer pay for her own college tuition. “This was a tough-love lesson from my parents,” Jennifer said. “However, my parents were both teachers and they knew exactly what they were doing. They pushed and taught, and I fought and learned. Their love and support always guided me as it still does today.”

Additionally, Jennifer gained strength and knowledge from other life experiences: getting fired from a job, the down-turn years of real estate, and most importantly, the births of her three beautiful children. “My kids are, and will always be, my reason for breathing and my instant smile every day.”

As the daughter of teachers, Jennifer understands the value of learning and continuing education in both business and in life. She is most passionate about learning, growing, and fine-tuning her skills. “My mother always said, ‘you live and learn’, so you would think I’d be a genius by now, but I am not,” Jennifer said with a smile. “So my passion lies in always bettering the real estate professional within me.”

As Jennifer refers to her business as a book, and each of her clients as characters in the chapters, she is most fulfilled when she is meeting new people, establishing relationships, and learning their story. “I feel so fortunate to help my clients get to where their future stories will happen,” she said.

Like so many real estate agents, time management is always a challenge. For Jennifer, the commodity of free time is very precious. “Real estate is not a job where you clock in and out — it is constant, every day, and sometimes from very early to very late,” Jennifer explained. In the early days of her career, Jennifer would pack up her small children and take them on an adventurous family car ride to tour houses. “I would get the kids settled in the car and give them clipboards,” she recalled. “They would rate the houses or draw pictures of the ones we saw. It was fun and a great balance to get my work done and spend time with my family.”

Since that time, both Jennifer’s business and her children have grown. Her oldest daughter, Rebecca, 23, finished school at Michigan Tech University and is an advisor at Merrill Lynch. Her daughter, Olivia, 21, finished her third year at Grand Valley State University where she is majoring in marketing and international business. Her son, Benjamin,19, finished his freshman year at Grand Valley State University and is going into computer science. “I am happy to say, they are all smarter than me,” Jennifer laughed.

When Jennifer is not collecting fun art antiques or doing yoga, she is giving her time to various charities and organizations. She is a member of the Michigan Association of REALTORS®, and most recently, Habitat for Humanity Women Build. “This charity is a perfect fit with many feel-good moments that combine homes and people,” Jennifer said. Additionally, she is a member of the Junior League of Birmingham (JLB) and supports charitable groups focusing on autism, Crohn’s disease, and human trafficking as well as the Lighthouse in Pontiac.

Jennifer thrives on creating a memorable experience for her clients. She jokingly said, “I never want them to know how much sleep I lost or how many gray hairs I’ve acquired. I want my time together to be a feel-good experience.” She advised new agents to address any issues that may come up to always have a plan and a remedy to fix a plan that may fall apart. “People trust us to help them with the most expensive endeavor in their lives — you can’t mess it up,” she shared. “It’s also extremely important to never, ever get attached to the paycheck. I believe, if you do your job successfully, the rewards will come. And of course, I want my clients to walk away with a good story.”

Success to Jennifer is simple: being happy and healthy and providing for and spending time with her children. As a broker, Jennifer said she will never have to retire and feels real estate will always be a part of her because she thrives on seeing houses and connecting with fellow agents, customers, and clients. “My favorite part of being in this industry is that I can boss myself around,” she laughed. “Sometimes

I don’t listen to my own advice — my arguments are noteworthy!”

Jennifer runs her business as if she wakes up every day unemployed. “It’s a very motivating factor for me,” she said. “Every day I am looking for a new boss and I take nothing for granted. I am thankful and grateful for each moment in this business because I get it all: the people, the search, the product, the negotiation, the problem-solving, the technology, the learning, the journey, the happiness, the end … and a new story begins.”

Legend in the Business: Jennifer Zardus