Real Producers of Wayne County - March 2020

WAY N E C O U N T Y

C O N N E C T I N G .

E L E VAT I N G .

I N S P I R I N G .

TOP PRODUCER:

Dylan TENT

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MARCH 2020

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www.realproducersmag.com • 3

TAB LE OF

CONTENTS 12

16

37

28

Top Producer: Dylan Tent

Games: Get to know your Wayne County Real Producers!

24

Partner Spotlight: Laura M. Walesch, PLC

Rising Star: Lisa Nocera

Agent on the Rise: Jimmy Saros

32

Celebrating Leaders: Jason Borregard

If you are interested in contributing or nominating Realtors for certain stories, please email us at Chris.csotty@realproducersmag.com or Terra.csotty@realproducersmag.com.

DISCLAIMER: Any articles included in this publication and/or opinions expressed therein do not necessarily reflect the views of N2 Publishing but remain solely those of the author(s). The paid advertisements contained within the Wayne County Real Producers magazine are not endorsed or recommended by N2 Publishing or the publisher. Therefore, neither N2 Publishing nor the publisher may be held liable or responsible for business practices of these companies. NOTE: When community events take place, photographers may be present to take photos for that event and they may be used in this publication.

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PREFERRED PARTNERS

This section has been created to give you easier access when searching for a trusted neighborhood vendor to use. Take a minute to familiarize yourself with the businesses sponsoring the publication. These local businesses are proud to partner with you and make this magazine possible. Please support these businesses and thank them for supporting the publication!

APPRAISAL SERVICES/ PERSONAL PROPERTY Anne Zielke (734) 335-4435 CLOSING GIFTS Rodnick, Inc. (586) 772-4350 CUSTOM HOME BUILDERS Cranbrook Custom Homes (586) 781-2316 DRONES Hommati (248) 550-0515 Stylish Detroit (313) 799-3686 WayUp Media (248) 924-1011 Windowstill Photography (517) 292-4066 WolfVR (248) 910-1754 ELECTRICAL Safety One Electric Company, LLC (313) 303-1617 ESTATE SALES Eclectic Attic Estate Sale Service (248) 660-3825 Hands of Time Estate Sales (734) 890-3623 FINANCIAL ADVISOR Edward Jones Colin Talbot (248) 348-0423

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Mortgage 1 Chuck Silver (248) 444-9114 Motto Mortgage Excel Garrett Stone (734) 748-1785 Omega Lending Group (586) 242-2468 Union Home Mortgage Ryan Andersen (248) 564-1619 Union Home Mortgage David Wechsler (248) 514-3489 MOVING & STORAGE Preferred Moving and Storage (586) 463-4230

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publisher’s

NOTE We have updated our mailing list for 2020! You are receiving this publication because YOU are a Top 300 real estate agent in Wayne County.

It is our mission to inform and inspire real estate agents all over Wayne County, MI. The publication has both a social and a business side. It highlights top-producing agents and gives an inside look at their lives and businesses.

N2 Publishing will be responsible for the layout of the magazine, as well as selling advertising space to local businesses (our advertising partners) to cover the costs of producing, printing and mailing.

This publication is FREE to you as a top producer in real estate.

We do our best to screen our advertisers to ensure that they can provide the types of services that you may need or want as a real estate agent. If you currently utilize a business that does excellent work, please let us know as they may want to reach out to top real estate agents, as well.

Each publication you will see is unique to the Wayne County real estate market and the publication will reflect who you are as a community of realtors. A typical publication will include personal stories, pictures and articles, fun and free social events put on by Real Producers of Wayne County, along with other information specifically tailored to the Wayne County market.

Along with offering the magazine, we host various free events to bring the real estate community together which include complimentary food, drinks, and raffle prizes all THANKS to our Preferred Partners! Our events will be communicated to you through the magazine, emails and on social media. Check us out on Facebook and Instagram @realproducersofwaynecounty.

The events and the publication are designed to increase social connections between top real estate agents and top affiliates so that the best of the best can grow their businesses together. It is our goal that the events create a culture where there is no “hard selling” but a culture of relationship-building on a more intimate level.

We would like to personally thank our Preferred Partners who partnered with us making the magazine free to all top producers, as well as the many real estate agents who contribute to this magazine each month. Just know that Real Producers of Wayne County would not exist without you!

We look forward to meeting each of you at our upcoming event, being held Thursday, March 19 at Lombardo Homes in Canton from 1–3pm. Check out the flyer in the magazine and social media pages! Invites went out so if you haven’t registered yet, make sure to do so ASAP! Thank you, Lombardo Homes, for hosting and sponsoring and to Whisky Tasting sponsor, Becky Alley, and Capital Mortgage Funding as well as Morse Moving & Storage and InsideOut Inspections Plus. We also want to thank our valet sponsor Alliance Title of Michigan.

Chris and Terra Csotty

Publishers of Real Producers of Wayne County chris.csotty@realproducersmag.com 248.506.6169 terra.csotty@realproducersmag.com 586.615.8749 10 • March 2020

www.realproducersmag.com • 11

DYLAN TENT Piloting a Path to Soar top producer Written By: Jane K. Asher, Ph.D. Photo Credit: James Cooke

O

Dylan Tent with girlfriend Audrianna St. Germain and dogs Storm and Sonic.

n one inspirational day in 2011, Dylan Tent watched The Art of Flight, a helicopter snowboarding film, and made a bold, lifechanging move: he dropped out of college and decided to become a professional helicopter pilot. In the two years that followed, Tent completed helicopter school in Long Beach, California, earned all of his ratings, and was offered a dangerous, lowpaying job as a flight instructor.

Unenthused about the prospect of making $400 per week and compromising his safety, Tent shifted gears and put his newfound aviation skills to use by taking aerial photos of luxury homes and businesses and selling them door-to-door.

Then, about five months later, one of Tent’s customers suggested he get his real estate license and enticed Tent with the prospect of selling his 1.2 million-dollar lake house in Brighton. That first client and sale re-routed Tent’s path once again, and successfully landed his career in the luxury real estate market.

Tent quickly realized that he was well-equipped to navigate and thrive in the real estate industry. Prior to getting into real estate, he had spent many years racing motorcycles with amazing people through-

12 • March 2020

I am always trying to forge connections for people, whether that be connecting a client’s kid with a great hockey program or helping someone find the right car dealer or great jeweler.

I want to be a resource outside of real estate.

out the country and had become a fierce competitor and self-starter. As a result of his racing experiences, Tent understood the correlation between preparation and success, knew how to network and earn money from sponsors and learned how to market and shape his brand identity. “As a result of an accident that left me with a shattered femur, I also learned how to persevere through tough times to accomplish my goals,” Tent said.

Today, Tent has found his niche in Heli-Realty at Signature Sotheby’s, his luxury real estate business

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and brand defined by his signature helicopter tours and Hollywoodesque, high-quality marketing videos.

Throughout his three-and-a-half-year career, Tent has generated approximately $51 million in sales, over $24 million of which he generated in 2019. Additionally, he has been globally recognized by Sotheby’s for creative video production and received many local company awards for social media and video advertising. Tent has also been ranked as Michigan’s Top 5% by Hour Detroit for the past three years.

“Right now in my business, I am passionate about keeping up with past clients and making sure I am a resource for them in any way I can,” Tent said. “I am always trying

to forge connections for people, whether that be connecting a client’s kid with a great hockey program or helping someone find the right car dealer or great jeweler. I want to be a resource outside of real estate.” Tent annually traces all his transactions back to their origins and finds that almost 100% of his deals originate from past clients, friends, family members or outside referrals. In addition to hosting client appreciation events and keeping in touch with his clients on a regular basis, Tent gives back to his clients by supporting their businesses. “I want to help my clients grow just as they have helped me grow,” he said.

Tent finds it very fun and rewarding to guide a client through the buying and selling process and to land them a multiple-offer situation on their dream home, especially when he is able to secure a deal despite not having the best terms. “Having a record sale for a listing is great as well, but I feel it is more rewarding to win in a very competitive situation,” Tent said. “I also really enjoy sharing my passion for flying with all of my customers — after a successful closing, there’s nothing better than taking them flying...and I’ve even witnessed six marriage proposals during those celebratory helicopter flights with my clients.”

Tent doesn’t work with a team, but sometimes he collaborates with Audrianna St. Germain, his girlfriend and fellow agent, who is very creative and enjoys co-starring in virtual real 14 • March 2020

estate tours with him. When Tent and Audrianna aren’t working, they enjoy spending time with Storm and Sonic, their dogs. “Before we adopted Storm from a kill shelter, he had his foot caught in a trap and was going to be put down. We have been nursing him back to health, and I have really come to love him,” Tent said.

“The experience has made me want to support local animal shelters more and spend time with unadopted dogs.”

Trent grew up in Northville and his “happy childhood” was filled with a lot of outdoor activities and sports. He was homeschooled through 8th grade and this routine helped shape his work ethic and discipline. “I really enjoyed being homeschooled because it encouraged me to be a self-starter. I would naturally wake up early in the morning to get my schoolwork done before 10 o’clock

Photo Credit: James Cooke

so that I could do whatever I wanted the rest of the day, which usually involved action sports, snowboarding, skateboarding and mountain bikes,” he said.

Tent’s father, Dr. Randall Tent, a hard-working chiropractor who only took three sick days during his 30-year practice and who was constantly reading and studying his craft to develop more expertise in his profession, also played an important role in shaping Tent’s work ethic. Tent’s desire to help and support others materializes from his mother, Suzanne Tent, who always supported and encouraged his hobbies and continues to help him in any way she can. Furthermore, Tent is grateful for David Donnie: “He is the reason I sell real estate. He has taught me to always do the right thing for your customers the first time and

never take any short cuts,” Tent said. Tent also appreciates and admires Jim Blasius, his friend and successful businessman who practices positive reinforcement and “treats his colleagues like rock-stars.”

Much like how Tent opted for action and adventure when he made the bold decision to become a helicopter pilot, Tent continues to dare and defy conventions in the real estate industry. “If you watch any of my videos, you’ll see that I’m not afraid to have fun with my job,” he said. Tent’s fearlessness, ambition and propensity for fun and competition have grounded him and propelled his enterprising spirit — in real estate, Tent hasn’t just piloted a thriving business, he’s aviating an industry that inspires him to soar to new heights. www.realproducersmag.com • 15

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Our first 2020 event is March 19th at Lombardo Homes Model Home at 148 Concord Park Drive, Canton, MI 48188.

Thursday, March 19 from 1-3pm.

Come enjoy food, drinks, valet and connecting with the best of the best in the real estate industry!

Thank you LOMBARDO HOMES for hosting and sponsoring this event!

Whisky tasting sponsored by Becky Alley and Capital Mortgage Funding and thank you to our other sponsors Morse Moving & Storage and InsideOut Inspections Plus!

Valet will be provided by Alliance Title of Michigan.

If you haven’t registered yet, make sure to reserve your spot!

16 • March 2020

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LISA NOCERA rising star Written By: Jane K. Asher, Ph.D. Photo Credit: Eugen Muntean with Square Tangerine Productions & Melissa Scola

Centered on Relationships In 1997, Lisa Nocera started her real estate career at Cranbrook Associates, one of Oakland County’s oldest brokerages, where she worked part-time alongside Marc Nocera, her longtime business partner and now-husband, and Mary Hagopian, Marc’s grandmother and top-producing agent in the ‘80s and ‘90s.

That same year, 24-year-old Nocera and her 26-year-old husband Marc founded Tropical Squeeze Smoothies, an independently-owned smoothie bar concept, and opened their first location at Twelve Oaks Mall. Over time, Nocera and Marc opened three more Metro Detroit Tropical Squeeze Smoothies shops and were planning to franchise their company until they accepted an offer to sell the Tropical Squeeze trademark.

By 2004, the Noceras left the smoothie business, and Nocera put her real estate license in escrow to focus on school and on expanding their family. “When I look back, those were some exciting times in our lives that helped pave the way for great negotiating skills that we get to use today,” she said.

In 2013, when Marc became a broker and formed Pro Realty, LLC, Nocera transitioned back into real estate part-time at Pro Realty, a smaller brokerage that offered her the flexibility to provide her clients personalized service. Two years later when her youngest began attending school full-time, Nocera began working full-time.

18 • March 2020

put yourself out there, go find what makes you happy and do it!

“My boys come first,” she said. “I am so blessed to have a flexible career so that I can cheer them on at their soccer games and chaperone their field trips,” she said. Nocera’s three sons, Vito, 18, Enzo, 13, and Antonio, 10, all play club soccer, and sometimes Nocera’s weekend schedule includes up to 10 soccer games. “If I can, I will make it to every game; however, none of this would be possible without the help and support of my husband, staff and other agents at Pro Realty,” she said. “I couldn’t do it without them — we are like a little family, all looking out for each other.”

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Nocera appreciates the convenience of working at Pro Realty, offering real estate and mortgage services and a full-time administrator, as well as an in-house graphic designer and photographer, it is a one-stop shop.

“When working with big-box real estate companies, clients may have to wait for the unknown third-party lender,” she said. “My clients have the option of using our in-house lender, which saves them time and money.”

Nocera, a proud daughter to Italian immigrants, grew up in Livonia. “My dad has always been my biggest influence because he came to this country with nothing,” she said. “He worked multiple construction jobs and hoped to one day be his own boss, a dream that finally came true when he and four business partners opened Star Excavating in 1984.” Nocera’s life journey was also greatly influenced by the tragic death of her only brother Anthony D’Aristotile following a construction accident in 2002. “Every day since his death, I wake up with a grateful heart,” she said.

“There are no guarantees that we will have one more day, or another year or another 50 years — do something that scares you every month, put yourself out there, go find what makes you happy and do it!” she said.

One way that Nocera and her family live life to the fullest is by traveling.

“Traveling is good for the soul and great bonding time with the family,” she said.

In 2017, Nocera, her family and her 20 • March 2020

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Throughout her five years as a REALTOR®, Nocera has sold over $38 million, $10 million of which she sold in 2019. Nocera is most passionate about the client journey. “For me, it’s all about building relationships and trying to make people’s lives better,” Nocera said.

“Customer service is, without a doubt, a critical element to my success, and I’m committed to shaping excellent experiences for my clients because these will eventually cultivate meaningful relationships, build trust, strengthen my reputation and create brand loyalty.”

parents traveled to Italy, so her sons could connect with their Italian roots, and since then, they’ve returned several times. “My family loves Italy, and who knows, maybe one day we will open up a Pro Realty there,” she said.

Nocera, who has a degree in dietetics from Madonna University and an interest in anything related to healthy living, enjoys spending time at home with her family and with their German Shepherd, Rocco, as well as gardening — a pastime nurtured by her father and grandfather. She donates her time and money to her community, supports fundraising events in Plymouth Canton Community School District and sponsors a family through her church during the holidays.

“Something I learned from my dad a long time ago is that there can be no sales without a good business relationship — it’s all about being a good, honest person,” she said. “If you put your commission check before your client relationship, you will not go very far in this industry.” The people who know Nocera well know that she always puts relationships before sales — her successful journey in real estate is a testament to all the meaningful client journeys that she has shaped along the way.

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LAURA M.

partner spotlight Written By: Robbyn Moore Photo Credit: Jessica Laine Photography

WALESCH, PLC Residential Real Estate Transactions and Planning t was Laura Walesch’s childhood dream to one day become a lawyer and live in the Canton/ Plymouth area where she grew up. In 2013, Laura’s dream came true when she established her own law practice in Plymouth, Michigan. As a native of Canton, Laura graduated from Plymouth Salem High School, then attended and graduated from the University of Detroit Mercy and the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. Laura is an attorney and firm principal at Laura M. Walesch, PLC, where she specializes in family law, residential real estate transactions and estate planning. “I practice in the area I do because it allows me to have personal contact with my clients,” shares Laura. “I can see the impact I have on people’s lives.”

Early in Laura’s career, she realized how she could help people through difficult and confusing times, specifically in real estate transactions. “This realization kept me in small firm practice where I could help and work with people from my community,” says Laura who is also involved with local charities such as Feral Kitty Trappers and First Step Plymouth.

Laura’s law firm has been successfully built on the basic principle of “The Golden Rule”: treating her clients the way she would want to be treated. “If I say I’ll call you, I’ll call you,” explains Laura. “If I say I’ll email, I will email. If I retained an attorney, I would expect these things, so I provide them to my clients.”

24 • March 2020

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Helping people through difficult times is the most fulfilling aspect of Laura’s work. “The definition of family has changed over time.

And the law’s grasp of it is very slow,” says Laura. “This can add to people’s frustration in already difficult situations, and I am happy to bring understanding, support and guidance to my clients; especially where legal matters are concerned.”

I can see the impact I have on people’s lives

When Laura steps away from her practice, she loves working on her cars with her husband whom she met while working as a secretary at a real estate office. “We were set up by his REALTOR® when I was in college, and now I have a soft spot for REALTORS® for this very reason,” laughs Laura. Together, they dote on their three cats and enjoy walks in the Canton-area parks.

When REALTORS® and lawyers are working together, Laura feels very strongly about the importance of communication. “It seems that disagreements happen because we aren’t communicating,” she says. “I think we can learn from each other, especially early in the transaction. Because once a contract is signed, it’s really too late to do anything about it. We need to work together, better.”

When Laura looks back on her career, she says she wants to be remembered for helping people navigate through difficult legal issues.

“I want to help guide people to the light at the end of the tunnel.”

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agent on the rise Written By: Robbyn Moore Photo Credit: Stylish Detroit

S

ince 1937, the Saros family has been serving the metro Detroit area. “Real estate is in my blood… literally,” laughs Jimmy Saros, who is Vice President of Jim Saros Real Estate Services. “I have been watching my father put deals together my entire life. I learned first-hand the value of hard work, which translated into a successful college football career, as well as within my academics, my work ethic and an overall drive to help others, thereby building a successful real estate team.”

Jimmy has been a REALTOR® for three years; however, his impressive accomplishment is that of a seasoned real estate leader.

In 2012, he earned a degree in business, economics and entrepreneurship from Brown University. He also played football all four years, earning All-Ivy Honors, and won an Ivy League Championship.

Jimmy says those years developed his discipline and work ethic.

A Legacy of Hard Work, Team-Building and Community 28 • March 2020

But it was his experience working in New York City that really defined his career path.

“Working at a brokerage in New York City is a business degree in itself,” says Jimmy.

“Being able to bring my experiences to my family business has been remarkably valuable and has our team trending in a very exciting direction.”

According to Jimmy, getting into real estate was a bit of happenstance.

“I was interviewing with various consulting firms in New York and Boston,” he explains. “After going through several grueling rounds of interviews with a few different companies, I realized consulting wasn’t exactly what I wanted to pursue.”

Jimmy added that while he enjoyed the people aspect and advisory approach of the consulting business, it was the real estate brokerage that offered so much more.

“I was adamant about ‘cutting my teeth’ on my own to start my career,” says Jimmy. So rather than immediately joining the family business, Jimmy thought New York City — which is regarded as the most competitive real estate market in the world — was a good place to start. “I didn’t have a single client or know my way around the city, but I figured if I was going to go for the big leagues, then now was the time to do it.”

Jimmy’s father, Jim Saros Sr., who is still acting CEO of the company, was very instrumental in mentoring him throughout his experience in New York. His father’s support gave Jimmy the confidence to take risks and figure things out on his own, which proved to be very lucrative in both sales and the future planning of Jimmy’s career.

While in New York, Jimmy was hired by one of the largest real estate investment companies in the country.

He specialized in selling multi-family apartment buildings and redevelopment properties in the $1M–$70M market. It was John Horowitz who

hired Jimmy and soon became a great mentor to him and still is today. “John was my first boss and manager. He taught me a lot about this business, and I get a lot of my managerial style from him. He is a continued resource for me as I grow my own team.”

Almost immediately, Jimmy had a great deal of success as he sold more and more multi-family buildings. He began to save with the goal of investing himself back into the Metro-Detroit area and picked up as many multi-family properties as he could with a unit count that has grown to over 70.

By the end of 2016, Jimmy had acquired enough property in Michigan and felt he was ready to move back to his home state. He was engaged to his wife Kelley, and together they returned to Michigan where Jimmy continued the legacy of the family business and began taking over operations of the company.

It was close to this time when the building his father had been running the family business in since 1979 was

tragically burned down in a fire. Jimmy explains, “We were able to make lemonade out of lemons when this happened. I led the design and development of our new office building, and now we have the best real estate office in Michigan.” The new offices also helped to build the company brand as well as some momentum on Mack Avenue in Detroit and Grosse Pointe.

While Jimmy has been in the Metro-Detroit market for only a few years, his exceptional transactional experience has garnered him an impressive career sales volume of over $350M. Jimmy’s dedication, skill set, vision and passion for success, are the driving forces that are building a platform and a company where his team can win and succeed. “Our agents are some of the top producing new agents in Metro Detroit,” he explains. “We have a quality over quantity approach.

As a locally owned and operated business, we can offer tools, resources and support that franchise offices can’t. We are a small team, but with our business model, we are able to www.realproducersmag.com • 29

women financial fitness

By Shauna Osborne

build a successful business much faster and without compromising our client relationships — which is the most important aspect of what we do.”

Last year, Jimmy’s team closed $42,650,633 in sales. In a time when agents get distracted by social media, Jimmy says there’s no replacement for hard work. “So many agents are looking for the quick and easy path — relying on paid leads or other reactive approaches to sales, which is not a recipe for a long-term, sustainable business plan,” he says. “I believe in sticking to what has proven to work — hitting the phones and speaking to as many people as possible. It’s critical to meet as many people in our target markets as we can and grow our knowledge and skillset every day.

Success will follow.”

AND

Jimmy and his wife, Kelley, are expecting their first baby — a boy — and are both excited and a little terrified to be new parents.

They enjoy date nights at new restaurants and time with their dog Wally, who is also an incredibly warm greeter at the office. And when he’s not working, Jimmy can be found with his dad and others from his office at the bowling alley knocking down the pins.

“Real estate is what shapes all my dreams and goals,” says Jimmy. “Since 2017, we have experienced a 38.3% growth in sales. We are going to continue to grow our operation and team with the goal of having each team member becoming the highest producers in the markets we target.”

FINANCES

March brings about the observation of a very special month: Women’s History Month. 2020 marks the 100-year anniversary of women gaining the right to vote in the United States, after decades of the fight for suffrage. Indeed, the last century has brought many significant social changes for women, including in the financial arena, which places women in a singular position in fiscal decision-making.

Taking a look back over time, we see that although women started out with relatively few autonomous rights in our country – in fact, they were considered the “property” of their husbands as of 1769 – they soon slowly began gaining more control over their lives and finances. The 1800s brought the rights for women to retain property after marriage, bank under their own names, and work as stockbrokers; the 20th century saw laws passed that governed fair and equal opportunities in credit, pay, and labor for women. Flash forward to now, when women make up 60% of the workforce, including in corporate America and global business.

And we’re not only participating in the economy by spending money – we’re actively contributing by making money as well.

save approximately 1.5% more yearly than men to reach the same savings target by retirement.

Discuss finances in relationships early and often. Finances are one

of the top stressors in relationships, so stay on top of it by being as transparent as possible from the beginning. Keep educated on and be involved in the day-to-day management of your family’s goal setting, budgeting, saving, and investing.

Address health care now. If you haven’t already, explore your options for long-term health care. Women live longer, have higher rates of chronic health conditions and disability, and are often the caregivers for others with health concerns. Take care of you; the time to plan for your future health care needs is now.

Yet female wage-earners still face considerable and unique financial challenges. The first is, overall, women still make less money than men, even in positions for which they are equally qualified.

As of 2017, women earned approximately 80 cents for every dollar their male counterparts earned across every age group. The gender pay gap – while improving as millennial women continue to dominate in higher education and secure higher-paying positions – is still very real.

30 • March 2020

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Additionally, women tend to live longer than men do – on average, about five years longer – which impacts retirement savings as well as money set aside for health care costs as we age. Add to this the fact that women’s peak earning age falls significantly earlier on salaries that already started out lower than men’s, and that women, almost exclusively, spend time away from their careers to raise children, and it becomes much harder to save throughout our wage-earning lifetime. What can women, specifically, do to address these gender-based financial challenges?

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Mary Reed www.realproducersmag.com • 31

Jason Borregard Leading, Recruiting and Developing When Jason Borregard had just a few classes left in college, he decided to go home and start selling real estate while finishing up his degree. He figured he would make a little money before he started his “forever career.”

Turned out, his forever career was just getting started.

Jason sees himself as a bit of a hybrid where he is very much focused on the day-to-day details while also keeping an eye on the big picture. “As a sales manager, I need to pay attention to the details first,” he says. “But I also understand the importance of recruiting, goal-setting, and doing the necessary work to grow Clients First, Realtors.”

Twenty-two years later, Jason is Associate Broker and Sales Manager for Clients First, Realtors. He is leading and motiving his team with a Mastermind Training program that engages agents in a whole new way. “We are seeing some great success in this new style of training,” says Jason who requires his agents who participate to commit to an hour-long training every week. “I work closely with my team to set production goals and we make deliberate, ongoing contacts every week to ensure business development.”

Not only does Jason love seeing the positive results from the training program, he admitted, “Truth be told, my personal, favorite aspect of the group is our monthly book discussion.”

celebrating leaders Written By: Robbyn Moore Photo Credit: Jessica Laine Photography

32 • March 2020

Growing up, Jason watched his father, Gerald, live out his dream as a REALTOR®, Broker and office-owner. His success inspired Jason to develop his own passion for real estate, and as Jason started his career, he was a great mentor. His dad was a licensed real estate agent from 1964 until his death in 2011. “I always looked up to my dad,” says Jason.

“He is the main reason I got into real estate.”

In 2006, Jason took over his father’s company with the intention to gain management experience and allow his father to retire. As with so many REALTORS®, Jason worked through the housing crisis in 2008, focusing mostly on listing and selling bank-owned homes. “This provided me a decent income and steady business,” explains Jason. “I even attempted to do some recruiting but with the market the way it was, it was an uphill battle.”

During those years, leading into 2012, Jason’s bankowned business and contacts started to dry up. Jason was disappointed and even considered getting out of the real estate business entirely. “While I was feeling discouraged, I also knew I had so much more to give with my experience and knowledge. I did not want that to go to waste.” www.realproducersmag.com • 33

It was around this time that Jason got an email from Clients First, Realtors looking for a sales manager.

When he accepted this position, he knew he was on the right path and had truly found his real estate calling in life. “When I owned my own company, I enjoyed selling homes, but it was through the recruiting and management of other agents that I found my true passion,” says Jason. “The opportunity at Clients First, Realtors gave me the chance I was looking for to grow a team, a business, and achieve my personal goals.”

Jason says he would not be where he is today without the support and dedication from Chantell Monette, Owner of Clients First, Realtors. “Much of my success is due to the daily encouragement I receive from Chantell. She has helped develop my skills as a sales manager and led our entire team to greatness with her hard work, patience and commitment.”

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Learning from his mistakes has been an overriding theme throughout Jason’s real estate career.

“I believe in order to be successful in real estate, you need to get out there and start doing,” shares Jason. “And then you need to make mistakes and understand those mistakes as a normal part of growth and development. Difficult situations are normal and should be embraced, not avoided.”

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When Jason isn’t working with his real estate team, he can be found on the soccer field playing goalie.

Additionally, he enjoys craft beer, fantasy football and baseball, and traveling with his family. He is married to Amanda Bogard, who, interestingly, did not change her last name due to the similarity in Jason’s name.

“It’s a little confusing to everyone,” laughs Jason.

“Our last names are so similar, so I understand and appreciate my wife keeping her maiden name.” Together, they have two boys, Ronald (7) and Louis (5).

Looking to the future, Jason says he would like to focus most of his time on training and recruiting. “At the end of the day, I find the greatest satisfaction in delivering top-notch training and coaching to our agents, while providing an excellent pay plan.” Jason concluded, “When we invest in our agents, everyone wins.”

34 • March 2020

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