Jacqueline Agius & Terry Whitfield

A Business Built on Family, Service and Love

By Robbyn Moore

Photos by Jermaine Buie with Perfect Light, LLC

Photos taken at Cranbrook Custom Homes — Montcaret in Northville

People get into the real estate industry for many reasons: financial gain, schedule freedom, family connections or personal interest. For Jacqueline Agius, it was to join her mother and sister on the family team in 2000 after years as an executive at Ford Motor Company. For Jacqueline’s husband, Terry Whitfield, real estate began after honorably retiring from 26 years as a Novi police sergeant and at the urging of his wife. “It’s always best to listen to your wife,” Terry said with a laugh. “Jackie believed in me and knew my work ethic was very strong from years in law enforcement. So, I gave it a try, and it was a natural fit.”

The couple has been working together as a team for eight years at National Realty Centers. Their personalities are complementary to their work and to each other. While their paths into real estate are vastly different from one another, they are perfectly aligned with their approach to customer service, attention to detail and combined years of experience.

To know Jacqueline and Terry as a couple, it’s important to understand them as individuals. Jacqueline is detail-oriented, persistent and comes from a family rich in real estate knowledge. While she began her career in 1986 on a part-time basis alongside her mother Eileen Agius, who was a multimillion-dollar top producer in the Plymouth/Canton area, she transitioned into a full-time role after leaving her corporate job and after having twins — losing one at 2 weeks old — while also raising her 5-year-old daughter. She decided that real estate would provide more flexibility to care for her family and, therefore, joined her mother and sister Elizabeth Bielski full-time in 2000. Together, they formed the Agius Team.

Terry is a fun and engaging person with an unwavering work ethic and a deeprooted dedication toward serving others.

Prior to his job as a police sergeant, he was a military police officer in the United States Army, where he served in West Germany, Italy and Colorado Springs. His real estate adventures didn’t begin until 2013 when he was preparing to retire.

“Jackie always believed that I would do well in real estate because I am good with people,” Terry said. “To be honest, I wasn’t even sure I was ready to do something completely foreign and maybe even a bit scary. However, I found that there were many similarities in real estate and law enforcement — I discovered a new way to ‘protect and defend’ — always looking out for people, helping them and continuing my life’s work to protect people with their investments.”

When Terry joined the Agius Team, he instantly had a mentor/partner with years of experience at his side. Jacqueline was available any time of the day to help with questions and guidance. It wasn’t long before when Terry began to learn the tools of the trade and build an identity where he’s now known around town as, “The Blue Sergeant.” “The name kind of reminds me of my past life,” Terry shared. “I feel the need to protect and defend, as I’ve always done. Now, some of my former co-workers don’t even call me by my first name; they just say, ‘there’s the Blue Sergeant’ — at least I know my marketing is working.”

Jacqueline and Terry have created a business model that focuses on personal service and building relationships. “We are very passionate about giving our clients a great experience,” Jacqueline said. “We always have their best interest in everything we do.” Terry added, “We want people to say that we worked hard for them or made the whole buying or selling process easy. When clients are well-informed, they tend to relax and trust the process.”

Most of the couple’s business is from repeat clients and referrals. “Our clients are not just a number,” Jacqueline said. “Without exception, our clients become our friends.”

Both set high standards for themselves and their work. They each possess unique skills and abilities, creating a real estate powerhouse. “It’s wonderful to have a partner/ husband to discuss all the details and find resolutions together,” Jacqueline said. “Between his problem-solving skills and my years of experience, we are always able to come up with solutions to move forward and get to the closing table.”

As business partners, the husbandand-wife team leans on each other as sources of strength during challenging times. “Managing different markets can be very challenging,” Jacqueline said. “Being able to adapt to short sales and foreclosures, and the highest and best, low inventory markets, can be very demanding — I’m so glad we have each other.” Terry added, “Also, it is a daunting task to deal with all the social media applications that are out there and properly educate buyers and sellers about industry trends. It all requires a lot of attention. Because of that, I’m grateful for Jackie’s depth of knowledge and my work tenacity because, together, we can tackle these industry-related issues with ease.”

Jacqueline said she admires Terry’s attention to detail and the kindness he shows to people. “He goes above and beyond for all our clients,” she said. “He’s a very approachable, likable guy.” When Terry was asked the same question about his wife, he responded, “I admire her confidence and knowledge of the job. Her professional demeanor and persistence are very impressive, and she always gets the job done right. Plus, she has more hair than I do, and she’s definitely prettier!”

Photo provided by Jacqueline Agius

The pair met at Life Time Fitness in a running club and have completed several marathons together. It’s no surprise that they are a very athletic family. Between the two of them, they have five kids who all enjoy fitness and health. Jacqueline’s daughter Gina McNamara, 26, graduated from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and ran track and field, and cross country. She now works for Accenture’s strategy group out of Washington, D.C. and continues her passion to run with a subelite running group sponsored by New Balance. Her son Ryan McNamara, 21, is a junior at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and a licensed agent in the family business. He is studying business administration with a minor in real estate development. Jacqueline’s youngest daughter, Clare McNamara, 19, is a freshman at the University of Michigan and is on the track and field team training to be a heptathlete.

Terry’s son Matthew Whitfield, 34, is a bodybuilder, and his daughter Mary Whitfield, 22, is a senior at Wayne State University working toward obtaining a double major in environmental studies and geology.

A fun fact about Terry is that every December, he transforms into Santa Claus. “I have my own Frankenmuth-purchased suit, hat and hair,” he explained. “Typically, I show up for small family gatherings and small groups of kids. Even during the pandemic, I made an appearance in a giant snow globe for more than 150 families through Northville Township Parks and Recreation.”

Jacqueline and Terry are truly a dynamic duo. Their combined warm personalities, coupled with their solid, trusted service, put them in a league of their own. “It’s great to have a partner you can trust with the same goals,” Jacqueline said. “Our approach is simple — we talk with each other and know all the important details regarding our clients.” Terry concluded, “Personally, I think it’s nice for clients to get two fully trained agents caring about their investments for the price of one. Our clients have peace of mind knowing we’re double-checking each other and ensuring a successful closing without stress.”

The couple plans to continue building their family of agents and working together until they retire and travel the world.

Photo provided by Jacqueline Agius

Photo provided by Jacqueline Agius

Photo provided by Jacqueline Agius

Jacqueline Agius & Terry Whitfield - Dynamic Duo -- Married Couple