Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Lamker.
Hi Jessica, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
After spending more than half my life working in a job and an industry I loved, I found myself on the outside as a result of job elimination. I was 53 years old, single, had never lost a job before, and had to quickly visualize a future that included income from a new source. I knew I needed to use self-starting skills so I could keep my home in the neighborhood. My home was the ultimate visual of why I needed to begin anew. The thought of not having a place to live was a real motivator for me. So I transferred that energy of wanting to stay in my home, to one helping others who needed to make decisions for their own home story. The reference of home runs deep for me. My parents raised my eight siblings and I on a small farm in southern Indiana that has been in the family well over 100 years, and my siblings and I still own that 300-acre property today. After earning a college degree in agriculture journalism, I worked more than 25 years in agriculture communications. The marketing and communications skills I developed through the years have been valuable in my new career, too. Now I’m deploying them on behalf of my own business within a strong local real estate brand. You could work all day and night when you are self-employed, but my adult daughter, Alex, and my significant other Todd Thue have been essential to keeping me focused on what matters most during this time of career growth and change.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The biggest obstacle to being self-employed is cash flow. In real estate, you are paid when your clients close on a home. So getting that first closing under your belt is essential to jump-start your real estate career. Another challenge is to quickly overcome being new in the role. While all agents have the same education to be licensed, it’s no different than a corporate job, experience is a plus! While the road wasn’t always smooth, it wasn’t full of pot-holes, either. The majority of people will choose a real estate agent based on who they know. For the first three years in the business (pre-pandemic) I would average hosting one open house a week to build my knowledge, skills and brand awareness. Open house activity changed during the pandemic due to enhanced safety protocols. I also walk my neighborhood twice a year, knock on doors, meet my neighbors and provide a leave behind sports marketing schedule. Experts say every start-up needs at least five years, and I committed to five years, which happened in 2020 amidst the pandemic. After working in real estate for over six years, I can confidently look back and say I build my knowledge and skills every day and look forward to the challenges and rewards of the future. I was fortunate to have a some good advisors along the way, and I encourage others that during times of change talk to your spiritual and financial advisors, friends, family, and others who, honestly, all have a role in my success.
We’ve been impressed with Edina Realty, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I chose Edina Realty as my broker because they are the market leader. I spent many years touting the value of brand building in my previous role, and wanted to be with the leading local brand in Minnesota. I appreciate and stay with Edina Realty because of its commitment to agent training and development, access to leadership, local brand and commitment to that brand, and that it has a value in giving back to communities. I’m a Minnesota licensed real estate agent. I earned the Graduate, REALTOR Institute (GRI) designation in 2021. One of my clients told me that I was “pleasantly persistent.” Another client shared that if he talked to me every day he’d learn something new. I take these remarks as to why people want to work with Jessica Lamker as compliments. I am a believer in educating the buyer or seller, and communicating frequently for understanding. I also like to find solutions that help a buyer or seller during a chaotic and challenging time of their lives. In a real estate career, while you might be selling houses, you are meeting people at a point in their lives when something has changed–which could be positive or negative. From babies, marriages, divorces, deaths, job changes, all these situations can be a part of the why for a client to change their home story. And this is definitely what I love most about my role as a licensed REALTOR–connecting the dots on the part of a client’s story that is home.
What are your plans for the future?
Short-term, continued growth of the business. I formed a team with my colleague Carolyn Madson, Edina Realty, in 2020. Despite the pandemic, we were able to continue to grow our business year over year and achieved Edina Realty’s President’s Circle for both 2021 and 2022. REALTORs also have an opportunity to earn designations, and the next one on my radar will probably take me back to my agrarian roots. I’d like to become an accredited land consultant through the REALTORS Land Institute. On the personal side, I’d like to learn more about gardening, woodland perennials and trees. I’m a member of the Federated Garden Clubs of Minnesota, and chair of the Sweet Sioux Garden Club based in Burnsville.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.edinarealty.com/jessica-lamker-realtor#%2F
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicalamker/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jessicalamker
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeckielamker
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk6d46IG3WC5MU_xC4usvRg/featured
Image Credits
Alex Lamker
