When Pamela "Pam" Jones transitioned from the performing arts to real estate, she didn't just change careers—she started on a path to becoming a linchpin in the Northern Virginia housing market with Extraordinary Transitions. In our latest episode, we sit down with Pam and uncover how her roots in a close-knit family shaped her client-centric philosophy, and how sage advice from her mother nudged her towards the real estate world. As Pam walks us through her remarkable 41-year journey, she unveils the vital importance of personal connections over flashy marketing, and the transformative tide of technology that's redefined how agents, buyers, and sellers interact.
Join us as we navigate the ever-changing currents of the real estate industry through Pam's seasoned perspective. We plumb the depths of the digital era's influence, discussing how the internet has both simplified and complicated the property-buying process. Pam also imparts her wisdom on the essential traits for real estate professionals today and breaks down the distinct property landscape of her home turf. Moreover, she highlights the indispensable role of community networking, as evidenced by her involvement with the Loudon Chamber, demonstrating how professional associations can pave the way for personal and career development. Tune in for a blend of industry insights and enriching personal tales that shine a light on the compelling evolution of real estate.
When Pamela "Pam" Jones transitioned from the performing arts to real estate, she didn't just change careers—she started on a path to becoming a linchpin in the Northern Virginia housing market with Extraordinary Transitions. In our latest episode, we sit down with Pam and uncover how her roots in a close-knit family shaped her client-centric philosophy, and how sage advice from her mother nudged her towards the real estate world. As Pam walks us through her remarkable 41-year journey, she unveils the vital importance of personal connections over flashy marketing, and the transformative tide of technology that's redefined how agents, buyers, and sellers interact.
Join us as we navigate the ever-changing currents of the real estate industry through Pam's seasoned perspective. We plumb the depths of the digital era's influence, discussing how the internet has both simplified and complicated the property-buying process. Pam also imparts her wisdom on the essential traits for real estate professionals today and breaks down the distinct property landscape of her home turf. Moreover, she highlights the indispensable role of community networking, as evidenced by her involvement with the Loudon Chamber, demonstrating how professional associations can pave the way for personal and career development. Tune in for a blend of industry insights and enriching personal tales that shine a light on the compelling evolution of real estate.
Speaker 1:
My full name is Pamela Jones, I go by Pam and my business is Extraordinary Transitions. It is a real estate team with my husband inside of the Long and Foster footprint. So I work out of the Long and Foster office in One Loudon and we offer residential real estate services for home sellers, home buyers, investors, people who invest in residential real estate and also tenant prospects, people who are not quite ready to buy. Okay, full team of professionals within the Long and Foster family our mortgage lender, settlement and title insurance, even moving services and home sale preparation services.
Speaker 2:
Okay, and how big is your team, like, how many people do you have on board?
Speaker 1:
Just three Me, my husband Dave and our assistant Shirley.
Speaker 2:
Okay, that's awesome, and can you tell me a little bit about your story, like who you were, as a little bit?
Speaker 1:
about your story, like who you were as a child and then how it led you up into this point. I grew up on a street where my grandfather bought a large parcel down one side of a dead-end street and portioned everything out, so he and my grandmother lived in the house at the top of the hill. That's where they raised their three kids. Then my dad and mom bought the house next door and then my dad's sister and her husband built a house on the next lot and then there are four other parcels that family members built on and raised their families. And so I grew up next door to grandparents and cousins with my three sisters and my three cousins, and they mostly are still there.
Speaker 2:
Wow, I love that you guys built like a little community there of like, hi neighbor, hey family. I love that.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, we laughingly say it's a compound, but not the Kennedy compound, cute. So yeah, and you know, I was within walking distance of elementary school. Grandma and granddaddy had ponies. So when we grew up until I was about 15, and we did, it was. It was a little idyllic, lots of lots of garden, lots of flowers, just real pretty, real nice place, and it was only 15 miles outside of Washington DC Perfect.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, I love that and I guess through those ventures with your family did that lead you into real estate. Was that always the game plan?
Speaker 1:
for you. No, I was very active in music and drama in high school and junior high. I went to community college with that thought in mind and quickly learned, figured out that that wasn't going to pay the bills, fell into a part-time job working for Montgomery Ward while I was in high school and through the years that I went to college and I was with Montgomery Ward a retailer large retailer like Sears or Walmart for 11 years Met my husband there. My mom went into real estate after my dad retired. My father was a career firefighter in Prince George's County, maryland, and then fire marshal and then the deputy chief of the county and they had a required retirement of 20 years service. So he was 42 when he retired. So my mother went into real estate at that time to support him for the next 20 years and after she was in it for about six she encouraged me to get my license and that's kind of how it happened. Wow, yes.
Speaker 2:
That's very different, Like you had. You know, when we're young, we're like this is what I want to do, but then you realize.
Speaker 1:
Well, the interesting thing is that the people, relationships and the skills that are necessary to develop business and help clients decide what they want to do and then help facilitate that are a lot like working in music and drama. You know, there's some precision to it, there's some emotion to it, but you need to know a lot more numbers.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, of course right, Right On that note. How important is it to you to build and keep those relationships with your clients?
Speaker 1:
That is my probably my favorite thing. I've helped 1,100 different families buy or sell real estate and another 450 with rentals and investment, finding tenants for their properties you know, finding tenants for their properties. So and we stay in touch with them on a quarterly basis and my MO is to use the phone first, so I am on the phone five days a week. My goal is to make between 20 and 25 contacts a day with people that I've worked with in the past, either to answer their questions or see who they know, and that's how I've grown. My business has been mostly through referrals, a lot of it through the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce and some just reaching out to people whose properties are either on the market for sale by owner or who were listed with another real estate agent and the listing expired and they needed help.
Speaker 2:
So, yeah, yes, and then with marketing, how are you with that? Online or through your website? Are you getting ads out there? What advice would you give to anybody, or what are you doing? Well?
Speaker 1:
the best marketing is that relationship and, frankly, well, the best marketing is that relationship and, frankly, advertising and real estate has become really more of an email touch, you know, once or twice a month, some Facebook postings, but really keeping in touch with those past clients, mailing to them quarterly with information about what's going on in the market or just, you know, doing birthday wishes or house-aversary calls. My husband calls all of his past client, buyer clients, and congratulates them on the purchase of their home every year to stay in touch. So marketing is really more of a personal contact for me than running big ads.
Speaker 2:
Okay, yeah, I love that. Yeah, and what is something that you've noticed from your experience that's changed a lot in your industry, that you're like holy moly, like wow.
Speaker 1:
Well, we've been reviewing that lately. There have been so many changes. I've had my real estate license since 1983. So in 41 years we went from everything on paper to and traveling to the person's house to present a sales contract, to fax machines, to the internet, to FedEx, being able to deliver, to DocuSign on the technology side. And then you know, there's been so much development in technology that always seems to be a threat and actually most often has not turned out to be anything but an ability to enhance our business.
Speaker 1:
So, being able to search for listings on the internet, well, we used to have all of it in house and when it went out on the internet and buyer clients or seller clients were able to monitor the market, they still called us to say you know, I've seen this, I like it. How do I buy it? What steps do I have to take? So more than 90% of homes are found either in MLS or the Internet by agents and buyers. There's the occasional sign call. Only really in the upper end do we see advertising of specific properties and that's in a specialty arena. But it really hasn't changed our industry except for the better. It made it more efficient and easier for both buyers and sellers to have more information about their property they're buying and the community that they're searching in.
Speaker 2:
I love that. I have to agree with that, even with us sometimes, who we've implemented some AI and it's helped make things easy, so it's good to have that positive outlook as well, absolutely yeah.
Speaker 1:
Well, I was around for Y2K when we thought the world was going to come to an end.
Speaker 2:
I heard about that. Actually I was like whoa.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, yeah, Dave. My husband and I were scheduled to go to New Orleans for the football national championship. Virginia Tech was playing. For the football national championship, Virginia Tech was playing. We didn't fly until January 2nd just in case all of the jets were going to crash on January 1st.
Speaker 2:
I mean you can't take that chance, right? If everyone's talking about it, you're like, oh, I don't want to take that chance.
Speaker 1:
Everybody was a nervous wreck, and then they got to New Orleans and forgot that.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, that's a good time over there. If you could leave one piece of advice to anybody who's thinking of dipping their feet into real estate, whether it's through working in the job market, being a realtor or somebody looking to buy a house. What advice would you want to give them If?
Speaker 1:
it's someone who wants to get into the business as a real estate agent. It's not easy. It looks easy, it really does, but it really. You have to learn all aspects. You have to learn the aspect of reaching out to people you don't know and being able to communicate with them, ask questions, and some of us are shy. You know, I was very shy in school and even in my job at Montgomery Ward. My big script was what size can I get for you? I worked in the shoe department the last five years. What size would you like? And will this be cash or charge? That was it would you like. And will this be cash or charge? That was it.
Speaker 1:
And so to learn all of the technicalities, the verbiage, the math, and then be able to implement that I figured out after a couple of years of failure that shy does not pay the rent. You know, I have to be strong enough to ask people questions, to have a series of questions that I can ask, to find out what their needs truly are and if I can help them. Not that I can help them for sure, because sometimes they aren't in a position to make that, you know, make that move or purchase that property, or are just not ready. And then, when I have those people, yes, I stay in touch, I keep them updated on what's going on, but it's hard because I am an independent contractor, I do not have a salary, I do not have health insurance. Every penny that I make pays not just me but for the marketing of the property, all of the fuel that it takes to show property, continuing education, going to classes that teach me the technical information I need to know, and so, at the end of the day, a lot of people get paid before I do, including the real estate brokerage, which is, you know, just. That's the way the business is structured Buying or selling, make sure you're working with a real estate agent who has a history of success or a company that can back them up.
Speaker 1:
When people are getting into the business as a brand new person, they need a great brokerage to work for that has comprehensive training, that has managing brokers on site who can help and instruct and coach and help people be on track and encourage them. When it seems like it's really hard, oh yeah, it is, and with perseverance and focus you can get past that. Not the average in real estate. What is it? 80% that come into the business are out within 18 months and it's an expensive business to get into unless you've got a cushion or a second income. So Something to think about there. Yes, absolutely.
Speaker 2:
Wow, hey, and then, have you ever had any strange requests for like a particular housing, like I need a moat in this place, or something like that? No, you're like no, wow that's crazy.
Speaker 1:
Um, not a moat, but um, you know there are people who want specifics and, um, sometimes we search the mls some. We look back in um the history of sales. If I can't find something that's fairly current, look back. You know, our mLS has a long history of lots of properties and can search by keyword for a variety of things, and if I find one in a neighborhood that's not available, you know, knock on that door or find another house in the neighborhood that might have that same feature. Okay yeah, have that same feature. Okay yeah, we have an interesting variety of properties in Loudoun County too, from, you know, condos to massive farms and everything in between.
Speaker 2:
What do you feel is popular here in Northern Virginia, or even Maryland or DMV, in terms of real estate? Yeah, real estate. Like what are most that you're seeing right now, when people are buying, what is the number one thing that? Is it farms right now? Is it small condos? Is it something with a pool?
Speaker 1:
The vast majority Well, yeah, the vast majority are either um townhomes or single family homes. Um, you know, it's just, it's a we are a uh suburban, you know funnel of employees into Fairfax, arlington and DC, and so lots of families live here. We have very little coming now or coming up in the way of new homes. Just Loudoun's built out all of the land east of Route 15, or most of it, and the new homes that are built are generally very expensive. There are lots of condos being sold. Over 55 communities are in high demand because our population is aging and people who had those kids and had a large home, which is now empty pretty much, are ready to downsize, and so there are lots of opportunities there. We don't have much inventory right now, though.
Speaker 2:
That's what I hear.
Speaker 1:
Yes, yes, I think what I'm finding is that people are nervous that they can't find something to buy, so they're afraid to sell and be homeless. And one of the things that we specialize in is helping them prepare in advance. If they truly want to move, they, you know, hold them for the future and then start the home search. So when something does come up that they can acquire or we knock on those doors in the neighborhoods they're interested in, or can you know and find the right house for them, which we do then we can write that contract so it closes in, you know, 30 to 45 days, launch the listing so it sells quickly and right now, potentially with multiple offers, and have it settle within that same 30 to 45 day period, so everybody wins and nobody's left out in the cold.
Speaker 2:
Oh that's a good little strategy there, yeah, and then my last question for you is going to be if you could leave a message for our listeners here. What message would that be? It can be in regards to anything, whether it's in your industry, in your own life, anything.
Speaker 1:
Right, right. I think the message would be participation. You know we as business people need to be out there meeting people, meeting businesses, helping them grow. You know, in your community organization or your congregation or whatever, be involved and you'll be amazed at the rewards both you know, business and personal that come from that. Just, I've been a member of the Loudon Chamber since 2002. And the value that I have reaped from that on all levels has been just amazing for my business and some of my very closest friends are Loudon Chamber members and Aaliyah is where I met. That's where I met Aaliyah and worked with her several times.
Speaker 1:
I didn't know that that's cool. Now I know a little fact. Yeah, so just be involved. You know, get out there, do your thing. That's cool. Now I know a little fact. Yeah, so just be involved. You know, get out there, do your thing. Get to know people, mm-hmm, find great resources.
Speaker 2:
I love that. Thank you so much for sharing that with us and thank you so much for your time and for being here Well. I appreciate you inviting me?