I have two bachelor’s degrees in healthcare, and I sell land for a living. I didn’t think I’d wind up in land real estate, but there came a point when healthcare changed and I felt led to change myself. I was tired of punching a clock with no room for growth. A family acquaintance was a broker for a large national hunting brand that also had a real estate focus, and with my passion for hunting and the outdoors, I knew it would be a good fit. I got my real estate license and worked for this company for 6 years beginning in 2012. 

I realized after a while that I was missing out on many listings unless they were pure hunting tracts. My wife decided she wanted to move back to her hometown in Alabama, so we did, and I became a broker for a well-known independent company. The team was great, but looking back I realize they didn’t have the resources I would have liked to have. We decided to move back to Mississippi after a few years and I went to work for yet another national franchise. After one short year, it was apparent this was not the company for me. 

When I saw other agents just floating around without any listings or production, I felt the same way. Something had to change. Yeah, you had one maybe two agents succeeding, and honestly, I was jealous. I wanted that for myself. The adage of if you can’t beat them join them wouldn’t work. I was already with them, so my only option was to beat them. I had to brand myself with a great company behind me. Something no one had seen before and something that provided results. We work hard on this and try to improve it every day. It’s always a work in progress!

I sent postcards out in an area and a family friend had property in the area. He called me and mentioned he was interested in selling. I went and rode around the property to get familiar with it and take pictures. I knew I was going to get the listing. Well as Lee Corso says, ‘Not So Fast!’ I called him and he said, ‘Sorry Jack, but an NLR guy sent me a package and I feel they have better marketing resources than you guys, so I listed it with them.’ Can you say #deflated?

So I began to talk with some of my former colleagues that made the switch to National Land Realty. They mentioned the technology and support from corporate was exceptional and their income had increased significantly. I was able to set up a meeting with Ronnie Richardson and after meeting him, I knew without a doubt I wanted to be with NLR.

The ideal brokerage for me is everything that NLR provides. For example, their great support team and phenomenal marketing platform do not require me to constantly bleed money out of my own pocket for these things. I can also set myself apart from the competition with our marketing and resources. This allows me the freedom and ability to balance family life and work. I have three young boys and a beautiful loving wife, and I do not want to miss out on anything with them.

In my experiences with the other companies, there was a lot of fluff and broken promises regarding what to expect from the company. NLR is true to its word. If you need it, you’ve got it and it’s better than you can imagine. The additional costs in this business can kill momentum or even break the bank at times, and I needed to be able to focus more on fieldwork and my relationships with customers and clients. I also needed to brand and market myself, not a franchise. These behind-the-scenes tasks and responsibilities of running a brokerage took time that I could be using to build new business relationships. 

The struggle was having to rebrand myself and learn to use a new system. When you must go back to your contacts and re-brand with a new company, it can have its setbacks. Plus, having to learn new systems is overwhelming and time-consuming. I promise you though, it’s worth it.

After switching to a new brokerage, many might think, ‘I don’t have enough time as it is, how am I going to do this?’ My answer is if you don’t try, you will never know. I could have stayed on course where I was and who knows what would have happened, but I can tell you I have been a Land Professional for 11 years and have never been happier.

The team environment at National Land Realty has led to so much success. It’s allowed for a healthier work-life balance since I am not doing everything on my own. We share responsibilities, which leads to closing more deals. This has led to a higher income, more production, and a happy family. So, all of this makes me happy. I can honestly say I love what I GET TO do every day.

As you read through mine and other National Land Realty testimonials, you will see that we are like-minded. All of us here are motivated by service, balance, relationships, superior resources, and a vision for growth. We want to be the best company, provide the best service to our clients, have higher incomes, enjoy time with our families, and develop new ideas and technology to grow and succeed. If you are looking for the same, then you need to call and speak with our team at National Land Realty today.