Lisa Heyer’s 24 years in real estate began straight out of college in 1986. Heyer says she decided to get licensed just in case she ever wanted to be an agent and afterwards thought, “Why not give it a shot?” And that is when it all really began, she says.
Now, Heyer is the Broker and GRI for Jackson Realty in Lafayette, Ga., the No. 1 office in the North West Georgia area. Her parent’s Rex and Marilyn Jackson started the company 33 years ago, and her husband, Oliver Heyer, and she took it over 15 years ago.
Heyer is thankful she convinced her husband to get his real estate license 18 years ago, when they had their first child. Since then, Oliver has played a large role in the success of Jackson Realty with the type of business he does, plus his impeccable integrity and ethics that make him fit perfectly into the family business, Heyer says. He is also ranked number four out of 1,265 agents in the Chattanooga Board of Realtors.
Lisa Heyer’s experience over the years in real estate explains much of the way she has decided to manage her office to make it what it is today. After graduating from West Georgia College in business with a degree in marketing, Heyer moved to Atlanta because she knew where she wanted to live after college, even though she wasn’t sure what type of job she wanted at the time. After receiving her real estate license, she walked into a real estate company close to where she lived in Cobb County and asked to see the broker.
“I told him that I wanted to start selling real estate at his office. I was 23 and very naïve. I didn’t realize you were suppose to interview for a real estate job. I just assumed if I wanted to work there, I could,” Heyer says.
Fortunately, this strategy worked for Heyer and she was hired that day. Over the years, and since being a broker, she says, she knows this isn’t the way it works.
“Not every agent is the right fit for any office. It is important to interview and you and the broker decide the right fit for both the company and the individual,” she says.
Heyer was in the Atlanta market for 10 years, and loved working for a large company. She enjoyed the competition and knowing she was a part of a “big company.” Upon moving back to North Georgia to take over the family business, Heyer says, it has been more important to her to keep their locally owned, family oriented business structure.
“I would rather have 10 to 15 successful, professional and happy agents and quality staff so we can serve our community to the best of our ability. I am not into the number of agents, but the quality of agents in our office,” she says. “We are very blessed, plus we have a lot of fun together. Everyone works great together and supports each other like no other office. If our agents have the same values as we do, then our company will remain to be a success.”
Heyer says being in real estate has so many advantages from being a part of many families’ joy of home owning to becoming a part of their family at times. In the past 24 years, Heyer has seen many repeat customers, children and grandchildren of past customers.
For Heyer, she says she is in a family business with the goal of making Jackson Realty’s customers and clients feel professionally serviced and personally cared for. Heyer says her motto is always to be fair in any situation, so that people respect her decisions.
“I never ‘play favorites’ I only play fair. People…know that about me and expect that from me. It is easy to fulfill in every day life, too,” she says. “Also, the Golden Rule works in work and personal life, too, and to me, being fair and the Golden Rule work together.”
Eight Jackson Realty agents are on the top 50 list, and their superb Web site at JacksonRealtyHomes.com will register over one million hits this month.
Heyer says it has always been important to her since taking over in 1995 to stay ahead in technology and resources for her agents and clients. Coming from a large company in Atlanta and bringing many ideas with her that had not been used in this area was part of the process. Jackson Realty has created, with the help of Heyer’s brother, the best Web site in our market, she says.
“We have been told over the years that even other companies’ agents send their clients to find properties on our Web site.”
Heyer says they are thrilled to have had a successful year when the economy has been tough for many. Driving down Main Street in LaFayette over the years, and seeing the homes and businesses that they have been involved in with the sale is very rewarding, she says. Even the two newest restaurants in town were a sale that involved Jackson Realty.
“It is exciting to see what happens in our market and to know we get to be a part of it,” she says.
Heyer says her favorite thing about real estate is getting to work with the people and becoming a big part of a personal purchase or sale.
“I love being around people, and this career allows me to do so. Even as a broker now and not directly working with the public, I am working with office staff and agents, and that is fulfilling to me,” she says.
In Heyer’s free time, she raises her two teenage boys, enjoys time with family and friends, and always keeps her suitcase packed and waiting for an opportunity for a quick road trip, she says.
In 24 years of real estate, Heyer has learned many things about what works and what doesn’t, but everyone at Jackson Realty is glad that she did what “didn’t work” by walking into that broker’s office and kicking off a rewarding real estate career.