When Jamie Hering made the leap to real estate in 2015, she was ready to roll up her sleeves. After a career as a high school teacher, she was eager to embark on a new path, and knew she had the perseverance to succeed.
“My husband said I don’t do anything halfway, and I jumped in with both feet,” explains Hering, leader of The Hering Homes Team in Northern Illinois. “Within four years, I’ve closed 225 units and sold over $52 million in volume.”
Hering’s all-in attitude carried over to the group’s mission statement, which exemplifies their mentality perfectly: “Hustle and heart set us apart.”
“I hustle hard for every deal, and I don’t take anything for granted,” Hering says. “I make sure my team hustles hard to create raving fans and lifelong friends with our clients.”
Affiliated with @properties and based in Lake County, one of Chicago’s collar counties, as well as active in Cook County and McHenry County—another collar—The Hering Homes Team is in growth mode, and shows no signs of slowing. Here, Hering discusses her real estate team, and how they’re making a name for themselves in Northern Illinois.Â
Suzanne De Vita: First thing’s first: How did you get involved in real estate?
Jamie Hering: I started in real estate in 2015 after many years of teaching high school. It was something I had thought about for years, and I decided to take the leap of faith and start something new!Â
SD: How many members are on your team, and what are their respective roles?
JH: I love my team! We are expanding each year, which is great, since it means we are busy. My team consists of six members. I am the team leader and I handle all listings and social media. My three full-time buyer’s agents, Allison, Rosemary and Stacey, work exclusively with buyers from start to finish. My transaction coordinator Jenny works behind the scenes to make sure everything goes smoothly to closing. Joan, our client care manager, helps keep me sane by covering a little bit of everything.Â
SD: How are you promoting your team?
JH: We are all over social media—from Facebook to Instagram, we post every day and work hard to engage our sphere. We also send out direct mailers, Just Sold postcards, and are in the local grocery store on the shopping carts. We work hard to support local schools by sponsoring events, as well. Many clients have told us they see The Hering Homes Team everywhere!Â
SD: How often do you hold meetings as a team, and what do you focus on?
JH: We hold team meetings every two weeks, but we talk every day. At each meeting, we go over our 30-, 60- and 90-day closings, our current leads and client events, and discuss our new listings. We laugh a lot and have fun! We also love to go out for lunches and celebrate our milestones and success stories.Â
SD: What’s one of your goals for your team this year?
JH: Our 2019 team goal is to close 115 units and surpass $30 million in volume. There’s no way I can do this on my own, so we work hard as a team to make sure we offer the best client experience possible.
Suzanne De Vita is RISMedia’s online news editor. Email her your real estate news ideas at sdevita@rismedia.com.
