Above: The Eisenhauer Team
Jessica Eisenhauer was a full-time software engineer with two toddlers when she decided to try her hand at selling real estate in 2005. Selling 55 homes in her first year with what was then Prudential Northwest Real Estate convinced her that real estate was her passion—and she quickly persuaded her father and her husband to switch careers and join her.
That family vibe was what launched the Eisenhauer team—a top-producing team now numbering seven full-time agents. Headquartered in Vancouver, Washington, the team serves clients in Southern Washington and the Portland, Oregon, metro area under the banner of what is now Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Northwest Realty.
“It was a stretch to put all our eggs in one basket all those years ago,” said Greg Eisenhauer, who left a lucrative corporate job to test his mettle in real estate. “But the family dynamic resonated with customers from the start, and with our team ranked recently in the top half of 1% of producers in the BHHS system nationwide, it was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made.”
There are, however, a few twists to the team’s evolution, noted Jessica Eisenhauer.
“My father retired two years ago,” she said. “And four years ago, after 17 years of marriage, Greg and I divorced. But the good news is that it was truly a friendly parting, and we’ve never lost a beat in working together to build and maintain our team.”
Barbara Pronin: That’s quite a background, Jessica, and not the easiest to navigate. How do you and Greg have your team organized?
Jessica Eisenhauer: Greg and I are primarily the listing agents, while the other five mostly act as buyer’s agents.
BP: No administrative staff?
JE: No. We appreciate that our broker, Jason Waugh, provides us with wonderful admin help and transaction coordinators so that our team can put all its energy into working with buyers and sellers and make sure they get 24/7 white-glove service.
BP: That kind of service takes good team communication. How do you manage that?
Greg Eisenhauer: We’re big on work/life balance, but we are also pretty close, both on and off the grid. In fact, a couple of our agents are former clients. We really are like family, and our customers know that any one of us is able to step in any time with whatever they need. Our common goal is to ensure that every client has a great real estate experience.
BP: So, everyone is essentially on call?
JE: Yes, I guess you could say that. One of the best parts of teaming is that someone is always there for your clients even when you are off the grid.
BP: That takes great communication skills. How do you make sure you’re all on the same page?
GE: Since we work with clients in both Oregon and Washington, our agents are in different locations, so we Zoom together each week for updates and information just before our weekly brokerage meeting. We also keep a team calendar that’s updated in real-time, so each of us is on top of every transaction.
JE: Also, as Greg said, we genuinely like one another. We schedule social events just for the fun of it, and they typically turn out to be business mixed with pleasure.
BP: You’ve achieved prominence as one of your region’s top teams. Is there a particular price range you specialize in?
JE: Everything from vacant land and manufactured homes to high-end residential properties.
BP: What do you think is the single factor that makes your team work so well?
GE: Jess and I don’t micromanage. We know that we are individuals with different strengths and talents, and we are good at operating independently. But at the same time, we have the same goal—providing the best possible buy or sell experience for every client—and we know we can rely on one another to go beyond expectations and make it happen every time.
BP: Are you doing anything differently now that the market is in a cooling-off period?
GE: We’re grateful to have a little breather from the chaos of the past couple of years. There is finally a little more inventory on the market, although we’re still fielding multiple offers, and some buyers are still getting priced out.
JE: At the same time, some properties are taking a little longer to sell. We are definitely headed for a more balanced market, and we know that one of our primary jobs as real estate advisors is to help buyers and our sellers understand the dynamics and set realistic expectations.
BP: With your Dad now retired, Jess, how hard will it be to maintain your team’s family vibe?
JE: Not difficult at all. Our daughter, Kaylee, was licensed last year and is already a productive member of the team.
For more information, please visit https://sellyourwahome.com.
