Jackie Johnson

I remember when I first told my friends and family that I had decided to become a real estate agent, most responded with shocked silence – I guess they didn’t think I was going to make it. Don’t get me wrong, my friends and family love me and wanted me to succeed but they knew that I am an introvert. I remember, as I started out in sales, I read everything I could find on selling and attended many sales courses “on how to close the deal” etc etc, I was completely intimidated by the “sells ice to an Eskimo” line. But, the more I learnt and practiced, combined with my natural introvert tendencies – to listen more than talk for one! And a genuine desire to help people make their dreams come true, I found that actually, there wasn’t much point in selling ice to an Eskimo. If you think about it, that didn’t help the Eskimo, only the salesman, and it gives sales it’s typical “sleezy” feel. Which is why I didn’t connect with it and probably why my friends didn’t see me in sales. I am living proof that sales doesn’t have to be “sleezy”. Now, I pride myself on being someone who crafts a solution for people, helps them navigate the myriad of pitfalls inherent in property transactions and pulls it off with a friendly, caring attitude that leaves many of my clients becoming my friends…and not just on Facebook.

One of the things I love most about this career is the amazing and interesting people I get to meet. It’s not unusual for people I’ve only just met a few days before, to hand me a set of their house keys so I can get on with it, or invite me to their birthday party or to stay after the show house for a glass of wine. This is the kind of stuff that makes my soul sing.

While I have achieved the basic level of education for an estate agent, NQF 4, and held a valid Fidelity Fund Certificate since 2004, I have also studied many specialist courses over the years, to keep improving my skill level. These courses covered marketing, business studies, negotiations and even mediation and arbitration. I am currently a qualified mediator and on the panel with the Alternative Dispute Resolution Network. I studied mediation (facilitated negotiation) because I realised that selling property requires a specialised skill set, managing emotions of all parties involved, getting people to overcome theirs fears and commit to the biggest purchase of their life, and also managing and co-ordinating the sale after the offer is accepted, keeping the deal together for the 2-3 months it takes to register into the buyer’s name.

I have consistently been a top performing sales agent, from Rookie of the Year in 2005, to Top Regional Agent for KZN in 2013. Now, with Harcourts, I’ve found a fantastic team, who live the brand values of people first, being courageous, having fun and doing the right thing to the max and Harcourts as a brand offering one of the best support and systems I’ve come across in real estate. A powerful combination which has catapulted me to even higher success levels than before – at time of writing I am ranked in the top 3% of Harcourts agents in South Africa.

Successfully buying and selling real estate is mostly about fulfilling people's needs and aspirations. That's why Harcourts people not only receive in-depth professional training (the benchmark for the industry) but are also committed to building meaningful and genuine personal relationships with their clients. And the huge volume of referrals and repeat business generated is proof that this works to everyone's satisfaction.