By Dr. Robi Ludwig
Award-wining luxury realtor, Jennifer Egbertis a specialist in high end modernist home sales in her native Boulder, Colorado. She says this pristine and peaceful part of the country has always been a draw for New Yorkers and other big city dwellers looking for both first and second homes, but since the pandemic, that number has seen a sharp rise, as people search for the perfect balance of work and play.
It was love at first sight for this Minnesota native when she first arrived in Northern Colorado almost 30 years ago, and says she understands the magic that draws people here.
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“I can still remember the first time I drove into Boulder and caught my first glimpse of what looked like a place out of a fairy tale to me. I still get chills when I see that view, almost three decades later, she said.
When she is not running a successful real estate company, Jennifer can be found indulging her love of the outdoors; hiking, skiing and spending time with her partner and young child.
She says it is the chance to live life in the fresh open air, with nature all around, and yet with all the amenities and convenience of modern day needs, that continues to draw people to settle in Boulder and that gave her the balance she needed in her own life.
“I like to say that we are a big small town! Everyone has a sense of community, and people truly care about and care for each other. That’s what people who move here from the East or West Coasts notice first about Boulder.”
She first decided to become a realtor after working at a local restaurant and noticing that the same customers would repeatedly ask for her to serve them. They said she had great customer service – and that was the spark she needed.
“How could I transition to a career that involved a clientele, where I could create a rapport and also get paid by commission? I reached out to a friend who worked for a Boulder realtor. While I’d studied at college, she’d bought herself a house and car and had a fabulous life. I gave her a call, and all it took was that one conversation to realize real estate was for me. I’m not sure how or why, but I knew I’d found what I’d been looking for, my path, my calling.”
Jennifer says it is important for everyone – including her – to dedicate time away from work to help in their community, no matter how busy someone might be.
“We have such a small, tight-knit community here, and getting involved has an immediate impact. One focus of mine is the Sioux Indian Reservation YMCA, where every June, we help clean up Camp Marrowbone — a wonderful free summer camp for kids. It’s something I feel deeply about. I’m a legacy trustee, and my dad was on their Board. It was his passion as well, and his ashes are spread at Camp Marrowbone, said Jennifer.
She is also a big supporter of Boulder’s LGBTQ community via Out Boulder, and says he is “grateful and happy to be a small part of their mission.”
When asked what are the most important things she has learned, Jennifer summed it up in five parts:
- Active listening is the biggest one. You have to really listen carefully to what is important for people.
- Letting the people I work with know that they can ask me anything; there are no stupid questions.The running joke in my office is you won’t hurt my feeling…my one feeling!
- Taking time away from work to focus on the people in your world and knowing when it’s time to shut everything down. Turning off your message notifications. I always encourage people to turn off their phones. Just because I text you at 2 am (I’m an insomniac) doesn’t mean you have to answer me at 2 am.
- The ability to tell people NO. You can fire clients that are not a good fit for you. You can let people know, after meeting with them, you’re not the right person for them. There’s no shame in that, and it benefits both you and them.
- I think you have to have integrity and do what you say you’re going to do when you say you’re going to do it.
Jennifer Egbert hopes everyone one day will get the chance to find that perfect balance of life and work that she has discovered, whether in Boulder or beyond.
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