Jennifer Hyman On Combining Careers - Realtor + Interior Designer
Combining Careers With Jennifer Hyman: Realtor + Interior Designer
I was so happy to have Chicago based realtor and interior designer, Jennifer Hyman, as my most recent guest speaker on Meet The Members, discussing how she combines her twin careers of real estate and interior design.
We had more people on this call than any other so far, which showed me that there is quite an interest in this idea of combining careers! Are any of you reading this also actively working as both realtors and interior designers? Let me know in the comments.
How Jennifer Got Her Start
Jennifer originally decided to get her realtor’s license because she had interior design clients who were unhappy with the purchase of their new home, once they heard how much it was really going to cost to renovate it.
Many of her interior design clients had purchased because they got a good deal on their home. They had no idea of real renovation costs before purchasing - a product of watching too much HGTV, where actual costs are rarely discussed.
So Jennifer decided to get her realtor’s license.
Below is a cute home Jennifer recently listed, but many of the homes she sells are fixer uppers, where she can now help homebuyer owners [ and the homebuyer investors she now works with, too ] determine, before they purchase, what their approximate renovation costs will be - an invaluable service she brings to the table since she is a degreed interior designer.
For those of you not familiar with Meet The Members, it is an exclusive opportunity for members of my Facebook Group community for interior designers, #DesignWealth, to meet my guests live on Zoom, every Saturday morning at 9:30 am CT, and ask my guests their questions.
Afterwards, I write these blog posts with my 5 top takeaways from our conversations. This is my 7th in this new series, and lately, people have been asking me if I’m recording the sessions, too. The answer is no.
Why not?
Because I want people in my Community to join us live…as I enjoy seeing everyone’s faces and hearing their voices. That’s what community means to me: seeing people & hearing them as we join together for an hour or so of learning and getting to know one another better.
Starting with this post, though, I will be making these posts shorter, as the way I’ve been doing them is long and makes it hard for people to scroll to read every tip.
So, starting today, my top 5 takeaways will be whittled down to my top 3 takeaways + a bonus takeaway, if needed.
Condensing is not my strong suit — but I’m going to give it a try. LOL!
Top Takeaway #1: Key To New Homebuying Client Acquisition Success? Consistency of Layering Marketing Touchpoints Across All Social Sites.
Top Takeaway #2: To Become Known Locally, Jennifer Uses Facebook Marketplace And Local Facebook Groups To Resell Fixtures And Furniture She Finds In The 40’s And 50’s Era Fixer Upper Homes She Lists.
Top Takeaway #3: Create Local, Public Facebook Groups In Cities Where You Want To Do Business Or Have. A Listing And Livestream Video Walkthroughs Of Homes You Have For Sale.
While we were talking on the Zoom call, Jennifer was on her mobile phone, taking us all on a video walkthrough of one of her listings. This same idea can be used to sell the listing or gather in new design clients - by creating a local, public Facebook Group - in cities where you want to do business as a designer or already have a real estate listing to sell.
BONUS TAKEAWAY: 80% of Jennifer’s Real Estate Clients Hire Her For Her Interior Design Services, Too.
Many of the designers on the live call asked Jennifer about money/how she was charging, etc. That’s not a conversation for public consumption on this blog, but if you see Jennifer offline at an event or tradeshow, I know she’d be happy to discuss that with you.
Suffice it to say here: she’s making money the way realtors and designers make money: through commissions on the sale of properties and through her interior design business.
By combining her twin passions for real estate and interior design, Jennifer’s found a way to offer a needed service that solves a homebuyer’s major pain point - being unsure if their investment in a particular home is right and within their means to fix up - and to serve the needs of her own business during downturns caused by unpredictable events like the pandemic.
Thank you all for reading this post. I hope Jennifer’s generous sharing on #MeetTheMembers has given you useful information that will help you determine, if you’re an interior designer reading this or even if you’re in another profession, if getting your realtor’s license might be a good idea for you, too.
I’m sure she’d love to hear what you think - please let her know in the comments section of this post.
Follow Jennifer And Connect With Her For Chicago Area Real Estate Deals & Interior Design Services here:
https://instagram.com/hymanhomeandinteriors
More Learning For You!
Don’t Miss These Previous *Meet The Members* Top Takeaway Posts:
Carla Aston: Monetizing Your Website or Blog For 24/7 Income
https://www.savourpartnership.com/blog/2022/6/10/an-interview-with-carla-aston-her-top-takeaways-for-you
Veronika Eagleson: Influencer Marketing
https://www.savourpartnership.com/blog/2022/6/14/5-top-takeaways-on-influencer-marketing-from-veronika-eagleson
Lisa Peck: Growing Your Instagram Following and Acquiring Your Ideal Clients
https://www.savourpartnership.com/blog/2022/6/21/lisa-peck-5-top-takeaways-on-instagram-growth-and-new-client-acquisition
Robin Baron: Product Licensing
https://www.savourpartnership.com/blog/robin-baron-5-top-takeaways-product-licensing
Laura Muller: The Impact of Authenticity in Online Branding For New Client Acquisition
https://www.savourpartnership.com/blog/laura-muller-top-tips-online-branding-authenticity
Jessica Duce - What It Takes To Become A Successful Vacation Rental Designer
https://www.savourpartnership.com/blog/jessica-duce-vacation-rental-design
Join My Facebook Group Community
If you’re an interior designer, I’d love for you to Request to Join my Facebook Group community, #DesignWealth. If your request is approved, you’ll be in a Group with approx. 1550 of your fellow interior designers from the USA and Canada who are busy networking with each other, learning from each other and having fun connecting with new opportunities.
Please send me a Request To Join on the link below. Don’t forget to answer the 3 easy membership questions so I can review your Request To Join. Without those answers, I can’t review. Thank you!
https://facebook.com/groups/designwealth
Connect With Me
I invite you to follow me on Instagram here:
https://instagram.com/lesliemcarothers
and on LinkedIn here:
https://linkedin.com/in/lesliecarothers.
and to subscribe to this blog on this link
https://www.savourpartnership.com/email-sign-up-form-updates
When you subscribe, you will get my complimentary download which gives you my 10 Top Tips For How To Drive More Traffic To Your Website For 24/7 Revenue Generation.
You won’t want to miss it, I promise it’s worth it.
Lastly, I’m excited today to share with you that #MeetTheMembers is being expanded offline, too, for the first time.
Join me as I moderate Laura Muller, principal of Four Point Design Build, as part of Universal Furniture’s Speaker Series at Fall #HPMKT, in an expansion of this conversation first held online, on #MeetTheMembers.
Here’s the EVENT link and if you can make it, we’d love for you to RSVP here and let us know that we can expect to see your beautiful faces in the audience.
https://bit.ly/HPMKTevent
As always, thank you for reading. I appreciate each and everyone of you.
Thank you for: subscribing to my blog, sharing this post with your own friends and communities, commenting on this post and/or pinning from this post. Each action is so helpful to me and means a lot.
And, if I can ever assist you in your own digital marketing efforts, please reach out to me via the CONTACT form on my site.
With Gratitude,
Leslie Carothers
Principal, Savour Partnership