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Meet Jennifer Holmstead: Realtor and Property Management Expert

Jennifer Holmstead

Are you looking for an agent with a background in business and a love for real estate? Market Source agent Jennifer Holmstead has both. She is a longtime resident of Salt Lake City, a graduate of Westminster College, and an employee at Market Source Real Estate. Jennifer has financial training and insider knowledge about the Salt Lake City real estate market.

Background

Jennifer Holmstead bought her first home in late 2006 – right before the crash of real estate prices everywhere. For a few years, she thought there was no chance she could regain the equity she’d lost. So, she threw her efforts into other endeavors and began managing a local business and returning to school.

While studying for an MBA at Westminster College, Jennifer had to analyze her assets. The housing market had rebounded by then, and she realized that her home had become her strongest financial asset.

Becoming a Real Estate Agent

After managing a local business for 15 years, Jennifer was ready for a change. A few years ago, she decided to join her good friend Monique Higginson at Market Source Real Estate.

Monique Higginson founded market Source Real Estate in 2007. Now, it’s a growing office; Jennifer joined a team of more than a dozen agents, staging experts, and marketing experts. One reviewer says that everyone working at Market Source Real Estate is highly professional and focused.

Jennifer found that Monique, one of the top real estate agents in Salt Lake City, was an excellent mentor. Monique, the principal broker at Market Source Real Estate, works hard to bring new hires like Jennifer up to speed. As part of her training, Jennifer worked on over a hundred deals with Monique and felt like she hit the “new agent jackpot.”

Now a fully trained and experienced real estate agent herself,  Jennifer takes on her own clients. Jennifer works to help others achieve the dream of homeownership and attain what her home’s equity has given her: autonomy, freedom, and choice.

Supporting Local Areas

Jennifer loves supporting local communities. As a Westminster College student, she specializes in the Sugar House neighborhood, where the college is located. The Market Source, Real Estate office, is also located in Sugar House, giving Jennifer even more knowledge of the area.

Jennifer enjoys all the benefits Utah has to offer. She loves exploring the diversity of Utah’s attractions: road-tripping through small towns, hiking the Millcreek canyon and camping in the mountains. Sometimes she visits southern Utah to go hiking through its red rock canyons.

At home, she shops at farmers’ markets to support local farmers and relaxes in front of the fire pit in her backyard.

Contact Jennifer Holmstead

If you’re searching for “real estate agents near me,” and you want an agent who is passionate about her city and her real estate customers, contact Jennifer Holmstead. She’ll help you find the house that fits your own personal and financial needs so that you can build your own equity and enjoy financial freedom in your dream home.

3 Best Ways Real Estate Agents Can Manage Time

 

 

While time management is essential in all occupations, it’s an especially important skill for real estate agents that hope to be successful in their field.

If you’re a real estate agent that wants to take their career to the next level this year, keep reading for tips on how to manage time successfully.

1. Start Every Day With a Plan

Sometimes being a real estate agent can feel like being your boss. Because of this, it’s vital for real estate agents to go into each workday with a plan.

It’s helpful to get into a routine where you plan daily, either early in the morning or in the evening for the next day. Highlight what needs to get done, including any appointment times, and block out time for all these activities. By starting the day with a plan, you can stay organized and know what you realistically have time for.

2. Stay Organized

Staying organized is a must for being successful in real estate. If you’re disorganized, you can disappoint and steer away from potential and current clients. Find a scheduler or task management system that works for you.

If you’re a pen and paper person, consider getting a planner to help you manage your time.

Planners are a great option because you can block out time by the half-hour, making sure you know what’s on the agenda daily, weekly, and monthly. If you choose this option, make sure you keep your planner on you constantly in a briefcase or purse, so that you can refer back to it at any time.

If this seems archaic to you, there are plenty of digital task managing options that you can access from your laptop or mobile. There are many free options, such as Glip and Airtable. These apps are a great option, as you can access them from anywhere.

3. Stay Distraction- and Procrastination-Free

Whether you work at an office or from home, distractions are everywhere. It’s a good idea to limit distractions in your workspace. Get in the habit of zoning into your work with a Focus playlist.

If you don’t need your phone for whatever work you’re doing, turn it off or put it away. Finding your own habits that lead to a distraction-free work zone can seriously help you stay on task. Try to limit multitasking, as it’s a sure way to get off-topic and can reduce the quality of your work.

We all have times where we put tasks off, especially those that are more difficult than others. Procrastinating is a sure way to cause yourself even more stress in the workplace. Give yourself time to get your work done so that you can produce impressive work.

If there’s something on your list you don’t want to do, try doing it first. This takes the pressure off and lets the rest of the day flow much more quickly.

4. Monique’s Time Management Recommendations & Schedule

1.  Get up early.  Monique starts her day at 5:45 am to fit in some personal and mental wellness before the day gets going.  In real estate, you’re often working into the evening or on weekends showing homes – which means that morning is gold for real estate agents.

2.  Find a way to work out.  She generally tries to get to the gym by 6:15 am before she has to get her kids out the door to school.  Choosing a gym close to your house makes it much more likely that you’ll go.

3.  Monique says, “I like to plan my day out at the beginning of the day with tasks so I can be very efficient with my time while driving around, etc. I work from my phone while I am waiting for clients to show up, etc in order to stay caught up.”

4.  Delegate tasks to assistants.  You can’t do it all.  This might include personal tasks like grocery shopping, running errands or planning travel.

5.  Know your worth.  Another Monique-ism, “I have a house cleaner and try to hire out any services that cost me less per hour than I am worth in order to maximize productivity.”

Make your career in real estate the best it can be by following these simple steps to manage time effectively.

For more on real estate, and to check out homes for sale in Salt Lake City, head to our site today!

Home Buyer Checklist

Our mission is to guide home buyers and sellers through one of the biggest financial decisions of their lives. We strive to make buying and selling homes a smooth process where our clients feel empowered with information and shielded from complications.

We hope this checklist helps you through the process of buying a home.

 

1. Get Pre-approved for a mortgage loan and establish a budget. This important step will illuminate any disappointments by avoiding looking at homes outside of your budget or what you qualify for.

 

2. Identify what type of property you would like to buy (condo, townhouse, single-family home, duplex, etc.)

3. Identify what locations are acceptable for your new home. Consider public transit, schools, grocery stores, shopping, etc.

4. See prospective homes with your agent. This can be daunting but so much fun!

5. Write an offer on a home and get it accepted! Keep in mind that sometimes negotiations will need to take place.

6. Once you have an accepted offer, follow your agent’s instructions for providing earnest money, ordering a home inspection, and starting the loan origination process with your lender.

7. After inspections are complete and the appraisal is completed, usually the transaction will go through so it is time to start packing and planning your move.

8. Contact movers 1-2 weeks ahead of time as a minimum to be sure your timeline can bet met. And start packing!

 

9. Less than one week before closing you will need to set up utilities to be in your name, homeowner’s insurance to start. We will provide you with the contact info for your utility providers.

 

10. On the day of closing or day prior to closing, you will need to wire your down payment and closing costs to the title company for closing. After your loan funds and the deed records, you are the new owner of your home! Your agent will arrange to get keys to you so you can take possession.

Yes. Buying a Home Can Be Stressful.

Yes. Buying a home can be stressful.

Hiring a professional to buy or sell a home is a good way to assist you in dealing with some of the stress points during a real estate transaction. Often times, buyers and sellers are unaware of all the possibilities that may come into play when purchasing a home or selling one. Your realtor is a trusted resource that will help you remain calm.

Here a just a few to consider:

 

  • Sometimes you will have to write many offers in our competitive market before you will secure a contract.

  • Sometimes home inspections do not go well and negotiating repairs can be stressful.

 

 

  • Sometimes closing gets delayed or there is an issue getting your keys once closing has occurred.

  • Often sellers may accidentally leave items at the home that are unexpected or leave the home less clean than anticipated. This can cause extra work to be needed before you may want to move in.

 

  • If you do not understand the home buying process well or your lender and/or real estate agent are not communicating consistently, it can leave you feeling out of the loop and anxious.

  • Feel free to constantly communicate with your agent and lender if it helps you feel at ease during the process. They really are such a valuable asset in so many ways.