Greater Capital Area Association of REALTORS<\/a>\u00ae (GCAAR) 2017 president.<\/p>\nThe 2017 position comes with it the added responsibilities of serving on the board of directors for the State Board of Maryland REALTORS\u00ae, the DC Association of REALTORS\u00ae and for NAR.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor nearly 29 years, I was oblivious to the important work these associations do,\u201d says Coley. \u201cI was busy building my own business, head down, shoulder to the grindstone. It wasn\u2019t until about seven or eight years ago when the current president tapped me to become more involved.\u201d<\/p>\n
Coley\u2019s first contribution was serving on the grievance committee, which led to one committee or assignment after another. Over the years, his hard work and contributions did not go unnoticed, and he was asked to take on increasingly greater responsibilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t until I really became involved that I began to fully appreciate all the hard work and significant changes these organizations are responsible for,\u201d he says. \u201cPrior to becoming involved, I just assumed I didn\u2019t have the time or experience. That\u2019s not true. We all can make the time if we feel it\u2019s something that\u2019s important, and for me, this is very important. It\u2019s our livelihood.<\/p>\n
\u201cI tell people,\u201d he adds, \u201cthat if I can invest the time I do to these various committees, boards, events and other functions and still continue to build a successful business, then anyone can.\u201d<\/p>\n
Much of Coley\u2019s involvement has to do with meeting with lawmakers and discussing issues important and relevant to the real estate industry.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have worked on issues of local and national significance. Last year we were very involved in protecting the interests of homeowners in the federal tax reform debate. This year we are focusing on interviews and endorsements for Montgomery County Council and Executive candidates. In the District, we have been very aggressive in reforming TOPA (\u201cTenant Opportunity Purchase Act\u201d) to help with the sale process for single family homes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAs REALTORS\u00ae we all have a responsibility to get the word out and contact our local representatives to make sure this doesn\u2019t happen. Take away such a key motivation to home buying and you\u2019ll be amazed at how many people, particularly millennials, will simply continue to rent.\u201d<\/p>\n
SHOULDER TO THE GRINDSTONE<\/h3>\n
Coley has always been involved and driven. Even as he continued his studies at the University of Maryland, first in pre-med and then later switching to business management, he not only garnered top grades but also worked at a physically challenging job with Northwest Airlines.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had goals right out of the gate,\u201d he says. \u201cI ended up working for Northwest Airlines for almost nine years. Nothing glamorous. I worked in what\u2019s known as equipment service, so I worked outside, parking the planes, unloading them, dealing with mail bags and freight. But it did give me an opportunity to travel, which was wonderful. That in turn gave me an introduction to the fact that there\u2019s a big world out there. I\u2019ve been very fortunate.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course, when I left the airlines and began my real estate career, I thought my parents were going to disown me because they could no longer travel for free, but they didn\u2019t,\u201d he adds with a chuckle.<\/p>\n
LIGHTS GO ON<\/h3>\n
Working full time while going to school allowed Coley a little financial freedom, so at the age of just 21 he made the momentous decision to purchase a home. A big step for a single young man. According to Coley, this was life-altering in another respect; it was the single event that triggered his decision to go into real estate.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s like a light bulb went off for me when buying my first home so young,\u201d he says. \u201cI had the money but not the experience. Really, I was young and dumb. Looking back from a more experienced place in my real estate career, it amazes me what I didn\u2019t know back then. The thing is, I don\u2019t think that\u2019s unusual. Over the years I\u2019ve discovered that most people, regardless of their age, are just as na\u00efve and uninformed as I was when they purchase their first home.\u201d<\/p>\n
This important revelation has impacted the kind of real estate agent Coley strives to be. \u201cBuying my home, I worked with a very nice, very pleasant agent,\u201d he says, says. \u201cBut she never really taught me anything about the process or what I feel I needed to know. So, that gave me the foundation to say, \u2018If I ever get into this business I don\u2019t ever want any of my clients to feel how I felt, which was totally in the dark.\u2019 It\u2019s something I have really taken to heart. I make sure my clients know that there are no dumb questions. I want them to feel comfortable asking anything, but I believe it\u2019s my job to make sure they are as informed and educated about the homebuying process as possible. No one should ever feel confused or lost when making one of the most substantial and important purchases of their life.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a philosophy that has served Coley well. His clients turn to him before and aft er the sale with questions about their purchase, the market or anything else pertinent. Because he makes them feel so comfortable, clients oft en become lifelong friends and turn to Coley for information they don\u2019t trust getting from any other source.<\/p>\n
ROLLER COASTER RIDE<\/h3>\n
\u201cSo, here I am in the real estate business,\u201d Coley recalls, \u201cand to be honest, especially in the beginning, it was a bit of a roller-coaster ride. But, by about 1996, my business had really begun to take off. All the groundwork I\u2019d put so much time and effort establishing, was starting to pay off. The old adage, \u2018What goes around comes around,\u2019 seemed to be coming to fruition. Previous clients were coming back for their second or third transaction, referrals were seemingly multiplying daily, so I made a few business decisions to facilitate my continued growth.\u201d<\/p>\n
The results were virtually immediate and decidedly long-lasting. His previously healthy business suddenly exploded. Having wisely put the right systems and people in place, Coley was able to handle the sudden and continued growth, never once sacrificing quality for quantity.<\/p>\n
Even a Type A, overachiever such as Coley recognizes when the workload is too great for one person. He hired an assistant and then a buyer\u2019s agent. \u201cI even hired a team coach just to help get me more organized,\u201d he says. \u201cI was so busy, going in so many directions at once, that I needed help guiding my staff and getting systems into place.\u201d<\/p>\n
Not surprisingly, Coley is also something of a perfectionist, particularly when it comes to catering to his clients. While it requires more time and energy, this trait has helped foster his reputation for peerless service. From beginning to end, he\u2019s always cognizant of his client\u2019s concerns. His goal to make the real estate process less of a mystery by educating clients every step of the way. Once again, Coley draws upon his own early experiences in real estate to help him better understand his clients and anticipate what will help them through this sometimes confusing process.<\/p>\n
\u201cA person\u2019s first experience in real estate can be quite daunting,\u201d says Coley. \u201cI know how that feels and never want a client of mine to feel lost, or even worse, afraid to ask a question.\u201d<\/p>\n
These are not just words or empty promises. When selling, Coley maintains a solid standard of accurate pricing, creative marketing and maximum networking utilizing his highly developed and extensive agent network. As a certified buyer\u2019s broker, Coley effectively serves his clients by internalizing the purchaser\u2019s needs in locating their ideal home. Not only does he take into consideration the buyer\u2019s financial capabilities, but really listens to their desires, notes their lifestyle and any impending changes as well as helping them anticipate any future needs.<\/p>\n
SUPERIOR SERVICE. AFFLUENT AFFILIATION.<\/h3>\n
From the outset Coley has treated his business as a business. Fully committed, 100 percent invested, when it came time to choose which company with which to be affiliated, his decision was careful and precise. One of these astute determinations came in 2000, when he joined forces with another very successful real estate agent in the office.<\/p>\n
\u201cLeigh Reed and I knew and respected one another,\u201d says Coley. \u201cWe seemed to have similar philosophies about business and in particular, customer service. So, when one of us would go on vacation we\u2019d ask the other to cover.\u201d<\/p>\n
Observing this simpatico relationship, Coley\u2019s assistant one day made a very wise and timely suggestion. \u201cShe said, \u2018You guys should just partner up,\u2019\u201d Coley recalls. \u201cNow, back in 2000, the idea of teams wasn\u2019t as common a practice as it is now. And yet \u2026 another light bulb! It made perfect sense. And, as they say, the rest is history. For the past 18 years we\u2019ve worked together and grown our business dramatically.<\/p>\n
\u201cLeigh and I have a very unique situation,\u201d says Coley, \u201cwe not only work extremely well with one another, but our strengths and weaknesses are such that they complement one another.<\/p>\n
\u201cPartnering up with Leigh has proven to be one of the best decisions I\u2019ve ever made,\u201d he continues. \u201cTogether, we\u2019ve built an incredible team that operates like a well-oiled machine. Nothing falls through the cracks. And, as if that weren\u2019t enough of a dynamic advancement, in 2016 our duo became a trio when we merged with Zelda Heller. Zelda is a legend herself, so you can imagine how powerful we are with our combined forces. We now total about 16 team members, all of us in sync, in tune and imbued with integrity. The transition has been seamless; the camaraderie and synergy are phenomenal. Not only has our business continued to grow but so has our combined and individual reputations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Needless to say, both individually and as a group, these professionals have earned numerous awards and recognitions, including being named the No. 58 team in 2016 in the entire nation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile we are certainly very proud of our success and various accolades, including being named Top Producers and Best Agents, what really means the most to us, is knowing that we have earned the trust and respect of our clients and other agents,\u201d Coley says.<\/p>\n
Enjoying the fruits of his labor \u2013 sowing the seeds of honesty, hard work and dependability planted so many years ago, today Coley is working with the children of the client\u2019s he assisted when just launching his real estate business. A lot has changed over the ensuing years, but one thing that remains constant is Coley\u2019s belief in the golden rule \u2013 always treating others with the respect and kindness. Sharing the same consideration he would like others to bestow upon himself and those he loves.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Third-generation Washingtonian Jamie Coley, speaks with pride of a family tree whose branches stretch halfway around the world. \u201cI grew up in Maryland, and have lived throughout Maryland, Virginia and D.C.,\u201d he says. \u201cMy mother was born and raised here as well, but my grandfather moved here from the Philippines (probably with the army), then […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1038,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,16],"tags":[4],"class_list":["post-1036","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature","category-washington-dc","tag-feature"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/realestateagentmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1036","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/realestateagentmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/realestateagentmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realestateagentmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realestateagentmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1036"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/realestateagentmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1036\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realestateagentmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1038"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/realestateagentmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1036"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realestateagentmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1036"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/realestateagentmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1036"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}