Today we’d like to introduce you to Jake Kennedy.
Hi Jake, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I moved to Nashville in 2008 for a job in the music business. I was fresh out of college and Nashville, not yet declared the “it city” that seemingly set so much in motion, felt like a much smaller place than it does today. I ended up spending 18 years in music, 13 as a booking agent and the final five as an artist manager. Due to a combination of factors like the COVID-19 pandemic and too much travel with a newborn at home, I decided it was time for a change.
I have always loved architecture and houses and spent years driving around for hours looking at different neighborhoods. Not having a head for math, going back to school and chasing another degree wasn’t in the cards for me but real estate felt like something where I could combine my love of the subject with my sales ability. I got my license a few years ago and joined Parks Realty, now Compass, in the East Nashville office.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I won’t say it was an easy thing to leave behind the music business or, as I call it, running away from the circus. I had spent a lot of years and cultivated a lot of relationships. However, I remember one January when my son was 9 months old and I was traveling so much. I was in London for 10 days, home for a week, and then Canada for another week. That’s an age where kids are changing every day. In hindsight, that one month ended up becoming a proverbial weight on my shoulders before I realized it was time to adjust both my priorities and dreams.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Compass is an incredible place to be a real estate agent. The combination of technology and culture is unrivaled and I feel lucky to be a part of it.
In my own practice, I will work with absolutely anyone but my favorite is working with clients who are architectural and history nerds like myself. I feel a kindred spirit with people who appreciate detailed original millwork or the way light moves across a room or how the layout of a home might reveal itself through daily life. There is so much more to buying and selling real estate than just sales price.
For example, with buyer clients some agents will ask, “Can you see yourself living here?” That’s a fine question but I’m more likely to ask, “How does this room make you feel?” or “Does the flow between this room and that room make sense for how you like to live?” I find my job is as much helping my clients express how they want to live as it is negotiating the price or other details on a contract.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I try to bring three characteristics to every client I work with.
First, I want to share knowledge by educating about both houses (history, styles, etc.) and the buying/selling process. There shouldn’t be any surprises along the way.
Second, my goal is to competently get the transaction across the finish line. A real estate professional should be just that.
Third, I try to bring humor because life is too short to be miserable. For most people, buying a house is stressful but I always want us to have fun throughout our time together. If my clients aren’t having fun then I’m probably not having fun and that…doesn’t sound like fun.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jakesellsnashville.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jakesellsnashville
