Check Out Jane Fish’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jane Fish.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
When I was a Sophomore in college, I was skiing with some guy friends in Breckenridge, Colorado. They were all much more experienced skiers than myself but my competitive spirit followed them to the top of that black diamond run. I remember it was a cold day and there had not been any recent snowfall so it was a hard, icy snow on the mountain. My friends took off and were halfway down the run by the time I had made only a few turns at the top. In an instant, I hit an icy patch and my skis came out from underneath me. I began spinning uncontrollably down the mountain losing all my gear as I fell. One ski, however, did not release and I could feel it tearing the ligaments in my knee each time it caught the snow. I tore all but one ligament in my knee that day and it changed the trajectory of my life goals and career path. I changed my major from Sociology to Exercise Science/Sports Medicine and became a Certified Athletic Trainer and worked at the local high schools taking care of the athletes on and off the playing field. One of my greatest joys in life has been helping people manage through an injury, leading them through physical therapy and then getting them back to their sport while walking alongside them through the physical and emotional trauma that comes along with it.

I worked in that industry twenty-plus years but it began to get difficult as it took up a lot of my evenings and weekends. I didn’t feel like I was giving what I needed to my family because of my work hours. I had no idea how to walk away from it though as I felt it was the gifting and passion God had given to me. Also, I was thinking, “What do I do now?” “How do I reinvent myself at almost 45 years old?? ” I had to ask myself what I could do that would still allow me to serve people and use my gifts and talent. That is when I found Real Estate!

My husband and I have bought and sold a number of houses ourselves. I remember it being one of the most stressful and frustrating experiences I’ve ever had. The second house we bought, I felt I was talked into it because it was the best one we had seen but it was the exact style I had told my agent I didn’t want. I had this sense our Realtor just wanted us to hurry up and buy something so he could make his money and move on. I didn’t feel like he had our best interest in mind. Now as a Realtor myself, I can use my life experiences to guide others through the process. Purchasing or selling a home is one of the biggest decisions you will ever make. In my opinion, investing is Real Estate is one of the best financial and wealth-building investments you can choose. I now see how what I did all these years translates into being a Real Estate Agent. People need council, wisdom, knowledge, encouragement and protection. They need an agent that will fight for them, listen to them, and walk alongside them.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My career in Real Estate started off bumpy because I lost my father very suddenly one month into my career. I remember just being overwhelmed wanting to do the best job I could for my clients but also manage my heartache as well as my Dad’s estate. As I look back though, I see it as a gift from God. He blessed me with people to work with to take my mind off my sorrow. I was called to look past what I was going through and serve others. I truly believe when we are going through something hard, one of the best ways to heal is by helping someone else.

I also started Real Estate in a very crazy market. It was one of the easiest times we’ve ever seen to sell a house in Colorado, but one of the most difficult times to buy one. With each client I’ve had, we’ve had to find creative ways to help them win a contract while at the same time, trying to protect them. So many agents were encouraging people to completely forgo inspections on a property. I did not and do not feel like that is in the best interest of my clients because so many houses were sold that had major issues. I wanted to protect my client and sometimes that would mean we would lose out to someone else but I was able to sleep at night knowing that I wasn’t possibly creating future hardships or regrets for my client.

That brings us to now and the crazy world we are living in. We have seen a shift in the market overnight and now buyers and sellers have different challenges. It’s my job, however, to educate myself and find ways to help clients achieve their goals while also navigating inflation, gas prices and a rise in interest rates.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I currently work for Colorado Home Realty, headquartered in Downtown Littleton. I love my company and I love the area we office out of! While I currently help people buy and sell in the greater Denver metro area, I have unintentionally become somewhat of a relocation specialist. I have been referred many clients from out of state looking to move to Colorado. It has been so much fun for me because I have met amazing people from all over. One referral was moving here from Vietnam. It was a wild ride trying to find them a home in this crazy competitive market while we were 13 hours apart. I would wake up to early morning texts of homes they wanted me to virtually show them, and they would stay up all hours of the night waiting to either sign a contract or hear if their contract had been accepted by a seller. I believe I wrote between 16-18 contracts for them. They have become sweet friends of mine and that has been the most rewarding part.

I think one thing that sets me apart is my work ethic. I will, to the best of my ability but within ethical bounds do anything I can to help a client find what they are looking for. I had one family looking for a Ski-in Ski-out in Keystone. They really had their hearts set on this one set of condos in the area and none of them were for sale. I decided to use my resources to get the phone numbers of every owner in the building and called them to see if they would be willing to sell. It took hours to do it but that was the best way I could serve them. In the end, they ended up at a different location (in an even better property), but I was willing to do whatever it took to get them what they wanted.

Another thing I believe is important as a person and professional is to give back. I volunteer in my community, my kids’ school, my kids’ sports, and in our church. One of my clients has an amazing ministry fighting for women who have experienced sex trafficking. I believe deeply in what she is doing to support victims and to protect others from having to experience this kind of crime, so I was able to donate 10% of my commission back to her ministry. I truly believe it is better to give than receive and besides, I know I end up more blessed than anyone else by doing so.

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I have not been a huge risk taker, but I would say becoming a Real Estate agent has been one of the biggest risks I’ve taken. I was 44 years old when I started working in an industry that has 44,000 licensed real estate agents in Colorado. At the time I was thinking, why would anyone choose me? Now, I am incredibly thankful I put my fears aside and took this risk! It continues to push me to be a better agent as we are experiencing challenging times in our market and our world, but I want to help people walk through this tough season.

My husband and I have taken a few other risks together investing in a small company (that didn’t make it) and in our own real estate. I would say I am cautiously risky but willing to take calculated risks. I’m not one who throws caution to the wind and I think my clients appreciate that.

Contact Info:

• Website: JaneFish.ColoradoHomeRealty.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janefishrealestateagent/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/janefishrealestateagent

Image Credits
Brook Austin Photo