When I decided to become a REALTOR®, I knew it came from my most basic instinct, which is to help others,” Jessica McCreary says. “I thrive in being someone’s advocate.”
For McCreary, mentorship is the constant thread that runs through her experience in real estate. When she began her career in 2009, her mentor told her to find a niche and become an expert in it. So McCreary took off in the specialty of estate sales.
“It was an area of real estate many agents had not yet tapped into and it allowed me to get listings in some of the more elite neighborhoods of Houston, which can be difficult as a new agent,” she says.
McCreary earned her broker’s license in 2015 and started her boutique real estate firm and property management company.
McCreary says one of the industry challenges she had to overcome was her age: she earned her license at 22 and became a broker of her own business when she was just 28.
“Being a new agent in real estate, it is already challenging to get steady business and leads coming in. But you couple this with young age, and it is even more challenging to set yourself apart in an already extremely competitive field because inexperience is assumed,” she says. “I had to take on a ‘fake it until you make it’ mentality.”
McCreary threw herself into association involvement, often participating in Houston Association of REALTORS® committees. She completed training with the Texas REALTORS® Leadership Program (TRLP) and the West Houston Leadership Institute.
She also served on the Agent Leadership Council at Keller Williams Memorial for three years, during which time she taught classes to new agents and participated in top-producing panels.
“It was during that time that I found I had a passion for mentoring other agents,” she says. “I sincerely wanted to see them succeed, and I have brought this passion to my brokerage. I see myself more as a mentor than a manager.”
She excels in an entrepreneurial environment, where growth and change are regular aspects of the job. She holds numerous designations and regularly takes classes to stay up to date on new trends and topics.
“I move with intention, and I put into action every goal I set for myself and the brokerage,” she says. “I know that everything I have done in the last 12 years has served a purpose and led me right where I need to be to continue this journey.”
About the Award:
The REALTORS® to Watch Award is a Texas Young Professionals Network award recognizing excellence in leadership, community involvement, and everything else that makes a well-rounded young professional successful in real estate. Any active REALTOR® member of Texas REALTORS® under the age of 40 can apply for this award. Click here to check out past recipients of this award and to find out more.