An Interview with Realtor Judy

Here is the Sage and Grace Feature article from the Voyage ATL Magazine.

Today we’d like to introduce you to Judy Jernigan.

Hi Judy, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My dad put a camera in my hands when I was six years old and I’ve loved photography ever since. My parents were both school teachers and always took the time to help people understand the WHY in a given situation. This led me to a successful 20-year career in broadcasting and then to starting my own digitally-savvy real estate team, Sage & Grace Realty Group, to ensure my clients’ success.

After college, I worked behind the scenes (too shy to be on camera!) directing live TV newscasts. I was passionate about helping my community. Keeping people safe during live severe weather coverage was always my favorite. And in local journalism, I learned the value of studying both sides of the story.

Promotions later, I was a corporate executive leading digital media and marketing strategy for 30 TV stations around the country. While I loved managing big projects and teaching web, video, and social media best practices, I had lost some of that early passion. I craved a more impactful connection with my community.

My husband and I had been investing in real estate for years and in 2013 I got my Real Estate Broker License. As a Realtor, using my years of marketing expertise to help you prepare, market and sell your home for top dollar is second nature.

But when I realized how BIG and important helping families with their moves and their big life transitions is… that’s when I really found my passion!

I always take the time to understand the WHY behind the move. What will selling or buying a home do for you? My clients win negotiations because I study both sides of the story. What do the home buyer and home seller each need? Clients say, “We discovered Judy’s proven real estate strategies and marketing acumen were easy, saved us money, and guaranteed results in any market. We love our new home and are thankful every day for our health, safety, and to Judy for helping make this lifestyle possible.”

The weight of responsibility I feel being a professional real estate consultant was staggering at first but the trust I earn from my clients means the world to me. I enjoy selling homes but my passion and gratitude lies in being able to educate my clients, share best practices, help them through often emotional times, and ensure they understand the process and their options so they make the best, most well-informed decisions for their families.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I was on vacation overseas negotiating contracts at 3:00 a.m. due to the time differences and lack of support back home. Changing careers and providing stellar customer service to my clients was the simple part. I struggled for work-life balance, especially after having my little boy. Realizing I was an entrepreneur took time and a shift in mindset. But I knew there could be a better way. So I founded a team – Sage & Grace Realty Group – of like-minded, service-oriented, client-first agents.

The team is unique in several ways: we are not the heroes of a home sale, we are focused on putting you first. We help each other so you always have someone you can trust to talk with while you are buying or selling your home. Instead of competing with each other – we are helping each other care for our clients; this makes a world of difference for our agents, their work/life balance, and for our clients’ success.

As you know, we’re big fans of Sage & Grace Realty Group. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Sage & Grace Realty Group is a team of full-time real estate professionals in north metro Atlanta who customize best-of-class service for you. We are a woman-owned, small local business serving our community. You get a team supporting you, and each other, behind the scenes to ensure each client and each agent has all the assistance they need to succeed and achieve your goals no matter what circumstances pop up. And there will always be things that pop up!

We celebrate each person’s strengths, educate to build up other areas, and lean on each other to best serve our clients.

We are proud partners of Clareo Real Estate and Side. Clareo is the top-producing brokerage creating a clear path to real estate success in Marietta and Cobb County. Sage & Grace Realty Group is their home for in-town and perimeter agents from Buckhead and Brookhaven to Dunwoody and Decatur. Side is the only real estate tech company that exclusively partners with high-performing teams. This trifecta ensures our team is powered by the industry’s most advanced tech platforms which provide tremendous value to our agents and clients.

What do you specialize in? What are you known for?
Sage & Grace Realty Group is known for having clients who tout our professionalism and trust us so much they send their friends, family, neighbors and coworkers to consult with us.

We are known for having an office of agents who help each other to support work-life balance, agent success, and the unparalleled success of our clients.

As Sage & Grace, we are dedicated to leading in the local real estate market and, more importantly, participating and contributing to the vibrancy of our community.

We want to hear your story and earn your trust because the ups and downs of life are better when you walk through them with people you can rely on. Let’s do life – and real estate – together.

What sets you apart from others?
Every person, home, and transaction are different. Sage & Grace Realty Group takes our collective decades of knowledge and applies it to help you achieve your home and lifestyle goals while at the same time not trying to force you into a mold or strategy that doesn’t work for you.

Our clients are the heroes of our stories, we are simply guides. We see you as a whole person, and we tailor our service for you. And you may not see it, but you have a team of agents fighting for you behind the scenes. In addition to covering for each other when agents need time off, we offer more training, coaching, and digital systems for our agents than anyone else in the business – part of how we better serve our clients.

I am different from other agents because my clients benefit from not just my 16+ years in real estate as an investor, landlord, owner, and Realtor but also my 20 years of experience in media and marketing. Being able to see different sides of a story and understanding people’s WHY always helps with client service and with negotiations. My clients are all different and I embrace that everyone will benefit from a different personalized service package.

A portion of proceeds from every Sage & Grace real estate closing goes to support our two featured local nonprofits for whom we love raising awareness: Atlanta Assistance League and Smasherson Foundation.

What are you most proud of brand-wise?
We are very proud of the Sage & Grace team culture – our real estate agents live and work near each other, we help with showings and meeting contractors, we help during vacations, nights, and weekends. If an agent gets sick, the other team members rally and ensure our clients get the assistance they need and the agent gets to rest and recover. Our office culture is kindness, thankfulness, and collaboration for the good of all. We are contentious and ethical and serve with gratitude and grace. Our clients and our agents achieve their goals!

What do you want our readers to know about your brand/services?
Every client has a story. We want to learn yours. Then enlist the collective wisdom, talent and power of the team… we use our determination and work ethic to pursue what is best for our clients tirelessly.

As the team leads, I am helping teach other agents how to provide amazing service, win negotiations, and to understand the strategies that will work for you no matter the market conditions.

What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
My team lives, works, eats, shops and plays in north metro Atlanta… We are helping our own neighbors in Buckhead, Brookhaven, Sandy Springs, Decatur, Druid Hills, Virginia Highland, and beyond.

At Sage & Grace, we are embedded in this community and in the lives of the people who comprise it. We approach real estate with our whole selves and see our clients as whole people, honoring their life transitions and viewing them as more than a home value or a price point. We are not constrained by outdated traditions of the real estate industry and instead pursue authenticity and equity in everything we do.

We have the power to affect lives, helping you build wealth for generations – and we take the responsibility and opportunity very seriously. I know my dad would be proud.

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