Jennifer Markus shares her journey to real estate success
By Kristen West
When Denver real estate agent and broker Jennifer Markus was rated on America’s Best by Volume list by RealTrends, the weight of it took her by surprise. “I looked at all the people who I aspired to be when I started my real estate career, and then I saw my name on that list. It is still quite shocking because it was not on my radar.”
Selling real estate was never about the awards for Markus, who comes from humble beginnings. She and her sister were raised by a single mother who worked as a hairdresser to make ends meet. “I tried to learn as much as I could from wealthy families around us so that it wasn’t so hard for us,” Markus says. “The desire to help the family was huge.”
Markus began her career in Canada as an optician alongside her husband, an optometrist at the time, who shared a similar work ethic. The couple moved to Boca Raton, Florida, and Markus sold high-end jewelry. She leaned on her outgoing personality to develop relationships within the community before transitioning to real estate. “I had a clientele in a very high net worth place. I would think, ‘Why is this guy living on the coast? How did he get there?’ He didn’t just suddenly buy that house; he may have had eight houses that led him to that property. I was surrounded by people like that, and I learned to think the way they thought.”
Real estate was not only a natural transition due to her networking and sales experience but also made it easy for Markus to set her hours now that she had her own family. When the couple moved to Colorado, they created Markus Dream Homes.
That was 20 years ago. Now, Markus sells multi-million-dollar luxury homes in Denver and owns and manages many of her properties. Reaching this level required hard work and long hours, but Markus says it was all about connections and maintaining relationships, even friendships, with her clients. She encourages clients to look at housing as an investment or business, not solely as a place to live.
When asked about her hobbies, Markus laughs and admits that real estate is genuinely her hobby. “It’s like a void you get sucked into because it’s fun.” Well, real estate with some quality coffee, wine bars, thrifting, and consigning on the side.
Markus owns and manages a handful of historic homes, which she considers a passion. “Who doesn’t want to go into an 1890s house and think about how many babies were born here? These beautiful homes were created to be multigenerational and feature striking woodwork and accouterments,” she says. “The way those homes are constructed and are still standing. These are pieces of history. I love that.”
Most importantly, Markus’s 88-year-old mother has been living “in the lap of luxury,” which she says is her true indication of success. Markus is now dreaming of retirement and enjoying some long-awaited travel … and probably a little bit of real estate.
