Today’s post holds a special place in my heart. Jimmy and Sarah Cooke welcomed me as a fresh out of the womb real estate agent. They have been incredible mentors and friends, guiding me every step of the way. I truly don’t know where I’d be as an agent without their support, wisdom, and patience (especially with my endless questions). It was an absolute honor to interview them and share their insights, experiences, and background with you.
Background and Inspiration
- Can you tell us a bit about your backgrounds and what led you to pursue careers in real estate?
My background was in the mortgage and insurance industry. I worked for State Farm for 8 years and was on the path to becoming a State Farm agent. Sarah who was in the medical field as an orthopedic surgery center manager had made the change already to real estate. She convinced me, in arguably what is her best sale yet, to come over to join her in real estate. I made the move and we started working at the same brokerage. We both fell in love with helping people open and close significant chapters in their lives when it comes to buying and selling a home.
2. What inspired you guys to take the leap from being realtors to opening your own brokerage?
I think the big thing that made us make the leap is our agents. Starting as single agents, then transitioning to a self organized team with a small group of agents we were able to focus on our clients and help a couple agents grow. As we got larger with the number of agents that wanted to work under us we knew that we would have to do something that would allow them to excel and allow us to have the freedom to create the framework that would allow us to educate and grow our agents and help them find success. Boffo was really created as our vision of what a brokerage should look like in this industry.
Journey and Challenges
3. What were some of the biggest challenges you faced on your journey to becoming a broker?
I think the biggest challenge to becoming a broker was initially the time commitment. We had a BIG vision for Boffo Real Estate Group and in order to make that vision come to life we wanted to ensure that we had the best technology, systems, processes, and tools so that we as a brokerage could see exceptional success. This took a lot of meetings and time to preview programs and systems and ask questions to make sure that we were selecting the ones that would fit our vision. Another major challenge was the market being slower. We have had to grind and work harder as agents while still trying to balance brokerage training and implementation.
4. How did you guys overcome these challenges, and what did you learn from them?
The biggest thing we had to do is organize our time. I feel like that is the most critical part of real estate in general when things get busy. The other thing we had to do is really define what we wanted our brokerage to look like and then make decisions that would help get it closer to that goal. For instance we wanted to help our agents utilize the CRM system so they didn’t let people fall through the cracks but the biggest key was a finding a CRM system they would use. So though there were CRM systems out there that were more robust in information we ultimately decided to go with one that was more user friendly but still provided a lot of great tools.
5. Can you share a memorable story from your early days in real estate that had a significant impact on both of you?
A few times early in our careers we saw what a difference we make in our clients lives and that has really propelled us to want to continue to help people navigate their home sale or purchase. We loved the smiles on first time home buyers faces when they closed. We saw how grateful our client was after losing their spouse and we were there to not only help sell the home but also help them get everything set up so the process was not too daunting. The difference we make really stands out to me.
Vision and Goals
6. What is the vision behind Boffo Real Estate Group, and how does it differ from other brokerages?
The vision behind Boffo is in its name. Boffo means extremely successful or commendatory in short a success. We named it this because we wanted our clients to have an amazing experience, our agents to find success and fulfillment in their jobs, and the brokerage to be able to grow stories of how we impacted people inside our community. I think we differ because we are focused more on the people we help rather than the sales we make. We focus on educating people and providing excellent service.
Team and Culture
7. Can you share a bit about the team you’ve built and the culture you’re fostering at Boffo Real Estate Group?
It’s funny because we never intended on building out a team but if it weren’t for the team we would not be where we are today. Early on Sarah and I had a lot of success in real estate and we had a few people come to us and ask if we would be willing to work together. I remember sitting at a restaurant and talking about starting a team. We didn’t know initially if we had that much to offer but after talking that night we knew that we could help agents learn this industry and improve. That night the Cooke Team was formed. Several years later we had organically grown the team to 12 people and put together some systems and processes that helped our agents have success. We are also selective about who we bring into the brokerage. The culture we are trying to build is important to us. We want a group of people hungry to learn, with a desire to live up to the Boffo name when it comes to customer service, and agents who will help each other grow.
Services and Offerings
8. How do you guys plan to innovate or improve the real estate experience for your clients?
Wow! My brain is always moving a million miles an hour when it comes to how we can make a significant impact on our agents lives and our clients lives. We have so much we want to accomplish. Some of our short term goals are to provide educational forums and programs that can help clients understand the process and understand they have an advocate on their side. We are partnering with lenders to conduct seminars, making YouTube videos so people can watch on their own time, and reaching out to businesses where employees may have a goal of homeownership but don’t know how to get there.
We are also trying to improve the agent experience by doing programs that can teach them how to be successful in this business but still have the time to balance so that they can enjoy life and not feel inundated by work.
Personal Insights
9. What has been the most rewarding part of your journey so far?
The two most memorable were the day we told our agents we were opening a brokerage and how they all were so excited and 100% of them came with us. It was such a great feeling that our agents trusted us and knew that we would be the best for them.
The other was how many clients reached out to us to congratulate us on the new brokerage and shared how we made a difference in their lives. This was an incredible reminder that we had made the right decision.
10. How do you balance your professional and personal lives, especially now with the added responsibilities of running a brokerage?
To be honest we are still getting better at the balancing. I think as we were transitioning we had to go all in. Now that we have things set I think we are trying to do better about being more intentional and deliberate when it comes to trainings and having a shut down time so that Sarah and I can live our lives also.
11. What do you guys enjoy most about working in real estate, and what keeps you passionate about it?
I enjoy making a difference in peoples lives and seeing the success of our agents. When we have a closing and the clients are smiling because they just purchased a home or seeing our agents happy because they closed on a deal, that means the world to me!
Advice and Inspiration
12. What advice would you give to other realtors who aspire to become brokers and open their own brokerage?
Make sure you understand the amount of work it takes to balance everything and be responsible for the entire brokerage. As a single agent there are a lot of great places to hang your license where you do not have to be responsible for day to day operations. It is very rewarding to have a brokerage you can call your own but make sure that you have a clear vision so that once you open up you can move in the right direction.
13. Are there any mentors or role models who have significantly influenced your careers and approach to real estate?
I don’t think that our influences really came from one person or a specific group of people. One thing I think Sarah and I do really well is that we are hungry for information and always trying to learn. We have had great experiences in real estate and in life for that matter that have really helped us shape how we want to run our business. Equally we have had experiences that were poor that have taught us what not to do. We are always trying to listen and evaluate what things we can add to the business to help us be better leaders.
About Ocala
14. How has Ocala changed since you guys started working in real estate here?
Ocala is growing substantially. The last numbers I heard is that we are a county of 380K people and expected to grow in size to 500K in the next 7 years. One thing that I have been impressed about is the city is working hard to deal with this influx of people by strengthening our city infrastructure to handle the quick growth. We are also starting to see more things to do pop up for families and people in our community and I am excited to see that continue to grow.
15. What do you think sets Ocala apart from other cities in Florida?
I love that, even though we are getting larger, we still have so many natural parts of Marion County. Most people don’t realize our county is larger than the entire state of Rhode Island and there are so many things to do. You have pockets of equestrian farms and the World Equestrian Center. You have hundreds of miles of trails or running and biking through the cross Florida greenway, and you have countless rivers, springs, lakes that give you a way to break away from the normal day to day and feel like you are somewhere else. We are also so centrally located that it makes taking a quick day or weekend trip to Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville or either coast a breeze. We often get out of town for the day and can easily come back to the comfort of our own home.
16. Can you share some of your favorite spots or hidden gems in Ocala?
There are so many hidden gems in Ocala and truly there is something for everyone. We love taking a quick trip out the Rainbow River or Lake Weir to sit by the water and have lunch, so many unique little shops in downtown Ocala. The new food truck hub on 484 near Marion Oaks, The Ocala National Forest for natural springs, and the cross Florida greenway are all great spots to have a fun day!
17. What are some common misconceptions about the Ocala real estate market that you’d like to address?
I think one of the most common misconceptions is that this is a very small town with not much to do. Often when my clients make it to Ocala they are shocked with how vast it is and the different parts of Ocala that feel different. What I mean by this is SW Ocala has more of the HOA, amenity center vibes where East Ocala has more nature trees and larger lots. NW Ocala is sprawling with equestrian properties and there are still places where someone can buy multiple acres and a home for a reasonable price.
18. What advice would you give to someone looking to buy or sell a home in Ocala?
Partner up with a realtor that knows the area and can really show you or communicate all of what Ocala offers. Often I see new buyers purchase homes just to find out after they moved here they would prefer a different part of town. As a listing agent it is important for one to understand the area and be able to communicate to the buyer and buyer agents to help get the property sold.
Future Plans
19. What exciting plans or projects do you guys have in store for the future of Boffo Real Estate Group?
One thing that Sarah and I have a passion for is helping people. We have started to work on some seminars that will help buyers and sellers achieve their real estate goals, we will be talking about how to buy a home for the first time, what you need to do to be able to get great offers for your home, how to leverage the equity in your home to start investing in real estate and much more. We are also excited to help our agents grow through programs like 40K in 90 days where we will show agents how to grow their businesses through proven strategies, help to identity the thing to do to get business moving, and have accountability to ourselves and each other.
Closing Thoughts
20. Is there anything else you’d like to share with your clients, team members, or the readers of this blog?
Just that if you are thinking of buying and or selling a home, consult with a real estate agent that has the knowledge and support they need to do the best job for you. This for most people is the most significant financial decision someone will make in their lives and having someone that knows what they are doing and can help guide you is important.
21. How can people get in touch with you guys or learn more about Boffo Real Estate Group?
The best way to reach me is to simply send a text or call me. I have a passion of trying to understand someones needs and help find a path to help people achieve their goals. My personal number is 352-427-1072 and I would love to help you or guide you to an agent that would fit your needs at our brokerage.
I hope you enjoyed getting to know Jimmy and Sarah as much as I’ve enjoyed learning from them. Their passion for real estate and dedication to helping others is truly inspiring. I’m beyond grateful for their mentorship and friendship, and I’m excited to carry the lessons they’ve taught me throughout my career. If their story or advice resonated with you, feel free to share your thoughts or questions in the comments. I’d love to hear from you! Thank you for taking the time to read and a special thank you to Jimmy and Sarah for taking the time to share.