Today we’d like to introduce you to Haley Devol.
Thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, how did you get started?
I was born and raised on Amelia Island, spending most days and nights driving up and down the beach roads, passing the gorgeous beachfront properties. I used to cut out new-build plans and listings from magazines and dream about the house I wanted one day. That, combined with my love of strangers and the gift of gab, created a soft spot for real estate at a young age. The real estate market on and around the island needed to be more saturated with established, new, and future agents; I never thought of pursuing it as a career. Once I graduated college, I moved home to live with/care for my 76-year-old father. I worked 2 bartending jobs before I found a position as a paralegal (a job I had no prior training for or interest in) and dominated the new field, primarily focused on writing for the company’s blog and website. Although I am passionate about writing, the legal and clerical aspects were unfulfilling. I missed meeting people, learning about their backgrounds, and sharing stories with strangers who would become friends. I quit hastily with no other plans, just knowing it wasn’t right for me. I ran into an old friend I grew up with who had just recently gotten his broker license and opened his own real estate company; he invited me to join and instructed me on how to get licensed, and less than a month later, I was training in his office and taking the course. I got licensed at the end of February and have closed 5 deals since; I’m the happiest I’ve ever been and finally feel like I’ve found what I was meant for.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I could take the licensing course 10 times and still need to prepare for the reality of real estate. Every new deal is a challenge; I don’t know what I don’t know until I’m faced with the fact that I don’t know it. I am constantly learning and playing catch-up. Also, as a young adult who fully supports herself financially, transitioning from working 3 jobs to starting a career with no promised or fixed income has been a huge struggle. In the beginning, I went back to bartending, and for a while, I worked the bar full-time while learning real estate/being an active agent. It was draining and hard, and I found it challenging to commit to both things simultaneously. After my first closing, I invested my faith fully into the new career and left my side gigs. The biggest struggle has been the financial journey and the dedication to be the best agent I can be through constantly learning and devoting myself to the industry.
Let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a real estate agent with Anabasis Realty, servicing all of NE Florida, with my home base and primary focus in Duval and Nassau County. We specialize in traditional, commercial, and investment real estate. We are most known for our investment side; we own many single-family rental properties throughout Jacksonville. We have recently acquired a couple of multi-family units in Jax and a 17-unit apt complex in Daytona Beach. We are experts at finding investment deals that result in cash-flowing or income-producing assets. I have focused primarily on traditional buyer-agent services and investments. I work for many investors in Jacksonville and some scattered across the country to find and present prime properties to add to their portfolios. I am most proud of my ability to tackle an unknown industry and quickly burst out of the gate. Within 7 months of being licensed, I have closed 5 deals, built a network of investors and clients, and proven myself a trusted and appreciated agent in the area. What sets me apart is my diligence, honest and friendly personality, and my knowledge of investment real estate.
How do you think about luck?
I often think that I have the worst luck. But I haven’t ever claimed to have or believe I’ve had “good luck,” I believe more in destiny. I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. My entire life has played out accordingly; any rash, last-minute decisions I’ve made that resulted in big change have all been for the better and have all played a role in where I ended up. Everything I’ve done and everywhere I’ve been has all been for a reason: planned and destined for me. As for my business role, the only reason I am where I am with my real estate career is because of the random 5-minute conversation I had with an old friend from high school as we happened to bump into each other at a bar on Halloween. That was for a reason, but I didn’t know it then. I quit my job as a paralegal shortly after with no backup plan and randomly remembered that conversation – I messaged him without a plan again. That was for a reason. All of that led to where I am now.
Contact Info:
- Website: houseswithhales.com
- Instagram: @houseswithhales
- Facebook: Houses with Hales
- Linkedin: haleydevol
- Other: anabasisreit.com
Image Credits
Brandon Artiga – @proxymatter
