EMERGING REAL ESTATE BROKER

2009 was more than a “challenging year.” Hundreds of people lost their homes, jobs, businesses, even their retirement. What took years of sacrifice and hard work was snatched away in what seemed a blink of an eye. Despite the dark state of this economy, Jennifer Odama is determined not to just weather the storm, but thrive in 2010 with the help of her newly found friends at NAWBO.

It took 7 years after graduating from UC Davis for Jennifer to find her passion…real estate. In 2005, she started working as a Realtor with Coldwell Banker. Jennifer earned her broker’s license in late 2006 and is now in the process of becoming an independent real estate broker. In 2009, a fellow Realtor introduced Jennifer to her second passion, the Sacramento Association of Realtors’ Equal Opportunity and Cultural Diversity Committee. This year, she is the Vice-Chair of this Committee.

After a year of working in the imploding real estate market, Jennifer had the opportunity to learn from another Realtor how to manage and list bank owned properties. She worked with her new partner for about a year, learning everything she could about working with banks and their assets. Jennifer then branched out on her own, only to find the competition for acquiring new bank contacts was fiercer than fighting the crowds for the last door buster on Black Friday. After attending the Five Star Conference in Texas – the largest default conference for real estate agents, lendors, and asset managers – she realized that in order to pick up new leads in this market, she needed an edge to make her stand out. Jennifer started seeking help to build her business. She followed the advice of friends and sought out the US Small Business Administration (SBA) and NAWBO.

Jennifer states, “In such a short amount of time, NAWBO has made a powerful impact on me. I leave every meeting with something I can use to improve or grow my business, but just as importantly, inspired by women that are not only taking their businesses to greater heights, but making a difference in the community.“

Jennifer has a renewed respect for her parents, who built their own businesses from the ground up almost 30 years ago. Her father is a physician and her mother is a software architect. They reside in Lodi, California, where they raised Jennifer and her younger sister, Yumi. Jennifer remembers her mother’s “grassroots” marketing. When her father first opened his practice, her mother delivered flyers to all the other physicians and surgeons in town. She would invite them to their house and cook these elaborate meals. Jennifer and her sister became so accustomed to eating with strangers that they would bring friends home with them from school as “lunch guests.” Jennifer’s mother wasn’t amused.

“2010 is a year to look forward to,” Jennifer says. “I feel very fortunate to be surrounded by people who are passionate about what they do and have been where I want to go. I’m not doing this all on my own.”