Today we’d like to introduce you to Janae Torgerson.
Janae, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
After a few years of working as a Master Esthetician and Massage Therapist in Salt Lake City, I decided to quit my job, buy a trailer and hit the road. I wanted to get out and experience more of what life has to offer. My first stop was a quaint B&B in Escalante Utah.
I spent my time helping the owners of B&B with their gardens, working part-time at a coffee shop, and exploring Southern Utah. I also traveled around to Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, and bike-packed in Japan for a month. When leaving for Japan my intention was to be there for 3 months and return to a job I had lined up in California.
I was in Japan when the pandemic really started to affect the world. I decided to leave early and return home. Shortly after I got home the borders were shut down. I left just in time! Due to the state of the world, my job in California fell through and I ended up back in a trailer in Escalante. This time with no hookups. So that means no running water, refrigerator, toilet electricity, or A/C. I spent a few months living like this in the heat of the summer in the desert. When fall started to come around, I finally had enough money to rent the only place available in town from the local Realtor.
I ended up putting down enough money to rent for four months in cash. After finally being in a place for about a month and ½ I got kicked out. I had no written lease agreement and I never got my money back for the months I didn’t stay there. After that incident, I ended up traveling to Oregon to take the opportunity to be a camp host. Being a camp host, I had access to some basic trailer hookups in trade for maintaining the campground. Winter was fast approaching and I didn’t have the means to be camping through the winter in the forest so I returned to Utah to stay with family. I Intended to leave again in the spring.
During the winter I really reflected on the past few years of my life. I love all the things I got to experience in that time of my life but I wanted to have a change of pace. I didn’t have a pleasant experience with a Realtor that previous summer. She made a huge impact on my life, even though it wasn’t a good experience I saw a massive opportunity to do better and create a positive impact on people’s lives. I spent that winter putting myself through school to become a Realtor.
I chose to be a Realtor because I want to help people love where they live, whether that be in a house in a residential community, relocating to an off-grid cabin, or living remotely as I did. Living the lifestyle, I do give me a unique position to offer resources in many different ways of living. After my years of traveling, I know how important it is to have a place to call home and a strong sense of community no matter the lifestyle you choose to live. After all, there is no place like home!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I have had challenges along the way for sure. It’s been a drastic change from being a traveling Massage Therapist/Gardener to Real Estate.
They don’t teach you everything you need to know in Real Estate School so having a great team behind you and continuing to learn everything you can in this industry is extremely important.
The challenges I’ve faced along my journey have shaped me into the person I am today. I have learned so much and used the knowledge I’ve gained to help people find the perfect place and lifestyle for them.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
In my Real Estate business mainly work with investors and relocation. I think it’s a brilliant idea to invest in multi-family residential units to offset your mortgage and for future planning.
I have a client who is investing in real estate to save for retirement and another who is investing because they want to have money to put their kids through college when they grow up.
I also love helping my clients take the jump to other states or countries to buy houses, land, and to explore clever, alternative ways of living. I have learned a lot living the unique lifestyle that I do so I have accumulated many resources to share.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
I’m extremely passionate about finding ways I can help my community as a whole. I boost my community by setting up local food drives, community clean-up projects, advocating for the health of my environment and community, and by helping people sell and buy homes.
I’m always looking for opportunities to serve other people so feel free to reach out if you have any questions, opportunities, or need help with any of your Real Estate needs.
Contact Info:
- Email: JanaeTorgerson@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janae.torgerson/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/janae.torgerson
