Jerry Parent - San Diego's "Personal Realtor"

(A good bedtime story...)

I have a diverse personal and professional background that has helped form who I am today. Born in Montebello, CA, to a French father and an Italian mother, I attended St. Benedict's Elementary School, Cantwell High and finally St. John's Seminary College where I received a degree in Philosophy. As there was little call in those days for "Philosophers" I found my second calling in the travel and hospitality businesses. My first job at Unitours/Club Universe got my marketing and creative energy going from day one. I was asked upon arrival about how well I wrote and whether I would like to write a descriptive brochure for their upcoming "Fall Foliage" Tour. I immediately said YES, even though I had never been to New England, seen a tree turn color (I'm a California kid for goodness sake!) or even knew what happened on a tour! With no internet access in those years, let alone "Google" search, I took it upon myself to visit the library and read everything I could about the area and the progression of trees in Fall. The brochure was such a hit I went on to write about New Orleans, Washington DC, San Francisco and Canada.

Being still young (and bright!) I found a new vocation in the hotel business. For the next twenty years I headed up the marketing and sales efforts for some of Southern California's finest hotels. I even did a short stint in Hawaii to help Ed Hogan, owner of Pleasant Hawaiian Holidays, take back one of his hotels from the Hilton Corporation when their contract was finished. My final job in the hospitality industry (and one of my proudest moments) was the opening of Hotel Solamar, a Kimpton Hotel in downtown San Diego. I was there in my words - "from dirt to success".

Sprinkled within the "hospitality years" was a company I opened with my partner - FloraStyle - a european styled floral event company that went from $0 revenue to close to $1M inside of five years. Upon the adoption of our son from Romania we sold the business and forever closed that chapter in my life!

I have also fit into my business life - selling real estate in Portland, Oregon along with my current real estate practice in San Diego. While in Portland, my partner and I also purchased an incredible furniture and decorating business - at the wrong time! Needless to say, I learned that out of adversity often comes strength and that a business loss does not equate a personal loss. In addition to my other businesses I have purchased and sold 9 of my own personal residences which have always been a labor of love. Finally, just to round out my education, I have spent over fifteen years studying graphic design and currently website design. This site is a sample of my current work. I have designed sites for many companies and non-profit organizations - mainly for the love of it.

My background makes me uniquely qualified to help my clients on the purchasing and sales of their homes. My sales and marketing background allows me to think outside the box when it comes new and creative ways to sell a home. My experience renovating my own homes and running San Diego's premiere floral event company has taught me how to quickly and effectively beautify to maximize price when selling. My business background, both in hospitality and in running my own successful businesses, has made me a keen negotiator and a critical thinker when it comes to contractual issues. I firmly believes that this unique mix of "left and right brain" allows me to see all aspects of a deal that many agents, who have never done anything other than sell real estate, can never match.

All of the above; however, pales in comparison to being a parent. Sitting on my son's Little League Board, throwing ball in the cu-de-sac and picking up after an 11 year old has taught me that the most important aspects of life do not lie in what we own but what we truly need to protect - our family and friends. It is with this daily mantra that I have strived to become a "Personal Realtor". I know that the homes we own will one day not be ours - but our legacy of how we treat others always will. To this end I am fair in all deals, tell you the way it is - regardless of whether you want to hear it or not and will never allow you to simply "buy" or "sell" a home without understanding every aspect of how this will effect other areas of your life. For this reason I choose not to sell hundreds of homes every year. I prefer to work one-on-one with my clients and take great joy in their successes. I know by leading my personal and business life this way - mine will always follow...