Last December, Brittani Firestone turned in her police badge to embark on a career in real estate. The JP & Associates Realtor hasn’t looked back since.
“I’m really enjoying it. Every now and then, especially in the beginning, it’s been a little bit scary, but the business is coming along” she said. “I’ve gotten a lot of referrals from police friends and family, so that’s actually been quite nice.”
The idea of going into real estate has always been in the back of her mind. Firestone’s family has a construction business so she grew up around new homes. She also has a brother-in-law and a cousin in real estate well as an aunt who retired from it. Her wife is in commercial real estate, and has helped her immensely as she was getting started.
“I think overall it was an easier transition just because I did have someone at home to help me with questions and things like that,” she said.
Firestone spent 14 years with the Dallas Police Department. For the past five years she was also in the Neighborhood Police Officer (NPO) program that was put together to bridge the gap between officers and citizens. She also served on the Texas Attorney Generals Fugitive Office where she helped catch criminals at large, particularly sex offenders. They once caught an unsuspecting fugitive washing dishes in the back of a New Mexico restaurant.
“That was very satisfying. He had no idea we were there,” she recalled.
According to Firestone, one of the biggest adjustments for her was adapting to the new schedule. As a police officer, the daily schedule was spelled out with disciplined instructions for every day. Now things are a lot more flexible depending on the day and situation.
Firestone has found that at the end of the day, her job still comes down to helping people. It’s just a different way of doing it. Her familiarity with Dallas neighborhoods has given her a unique perspective to share. She regularly gives her clients safety tips and advises them to check out an area in the morning and at night to make sure it’s a place they are comfortable with. She also makes it a point to tell them they she is welling to see as many homes as possible until they are absolutely comfortable.
“We’re in this together,” Firestone said, “and I don’t want them to feel like I’m rushing them or that we don’t have time.”
