After more than three decades in the jewelry business, Reed Chesney has decided to tackle real estate. He joined Halo Group Realty in October.
“I’ve always thrown around the idea, and I’ve had friends who were Realtors,” he said. “I would threaten, ‘You know what? I should just get my license.’ One day I decided to pull the trigger.”
Chesney credits Halo’s Kevin Caskey for helping him get started. The two met through a mutual friend several years ago. Caskey was one of those people encouraging him to pursue real estate. When Chesney was ready, he put him in touch with Champions School of Real Estate.
Despite their ties, Chesney interviewed with several firms before ultimately deciding on Halo. He loved the brokerage’s atmosphere and liked the way they were proponents of agents being their own business. Now Caskey is not only a dear friend but also his mentor.
“He’s really taken me under his wing and is trying to teach me,” Chesney said. “I call it ‘beating it into me’ – and he’s doing a great job.”
According to Chesney, there are many similarities between selling jewelry and homes. Both are emotional sales. Clients want to work with someone they trust because it’s very personal. The decisions they make are ones they will likely have to live with for years.
“It’s basically you and your friend because that’s what they become. It’s a relationship that you create,” he said. “Committing yourself to that is where you succeed. You have to commit yourself.”
Chesney grew up in Prosper, back when grades K-12 were in one building and the graduating class barely topped 20. He got into the jewelry business when he was 16 and migrated south to Dallas. He’s still a certified gemologist and will always be involved with jewelry in some capacity because it’s one of his passions. However, most of his attention these days is focused on growing his real estate business and learning how to improve every day.
“It isn’t like you’ve got to walk before you can run. It’s more like you’ve got to crawl a loooong way, and then they might let you walk,” he joked. “Things are going great and I’m loving it so far.”
