Hardworking, reliable, and infectiously fun, Janice Konkol represents the spirit of our First Team Real Estate family. An Irvine real estate expert with deep roots in the community, she has spent her impressive 40-year career at First Team. Consistently ranking among the top agents within the company, and by extension, all of Orange County, Janice time and again has been awarded our prestigious and coveted Hall of Fame status.
Sought out and trusted throughout Irvine’s Northwood community and beyond, Janice has continually grown her extensive skillset as a Designated Mobility Specialist, e-Pro®, Certified Short Sale & Foreclosure Resource SFR®, Luxury Specialist, and Certified Auction Specialist.
We are so proud to count you as one of our founding agents, serving you your entire career! What drew you to First Team, and what has kept you here?
Janice: The creativity and commitment of our management team. When I first got into real estate, I interviewed with probably ten different companies in Irvine. Bill Plattos, manager of the First Team Irvine office at the time, was the only person who didn’t want to hire me! I was a police dispatcher and he didn’t want any part-time agents. So, I had to change his mind.
First Team was number one in the market because of Bill and his extensive training, and the high level of service he expected from all of his agents to give our clients. Bill, our founder Cameron Merage, and the entire management team are all so creative and have always taught those strategies for success to us in order to remain on top.
We’ve seen crazy market shifts throughout the past 40 years including 17% interest rates and a global pandemic – but no matter where the market is, Cam has always found a way to help us serve our clients well and keep working. From my first manager to my current manager Dan Sarnecky, the management at this company is exceptional, I feel like they always care and want to see me succeed.
Your track record of success speaks for itself, but what has kept you committed to real estate as a career?
J: What makes me happy and keeps me in this business is my clients. I am proud to say after decades of client transactions, I’ve never had a bad client experience or review. To me, that’s what describes my career – I’m a guide for people in the real estate market and I want everyone to be happy. I’ve earned lots of awards, but I just work hard to put smiles on my clients’ faces.
I enjoy helping clients achieve not only their real estate goals but their life goals. Whether it’s through investing, or finally making the move to the big home they’ve been dreaming of, I always encourage my clients to do what they want with their life – it doesn’t matter where the market is.
You can’t put your life on hold and I want to see people – especially after Covid – enjoy their lives again. Don’t stop your life just because something out of your control is happening. Take that step forward, and I’m going to make it as simple as possible for you.
What First Team services have been the most valuable in your career?
J: I just attended a mastermind meeting where our top agents get together and aren’t afraid to share ideas. I walked away from that meeting reminded why First Team means so much to me – it’s the culture of sharing and caring.
Not only do I learn from our collaboration, but the company listens. We now have First Team Freelancers available for hire – an idea that came out of our mastermind group! We were brainstorming about how to get us out of the office and back into the field, and out came the idea of having trusted professionals available to hire who could take the small tasks off our plate that bog us down. It’s made a big difference in my business.
What is your most-used emoji?
J: My most used emoji is the laughing with tears in your eyes 🤣 I love to laugh big and it’s my number one go-to!
