Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe Brown.
Hi Joe, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My family moved to Brandon in 1964. I graduated from Brandon High School in 1979. At that time I thought about becoming a Catholic priest and attended St. John Vianney College Seminary in Miami, earning my Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy. As life unfolded, I spent 35 years in education. In Hillsborough County Public Schools I worked as a guidance counselor, assistant principal and spent 19 years as a middle school principal. I earned a doctorate degree in education from USF in 2006 and worked as an adjunct professor for USF, NOVA and 8 years for St. Leo University. I retired from the school system in 2021. My wife, knowing my personality, said I needed to find something to do and a good friend of mine had just gotten his real estate license. That gave me the impetus to get licensed as well. For the first few years I only handled residential real estate. Our brokerage had a training for commercial real estate that intrigued me. I took the training to become a Century 21 Commercial Specialist. In the commercial real estate there is an organization called CCIM – Certified Commercial Investment Member and am working on becoming a CCIM Designee. I am currently a CCIM candidate. While I still do residential real estate I am focusing more on commercial real estate. I realized that there are business owners who are facing retirement and want to protect their finances. I have retired and know that experience. I know how to sell commercial property and help these property owners protect their financial assets. This is my target group.
Outside of the real estate profession, I am the director of the OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in South Tampa. I am in my 11th year in this position. My family have been members of St. Patrick’s for 38 years and I have served as a reader at Mass that entire time.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Compared to being a middle school principal, real estate has been very smooth. It has been interesting because I saw the housing market in 2021 increase by leaps and bounds. In more recent months, with higher interest rates, buyers are facing an affordability issue. Not only are mortgage rates higher, home values are higher, home-owners and health insurance is more expensive, and property taxes have increased. All these factors have put a strain on buyers. This is why we have see a slow down in the real estate sales.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Century 21 LIST with BEGGINS?
I happened to join Century 21 LIST with BEGGINS because of my friend who was with the firm. I did not know about the brokerage at the time. I believe God was watching out for me because it is a fantastic group of people. Craig Beggins, the broker, started Beggins Enterprises more than 35 years ago in Apollo Beach. At one point, Craig partnered with LIST Developers, which was in South Tampa, and started LIST with BEGGINS. Beggins Enterprises has been associated with the Century 21 brand for more than 40 years. Craig’s father, Jim, brought the Century 21 franchise to Florida in the early 1970’s.
Beggins Enterprises has offices through the Greater Tampa area, from Brandon to Sarasota to the Gul Beaches. We recently expanded to the Miami area and the Tallahassee and Pensacola area. Beggins Enterprises is the largest Century 21 franchise in the State and 14th largest in the nation.
People recognize Century 21 as a residential brokerage. Most people do not realize that Century 21 Commercial is one of the most searched commercial sites and one of the top ten commercial brokerages in the nation.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I’m not sure if I call it luck. I recognize it more as a blessing. My life has been blessed in so many ways. When i was two years old I was involved in an accident that could have killed me. As an adults, a series of events led me to meet Rosemary, who became my wife. Though i had studied to be a counselor in a practice, I was offered a job in a school. I say I did not choose the education field to begin with but I backed into it. I worked with some great Principals, Bill Pent and Herman Valdes, who gave me the leadership opportunities to become a principal. I have been blessed by so many great teachers and interacted with supportive and tremendous families. My life has been blessed and I consider it all gift.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.JoeBrownC21.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063512259356
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-brown-9a707430/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JoeBrownrealtor
- Other: https://JoeBrown-commercial.c21.com
