Meet one of our Knowledgeable, Accessible, and Friendly (KAF) Top 30 Women Real Estate Specialists of the Bay Area! Jenn Collins!

Meena Yeggina: Hello all. Welcome to India Parent Magazine. This is Meena Yeggina with another episode in the series of Top 30 Women Real Estate Specialists of the Bay Area in our Homes and Schools Special Editions.

If you find our videos informative and interesting, please don't forget to subscribe, like and comment so we know your views about our series. Jen Collins, as one of our Top 30 Women Real Estate Specialists, is a gem to work with. And IPM, that is India Parent Magazine, is fortunate to have found her.

She's calm and truly sweet, yet knowledgeable and straightforward—all the qualities you can rely upon in a home specialist, which we guarantee. She's not one of those who brushes off your questions about your real estate interests with the arrogance that comes to an expert after years of experience. Instead, her wisdom and mastery mellowed her to be more perceptive and warm-hearted to your requirements and concerns, says one of Jen's clients, Stacy. Jen is simply amazing and a joy to work with. We have worked with her on multiple transactions and I'm confident in saying that she has been able to deliver results unlike anyone else. She's a unicorn, a progressive market expert and real estate strategist who connects well with people. As a client, her ability to anticipate and remove roadblocks and communicate effectively is highly valued and boosted our confidence throughout the process. I can't recommend her highly enough. And here we at India Parent Magazine are very, very, very happy to introduce to you all this gem, Jen Collins. Hi Jenn, Good morning! Welcome to India Parent Magazine. Thank you so much for being here today on such an early morning. It means a lot to us.

Jenn Collins: Thank you. Thank you, Meena. I'm thrilled to be here.

Meena Yeggina: Jenn, for the sake of my viewers and readers, can you tell us a little bit about yourself, your background, your education and so on?

Jenn Collins: Certainly. So I grew up here in the East Bay. I lived most of my life in San Ramon and Danville. And my husband and I now live here in Danville with our two kids. And I've been in real estate.

I've been in real estate for about 20 years, but I was in commercial real estate before residential. So working throughout the Bay Area, helping companies acquire office space. And then about 10 years ago, I made the transition over to residential real estate in order to be able to spend some more time with my family and not be dealing with the commute as much.

Meena Yeggina: That’s awesome. Jenn, can you tell us a little bit about why real estate? I mean, you know, it's not an easy job as far as I understand. And so what makes you happy there? Thanks, Meena.

Jenn Collins: That’s such a great question. For me, it's really about the people that I work with. It's always been about really helping others, helping families find their first home, helping people downsize into a forever home, and really helping our clients with sometimes the biggest asset that they've ever worked with.

And one of the most important decisions they'll make in their lives, where to live, where to raise their families.

Meena Yeggina: Absolutely. Very well said. And I know you're representing us for two cities. Can you tell us the names of the cities and tell us a little bit about what’s so special about these cities that people should think of investing there, moving in there or even moving out of there? Can you elaborate a little bit on that?

Jenn Collins: Absolutely! So the two cities that I'm representing are Danville, which is where I live, and also Dublin. And both cities are really unique. So I do work throughout the entire East Bay. And these two cities, I find that I love. I love Danville because it is very family-friendly. It is really a unique city with its quaint downtown. It just has a lot to offer in terms of parks, recreation, hiking, restaurants. It's just a really warm, inviting type of city. For Dublin, it's a unique city also in that it is growing leaps and bounds.

And so I have watched Dublin over the last 10 years just explode with growth and housing and parks and recreation and restaurants and retail. And it is such an incredibly vibrant community. They're a little bit different. They're very different between the two cities, but that's why I love them both. And then on top of all of that, both cities have incredible schools to offer to families moving into those cities. So those are some of the reasons that they're great to live in either city.

As a family, are you looking for something a little bit more exciting and vibrant? And the next new thing, which is really Dublin with all of the new build that has been happening there, or are you looking for something a little bit calmer and quieter that you can find in Danville? So it's a personal decision, and I love both cities. Absolutely. So you think that for first-time buyers, these two cities might be very rival? Yes, absolutely.

The great thing about both also is that they offer a wide range of housing product. So whether you're looking at Dublin and you're looking as a first-time home buyer, there are a lot of options that you can find there for first-time home buyers, whether that's a condo or a townhouse or even a single-family home. And I've worked with first-time homebuyers that are very budget constrained, and I've also worked with first-time homebuyers that are not very budget constrained.

So whether it's your first home or your fifth home, it's really just depending on what your budget is, and there are opportunities for everybody in both towns.

Meena Yeggina: Absolutely! And finally, if a young couple, or even anyone for that matter, wants to buy or sell a home for the first time, what is the first step they should take? Where should they start, according to you?

Jenn Collins: Such a great question. So the first thing to do before you buy or sell a home is really to come up with your strategy. And so the way that you're going to do that is by talking to either a real estate professional or a lender, depending on which path you're taking, if you're buying or you're selling. I always say start with a real estate advisor first, because whether you're buying or you're selling, it's a great place to start.

We can help you come up with a strategy for each step throughout the process, and we always have great lender recommendations for buyers looking to buy a home. So if you don't know where to start, start by talking to a real estate agent first, and then that way they can help guide you through that process and really make sure that you're set up on the road for success.

Meena Yeggina: That’s awesome! And I would like to add that I've met Jenn personally. She's such a lovely person, and anybody would be lucky to have her as a real estate specialist for either Dublin or Danville. And we at the magazine highly, highly recommend her.

She's knowledgeable, she's accessible, she's friendly: Our KAF real estate specialist. Thank you, Jenn, for being here, taking time for my readers. That means a lot to us.

Jenn Collins: You too. Thank you so much for your time today, Meena. Have a great day!