Meet Janice Baldwin | Realtor and Team owner at Janice Baldwin & Associates at Keller Williams Realty Atlanta Northeast

We had the good fortune of connecting with Janice Baldwin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Janice, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
I moved from a small town outside Buffalo, NY to a small city outside Atlanta GA in 1994. In 1998 I began my career in Real Estate in a small southern city. I had just moved too and knew less than 5 people. Starting a Real Estate business and not knowing anyone was not an easy task. I asked the person in my small office that was successful what I needed to do and her answer was to “talk to everyone” and to get involved in local organizations. That is exactly what I did. I made friends everywhere and joined clubs and coached little leagues. I volunteered at my kids school and other local charities whenever I had some extra time to give back. This led to a passion for volunteering and I love it. I am even a founding member of a Charity Hometown Hero’s of Walton. My Charity provides Christmas for children in our community. We use local resources and business and have our local Heroes shop with the kids. Last year we provided Christmas for 393 local children.

I coached all 3 of my kids in Baseball and Softball and I made friends everywhere I went. In fact some of the kids I have coached still turn to me for advice and some have even allowed me to help them with buying their first home.

I grew my business with each and every relationship I made. I learned to put the needs of my clients and customers first. I am truly invested in each transaction and know that buying or selling a home can be emotional. A family’s home is filled with memories and I understood that. Because of my customer service, my dedication to my clients and the fact that I consistently stay in touch with each of them, I have referrals from past clients and almost all return to me if they need help again. I went from knowing almost no one to knowing almost everyone in my little city. I have built a team to help our clients with value added service. I have also chosen to surround myself with people that can only make me better. Currently I have 2 amazing buyers agents, Ashley Waters and Ashley Knight on my team and a full time transaction coordinator. In 24 year of Real Estate, I have seen all markets and prices. Learning to adapt as the market changes is necessary to succeed and I have always led with my heart.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
In 2005 I joined Keller Williams Realty Atlanta Northeast office.  This move made my career explode and my life better.  Keller Williams teaches agents to run their business like a business and builds leaders in the community.  They taught me how to build my team and taught me leverage.  They taught me how to build my team to help others succeed and to help me have a better life with my kids and my family.  Together everyone achieves more!  Other brokerages talked about selling houses, KW teaches about systems, tools, and leadership skills.   KW believes that if we are all better educated it helps everyone succeed at a higher level.  I have had opportunities both local and across the country because of the relationships I have made at this company with agents across the world.   While there are many choices of brokerages across the world, I can say my home is at KW and it truly changed my life and made me a better person. mom, leader, and friend.  The classes and conversations that happen at Keller Williams training I have been able to bring home to my children and have bigger conversations with them.  It has helped me with my team and given me the ability to help them with some valuable leadership training that will only help them for the rest of their lives.

There will always be challenges in Real Estate and how we deal with them can indicate how successful we will be.  I always approach challenges and problems with an open mind.  I am always searching for ways to improve and I always look for the win ~ win.  Many people have the mindset that winning means someone else has to lose.  I do not think that way in my business,  While I am competitive, I know that in each transaction there are multiple people involved with many different lives and I treat each person with respect.  I look for the solution to each problem as I tackle it and try to solve it.   Many people consider me a fixer as I always come up with a different perspective when they call me for advice.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love when people come to visit me and I get to show them around my special city of Monroe, and I love to show off Atlanta. Monroe, GA – a small southern city was founded by George Walton one of the founding fathers of the United States and one of 3 GA citizens that signed the Decloration of Independance. Downtown Monroe is full of quaint shops, boutiques, restaurants and a brewery. We have many movies that have filmed here and our downtown offers many unique festivals like our Flower Festival in June and our Battle of the Burger event always in the fall. We have always felt like a little secret nestled just 45 mins east of Atlanta and we have beautiful farm land and cotton fields all around. It really has been a great community to raise my children, to live and thrive in. I would be happy to give you a personal tour!

I love to take my friends when visiting to HIKE up Stone Mountain. On a clear day it is so amazing to be able to see all the way to downtown Atlanta. We always hike up but take the gondola down. If we have time to explore the park and stay on summer nights the laser show is great. Another favorite of mine is the GA Aquarium. I am a scuba diver and one day I want to dive there myself. The World of Coke museum is a must. Seeing all the Coke nostalgia and old commercials is always great and brings back lots of memories and who wouldn’t want to taste all the different Coke flavors from around the world. Even though it’s a little touristy – I love to Ride the HUGE Sky Wheel especially as the sun is setting and Explore Olympic park. In the summer it’s fun to watch and see the little kids run through the Olympic rings water fountain. My Favorite Pizza restaurant is Antico near GA Tech. They fly every ingredient in from Italy (including the water to mix for the dough). I love to walk the Beltline when visiting clients and friends in Atlanta and try new places as well. Ponce City Market is on the beltline and I recommend skyline park at the top. The view is amazing of ALL of Atlanta. The games are carnival style and the atmosphere is fun. Cafe Intermezzo is a great brunch place in Midtown and Zoo Atlanta is always fun. If you have time to schedule it ahead of time I highly recommend adding the Elephant experience as you get to be up close and personal to the elephants and even have a chance to feed them. Finally I would add the Battery and Truist park for a Braves Game. This park is amazing and lots of fun stuff in the Battery so give yourself plenty of time before the game for fun. Once inside, save room for the famous burgers from H & F Burger. It is the absolute best burger I have ever had. Look up the story behind the burger as it is a direct descendant of the original burger that debuted at the 1904 world’s fair in St. Louis and we agree that was the start of a true American meal.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Cheryl Sadoti

Cheryl was one of the best instructors and coaches I have had at Keller Williams Realty. She was also the hardest boss I ever had when I was Team Leader of 2 offices. Her dedication to coaching me and helping all our agents survive the very bottom of the Real Estate market was a big part of my success when I went back to selling. She was inspiring and intelligent and articulate. Cheryl always encouraging me to be the very best version of myself. She also was a model on putting your family first in all thing. God, Family then business she would always say. She helped me be a better mom, a better leader and a better person.

Website: https://homesforsalewalton.yourkwagent.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janice_baldwin/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janice-baldwin-76568a6/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/janicebaldwinkw

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/waltoncountyrealtor

Image Credits
Sierra Devin Photography