One of our agents gets featured in the Journal.

Jeanne Van Oss, Homeowners Concept, Wauwatosa
By Robert Warde

Posted: May 29, 2010

For 23 years Jeanne Van Oss worked as a commercial pilot for leading airlines and a corporation. During those flights she hung her hat where passengers boarding the plane could see it. Inside and visible to those passengers was a card that read “attitude is everything.”

It was that outgoing personality that caused several of her friends to advise her to go into real estate and within weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks, her seniority class at American Airlines was told it was going to be furloughed. Van Oss needed a job fast. She lived in Illinois at the time and got her license as soon as she could.

“I’ve always liked helping people. Even when I was at O’Hare, when I had some downtime, I would stand in the concourse and help people get to their gates. I just enjoyed doing it. In a way, I’m kind of doing that now with guiding my clients to their closing. I also enjoy the fact that each transaction is different and has its own situations and challenges,” Van Oss said.

In 2003, Van Oss wanted to live outside of the city. “I grew up in the country and I wanted to be in the country so we moved to Burlington in 2003,” she said.

Van Oss joined Homeowners Concept, a company that offers options ranging from limited to full service. “When I heard about Homeowners Concept, I joined them in 2009 because they have a full-service option. They do huge volume and I’m able to support my family. I’m real happy here,” she said.

Van Oss recommends referrals and doing some homework as the best way to find an agent. “Referrals are huge. Ask your family and friends for an introduction and if they don’t know anybody, then I would do a search and interview three or four different companies and look for that sense of reliability, trust, values and what they provide in a sense of history,” she said.

Van Oss has built success in the business, already meeting her 2010 sales goals and will have eight sales closing in June if all goes well.

In recalling her first listing in Wisconsin, Van Oss said it could have been the highest commission she earned, even though she enlisted the help of another broker in her office at the time because he had more experience selling commercial real estate. Ultimately, the owner of a $4 million hotel in the Wisconsin Dells opted not to sell, despite several offers.

“It was challenging learning all the ins and outs of commercial real estate and driving to the Dells to show the hotel. I think she was trying to see what people were willing to pay,” Van Oss said.

In her off time, she likes to plant wildflowers and work in her garden. “I also spend time with my children. I have two little ones and a teenager. I like to spend time with my husband and kids and catch my breath. We love to ski and bike and do things outdoors,” she said.

Van Oss also is a member of the Humane Society and works to create awareness of shaken baby syndrome. Her awareness has been heightened with the number of media reports about children who have fallen victim to being violently shaken. Someday she’d like to use her flying skills to make missionary trips to South Africa or South America.