Meet Judy Berry-Daw of The JL Berry Company in Central Phoenix

Today we’d like to introduce you to Judy Berry-Daw.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Judy. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I am the president of The JL Berry Company real estate firm and I come from a real estate family. My father, Virgil Berry, Sr. started Berry Realty and Associates in 1960. As one of the first African American real estate brokers in Phoenix, he encountered many challenges throughout his career. One of those challenges included not being able to be a member of the Phoenix Board of Realtors due to his race. My father would teach both my brother, Virgil Berry, Jr. and myself the importance of joining such organizations as we began our real estate careers. My father taught us that to be successful in real estate we had to join those organizations that provided the necessary services to sell real estate. He taught us not to let others or situations keep us from striving for our goals. While my brother and I would join the Phoenix Board of Realtors which is open to all races now, out of principle, my father would never join the organization.

I became a real estate sales agent in 1988 and in 1991, I became a real estate broker. In 2005, I opened my own firm, The JL Berry Company, specializing in real estate owned (REO) properties as the economic recession was just beginning. I contracted with firms such as Freddie Mac, Wells Fargo, Homeq, Chase and other financial institutions who needed property management services, listing and sales services in the foreclosure industry. At the height of the market, The JL Berry Company had an inventory of more than 100 homes in the pre-marketing, listed, and under contract stages.

Real estate can be challenging. In spite of this, my company’s goals center on providing quality services for completed tasks regarding listing and selling of properties. However, many agents look to the financial rewards as the priority of the transaction. This type of mentality makes the business challenges as the customer is no longer the priority. The commission check becomes the central focus of many agents.

As the recession began to wind down in 2012, I was looking forward to other avenues for myself and The JL Berry Company to become involved in. Throughout my career, I have enjoyed the emotional rewards that come from my work with non-profit organizations. After being the treasurer of the Tanner Community Development Corporation, an organization that provides community services to the under-served for the past 15 years, I have had the opportunity to raise over $50,000 through social events, for the continued growth and development of the organization.

I have been fortunate enough to plan other events for organizations such as The Black Theatre Troupe where I served as the President and The Consortium and Others for the Arts where I also served as the Vice-Chair. Raising funds for these organizations to assist in the continuation of services to the less fortunate or to provide assistance to those who wish to demonstrate their talents to the community, through the arts, has always been a passion of mine also.

Currently, I am preparing to begin my dissertation for the completion of my Doctorate in Business Administration degree in 2019. I am hopeful that I will be able to continue my real estate career by continuing to list and sell properties. But I also hope to be able to expand my community work to include giving back to the community by teaching non-profit organizations about how to become self-sustaining through real estate investment.

Teaching or guiding non-profit organizations about the importance of real estate in their strategic planning has allowed me to assist in the development of a new church in Maricopa, AZ which will break ground this year. Mt. Moriah Community AME Church will have a new sanctuary and campus due to their faith and learning about the ability to combine real estate with their non-profit status. South Mountain Baptist Church in Phoenix, AZ will also begin the construction of a new major wing on to their organization which will allow them to lease out space to the community for community functions allowing for an additional stream of income.

As a project manager, I teach organizations about the construction, remodeling, land purchase or sale, multi-family housing, multi-use opportunities all in an effort to guide organizations through the process on how to become financially multi-dimensional and therefore being able to generate multiple avenues of income as they grow their organizations.

Real estate has many faces.

Contact Info:

 

• Address: Judy Berry
  The JL Berry Company
  1241 E. Washington St. Suite #201
  Phoenix, AZ 85034
• Website: jlberrycompany.com
• Phone: 480-706-1034
• Email: judyberry@jlberrycompany.com

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