Jill Guzman

CELEBRATING 18 YEARS OF “GOOD OLD FASHIONED SERVICE”

BY KIM ANN ZIMMERMANN

When you enter the offices of Jill Guzman Realty, you might think that the real estate business has gone to the dogs. There are plenty of canine companions in the office and you may see a dog toy peeking out from under a chair.

At this family-owned and oriented real estate firm they strive to treat each customer as a member of the family, so the cozy confines of the office set the right tone with comfy seating and a roaring fireplace. “The secret to our success is simple,” notes Guzman. “The company’s motto, ‘Our Best Reference Is Your Neighbor,’ has lead to literally thousands of satisfied client recommendations. We had people come in just this week who were clients 16 years ago.”

The business was started 18 years ago by Jill and her husband Juan. “The company was built from scratch and with a positive ‘we can do it,’ and ‘we can overcome any and all obstacles” attitude,” she says. Since Jill Guzman Realty opened its doors in 1988, Guzman has stressed dedication, honesty, simplicity and a family atmosphere.

Prior to staring her real estate career, Guzman was an English and Spanish teacher in the community, mostly at Elizabeth High School. Guzman was born in Newark and spent her teen years in Elizabeth. She attended Rutgers and Kean University.

She got involved in real estate while she was recovering from surgery. “I had to take a break from teaching for eight weeks, which was just enough time to take a real estate class,” she says. She did real estate part-time and continued teaching for a few years and then started her own business after having her daughter Marla.

Guzman and her husband started out on their own, with their daughter in tow. It wasn’t always easy, but the work was gratifying, Guzman says.

“We started out in real estate when the interest rates were 18 percent and it was just the two of us out there every day,” she says. “It wasn’t like it is today.”

While Guzman has overcome obstacles in her business, the Guzmans have also faced adversity in their personal lives. The Guzmans were married at what is now Trinitas Hospital just prior to Juan’s surgery for a benign brain tumor. He had nine subsequent surgeries. As a result, the Guzmans have volunteered often at the hospital. Currently, they are entering their dog Milagros into a program to be a certified pet therapy dog. As a pet therapy dog, Milagros can visit patients in hospitals and nursing homes.

The Guzmans also donate their time to the Jewish Family Services of Central New Jersey delivering meals to people who are house-bound. “When you help others, it
comes right back to you,” she says. “We felt that we had received so much help, we should give back.”

Guzman says that their connection to the hospital and volunteer work has had a positive impact on her daughter. “She became very interested in helping people and the medical profession. She is completing her undergraduate pre-med degree at NYU his spring.

While loyalty and community involvement have been building blocks of the Guzman’s family, they are also part of their business philosophy. “We really look for loyal, dedicated employees who know the communities they are servicing and want to be a part of our family full-time,” she says. “I tell agents who come to me to do real estate on a part time basis that there are a number of great competitors in the area that employ real estate agents part time.”

Guzman also prides herself on the firm’s ability to service clients of varying cultures. The firm has agents that can speak Spanish and Portuguese, and they produce advertisements and marketing materials in those languages as well. “Sometimes, these client can speak English, but they feel more comfortable speaking their native language. Buying a home requires a high level of comfort and trust, and if we can help clients feel more comfortable, that is a plus.”

Some members of the staff at Guzman have been with the company since the beginning. Ana R. Diaz, a close friend of the Guzmans, is a CPA and was raising three children alone when she started at Guzman. “We’re so fortunate to have such a wonderful staff,” Guzman says.

Guzman’s loyalty extends beyond her family, clients and employees. “Please, you have to mention that Anthony of Bodies and Faces in Elizabeth did my hair for the photo shoot,” she says as we were leaving.