With just two years into her real estate career, Jennifer Santi is already turning heads. Her keen eye for detail, passion for customer service, and strong work ethic—cultivated during her fifteen-year career in the jewelry industry—have been a perfect match for real estate. But why the sudden change of careers?

Like many people who switched careers in the past few years, the pandemic had a lot to do with it. While the pandemic forced a lot of people to stop their busy lives and reflect on what they truly wanted, having suddenly found themselves with a lot of time on their hands, the opposite was true of Jennifer. Like many real estate agents at the time, Jennifer found herself busier than ever! 

“I was appraising jewelry all day, every day, and was getting burned out. It is not easy to look under a microscope all day, or have to use your fine motor skills eight hours a day. I was starting to think it was time to try something new,” Jennifer explains. 

Overworked and looking for a change, Jennifer took some time one day to write down everything she wanted in a new career and which skills of hers she thought could transfer over. Real estate appeared to be a perfect match. 

“Both industries require expertise in evaluating the worth and quality of high-dollar assets, both are influenced by economic factors, and both are centered on customer service: building trust, understanding customers’ preferences, meeting their needs, and establishing solid relationships,” she says. “Plus, I was already accustomed to working weekends and putting in long hours, so that wasn’t a problem either. It’s not work if you love what you’re doing, right?”

In addition, Jennifer had always been interested in the home-buying process and remodeling. One of her first jobs was working with an interior designer—visiting job sites, taking room measurements, and processing orders for cabinetry, light fixtures, and faucets. Also, for the past seven years she and her husband, Brian, have been remodeling their own home together, room by room. And while they are not quite done yet, she’s already looking for her next “fixer-upper.”

As soon as Jennifer saw how well her experience and skills lent themselves to a career in real estate, she reached out to Nick Blackshaw of the Blackshaw Messel Group and asked if she could join the team. She’s sure glad she did.

“The Blackshaw Messel Group with Compass are a great group of people that I look up to,” she says. “We have nine people on the team, and we all come from very different backgrounds and experiences. At our team meetings, we get vulnerable and talk about the highs and lows of the business and our personal lives. There is a lot to learn from each other’s experiences, and it’s great to be part of such a powerful and awesome brokerage. I plan to continue to learn and grow from my fellow colleagues, both inside and outside of my brokerage, and to ‘collaborate without ego,’” she affirms. 

Jennifer is from the small town of Johnsburg, Illinois. Growing up on the Chain O’ Lakes, she spent her days riding bikes on the trails, boating on the river, and four-wheeling through the fields. She was always very talkative, loved people, and was taught by her grandmother to always be yourself, be kind, and help others. 

After high school, she lived in Carlsbad, California, for a year while attending college at the Gemological Institute of America. She ran cross-country in college and earned a bachelor’s in accounting from Robert Morris University as well. She then moved to the Lincoln Park neighborhood in Chicago and that’s when she fell in love with the city. 

“We rented the same coach house for all ten years while living there [Lincoln Park]; when you land a good spot in the city, you don’t move,” she explains. “Now, I always say that I have the best of both worlds. I love living in North Shore and near Chicago—what an incredible city with amazing food! It is also fun to get away, and I love being out in the northern ’burbs, in the country, and boating on the Chain O’ Lakes. I split my time between the city and the northwest suburbs.”

While Jennifer works full-time in real estate, she still loves gemstones and works part-time in the jewelry industry. Apart from real estate and gemstones, Jennifer loves live music and is a huge fan of the band Phish. When it comes to relaxing, you can usually find her with her dog, Cali, relaxing at the beach, or reading a good book while drinking a warm cup of matcha. 

As Jennifer continues shining in real estate, she remains passionate about helping her clients and growing her business. She looks to the future with hope and excitement. As she says, “This is only the beginning for me.”