Top Agent Tammy Jo Budzynski of Grand Rapids, Michigan has achieved stellar success through sheer grit, determination and a true devotion to helping people achieve their real estate dreams. With a focus on helping her clients rather than her paycheck, she operates with honesty and integrity, which keeps her many customers returning and referring time and time again.

Tammy Jo was, it seems, almost born into the real estate industry. “My father and grandfather were both builders,” she says, “so I grew up knowing about homes. I also love people. I went to college for a business degree, and when I graduated from college I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do for a living. Since I had that background, I naturally fell into doing what my family does.” That was fifteen years ago, and since then Tammy Jo has achieved a level of success almost unparalleled in the business, and is currently among the top producers in the Grand Rapids market.

With almost three quarters of her business based upon referrals from satisfied clients, Tammy Jo is obviously doing something right. “I want to say my success is based on my devotion to taking care of people,” she explains. “I feel that when I take care of people, God takes care of me.” A graduate of the legendary Dave Ramsey’s financial management program, Tammy Jo is living a life free of any debt, a factor that she feels plays prominently in her ability to provide honest and integrity-laden service to all her clients. “Being debt-free allows me to coach my clients not from a position of having to pay bills or make a house payment, but from a place of honesty. I think that brings people to a place that is humbling, and they appreciate that.”

Staying in touch with past clients is of utmost importance to Tammy Jo. With a self-described professional demeanor that she laughingly describes as “goofy,” she sends out to her clients a monthly newsletter, which occasionally contains a personal story that extolls her humanity by describing sometimes awkward situations that her clients can relate to in their own daily lives. She also stays in touch through frequent phone calls, reminding her customers that she is available for any assistance they might need. “My clients view me as a friend when the transaction is complete,” says Tammy Jo.

While the financial rewards of her job are great, it’s the more personal side of the industry that Tammy Jo enjoys most. “I love working with people,” she says. “I love helping them problem-solve. I like being able to take an overwhelming situation for somebody and calm them down, and give them pieces of information one at a time, with maybe eight or so backup plans. I like being able to coach them through what the next steps will be. I’m here to help them make what might be the biggest financial decision of their lives.”

Giving back to the community is of paramount importance to Tammy Jo, and to that end she formed the non-profit “PLANt for the Future™,” an organization that seeks to replenish trees that are being sacrificed to the monumental amount of paperwork involved in real estate transactions. For each home we donate $35 towards planting trees. “We have over 100 realtors at my company, and 25% of them are enrolled in the program,” she says. “We planted 350 trees last April, and our goal is to plant 500 this upcoming April.”

In addition to continuing to green her city by planting trees, Tammy Jo’s plans for the future include a rebranding of her team that will roll out in January 2018. She also is an advocate of personal growth, which she believes benefits not only herself, but her clients as well. “My goal is to continue to change and grow, and to educate myself more.”

When asked what advice she would give other realtors, Tammy Jo pauses for a moment before responding, “Enjoy what you do. I think when you enjoy what you do, you can really make a difference for somebody.”

For more information about Tammy Jo Budzynski, please call 616-292-4400 or email TammyJo@grar.com