How a Farmer’s Dream Became a Thriving Business
Ever wonder how a former accountant who worked on a dairy farm would one day own a top-producing real estate office? Janet Martin never imagined how it could happen, until it did.
It all started as one woman’s desire and passion for real estate and her community that would eventually turn into an unlikely success story. Except, it was no accident. Janet Martin built her real estate business from the ground up with sheer grit, long hours and even longer talks with her clients.
Along with a great amount of risk, trial and error and most importantly, consistency, Martin has successfully grown her business and team. All of whom together have sold over 62 million dollars in 2021. Now standing across the road from Starbucks, you’ll find Janet Martin Realty in a chic white farmhouse with an inviting front porch.
Born in Houston, Janet’s family moved to Sulphur Springs shortly after her birth. She spent childhood years on Live Oak Street playing kick-the-can, neighborhood softball, or riding bikes until dark. Those were the days when you stayed out until the sun set. She remembers the area being mostly farmland, living on the edge of country. Even today, the subdivision holds lots of memories. But at 15 years old, her family moved to the community of Union, about 8 miles south of Sulphur Springs.
“I felt banished being so far away,” Janet recalls. “But of course, now, I really appreciate both places where I grew up in Sulphur Springs!”
Martin graduated from Sulphur Springs High School and would later attend East Texas State University, now Texas A&M Commerce. She worked her way through college and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. After returning to Sulphur Springs, she accepted a position with Carl Bryan, CPA and Powers & Bryan attorneys.
She accredits the work ethic her parents instilled in her for the ability to see through any challenges in her life, some of which happened while being a farmer. After eventually leaving her accounting job to partner with her husband in the dairy business, Martin found herself gaining extensive knowledge and exhausting hands-on experience running a diary. As her husband was a top-notch dairyman in the area, this is where she learned most about land, cattle and business in general.
After selling the dairy in 1997, Janet worked with vulnerable children as a CASA representative for three years. Seeing the immense needs of families and children was hard on her.
“Those were some tough years,” she recalls.
It was not until 2000, that Janet branched out to become a realtor. She started out like any other agent, one who would have to put in the work to make it. As Janet’s sales portfolio grew, so did her desire to start her own brand of real estate. In 2004, she received her Broker’s license but it wouldn’t be until 2013 that she would open her own company. After her grandchildren had grown up, she made the brave step to begin Janet Martin Realty.
Now, with over 20 years of real estate service with buyers and sellers, her passion continues for her clients and the joy in helping them. On top of combining her accounting and farming experience, she looks for proven and successful agents who strive to be the best professional in the business. Janet also shares with them her years of expertise, which has allowed Janet Martin Realty to become one of the top real estate agencies in Northeast Texas.
She feels her passion to be the best at what she does is why she has gained satisfied clients and loyal, returning customers. More than anything, she loves the people of Sulphur Springs!
“This little town is a breath of fresh air for many of the people I meet who come from other areas,” she says. “They are most shocked by the friendliness of us!”
When Janet is not helping others find a home or farm in East Texas, she and her husband go camping. They meet with friends and visit places in their R.V.’s. Many a friend has seen Janet closing deals on her iPhone as they ATV on the Colorado trails. They’ll also stay close to home, spending weekends at Lake Cypress Springs sitting around the campfire, or at their farm with family.
As for the future of Janet Martin Realty, she plans on continuing the growth of her business by serving her community and her agents while helping others find what we have here in Sulphur Springs. She values our small-town ways while understanding that to some degree, change is inevitable. In the end, her love of the community is what drives her.
“We have some of the kindest and most caring souls I’ve encountered,” she says. And for those who visit or move here, she hopes they experience it too.
