A Slam Dunk Agent
Basketball is the Foundation of Jason Jesperson's Character
Basketball is the foundation that helped Jason Jesperson, a top agent of Century 21 Realty, grow from a high school athlete to a college basketball player, and from a young person with a entry level job to an adult with a family and a career that he loves.
“I don’t play at all anymore, but I do coach, and basketball is the origin of my work ethic and the foundation of who I am.” Jesperson said.
“This may be my 70th house I’ve sold this year, but often this is their first, and it might be the only house they buy for the next decade.”
After graduating college, he helped start up a regional AAU program called Wisconsin Playmakers Basketball, which he directed while also working as a mortgage loan officer. One of eight children, he wanted his younger brothers to be able to play basketball without traveling hours to practice; Playmakers was the solution. When he and his wife, Stacy, found out that they were expecting their third child, he made the difficult decision that it was time to let the project go and lean into his career. He started as a real estate agent, but he never let go of the lessons he learned as an athlete.
His coach at Mayville State was Tim Miles, who later went on to coach the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Jason remembers Miles putting him in his place and helping him learn how to be a man – and though he didn’t know it at the time, how to be a real estate agent.
“Basketball is a sales job,” Miles told Jason. “And in sales, never sell something you don’t 100% believe in.”
Jason, who works primarily in residential properties, specializing in new construction, believes in helping home buyers and sellers through a process that can be daunting. He treats every client as he would his brothers or sisters, with consideration, trust, kindness, and transparency.
“This may be my 70th house I’ve sold this year, but often this is their first, and it might be the only house they do for the next decade,” he said.
Guiding buyers through the new construction process comes with its own unique excitement. Jason lists new construction for sale once the plan is finalized, often right after the basement has been poured. From there, interested buyers are able to customize finishes including cabinets, countertops, flooring, and paint colors. Here, Jason says, transparency is especially important.
While meeting with buyers, Jason asks them to give him a wish-list of everything they could ever dream of. He then has the builder put together a comprehensive quote. "That way, the clients get the house they want at the price they expect," he said.
Jason is equal parts coach, father, and real estate agent. As his children pursue different athletic endeavors, he has evolved from a basketball person to a sports-in-general person to support them. But even when they’re grown, real estate will still be his passion.
“I’ll never do anything else ever again, and I don’t know that I’ll retire,” he said. “I think I would always like to do this.”
