Jonathan & Lori Gregory
CELEBRATING LEADERS
STORY BY ZACH COHEN | PHOTOS BY NESTED TOURS
By the time Jonathan Gregory started his real estate career, he had amassed a wealth of experience in multiple industries. He was in the Army in the ‘90s and later owned his own construction company. In between, he held fascinating and diverse roles: bounty hunter, MMA trainer and cornerman, EMT, truck driver, and process server.
Through 2017, Jonathan’s construction business was thriving. But there were challenges, too. Jonathan has always been a man of values; he stands behind his drive, work ethic, and commitment to integrity. Unfortunately, it was hard to find construction workers with the same values.
“I got tired of all the ups and downs of not being able to count on people to show up for work,” he reflects. “It felt more like a babysitting job than anything. I wanted a career that I could either succeed or not based on my own merit, self-discipline, and determination, not on who decided to show up for work that day or not.”
Jonathan had attended real estate school in the ‘90s but failed to follow through by taking the exam. As the sole provider for his family, the commission-based nature of real estate caused him to pause. By 2018, Jonathan decided the time was ripe to give real estate another shot.
He started intending to be an investor but quickly realized he wanted to step into a sales/service role. After selling his first two homes, he shut down his construction business to focus on real estate full time.
“Ever since then, every month has been more and more successful. We have been killing it.”
Just Damn Great
In 2018, Jonathan’s wife, Lori, joined him in real estate. She had previously been staying at home with their kids, but she, too, was ready for a return to the workforce. Lori’s primary role is to support Jonathan on the back end so he can focus on sales and client retention.
In 2020, the couple decided to take their business to the next level and start a team.
Jonathan, admittedly, had some hesitations about starting a team, but he ultimately decided the potential reward was well worth the risk.
“I had hit over 60 sales as a solo agent and had realized I was getting close to doing as much as I could as a single agent. I had hit a ceiling, and if I wanted to still have a personal life and enjoy my life, we needed to start a team,” he explains. “I was leery about starting a team. I didn’t want it to become a babysitting job like I had before, so we are very selective of the type of person and personalities of the agents we hire.”
Jonathan and Lori named the team JDG Real Estate Group. It aptly stands for Just Damn Great Real Estate. In 2021, the team’s first full year, they closed 100 transactions for over $23 million. They were also recognized by RealTrends in their yearly “The Thousand” list.
The entire JDG team is committed to availability, expertise, and client service.
“The biggest complaint we get from new clients is that they had an agent before that would only be available at certain times each day. Someone from our team is available to them pretty much 24/7. We never want to limit the time that our clients have access to us. Everyone’s schedule is different, and we want to make sure our clients know they are appreciated and that we work for them.”
One Eye on the Future
Outside real estate, Jonathan and Lori enjoy family time and travel. They both have a love for scuba diving, and their three children are now 28, 25, and 25.
“And of course, being a REALTOR®, I have started playing golf. I think it's almost required,” Jonathan laughs.
As Jonathan and Lori look ahead, they hope to continue building the JDG Real Estate Group with teammates that are a good culture and personality match. Honor and integrity stand at the center of the team’s core values.
“We are building a team to help better other agents and to help the profession of real estate by building a team based on trust, integrity, and honor. I am trying to build a team that, even if I didn’t own, I would still want to be on. I want to give back to my team members and make sure they are successful and taken care of.
“Professionally, I want to build one of the most successful real estate teams in the state and then the country, where everyone genuinely cares for and helps each other on the team like family and not treat each other like competition. I want each REALTOR® on the JDG team to live a life worth living and to leave a legacy worth leaving.”
