After 10 years in broadcasting, Julie Taylor needed a change. “It’s a really fun business,” she said of her time as an anchor and reporter, a career that placed her in the newsrooms of NBC, ABC, CBS, and FOX affiliate stations throughout Washington and Oregon. “But covering (traumatic events) and encountering the things we encountered? I wanted life to be a little more positive — and to find a better schedule.”
Broadcasting is notorious for its excruciating schedule. “You’re either up at 2:30 in the morning, or you’re getting home at midnight,” Taylor recalled. And no one could blame Taylor, at the time a new mother, for wanting to create a bit of balance.
After trying on a few different roles for size, Taylor eventually landed in the world of real estate — right as the recession hit.
Still, she stayed focused. Within three years, she hired her first assistant. And a year later, she brought on a buyers’ specialist. More than a decade later, her Julie Taylor Team at Windermere Real Estate in Bellevue (where she is managing broker) now includes a listing coordinator and various third-party support staff.
“What’s really important to me,” she said, “is that I can inspire the people on my team, provide security for them, and be a leader not only for my team but in the industry.”
For those starting out in real estate, her message is simple: “Be that person who (looks at their work) and says, ‘What can I do better?’ Everything is a learning opportunity, and every interaction is (the chance to) forge a relationship. That is always going to come around full circle.”
7 a.m. I wake up, scan emails, do a quick workout, then grab a coffee and kiss my family goodbye before heading out the door. My youngest daughter, Izzy, always sends me out the door with a smile. Our oldest is in college, and our son is camera shy.
8:30 a.m. The workday begins with returning calls and answering emails. I talk to clients and agents, I put out fires, and I get my team started on daily tasks.
9:30 a.m. Each day, there is an assortment of odds and ends to address. I have a quick meeting with Windermere Branch Manager David Eastern to go over floor plans for our new workspace and my new office design.
9:50 a.m. I start grabbing supplies for a buyer closing later in the week.
10 a.m. Nicole, our listing coordinator, hands me a rug for an outdoor space where we need a pop of color. Kylie, our marketing assistant, is placing supplies in my trunk to help get me out the door for all of my stops for the rest of the day.
10:45 a.m. I stop and have a quick chat with a homeowner in North Bend who is showing me her riverfront property so we can make a work list to prepare to go to market.
12:30 p.m. In order to get the staff out of the office, we have a team meeting at a Bellevue restaurant. As a bonus, we got to celebrate the birthday of our buyers’ specialist, Stephanie Hunziker.
2:10 p.m. Taking a quick break after a showing at our $8.5 million listing in Woodinville. I made a couple of baskets.
3:45 p.m. Collaborating at my favorite Bellevue coffee shop with broker and friend, Windermere’s Clive Egdes. We are going over closing checklists for our recent Clyde Hill sale.
5 p.m. My good friend, Reel Media CEO Kerri Schneider, and I enjoy a good power walk and mindfulness session around Yarrow Point. These walks have become a tradition for us over the past 20 years since we met anchoring and reporting for Q13.
7 p.m. Winding down after dinner with my husband, Rob, with the beautiful view from our home. I am so lucky that he could put dinner together for the family tonight.
