Meet Joe Cimino | Real Estate Agent

We had the good fortune of connecting with Joe Cimino and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Joe, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
Starting as a Real Estate Agent, just in August of this year, I took a huge leap from a career that I knew for over 10 years. I left the field of teaching after working at Ohio University, France, Ohio State University and then in the Columbus City School District, most recently for three years. I went to school to be a French language educator and followed that path wherever it took me – even to French middle and high schools where I taught for a year.

While I found all of my time in classrooms rewarding, I knew that I needed a change. Last summer my husband and I purchased a rental property and completed the renovations and remodel ourselves in order to learn, but more importantly to save money in the process. Those five months of work planted a seed in my head which continued to grow while I was still teaching. I couldn’t stop thinking about how we could turn that work we did into a business or into careers, especially because we had fun! The classroom had been losing the ‘fun’ factor over time.

As you do better in education, you’re typically rewarded with more work and no more pay and that had become the case. Being better meant reaching out to more parents and stakeholders, serving on committees, taking classes of my own to maintain my license, and continually updating what I taught students to stay relevant in the face of technology. So I felt like I was always pushing that bolder up a hill for it to push me back down every year.

Luckily, my partner was the most supportive during my processing of all these thoughts and what I could do next in terms of career success. The job market was not ‘hot’ when I was searching so I took action on real estate sales because it allowed me the autonomy to choose when I could take courses and get licensed (all in the timeframe of 8 weeks). Here I am now, just over one month into the business and I am so happy. I just started showing new clients their potential first homes to purchase while still educating them on what they might not know about each house or how the buying process will work.

The risk was worth the reward, no questions asked. I was privileged in having my partner with me to support the big switch, which I don’t take for granted at all. I am so excited for all that this next chapter holds!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Right now I think what sets me apart from others is instagram. It has been so fun trying new and creative things with content. While it’s not revolutionary, it feels new to me which keeps it interesting every day! Coming from education I had to be fairly calculated in my posting decisions because you never knew which student or parent might see you online. Now though, that freedom is a major piece of the business. Being seen and having an online presence makes everything else easier – being trustworthy and getting referrals, seeing examples of my work, etc.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We love Columbus! There are plenty of activities, but a few of our favorites would be: 1. Lunch at Brown Bag Deli. The best sandwiches and sides in the city. 2. Walk around German Village – after you grab your sandwich you can waltz around on cobblestone streets and see where Columbus really got its start. 3. Take a ride to a metro park. Within 10 minutes to a half hour you can drive out to any of the major metro parks to take in the peace and quiet and feel the grass beneath your feet. 4. Grab dinner at Chapman’s Eat Market. They have incredible food and drinks. 5. See a major museum or art exhibit!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would love to shoutout my husband, Kevin Maas. He is also on this journey with me. He just completed his Mortgage Loan Officer coursework and licensure and we’ll be creating our own in-home team to make the buying and selling process that much easier on clients.

My best friend, Natalie Pariano – a small business owner and entrepreneur for the last 10 years with NatterDoodle in Columbus. She has always been the president of my fan club and gives the best encouragement and advice.

My Real Estate Broker, Jon Lange, of HomeRounds Realty in Grandview – when I was looking around the city to see where I wanted to start my career, there were almost too many choices. Jon made the decision simple by being honest with me and since starting with his agency, I have felt supported and prepared to get into the daily grind!

Website: https://joeciminorealtor.com

Instagram: @joeciminorealtor

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-cimino828/

Facebook: https://facebook.com/joeciminorealtor