This week on Epic Agents, I sit down with two of my favorite local pros — Jen Foster and Barrie Rojahn of Foster Rojahn Premier Properties — for a conversation about the long road into real estate and why the “overnight success” almost never is one. Both started in Northern Virginia, crossed paths in Charlotte’s multifamily world back in their twenties, and spent two decades in property management and HOA portfolio management before either of them ever held a brokerage license. They call each other “work wives,” and after this episode you’ll understand why.
We get into the good stuff: how Jen’s creative, design-driven brain pairs with Barrie’s analytical, numbers-down-to-the-penny approach to give clients a genuine “two for one.” We talk about treating your license like a startup, the difference between starting with capital and starting with time, why ego has no seat at their table, and Barrie’s contagious passion for building wealth through real estate. If you’re early in your real estate journey — or eyeing a career change into the business — this one’s for you.
About the host:
Jeff Hamm is a real estate broker with Ivester Jackson | Christie’s International Real Estate, serving Lake Norman & Charlotte, North Carolina and Banner Elk, North Carolina. He specializes in luxury, waterfront, mountain, and investment property, with a focus on buyer representation. He is also the founder and host of The Best of LKN and Banner Elk Living.
Learn more and contact Jeff:
LKNreal.com
BannerElkLiving.com
Jeff Hamm is a North Carolina real estate broker with Ivester Jackson | Christie’s International Real Estate, serving two of the state’s most sought-after markets: Lake Norman and Banner Elk and the greater High Country. He specializes in luxury and second-home property, from Lake Norman’s waterfront, golf, and lakefront communities to High Country communities including The Lodges at Eagles Nest, Elk River Club, Farm at Banner Elk, Diamond Creek, and Echota. He also works with buyers of condominiums, homes in active adult and family-friendly neighborhoods, and short-term rental and investment properties. His focus is buyer representation, where his relationships with each region’s top listing brokers, builders, and designers give his clients a measurable edge.
Jeff is also the founder and host of two local media platforms, The Best of LKN (since 2020) and Banner Elk Living. Each includes a podcast and newsletter that spotlight the area’s most admired small businesses, nonprofits, and entrepreneurs. He publishes the annual Lake Norman Visitors Guide and Banner Elk Guide, produces regular market reports for both regions, and hosts The Best of Lake Norman Business Network and the Banner Elk Business Network.