Featured Member: Duan Jones on HBCU CONNECT!

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Duan Jones
Detention Officer, Florida Department of Juvenile Justice
Location: Gainesville, FL United States
Joined: Aug 11th, 2014

About (request update)

Hello, my name is Duan A. Jones, and I am the owner and licensed broker for ABC Real Estate & Mortgages, LLC. I am a native Floridian, born in Lakeland, Florida, where I was raised by a single mother in one of the toughest projects in town named Washington Park. I graduated from Kathleen Sr. High School, where I was a football star and three starter. My skills on the field earned me a football scholarship to Bethune-Cookman College, presently renamed Bethune-Cookman University, where I excelled both in the classroom and the football field. I was blessed to enter BCC to learn in 1988, and departed to serve in 1993, graduating with honors. I majored in Hospitality Management and began my career in the food service industry as a Food & Beverage Manager at the Orlando In-ternational Airport, in Orlando, Florida. I later bought my first home at age 26, and realize that my college did not prepare the many intricacies in buying a home. It is a helpless feeling when you know that you are not well educated on something and the person in front of you is more knowl-edgeable than you. However you know enough to get that feeling that they are holding something back from you and not telling you about all the pros and cons to your decision. You are at the mer-cy of the financing people who knows more about their product than you do. Needless to say I was ripe for the pickings, and they took full advantage of my ignorance by putting me in the worse loan possible for me, but the highest paying commission for them. They got me good, but oh how things work for the good for those who serve and love the lord and who is called for his purpose! I turned my situation around and used it to motivated me to learn all I could about the mortgage business, so I could educate myself on the loan process and the different types of loan products available so I could not be taken advantage of again, and I can help others not be taken advantage of like me. While in the process of losing my first home to foreclosure I took the necessary classes and passed my mortgage broker test in 1998. I later moved back home to Lakeland where I was hired by a mortgage brokerage business that also did real estate. It was there I honed my skills in helping peo-ple finding the right loan for their situation. My broker and mentor instilled in me the importance of being honest and forth right with people by telling the truth no matter how bitter the pill was and not to try to sugar coat things. He taught me to keep things simple for people and not try to im-press them using jargon and technical terms. This is where my keep it short and simple philosophy came from. He encouraged me to go further and obtain my real estate licenses so that I did not just limit myself to one source of income. In 2003, I became a Licensed Realtor in the state of Florida. I continued to work under my mentor and learn more about mortgages and even more about the real estate business. After gaining valuable work experience in helping people buy and sell homes for seven years a earned my broker license and opened my own company in 2010. I praise God for everything I went through both the good and the bad because it has brought me to this point in my career where I can help others and earn a income doing what I have a passion for doing today.

Education (request update)

Bethune Cookman University class of 1993

Undergrad Major: Hospitality

Claim To Fame:

Opened Real Estate Company in 2010, ABC Real Estate & Mortgages, LLC

Experience

I currently work with Florida Department of Juvenile Justice as Detention Officer
I have years of experience working in the Law Enforcement, and Security industry.

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