Rising Star April 2023: Elaine Morgin

Growing Up in the Real Estate Business

ELAINE MORGIN has the down-to-earth Midwest charm that’s instantly endearing. Having sold more than fifty homes with Coldwell Banker Vanguard Realty last year alone, her strong work ethic is a given. But to understand Elaine and how she’s risen to the top of one of Florida’s most competitive real estate markets, we’d have to go back to the 1990s in a small town outside Gary, Indiana.

“My parents have owned and operated a successful real estate brokerage in Indiana for nearly forty years. As a kid, I spent Saturdays preparing the listings book for the following week, adding Polaroid pictures and taped-down descriptions to an eight-inch binder, which was the only way to see homes for sale back then,” Elaine recalls. In high school, she answered phones, booked appointments, and helped with open houses on the weekends. So, her passion for matching people with homes comes natu rally. “Growing up in the business, I was inspired by my parents’ dedication and love for helping families buy and sell their homes.”

THE DISNEY ADVENTURE

Elaine went to college at the University of Southern Indiana, intending to become a teacher, but she knew small-town life wasn’t for her. She wanted to go some place new and exciting, which led to an internship at Walt Disney World, that turned into an amazing ten-year adventure. Elaine says, “One year at Walt Disney World is equal to seven years of life lessons. It was a whirlwind of interactions with so many different people that you immediately learn to be efficient and to solve problems by thinking outside the box.”

MILITARY LIFE AND THE HOME-BUYING PROCESS

After a decade at Disney, it was Elaine’s love for the Chicago Bears that ultimately led her to Jacksonville. “I came to town for a Jags versus Bears game, and that’s where I met my husband, Vincent. He’d just returned from his first deployment, and I knew nothing about military life back then,” she says. Elaine definitely knows about it now, having lived at Mayport for eleven years, and it was actually her own experience as a VA homebuyer that brought her full circle in her career. Not to mention the vast network of military families she’s helped buy and sell over the years.

GROWING UP IN THE BUSINESS, I WAS INSPIRED BY MY PARENTS’ DEDICATION AND LOVE FOR HELPING FAMILIES BUY AND SELL THEIR HOMES.

She quickly learned the hard work and challenges involved with being a military family after they married and began the home-buying process.

“In 2014, we tried several times to purchase a home, and I was struck by how difficult it was for military members to be seen and heard in the process. Our offers were overlooked due to misunderstandings on the requirements,” Elaine says.

That was the turning point that revealed her mission in life.

EDUCATING AND ADVOCATING FOR SERVICE MEMBERS

Elaine explains, “I wanted to put my experience in real estate and my passion for teaching to work for our service members. It’s so important that they’re seen and heard in this fast-paced market and that the strength of the VA buyer does not go unnoticed.”

She continues, “I enjoy teaching service members who received the VA loan benefits to strategize their purchase with their

ever-changing lifestyle in mind. It’s so important to me to educate them on their options and get them set up for their next move. Guiding them through the adventure of buying and selling is what I love.” Elaine fiercely defends service members who earned the VA loan, ensuring the listing agent fully understands the benefit of working with a VA buyer so they can win the home. She has a deep connection to the process and a natural tendency toward staying connected to her past customers long after they’ve unpacked.

Elaine and her husband, Vincent.

LIVING THE GOOD LIFE

When Elaine isn’t selling homes, she enjoys the simple things in life. Her CrossFit Jax community helps her stay in shape and keep her head in the game. As a family, Elaine, Vincent, and her daughter Estella love exploring parks and enjoying the natural beauty that makes Northeast Florida such a fantastic place to live. Of course, a trip downtown to explore the city and all its offerings is a nice change of pace every so often, but ultimately, the beaches are her favorite part of town. An afternoon at the beach with her toes in the sand or out on the water is all she needs to recharge.

“If there’s a boat involved, we’re down,” she beams.

THE FUTURE AHEAD

In regards to the future, Elaine is ready for it. “I plan to continue growing my team and fighting off the old wives’ tales about the VA loan by educating and advocating for our service members. My most important job is raising our daughter to be the best human possible. I tell her my motto is when you’re loyal and honest: ‘the possibilities are endless.’”

Elaine discovered her purpose in life by returning to her roots and putting her degree in education to great use. She considers herself lucky to have built such an incredible book of business, one family at a time.