This week I sat down with one of our Associate Real Estate Specialists, Josh, to ask him a few things about himself and the New York real estate market. The funny thing is that Josh is one of my very best friends so I thought I’d be able to answer these questions for him. Little did I know about his affinity for whales, horses, and all things Harry Potter. See what we talked about to get to know Josh a little better:
Where are you from?
Louisiana, originally. But I grew up in Destin, Florida.
Have you lived anywhere else?
No, only there and New York. I went straight from Louisiana to Florida when I was in 4th grade, and then moved to New York 6 years ago.
What is your family like?
Its me, my mother and father, 2 brothers, 2 sisters, 3 nephews, and 2 nieces. Sorry, 4 nephews and 2 nieces. Technically 5 nephews and 2 nieces, but a married in nephew and I don’t know him that well.
You know I’m going to write this right? And now up to 3 nephews will know that you forgot about them. Are they old enough to read this?
That’s alright. Even if they were old enough to read this, chances are they wouldn’t. I’m comfortable with that.
Growing up, what did you think your career path was?
I was 100% positive up until I was in about 7th grade that I was going to be a whale trainer at SeaWorld. There wasn’t even a wavering thought in my mind that it wouldn’t happen. And then one night I had a really bad dream that I was doing the act with Shamu and she jumped out of the tank and I was doing the scene where I’m standing on her face and she come’s out of the water *acting out with his hands* and we dive down together. But the trick went wrong and when she went up in the air she opened her mouth and I fell in and that’s when I was certain that I was better at being food at SeaWorld. And not, *pauses, sighs* a whale trainer.
What made you choose Real Estate over other opportunities?
First and foremost, there was no chance of falling into an orca’s mouth. Second, I like to work in a hands on job where I get to meet a lot of people. I feel like one of my biggest passions in life is just connecting with people. I love being a part of people’s lives. No matter what, one of the most important life events is finding a home, and getting to be a part of that process is a really cool experience that I get to take away from every day.
Explain in your own words why you chose to work at TripleMint?
I worked for a traditional firm originally, and I had actually started interviewing with other firms as well as TripleMint. I ended up here because I am big on integrity and morals and I finally felt that at TripleMint there was a great sense of both. Our people here are honest and at the end of the day, I’d rather work for a company that values their clients as much as they value their employees.
What makes the NYC residential market so unique?
The homes. New York housing market is not similar to other U.S. markets. There are such diverse spaces and buildings here in New York. The white picket fence, brick house is not really what you buy into here. You find artist lofts, carriage houses, penthouse floor throughs. Anywhere else, these would not be standard descriptions for your dream home. Here in New York, they’re the gems you look for.
How long have you been working as an agent and how long have you been with TripleMint?
I’ve been an agent for 3 and a half years, and with TripleMint for almost a year now.
What aspect of your business are you most proud of?
My connection with my clients. I truly value them, and treat finding them a home the same as I would for my friends and family. I want to be a part of it from beginning to end and I want every client to walk away feeling like we still have a relationship outside of the business aspect. After I move them into a home, I want to be able to meet them at the bars and other hotspots that I told them to go to when first walking the neighborhood together.
What is your best memory from working in real estate?
Best memory? I don’t really have a favorite. I have a fondest memory. The fondest memory is the first apartment I had put somebody into. It was a girl who was just moving into the city. She was coming to New York to find opportunities; she didn’t have a set plan. She only knew that she wanted to be here, and it reminded me of myself when I first decided to move here. It was surreal because my move here was such a scary process, and I finally found a purpose knowing that I would help her avoid the headaches that I encountered.
Favorite neighborhood and what makes it more appealing than its competitors?
I love Midtown West. It’s one of the only areas in Manhattan where there is still a thriving community. Midtown West used to be a huge red light district, and huge with drugs, but now it has become this wholesome uprising of Mom and Pop bakeries and coffee shops.
I like that I don’t feel that there is a demographic specific to the area. It goes everywhere from dancers and actors to finance professionals. It’s a huge melting pot of different cultures coming together, but still has a huge hello neighbor vibe. You see the same faces, you get to go to the new coffee shops. You get to see new restaurants come in, and other restaurants leave, but not because of rent increases, they are leaving to go to a bigger space.
What do you like to do in your free time?
In my free time, I’m usually with friends. I hate being indoors and wasting a day sitting on the couch. If I have free time, I’m more than likely spending it around Central Park. I love Central Park, I probably know it better than anyone in the city. I love to hang out with as many friends as possible. I have a huge case of FOMO (read: fear of missing out), so if there is anything going on slightly that I know about, I will more than likely run there, even if it’s just to grab an Instagram photo. (Follow him @joshuajuneau)
If you weren’t doing real estate, what would you be pursuing?
To be honest, I would definitely want to be running a non-profit for children and bullying. I think that with social media being so present in our everyday lives, it’s becoming easier to bully. Before, bullying was only possible if you knew a person, but now you don’t even need to know someone to make fun of them. I want to just remind people that everyone has feelings, and you need to be cognizant of them.
Were you bullied as a child?
Never, honestly. Which is really weird because I was raised in a very conservative part of Florida. People think of Florida and they assume it’s all like Miami, but where I’m from its very Bible Belt. There are 32 churches within the 7 square miles. Growing up and coming out, I never worried about whether or not my fellow peers and family members would accept me. I’ve always felt unwavering love from them all and I feel like I’m very blessed because of that. I want to show people that it is okay to be who you are, and not fear what other people think. Half of the time, the people who you fear the most won’t end up being as big of a part of your life as you make them out to be.
Dream Apartment Currently On the Market?
I am a serial apartment dater. I have extremely wandering eyes. I will fall in love with a triplex condo on the Upper East Side one day, and the next day be Soho Loft Tinder swiping right. My ideal apartment is one that I’ve never thought of, and whenever I see it I’ll know that it’s where I want to raise a family.
Favorite Book?
*Josh laughs, and then I laugh.* I actually read a lot growing up. I don’t read as often now, but I really did.
Most people don’t get defensive here, they just give me a book title.
My favorite book would probably be, um, can I say Harry Potter because I like the movies?
Favorite Movie?
Harry Potter. All of them. Actually, no, my favorite movie is The Princess Diaries. I could watch that movie every day of the year.
Favorite TV show:
Friends
Favorite place to travel:
Back home, probably. I love my hometown and I’m lucky enough that it is also a huge destination place to go to.
Favorite Music?
Really bad late 90’s pop.
Favorite Quote?
Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, when one only remembers to turn on the light.
Albus Dumbledore
Tell me something that not many people know about you:
Probably the horse thing. Growing up I had a horse ranch, the most prominent horse ranch in Louisiana, but it was just a prominent horse ranch filled with horse figurines that I collected and displayed proudly in my closet. I actually had a cabinet that was filled with horses. My favorite one was this black velvet horse, and I used to say that if I ever bought a horse, this would be the horse that I’d buy. Also, I’ve never ridden a horse in my life. And, um, so, that’s probably great to know. That I kept horse figurines in my closet. I’m going to lose followers from this, aren’t I?
