Honesty is Jane Layton’s policy

Jan Layton’s success as a RE/MAX Gold Realtor comes down to one word — trust.

For more than 21 years sellers have trusted that Layton would present their homes in the best possible light using great photography for sales literature and, if needed, staging to accent its notable features and highlight its potential. Buyers have trusted that Layton would find them a home that suits their needs by asking questions and paying special attention to desires said and unsaid.

Clients have also trusted Layton to tell the truth. “It may not always be what they want to hear,” she noted, but honesty is the best policy and over the last two decades it has helped Layton sell more than 500 homes from Folsom to Placerville.

The exact number? “I should go back and count, something to do in my spare time … of which I have very little,” Layton said.

 What downturn?

When the housing bubble burst Layton said she stayed busy by sticking to her business model. It also helped that the majority of her business comes from repeat clients and referrals. Those who were in a good position to buy or sell a home knew who to call.

And Layton never lost her confidence. Not only does she know how to work with buyers and sellers, Layton said she can read the real estate market by crunching her own numbers and translating that information.

“It’s not about reading the tea leaves,” she explained. “It’s looking at the market and understanding how human nature and real estate work.”‘

Layton also continues her real estate education, attending seminars and learning from her peers. She serves on the MetroList Advisory Committee, and has been an El Dorado County Association of Realtors Top Achiever for 20 consecutive years. All these accomplishments and contributions earner Layton EDCAR’s Realtor of the Year award in 2012.

Layton said she really enjoys the people side of the business, getting to know fellow professionals and her clients. “I enjoy participating in their stories,” she added. “A lot of people I work with are also my friends.”

The great outdoors

Jane and her husband Dan, married about 29 years, live in Cameron Park. When she’s not showing homes or preparing a listing, she and Dan spend time with Mother Nature — hiking, backpacking and skiing — here at home and abroad. They’ve trekked through Ireland and the Himalayas, as well as other notable places.

They also travel to see their two grown daughters. Jenna lives in Alaska and Danielle lives in Maine. Jane said though they live far away, her girls are “an important part of my life.” She added, “Thank goodness for Facebook.”

Giving back

Over the course of her career Jane has seen the joy people get when they purchase a home. These experiences also remind her that some people don’t have a home at all. She serves on United Outreach of El Dorado County’s board, whose mission it is to help the county’s homeless population.

If residents knew the number of homeless people in the county “They would be surprised,” Jane said, adding that adults and children are affected by homelessness. United Outreach has sheltered more than 300 homeless people and families over the last couple of years, according to the non-profit’s Website.

Jane calls homelessness a “complicated” issue and said she and fellow board members are dedicated to finding solutions, and the organization always welcomes more people and ideas. “We need a lot of help,” she said. Visit uoedc.org for more information.

She also serves on the Cameron Park Design Review Committee which, she said, “is striving to put Cameron Park’s vision into Design Guidelines that will help the residents and businesses further shape Cameron Park while keeping the community’s commitment to sustainable growth, preservation of social, cultural and natural resources, and to economic development.”

“We have also been working on developing the concept of an architecturally cohesive walkable downtown,” Jane said. “It’s a great group of people and I enjoy working on it.”

Call Jane Layton at (916) 933-4800 or (530) 676-4800 or contact her via e-mail at janelayton@janelayton.com. For more information visit her Website at janelayton.com.