The Rental Girl Spotlight Sessions are like one-on-one, virtual coffee dates with our real estate agents. We sit with one of The Rental Girls, ask them 5 simple questions and they respond with 5 honest and (we hope!) insightful answers. This gives our readers a chance to get up close and personal with the real girl behind the avatar on our site, and gain further insight into The Rental Girl lifestyle and culture. Feel free to leave questions/curiosities in the comments section below!
Meet JASMINE, The Rental Girl’s Los Feliz, Franklin Hills, Virgil Village & Atwater leasing agent…
Where were you born, and what brought you to Los Angeles?
I was born in Bakersfield, CA, but most of my childhood was in Ridgecrest, located in the High Desert. I was also home schooled and spent some of grade school in San Diego; so I’m a Southern Californian native. Whats’s funny is, growing up, I never liked coming to LA…I had family and friends in Los Angeles and whenever I would visit in high school, I would try to make the visit as short as possible. I didn’t like the hustle and bustle of LA–it didn’t fit this idea I had of it in my head, being this glamorous place. Then, I wanted to get into fashion and felt the best place for that in California was L.A. I attended the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandise in Downtown LA…, so moving here was more of a forced decision on my part. I wasn’t initially happy about it, and thought I just gotta go real quick, get my degree, and get out! Obviously that didn’t happen (giggles). Now, I love L.A.! I can’t imagine myself anywhere else. I love the mix of grit and glam and just the overall mindset that people have here. You move here to accomplish something; you’re most likely a dreamer if you live in L.A. and it is inspiring to be surrounded by so many creative and hard working people. Beautiful souls all around!
We’re glad LA grew on you! When did you know you wanted to become a real estate agent, and what attracted you to The Rental Girl?
I knew I wanted to become a real estate agent last year, after working at The Rental Girl as an assistant for Ellie, the previous Los Feliz agent. It was never a career I saw myself in, I looked at myself as more of a creative so this job never crossed my mind. But looking back on it now, I’ve moved so much it, it makes sense to be in real estate. In the last 6 years I’ve moved every single year. Part of that was because I felt had to, but another part was because I really loved new homes, new neighborhoods and the whole idea of making it my own. I love walking around my neighborhood and admiring all the homes and seeing the new properties that have popped up. I like looking at how different neighborhoods have developed in the past year, what new eateries have popped up, what new clothing stores have opened–and I do really enjoy the experience of moving somewhere new and making it a home. And now, I get to do this as a living, and get to live vicariously through the renters and it kind of scratches that itch I get to move every year! I also never looked at real estate as a creative industry, but it is! You insert your sales talent with new and creative ways to market a home and yourself. There is a ton of freedom and lots of ways to be creative. It is the best of both worlds!
What attracted me to The Rental Girl was…the…gosh, everything attracted me! I came across The Rental Girl when I was in the military (fun fact about Jasmine!) and was planning my move out to LA. I was struggling to find an ad or company that represented cute homes, clearly, with good pictures and had enough information in the ad, and were responsive to my inquiries. I then stumbled across The Rental Girl, and as a Marketing major I was in LOVE with the marketing, and was also impressed at the quality of product and service that The Rental Girl was offering to the public. That’s just so rare–you get that more with sales, but you don’t get that same experience with rentals. I just knew The Rental Girl was special. Then I was in a bind, living in DTLA and needing a new place really quick; I contacted The Rental Girl’s Hollywood agent and within a few days she got me moved in to a place in Hollywood. We really hit it off and I began shadowing her, and the rest is history! And on the flip side of that, what attracted me to working at The Rental Girl, were the personalities, the company culture and the innovation, but mostly the relationships among the agents. These girls are going to be lifelong friends, I consider them family. That’s rare and I recognize that. I cherish that aspect about The Rental Girl so much.
Pulling at our heart strings here! Favorite thing about your neighborhood?
What isn’t there to love about Los Feliz? It’s perfect. When I first moved to LA, the one neighborhood that got me 100% was Los Feliz. I would literally add it to my vision board, and do visualizations of living here and would walk around picturing myself living in the neighborhood. I have to pinch myself sometimes because now I get to lease some of the most beautiful homes in Los Feliz (and the surrounding areas) for a living–ALL WHILE LIVING HERE. Los Feliz is picturesque–it’s the perfect balance between that small town feel and the city life. I’m a small business supporter all day long, so I love all the mom and pop shops you have in Los Feliz. Everything about this place is unique: the restaurants, the people, the shopping. I love it here and it truly feels like home.
No. 1 piece of advice for renting in LA?
Be flexible. I think a lot of people move here with this idea of what LA is and isn’t (I know I had that). You end up developing this really restrictive view and list of requirements of where you’re going to live and how that neighborhood is going to work for you. It really holds you back from experiencing LA as a whole because nine times out of ten, you’re not going to find a place that checks off every box on your list. So instead of having a restrictive expectation, I really think renters should broaden their view and be more open to what LA has to offer. There’s a variety of styles of homes and neighborhoods, and each one is individually unique and has something to offer that the others don’t have. Learning to appreciate what’s special about each neighborhood, instead of forcing it to fit the model you have in your head, will really make your living experience in LA so much more enjoyable.
Great advice! When you’re not busy being The Rental Girl, what do you find yourself doing?
Well I’m in school full time, getting my degree in Business Management at FIDM, so I’m usually doing school work when I’m not working. But when I’m not doing either of those things, I still manage to find time to have fun during the week. Usually I’m going to music shows, I love going to shows! I enjoy writing, vintage clothes shopping, shopping in general (laughs). I like to be by the water, so if I have time to go to the beach or sit by a pool and read a book, I definitely will do that. But if I’m being totally honest, if I’m not working I’m usually with friends enjoying a margarita at some Mexican cantina. And hopefully, when I’m asked this question again in the future…I can say I travel on my “off time”. My goal for this year and the coming years is to go on one big trip a year, so I have a Euro trip planned in September and I’m super excited about that!
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From the military, to fashion school, to The Rental Girl–Jasmine is such a multi-faceted person and brings her diverse background to the position in a way that is refreshing, insightful and inspiring! She’s an agent and friend you can depend on and trust, and we feel so lucky to have her as part of The Rental Girl family. If you’re looking for a rental in Los Feliz and surrounding areas, contact Jasmine! Visit Jasmine’s page on The Rental Girl‘s site and browse her properties to see if she has what you’re looking for! Don’t see a current listing that fits your specific needs? Don’t fear! Just click back on our home page to sign up for our free V.I.P email, fill out your criteria, and we’ll email you as soon as a match becomes available! It’s as simple as that 🙂
Happy Hunting!
The Rental Girl
