18 years ago, Joanna Janas moved to Madison for love. One husband, two degrees, and one daughter later, she’s built a business dedicated to helping people through transition.
Born in Poland, Joanna moved to Chicago with her family after High School. In 2006, she met a Madisonian man. After a year, he asked her to marry him and they started their lives in Wisconsin. Joanna transferred to Edgewood College and completed her bachelor's in business management and master's in business administration. After graduating, she worked for the government for a while, but when her daughter was born, she knew it was time for a change.
“I always wanted to own my own business. I waited for the right time. When my daughter was born, that was the right moment to focus on starting my own business.”
Having worked in property management in Chicago, Joanna knew real estate was the right fit for her. “I love anything home-related, but the main focus of my business is just the people. I help clients going through life transitions, from marriage to divorce, downsizing, and upgrading, at different stages of people's lives. Being part of people's lives through the exciting and the sad moments is very rewarding for me."
Keeping with her focus on people, Joanna has structured her business to anticipate the needs of her clients. Along with all the standard services of a real estate agent, Joanna employs a full-time home stager, works with a professional photographer, and has a long list of home improvement professionals from general contractors, handymen, electricians, window cleaners, and anything in between.
“We help people with preparing the houses for sale and taking the stress off their hands, so they can continue with their normal routine.”
With a combination of professional stagers and reliable local contractors, Joanna is able to help clients realize the full value of their home while keeping the stress related to selling a home to a minimum.
“I honestly care about my clients, that is why they hire me over and over again. Past clients refer me to family and friends. My business became successful because of my past client referrals.”
Once people experience full-service real estate it’s hard to imagine selling a house any other way. The majority of Joanna’s clients are repeats and referrals. Joanna’s loyalty to her clients has led her to different avenues of real estate transactions. Her business is equipped to handle: luxury, residential, vacation-secondary homes, new construction, commercial, and investment properties. “My clients' needs naturally pulled me into those different areas of real estate. I really enjoy every single part of it.”
When Joanna is not taking care of her clients, you can find her volunteering as a board member of Friends of UW Health, an organization that offers direct support to families and patients going through medical treatment. Joanna first became interested in Friends of UW Health after her mom needed a liver transplant while she was underinsured. “That made me want to get involved and help people who are going through the same struggle as my mom went. We are very privileged that we were able to help her financially. But there's so many families that don't have that chance.”
Through her professional and public life, Joanna’s focus on people has always been a guiding light. And, she has never forgotten the people closest to her. She and her family love to travel, stay active, and just hang out in the Madison area. I love how welcoming and friendly Madison is. There’s always something family-orientated.”
"The main focus of my business is the people."