Taylor Swagel, a gal with a broad smile and a can-do attitude, has been hired to provide a welcoming presence as NEFAR’s new front desk administrator.
In her new position, Taylor will both assist members who stop by NEFAR’s Resource Center and support the membership department by processing applications, updating member records, selling lock boxes, and helping to answer phones when necessary.
“What I enjoy most about my job is meeting new people. I love how helpful everyone has been to me as I am learning the ropes,” said Taylor, who took over her new position at the beginning of April. Looking for a “service-oriented” job, she said she is delighted to have the opportunity to meet NEFAR’s members and offer them assistance. “The best part of the job is getting to help people and being able to guide them to where they need to go,” Taylor said. “I like helping people because my parents always said I should treat people as I want to be treated, and I know if I was confused about something I would want someone to help me out.”
Taylor was on her way to obtaining her real estate license when she took a detour to work at NEFAR fulltime. Having attended Florida Real Estate Institute in Orange Park, she was on the verge of taking her state licensing exam, when she was tapped for the front-desk position. Taylor still plans to obtain her license and take post-licensing instruction, but she will go on voluntary inactive status while she is employed by NEFAR.
“What attracted me to this job is how nice the people are, how NEFAR takes care of its employees,” she said. “The staff here is nice, the members are nice, and this local association of REALTORS® brings a family feeling to the Northeast Florida real estate community.”
A native of Northeast Florida, Taylor was born in Jacksonville and spent most of her formative years in Middleburg. She graduated from Middleburg High School in 2019 and studied at Florida State College Jacksonville for more than a year before putting her academic aspirations on hold in 2020 due to the pandemic. “When COVID hit, I stopped because I didn’t want to do my studies online,” she explained, noting that along with becoming a REALTOR®, she eventually intends to return to school to complete her Associates Degree in Business Administration.
Taylor presently lives in Mandarin with her fiancée, Morgan Champagne, her father, and her two dogs, Bass, a Basset Hound who is named for the fish, and Gus, a “tri-hound” that is a mix of Basset Hound, American Foxhound and Beagle.
Much of her spare time is spent doing do-it-yourself projects around the house. Presently she is in the midst pulling off wallpaper as part of a complex bathroom renovation where she intends on installing a new toilet, sink, vanity, and tiling the floor and walls by herself. “My growing up was always ‘let’s build a pond, let’s redo the garden, let’s build a fence, and I would work on cars with my dad” she recalled. “I did a lot of hands-on building as a kid.”
Her other spare-time passion is bass fishing, and she has attended meetings of the St. Johns Bass Anglers Club since she was a baby. “My dad would bring me to the meetings in a little car seat,” she said, noting that she enjoys fishing alongside her father in tournaments. In fact, it was her time spent at bass club meetings that first sparked her interest in real estate. “I know a lot of real estate agents from the bass club, and I thought real estate might be a good fit for me,” she said. “I like that you can set your own hours and that you make your money based on how hard you want to work.”
