Joel Nelson
Joel Nelson got his first hands-on experience with real estate as a teenager, working as part of the maintenance crew on a classic 1912 apartment building in Philadelphia – at thirteen stories, a skyscraper for its time. Full of colorful characters and endless repairs to be made, the job gave him the opportunity to assist and learn from plumbers, electricians, carpenters, painters, and cleaners. Keeping tenants happy, creative problem-solving, and a willingness to get your hands dirty was required. “The ‘do-it-yourself’ work ethic was big in my family.” said Nelson.
In 1989, Nelson moved to Washington, DC to attend American University, where he majored in psychology. “I knew before graduation that I did not want to practice psychology in a clinical capacity, but it has been very useful in daily life – both personal and professional,” he stated. “helping people (buyers and sellers) compromise, to see their own objectives aligning with those of the other party… Finding compromise is a big part of this job,” he emphasized.
For six years after college, Nelson worked for a national company managing community group homes for the developmentally disabled. Along the way he got married, and he and his wife Thonya moved to five different cities together, including Dallas, Austin, Evansville (IN), and Louisville (KY). “We loved exploring cities and towns together, observing how their community layout helps or hinders the quality of neighbor interaction. For the disabled population I served back then, having close access to the community is key. It was an extreme illustration for me of how important it is to the human spirit to be able to closely access the community. DC is ideal in this regard, and many of the area’s close-in suburbs are good and getting better. I have an inherent bias for communities that are (or have the potential to be) walkable, compact, and physically centered,” Nelson emphasized.
A technology consulting job brought Nelson and his wife back to Washington in 1998. The couple fell in love with Capitol Hill, and began buying small houses in need of repair, which they would occupy and renovate. Over the next five years, they renovated four properties on The Hill. “Thonya is very artistic with the paint, paper and finishes,” he boasted. “We’ve had fun as a team on the projects.”
“In 2001 I realized that I was having more fun buying, fixing, and selling houses than I was with my primary career. I loved analyzing neighborhoods and homes for that purpose, and decided I could help others make good purchase and sale decisions.” Nelson reminisced. He became licensed and began practicing as a full-time real estate agent that year alongside a team at RE/Max Allegiance. He and Thonya stopped moving in 2003, when their first child Myles turned 2 and their daughter Leila was on the way.
In 2006, Nelson joined a team of agents to start the first Keller Williams office in the District. “I really wanted to be part of something and build a place for agents that understood the fabric of the city. We opened first in Brookland – on its re-emerging main street – and now occupy the newly-renovated Capitol Hill office at 8th & D Streets NE. It used to be a badly deteriorated carry-out beer store, so we hope to be a great new neighbor” said Nelson.
It is not surprising that Nelson is hands-on with developing the new Keller Williams office. “Having renovated houses myself, with my own two hands, I feel I am in a position to make sound recommendations about priorities, contractors, acquisition costs and returns on investment…and having moved six times in ten years I can help guide buyers and sellers through the moving process and plan out the logistics,” said Nelson. “That is why my tag line is ‘real know-how for capital real estate’,” he explained. “I am not just an academic realtor, but a partner and guide for my clients, with real-world advice to share at each step.”
