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© Courtesy of Jonathan Fayard
All of Jonathan Fayard’s close friends tell him that he could post absolutely anything on Facebook, and it would get 1,000 likes. “I use Facebook for everything,” he says. Mainly, he shares a lot about real estate and writes positive, funny, and inspiring posts.
Working as an agent in the same town where he grew up motivates Fayard to be a community advocate by highlighting interesting or intriguing things going on. “I believe it is my duty to boost and support my local community by sharing or attending local events or festivals, trying out new restaurants and sharing the experience, or shopping at local stores or shops. Keeping my community thriving is something I’m passionate about,” he adds.
@ Courtesy of Jonathan Fayard
Fayard, a salesperson at Diamond Realty & Associates in Bossier City, La., felt humbled and “blown away” when he received word in March that he was named one of the 50 finalists for REALTOR® Magazine’s 30 Under 30 class of 2020. Then, during the week-long Web Choice online voting period from March 13-20, he put his magical touch on his Facebook and Instagram posts to rally support. It paid off. Fayard came out on top with 593 votes of the 8,354 total votes cast.
At the beginning of the contest, when he learned that he needed to muster as many votes as possible, Fayard made a video in the parking lot of his real estate company explaining what the 30 Under 30 program is and asking friends, family, and clients to vote for him once a day for a week. “I had over 1,000 views and 40 shares just on that video,” he says. He posted about three times a day, and then others would share his posts. Fayard even occasionally walked around his office and asking his fellow agents and office staff to take out their phones and vote.
“Click, click, and done. I made sure my office mates had their votes in,” he laughs.
The Louisiana REALTORS® also shared a social media post promoting Fayard and Kristen Boyd, the other 2020 30 Under 30 honoree from Louisiana. That got a lot of people noticing and voting from around the state, he says.
Fayard believes that his involvement in local and state REALTOR® groups helped him pull through. Fayard serves as president of the Young Professionals Network of the Northwest Louisiana Association of REALTORS®. He attends REALTOR® Day at the state Capitol each April. And he credits all his connections from his alma mater, Louisiana State University, for bringing in votes.
“I still get referrals from people in Baton Rouge because I had worked at two real estate agencies there. It becomes a very small state when you know people from every corner,” he says.
Fayard has known real estate is his calling since he as a kid. He has a passion for homes that reaches into his personal life. Fayard and his partner bought their dream home on Valentine’s Day and now they’re doing a complete makeover on the inside of the home. They chose all-new paint, floors, countertops, and an entirely new master bath.
When asked if they are doing the job themselves, Fayard says, “Heavens no. I have to keep working.”
Read all of this year’s 30 Under 30 profiles in the July-August issue of REALTOR® Magazine.
