OUR STORY
SMART Real Estate Solutions was founded by Ivey Jacops, a real estate broker, agent, MBA businesswoman who originally wanted to utilize her knowledge to help others succeed. After leaving a leadership role at a traditional firm, she launched a coaching, training, and consulting firm.
After several months working with more than 40 clients, Ivey realized all of her consulting directed clients towards solutions that could solve their needs to delegate time and talent. She recognized she needed a network of service providers she trusted to immediately get to work putting plans to action—across a wide range of needs related to the business.
SMART Real Estate Solutions was born.
FOUNDER
Ivey Jacops, MBA
Over the course of her professional journey, Ivey has consistently held roles centered around assisting individuals in navigating challenging circumstances and transitions. Her experience spans diverse fields, including hospice, business analysis, real estate sales, and brokering for a $1 billion dollar-producing firm. Ivey has dedicated herself to guiding people toward solutions amidst life's uncertainties.
Following the birth of her son Miles in 2012, Ivey chose to prioritize her family, taking a break from her career to care for him. This pivotal period underscored the importance of family for Ivey, foreshadowing the central theme of her coaching business. When Miles reached the age of three, Ivey reconsidered a field she had always been curious about but hadn't fully explored: real estate. Her nurturing approach, commitment to aiding others through challenges, and business savvy coalesced in this new career path.
Embarking on a career as a broker, Ivey focused on training and coaching new agents entering the industry within a large brokerage firm. She transformed an already robust program, shifting its emphasis to guide agents through their initial transactions. The success of this program led Ivey to expand her efforts, developing training and coaching initiatives for experienced agents, and earning her an invitation to train at a national level.
Currently, Ivey shares her wealth of knowledge and experience with firms and individual agents nationwide. Her approach prioritizes people-centric real estate practices, enabling others to grow in the industry without compromising what truly matters.
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
Aaron George
Aaron has been in the operations, logistics, and service industries for nearly two decades, where he honed his skills as a change agent. He developed and built operational strategies specifically within the beverage industry, leading to incredible growth and the management of more than 40 independent breweries. Aaron also worked as a Director of Operations for an event organization that executed and managed over 300 on-and off-site events each year.
But despite a passion and skill in the food and beverage industry, Aaron is more aptly a creative and attuned leader. He believes in the power of providing service that meets a critical need, as well as teaching sales and operations professionals how to deliver excellence.
His career has spanned the country, from Texas to the Carolinas, but now he calls Asheville, NC home with his wife Mary and daughter Aveline (and three large dogs).
After connecting with Ivey through his wife’s real estate business, Aaron developed a passion for systemizing and enhancing what is often a chaotic industry. His skills in organizing people and making systems profitable are an incredible asset to SMART Real Estate Solutions and all of our providers.