By Holly Tishfield
Jessica Chefan Hansen, a lifelong Jacksonville resident, has a deep connection to her community and and it is that special connection that drives her to help people find the perfect home in this idyllic part of the city.
Growing up alongside her sister, the two attended Bishop Kenny High School, but Hansen flew the coop to pursue a marketing degree from Florida State University. Halfway through her studies, Hansen added commercial real estate to her class load. That addition set her on the path which would one day lead to her successful career in residential real estate.
Hansen’s parents owned the local Sotheby’s franchise and following graduation, Hansen began working for them.
“I dove into both sales and helping within the company, training agents and bringing new systems into place,” Hansen said. “It was a boutique office at the time.”
Hansen met her now-husband, Matthew, while attending FSU, but she would return to Jacksonville first while he pursued studies in a different city. The pair survived three and a half years of a long-distance relationship before Hansen convinced him to make the move to the Bold City. They tied the knot in 2019, putting down roots in a city that they both cherish, surrounded by family and a community they love.
“There are a lot of wonderful people here in Northeast Florida,” Hansen said. “It may be one of the largest cities in the continental U.S., but, you know, the majority of people that we interact with are extremely kind.”
As a mother of an almost-two-year-old, with another baby on the way, Hansen enjoys the new joys and challenges that come with having a family of her own. She and Matthew share a love of traveling, having explored cities like Banff and Prague as well as visited Hansen’s sister-in-law in Ireland with their eldest daughter. Hansen hopes to return to the emerald isle when their youngest is a bit older as well.
“I’d say that’s our love language, traveling,” Hansen said.
When she isn’t busy with work or traveling the world with her husband, Hansen loves playing tennis and is an avid member of her local country club. Her favorite tennis partner is her mother, a testament to the close-knit bond that she shares with her family.
Hansen’s commitment to showcasing the beauty of her community isn’t all talk, as she and her husband recently purchased a property in the Miramar community that was meant to be one of her listings.
“We were having an open house and my husband, my daughter, and I had just had lunch at European Street Cafe, and I left them to come meet my mom at the open house,” Hansen said. “We walked in and it just suddenly felt good. I told them [my husband and daughter] to come by, and when they walked in, it felt right.”
As Halloween approached, Hansen shared a glimpse into the neighborhood festivities, sharing that the trick-or-treaters were out in hoards. “Everybody’s so friendly in the neighborhood. They have the most incredible trick-or-treating I’ve ever seen. We really love it here.”
For Hansen, the Miramar and San Marco communities represent more than just a place to live, but a convergence of her past and her future.
“If we ever move again, it would most likely be within Miramar or San Marco,” she said. “We don’t want to ever leave this community. We found the place we want to raise our kids.”
