Every morning, Justin and Cyndie Flanagan, along with their two daughters, Kesley and Kyndall, begin their day with positive affirmations. They believe in consistently doing them as part of a plan of action. “Positive affirmations in our daily lives set the groundwork for future development”, explained Justin. There is an old saying, “Good things come to those who wait; great things come to those who go out and get it.” Justin added, “The only thing that typically holds us back is that person staring at us in the mirror.” Personal development has played a key role in how the Flanagans have evolved over the years and because of it, Topmark Realty that was founded in 2009 by Justin has consistently been successful on its path of growth and expansion.
Before Justin began his career in real estate, he was in the automotive industry for nearly fifteen years in both sales and management. The last position he held was as Internet Sales Manager for Westside Lexus. That dealership provided him the essentials he desired that enabled him to have a balanced career and family life. Justin recollected, “I have many lifelong friends and fond memories from my time within that organization and many have become clients of mine in real estate.”
Real estate had always intrigued Justin due to all of the different facets of it. “You’ve got people who are buying and people who are selling. You’ve got commercial and you’ve got residential. But everything you do in life revolves around it. It has to, whether you are relocating or moving to another country, city, or neighborhood. Whatever the case may be, real estate is always happening,” explained Mr. Flanagan. While he was with Lexus, several of his clients were successful Brokers and Realtors®. In addition, his mother-in-law, Gayla Gayden was a successful Realtor®. Justin observed, “Gayla did it all. She started everything. She worked hard and made good money doing it but she also enjoyed doing it. That was the other aspect that I keyed in on.”
Finally in 2007, Justin made the decision to become a Realtor® and partnered with his mother-in-law who was already a top producer. With the help of her mentoring, Justin quickly became a top producer as well. Always intrigued by the many possibilities that real estate provided, it was a natural progression that Justin would choose to go in a new direction that focused on building and expansion. In 2009, Topmark Realty was founded and since that time, Justin has continued his team’s expansion with Keller Williams Realty. In 2011, they closed 323 transactions totaling $74 million in residential real estate volume. Continually progressing in a forward and upward momentum, in 2014 the Topmark Team closed 596 transactions totaling $162 million! They are now ranked as one of the top 3 real estate organizations in the Houston market and nationally ranked in the top 60 real estate organizations by Real Trends Wall Street Journal.
Topmark Realty is still carving out market share and has developed relationships with several strong, local builders that include Westin Homes and Highland Homes. In addition, they have a lot of resale clients. They are always looking to align themselves with clients who have an equal culture so that they can all grow. Justin plans on expanding into other markets across Texas before branching out into other states and eventually around the world. He believes in several key ingredients to the success of anyone or any business – a big vision, great ethics, and working with great people in helping them achieve their goals. He is grateful for the opportunity to have assisted so many families with their transitioning. He knows that without them he would not have these accomplishments.
Justin is appreciative to have developed a great team of like-minded, positive thinking individuals who share the same integrity and heart for others that make up the fabric of this quality group of professionals. He believes in surrounding himself with those who are more qualified than he is. Always striving to be the best, Justin makes sure that his team collaborates and masterminds with the other top teams in the area. Justin remarked, “The only time you stop growing is when you choose to or when you become complacent.” Mediocrity and being average are some of Justin’s biggest pet peeves. He elaborated, “There’s no time for it and there’s no reason for it in any way. You can have results or you can have excuses but you can’t have both. Why would anyone choose to surround themselves with average people?”
Justin’s typical day begins with prayer and meditation when he typically rises at 5:30 AM. Immediately following, Justin goes into personal development and growth. He then will do a small workout to get the blood flowing. He also reads every morning like clockwork. “I believe it’s important to bullet-proof the mindset. That way, whatever goes on in that day is proactive instead of reactive,” explained Justin. He continued, “Setting that mindset, nothing can take you off course.” At 7 AM, he takes his daughters to school. Afterward, he gets ready for the rest of the day. He is in the office by 9:00 AM and does affirmations with his organization as well. He next does an organizational meeting in preparation for the day with his team that includes scripting and lead generation. They will then do some follow up. Afterward, they break for lunch around noon. From 1 PM to at least 5 PM, the time is spent on appointments, lead generation, follow up, and other things along those lines. It is constant so it is always blocked out. He may also go on an appointment but by 7 PM, he has blocked out quality time with his family. At night, Justin will then review what his day looked like and check the things off and then he regroups for the following day so that when he goes to sleep, everything is already set up for the next day.
Cyndie Flanagan, Justin’s wife and high school sweetheart since they were 17 years old, joined the Topmark Team in January 2015 as Justin’s business partner. Justin thinks that this is so awesome to be able to work with his soul mate. After spending more than 20 years in the natural gas and energy industry, the last 14 of which were spent in various leadership and management roles, Cyndie brings with her an extensive knowledge of business structures, negotiations, transaction management, contact drafting, contract and database management, commercial activity support, asset acquisitions and divestitures, and a proven commitment to customer service. Justin and Cyndie compliment each other with their individual skills even though some of their responsibilities overlap. Justin feels blessed to have Cyndie working alongside him in addition to the other accomplished women on his Team that includes his own mother, Terri Flanagan. “I appreciate that I am surrounded by a lot of powerful women who are smart, sharp leaders and the world needs more of them,” extolled Justin.
Neither Justin nor Cyndie grew up with silver spoons in their mouths. Both of them learned through example the meaning of hard work from their parents. From a young age, Cyndie was immersed in the world of real estate as she would observe how her mother worked day and night as a top producing Realtor® to meet her clients’ needs and also put food on the table. Justin’s dad had a landscape company and from the time Justin was 12, he worked every summer and every Spring Break with his father. “It didn’t matter if it was sleeting and it didn’t matter if it was 105 degrees, you had to get it done,” explained Flanagan.
Both Justin and Cyndie believe in hands on parenting and are actively involved at their daughters’ school. Not only are they investing time and monies into the community, they also support local charities and various veterans groups. One that is near and dear to their hearts is the Snowdrop Foundation that helps children with cancer and their families. A portion of the proceeds from Topmark’s real estate transactions is donated to this cause. The Flanagans try to keep a healthy balance between work and home life by taking time out of their hectic schedules and spending it at the beach. The majority of the time, the Flanagans dedicate Sunday as their family day. They also do Spring Break and summer vacations together. As the saying goes, “The family that plays together stays together.” Not surprising, it is the girls’ plans to intern at Topmark and help with the open houses.
Spring Break will always hold a special significance to both Justin and Cyndie. During Spring Break when Justin was a junior at Elsik High School, Cyndie noticed Justin and commented to a friend that she thought Justin was cute. Instead of the friend helping make a connection for Cyndie, she went after him herself! Fast-forward to the summer before Justin began his senior year in high school and Cyndie and a friend of hers showed up at his door on the pretense of wanting to borrow tennis balls and a pair of sunglasses because they were going to go play tennis. Cyndie recalled with a sly grin on her face, “I did it on a dare!”
After that she went to Florida where she visited her Grandfather every summer. It was at that time that her friend told Justin, “You are not getting your sunglasses back.” As the saying goes, “Cyndie chased Justin until he caught her!” When she came back from Florida, they became “an item” and after two weeks of dating her, Justin knew that he was going to marry her. “I fell absolutely in love with her. She was my soul mate and even though I was only seventeen, I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her!” Several years later, Flanagan proposed to her at Molina’s, the restaurant of their first date. In June of 1996, shortly after Cyndie graduated from UH, Justin married his beautiful bride. “She is and will always be my ‘everything’ and nothing short of an angel,” sighed Justin.
Five years later, the Flanagan’s first child, daughter Kesley, was born. While Cyndie was in labor, the baby’s heartbeat dropped several times. The doctors said they needed to perform a c-section. Justin had been praying and truly knew that everything was going to be okay. He recalled, “I had a very warm feeling of peace that went through me. I was okay but Cyndie was in some major pain.” Two years later, daughter Kyndall was born. “Wow, what a change but another of the many blessings in my life,” said Justin with a big smile on his face!
He then continued, “My ‘girls’, as I like to call them, are my world. There is nothing more that I enjoy than spending time with them! Every morning, I take them to school and our two dogs Dozer and Bella go along for the ride. Before the girls get out of the car for school, they do their affirmations. They have been doing affirmations throughout their lives but this is the one they consistently do based on their plan of action: “I am beautiful. I am great. I am amazing. Nothing can stop me but me and that is not an option. I am beautiful. I am great. I am amazing.” Justin wants them to grow up being self-sufficient and not having to rely on anyone for anything.
The Flanagans attend Fellowship Church in Katy and occasionally attend sermons at Katy’s Second Baptist Church. Justin shared, “It’s easy for all of us to go to church but it’s more difficult for everyone to practice the proper principles in all aspects of our lives including being courteous and respectful to others. I truly try to live right, ask for guidance, and give thanks on a daily basis. I believe that we all should give another person ‘something’ everyday. It could be as little as smiling kindly at someone, holding the door open for someone, or a nice compliment or gesture. That one small thing can change someone’s day, week, or even month and have a dramatic impact in their lives in general. Teaching someone about the power of positive affirmations is another way to do that and it could make all the difference in the world.”
Justin also encourages his Team’s continued growth by having them do positive affirmations and maintain a Vision Board. He firmly believes that every new member be instilled with the same values that he practices and adheres to – high standards in morals and ethics, courtesy, professionalism, and dedication to the clients’ individual needs by listening to them and ensuring their satisfaction. In the case of the Flanagans, the power of positive affirmations has made a difference in the success of Topmark Realty and everyone who works for them.
