BRIGHTON – Moving is a part of Jan Hepp-Struck’s business.
    In more than three decades as a Realtor, she has helped countless people move into either that starter home or dream home or something in between.
    But, when it came time to make her own move, it didn’t come out without some jitters and maybe even a couple tears.
    HeppRealty, a Metro Brokers independent company, opened Dec. 13 in its new location at 435 S. Fourth Ave. The new spot – formerly a salon and, in its very early years – a Brighton fast-food restaurant – is lush and spacious. But it was saying goodbye to the office of 27 years, 2149 Bridge St., that was tough for Hepp-Struck.
    “When I moved in that building (1983) and originated Metro Brokers of Brighton, my oldest daughter, Shelly, was 12, and my youngest daughter, Joni, was 7,” she said. “Now Shelly’s oldest son turns 20 next month.

    “That really puts it in perspective,” Hepp-Struck added. “I met my husband there, just so many cherished memories.”
    But Hepp-Struck didn’t become one of the Denver area’s top Realtors without having a keen business sense and knowing when to make a change. She bought the building three years ago and, up until fall, it was home to Destinations Salon, owned and operated by Shelly and another business partner. When that business partnership dissolved, Hepp-Struck looked to lease the building until she realized the best fit might be her own team of real estate agents.
    “I had so many calls from so many people that did want to lease it but maybe they didn’t have the wherewithal to; but a long list of people that wanted to buy it,” Hepp-Struck said.
    She said prospective buyers were high on the building’s central location along with its large parking lot.
    “I told my husband, Trevor, ‘You know, maybe I should just move there because this is better sized for me than Bridge Street,’” she said. “But it was a really tough decision because a lot of my adult life was spent in that (Bridge Street) building.”
    Hepp-Struck likes that the office is so close to the current Adams County Administration Building, soon to be the new Brighton City Hall, and that it keeps her in the core area of Brighton.
    “My heart is with original Brighton,” she said. “I moved here in 1972 and started real estate here in 1977. I love all of Brighton and service all of Brighton but I guess, being in business for so many years in Brighton, I identify my location more in the core area.”
    The real estate industry has been a rollercoaster ride over the past few years with more downs than ups. Hepp-Struck counts herself lucky that her office has been able to not just survive but thrive.
    “I’m very blessed that I have had the success that is carrying me through this and giving me the opportunity to continue working really hard,” she said.  “I’ve always told people ‘I don’t work full-time, I work double time’ and I have for 34 years.”
    Hepp-Struck, who started out as a paralegal, has carved out her name in the real estate industry with a combination of equal parts charm and gritty determination.
    She remembers joining the Metro Broker board in 1983 – the first woman to serve on the board and elected as the first female president of the board in 1987.
    “It may say more for the men on the board than it says for me that they gave a woman a chance because they were very male-dominated.”
    She served 17 years on the board and two terms as president.
    “I have been told in the past, by adversaries, that I’m too strong and I’m too smart as if that’s a problem,” she said. “But, sometimes, it can be. I do have a lot of strength and its served me well in real estate. I suppose there’s times when I’ve used it to too strong of a degree but it feels good to fight for my clients, to fight for what’s best for them.”
    Hepp-Struck, recognized this fall as one of 5280 Magazine’s top scoring Denver area real estate agents, adds that today’s tough real estate market requires agents to be more aggressive.
    “I’m finding I need to use my strength and also my control in this market more than I ever have,” Hepp-Struck said.
    She often  jokes that going to Denver North High School helped toughen her up, too.
    “It served me well in real estate,” she said. “You do have to, to be successful for a long period of time and not run out of gas or become discouraged, to have a lot of self-esteem and a lot of strength.”
    She feels reenergized by the move. Hepp-Struck, 61, doesn’t necessarily think she’ll be doing it for another 34 years. She hopes she has at least another 10 or 12 years in the business.
    “Maybe more, but that’s my goal,” she said. “I don’t want to give it up until I have to as long as I stay healthy.
    “It’s what I am. It’s who I am,” she added. “It’s what I know. It’s what I thrive on. It’s what I love. I don’t want to do anything else.”