Dana Johnson
Ocala REALTOR®
I searched for two years trying to find the house/acreage in the Ocala area that was right for me. Yes, I had a realtor but it never felt like it was a partnership. I was essentially searching on my own.
And then I signed with Dana, at Showcase Properties. Feeling like I had exhausted the home search, I thought buying land to build was the answer.
I arranged to come up from south Florida for a few days to look at vacant land. Dana sent me approximately 10 lots for us to look at, and she included a “nice little house in Reddick” incase I wanted to take one more look at existing homes. We spent Friday looking at vacant lots and Saturday morning the Reddick house. To my surprise, the house in Reddick was perfect. I closed on that house September 8, and I am so excited! I have even met with a Contractor, that Dana introduced me to, that will do the renovations on my house.
I didn’t ask Dana to look for houses, she took it upon herself to do so and I will be forever grateful. Isn’t that the kind of proactive realtor we all want?
– J. Jessup
• Masters of Education K-12 World Language (Spanish) – University of St. Thomas
• BA, International Studies – Colorado State University
• Gold and Bronze medals, USDF Rider Awards
• Competitive Grand Prix Dressage Rider
• Certification in equine assisted teaching and coaching
• Rehab and Release of wild songbirds and ducks
•Residency/Work in 5 countries and 4 continents
“My mother and I have shared a passion for horses all my life, and my dad has been a big supporter of that. So I would come down here to ride,” she explains. “I liked it so much that I decided to stay.”
It wasn’t a fleeting decision; Dana has a deep appreciation for stability and community and wanted to live in an environment where she could grow and develop. She already had a solid background in real estate; her father is a commercial broker, as is her sister. The possibilities in Central Florida’s equestrian industry, sports, and agriculture instantly appealed to her.
“I need roots and to build community. It’s massively important to me, and Valerie is extremely good at creating that environment at Showcase,” she says. “So after many years of traveling, this really felt like the right place for me to be.”
She plans to focus on residential and horse farm properties, but is also interested in handling historic homes. “Every house has a story that’s unique and relatable. They’re not just structures or something you’re buying off a shelf. There’s so much history – particularly with horse farms, where often someone has spent decades building and nurturing it. They’ve looked ahead, sometimes years, to growing a dream into something real. I really enjoy that.”
Dana competes at World Equestrian Center on her Andalusian each month and also started learning how to play polo at Ocala Polo Club – somewhat surprising herself with how much she likes it. She now participates often with the team at Florida Horse Park for Sunday matches.
“It gets me out of my box,” she says. “I love dressage, but polo kind of lets you loose a little bit. It can get pretty wild out there, but it’s so much fun. I think it’s important to challenge yourself and get involved with people. It just makes you better at the other things you do.”