(Spoiler alert: it was a mix of frustration, bad luck, and a little divine comedy.)
Clients often ask me, “Why did you choose real estate?”
And honestly? The truth is… frustration led me here.
When I was buying my first home, I went through 3 ½ Realtors.
Yes.
Three and a half.
And yes… I’ll explain 😂
Realtor #1
He was someone I found on Zillow. In theory? Great. In reality? He responded like he was communicating by carrier pigeon.
I’d ask a question and hear back three business days later, maybe. That ended quickly.
Realtor #2
She was actually a former banking client of mine when I worked in finance. She was super nice, funny, and had been licensed since what felt like the invention of sliced bread—which, let’s be honest, in Florida doesn’t mean much because every other person seems to have a real estate license 😭
She showed me a few homes and always walked in with a water bottle. Innocent enough, right?
Wrong.
Turns out that “water” was vodka, and by the third house of the day, she’d be slurring her words like we were on an HGTV-meets-Happy-Hour crossover episode. It took me three weeks to realize I wasn’t imagining things.
Realtor #2.5
This one hurt.
She was a former colleague of mine, and I genuinely thought she’d help me because of our relationship. Instead, she looked at my pre-approval amount and basically decided it wasn’t worth her time.
That one stung, because if the roles were reversed, I never would’ve done that to someone.
Realtor #3
And then came the Realtor who finally got me to the closing table.
She’s actually the one who introduced me to the FHA 203(k) loan—a renovation loan that allows buyers to finance both the purchase of a home and certain repairs/renovations into one mortgage. That loan is what made it possible for me to buy my foreclosed fixer-upper and renovate the areas that needed work.
And when I say fixer-upper, I mean FIX. HER. UP.
No kitchen. No A/C. Leaky roof. The house looked like it had survived a breakup, a storm, and a recession.
She had just moved to South Florida from Georgia a few months prior, so we were honestly both learning the area and how things worked in Florida as we went. She meant well, but the lack of Florida-specific knowledge definitely added to my stress.
I’ll never forget the night before closing, when I was reviewing my Closing Disclosure—the loan document buyers are legally required to receive at least three business days before closing.
I looked at the numbers and almost had a full-blown panic attack because I thought I had to bring way more money to closing than we had discussed. I remember calling her in a complete spiral, convinced I was going to have to cancel the deal.
Turns out… the document had not yet reflected the money I had already put down.
But as a first-time homebuyer, I didn’t know that.
Even after 2 ½ Realtors, I still didn’t really know what I was doing.
And truthfully?
I needed handholding.
No one in my immediate family had ever bought a home in the U.S., so I didn’t have anyone I could really turn to for guidance or reassurance. I wanted someone who would explain things clearly, advocate for me, and not make me feel stupid for asking questions.
I didn’t want fluff.
I didn’t want canned answers.
I wanted someone to keep it real with me, tell me the truth, and fight for me the way they’d fight for themselves or their own family.
And years later… that’s exactly why I became a Realtor.
So how did I actually get into real estate?
Funny enough, it happened by accident.
A couple of years after buying my home, I went to a networking event for work. One of the vendors there was a local college, and I entered a raffle with my business card.
And somehow… I won.
The prize? I could take any class or course for free.
So I looked through the catalog and thought,
“Well… I’ve got a few things to say about real estate.”
So I chose the real estate course.
Truthfully, I didn’t originally plan on doing this full-time. But I learned very quickly that it’s hard to be a good Realtor if you’re half-assing it.
And I didn’t want to half-ass it.
I wanted to become the Realtor I wish I had.
The one who explains the fine print.
The one who answers the late-night panic text.
The one who doesn’t disappear after opening a door and sending over a contract.
Because being a Realtor isn’t just about houses.
It’s about people.
And let me tell you—this job has made me wear a lot of hats.
I’m not just a Realtor.
I’m also:
- an unlicensed therapist
- a part-time mediator
- an HOA negotiator
- a lender translator
- an inspector interpreter
- a title-company follow-up specialist
- an emotional support human during underwriting
- and occasionally… a crisis hotline for grown adults making six-figure decisions while fighting with their spouse
I have literally been in the middle of a couple’s argument, talking both people off the ledge so the deal doesn’t fall apart.
I’ve had to butter up HOA presidents and board members to make exceptions for clients dealing with credit or background concerns.
I’ve spent hours on the phone with clients talking through life situations that had absolutely nothing to do with square footage:
- baby mama / baby daddy drama
- family disagreements
- job stress
- fear of commitment to a mortgage
- out-of-state logistics
- virtual walkthroughs
- coordinating inspections when clients couldn’t fly in
- helping clients figure out what questions to ask lenders, insurance agents, inspectors, and title companies
- and sometimes just reminding people to breathe before they self-sabotage a perfectly good deal 😭
And no—every lead doesn’t turn into a client.
Every showing doesn’t lead to a contract.
And the phones definitely did not start magically ringing the second I printed business cards.
This business takes work.
Real work.
Heart work.
People work.
But what I love most is that so many of my clients don’t just become “past clients.”
They become long-term friends.
Years later, they still call me for advice, updates, questions, referrals… and sometimes for things that are very much above my pay grade 😂
Like the time a client called me at 12:00 AM to tell me their drunk, unhinged neighbor was banging on their door accusing them of stealing electricity.
Now respectfully…
Please do not call me at midnight unless the house is on fire or Beyoncé is buying next door.
Because while I am absolutely here for my clients, I am unfortunately not law enforcement 😭
But did I stay on the phone and help guide them through what to do?
Absolutely.
Because that’s just who I am.
I’ve become the kind of Realtor I needed when I was first buying my home—the one who doesn’t clock out the moment the office closes, the one who understands that buying or selling a home is emotional, stressful, exciting, and sometimes chaotic all at once.
I’ve always been bold.
I’ve always challenged conventional ways of doing things.
I’ve always been strategic and willing to think outside the box.
Honestly, I challenge things so much I probably should’ve gone to law school.
But instead, I chose real estate.
And now I use that same energy to advocate, negotiate, problem-solve, and help people get from “I have no idea where to start” to “I got the keys.”
So if you work with me, just know:
You’re not getting a cookie-cutter Realtor.
You’re getting someone who is going to tell you the truth, fight for your best interest, educate you, strategize with you, and probably make you laugh in the middle of the stress.
And if I do my job right, by the end of the process…
you won’t just feel like you had a Realtor.
You’ll feel like you had someone in your corner.
And that matters.
If you’re looking for a Realtor who keeps it real, advocates hard, and won’t leave you confused in the process—let’s talk. 🏡✨