Real estate had always been a lingering thought in the back of my mind, but like many of us, I struggled to find the time to pursue it amidst the chaos of daily life. Juggling work, family, and extracurricular activities left little room for personal growth and development.
I poured my heart into my 16-year career directing Statesville's Main Street Program and prior to that working at the Catawba County Chamber of Commerce. I worked hard to become an expert in downtown and community development, business advocacy, growing public and private investment, creative placemaking, event planning, marketing, and brand management. But when the pandemic hit, everything came to a screeching halt. My children were now busy with college or getting ready for college, and Downtown Statesville's hectic event schedule was put on hold.
During this time, I became obsessed with personal development reading. I devoured many books including John Maxwell's, The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth: Live Them and Reach Your Potential, a guide to successful leadership with tried-and-true principles for maximum personal growth. I also listened to Tony Robbins, who helped push me off the fence and take massive action. As Tony says, "…burn the boat." I knew that now was my time to pursue this dream of becoming a real estate agent.
I finally made the decision to register for the real estate pre-licensing class. A few weeks later, I found myself rummaging through my attic in search of something, when I stumbled upon a box my parents had packed up from my childhood. It was a precipitous moment because I had been having doubtful moments of, “What am I thinking? Am I really going to do this?”
As I sifted through the memories, I came across a scribbled note from my days at Frontier High School in Hamburg, New York. I chuckled as I read through my earliest (documented) list of possible careers and dreams for my future self. It included some wild aspirations like becoming a CIA agent, a movie star, an auctioneer at Christie's, and even a gemologist.
Gemologist…crazy right! But then I saw #2 on the list - Real Estate Agent. I was taken aback. Little did I know that I was planting the seed for what I would eventually accomplish just 35 short years later.
So what I have learned is that everyone has a different timeline and a unique path. I was meant to do the things I have done throughout my life up until this point. But now…it was time for real estate.
There wasn't a specific “ah-ha moment” when I knew that real estate was my calling. I've always had a passion for it. I've always loved design, different styles, and architecture. In my career with the Statesville's Main Street program, I always enjoyed helping people find their dream property and open up their dream business or seeing historic buildings being redeveloped. I loved solving problems…I still do. It just took me a while to realize that being a "problem solver" and a "real estate agent" are usually synonymous.
Making a career change in mid-life was daunting but the thought of looking back 20 years from now and regretting not taking the leap terrified me even more. So here I am following my unique path and definitely, on a different timeline than I ever imagined.
Now with a number of successful transactions under my belt, I know the skills I developed over my career are invaluable to me as a realtor and that this career move was undoubtedly the right one for me.
So wherever you may be in your real estate journey, I am ready to share my passion to help take the guesswork out of buying or selling your home.
