I grew up with two parents, siblings and lived the “typical” life of a middle class family. Well, at least that’s what it looked like from the outside. You see, my life didn’t start out like everyone else’s. 

The people I call “parents” are actually my Grandparents. At the age of 6 months old they started the legal adoption process and it didn’t take very long for that to become legal. I was born into this world with drug and alcohol dependent caregivers. They had their own struggles growing up and were just doing the best that they could. At the end of the day, it just wasn’t working and my life was at risk. My Grandparents knew they had to step in.

When I was about 10 years old I experienced the loss of someone very close to me. My only blood-related sibling, Taylor. My biological mother had twins, Hunter and Taylor, when I was around 6 years old. Hunter, unfortunately, passed away right at birth. At the age of 3, Taylor was diagnosed with liver cancer. By 4.5 years old she lost her battle. A few months later was the last time I would ever see my biological mother. She chose to go back to drugs after living a drug-free life for those 4.5 years. 

My teenage years were rocky, and by the age of 16 I was a full blown drug addict. I went from getting A’s and B’s to barely even going to school. Not knowing how to handle my emotions, this was the only way I could escape my own reality. But, my parents always taught me what a “good” work ethic was, and that was making it to your shifts. No matter what was happening, I always made it to work. 

Not even a year later it was do or die for me. I was -$3,000 in my checking account, didn’t go to school very often and was going down a road I didn’t know how to escape. I desperately wanted to stop, but I didn’t know how. I didn’t want my parents to feel the pain of knowing they could have raised another drug addict. 

In May of 2009 is when my life changed. I decided to go to my parents and ask for the help I needed. I was TERRIFIED! Worst case scenarios were running through my mind. What if they yelled at me? What if they decided that there was no helping me and  kicked me out until I “changed”? What if they wrote me off because I was going to turn out just like my birth parents? It was this moment that I knew I had to put all of those fears aside and try. If I didn’t, I was likely going to end up like my birth parents and that was something I did NOT want. 

After sitting down with my parents and telling them what was going on there were lots of emotions. The biggest one being unconditional love and support. The next morning we were on the phone with rehabilitation centers for teenagers and had appointments set up for evaluations. Within a day we had found a place and I was set to “move-in” just days later. 

It was this moment in my life that I had a huge realization. Number one, school really just wasn’t for me. Number two, there is nothing in life that you have to handle on your own, and Number three, it makes it a hell of a lot easier if you ask for the help you need. 

I did end up graduating with my class as I should have in 2010. While everyone went on to college I decided to research a career path that didn’t involve more years of schooling. That’s when I found Hospitality.  I spent about a decade in this industry and loved it! As the years went on I found myself wanting more and to serve people in a different way. That’s when Real Estate caught my attention. 

I had started researching what it takes to buy a home and started looking at homes in 2015. Then, I found myself spending more and more time looking at homes online and researching real estate more. But, the scariest part about Real Estate was that it’s 100% commission based and that goes against EVERYTHING I was taught as a child. 

Now, it’s March 2020. 2019 was one of my best years yet in Hotels. 2020 was starting out already way ahead of schedule for my goals and bonuses. I had never felt more secure in my career! Until March 8th, 2020 when the state shut everything down. We went from celebrating with a team of 16 people to being a team of 4 and barely keeping up with the inquiries for canceling. That’s when I knew I needed to make a change. 

Instead of dwelling on the negatives going on I saw a light at the end of the tunnel. I didn’t know if I was going to wake up to not having a job every day. That’s when I got really serious about my research into real estate.. I interviewed friends and acquaintances who were real estate agents and called different offices to speak to veteran agents. I decided to start studying for my Real Estate license in June 2020. By December 2020 I had my license. By March 2021 I decided I was ready to do this full time. By May 2021 I had my first deal closed. 

The point behind my story is this. In life, we aren’t growing or learning if we don’t face our fears. Compare buying/selling a home to learning to drive a car. When you were a kid you didn’t know how to do it. Someone taught you, or took you to driving lessons. You practiced, normally learning from a specialist in the field, and you eventually learned how to do it. But, when you first get on the road you’re overthinking everything. What if I can’t ever do it? What if I make a mistake? What if I fail? 

I empathize with your fears in all of this. Handing over the money you’ve worked hard for. Working some not so great jobs along the way to build up your savings.  Hoping that you didn’t make a mistake and pick the wrong house. All of these things are scary. But you know what’s even scarier? Not doing it. Not learning through new experiences. If I didn’t go to my parents that day and ask for the help that I needed, you may not even be reading this story.. 

You’ve come to a team where we understand these fears and know how to work with you to come up with a plan that works for YOU. We’re here for you and will help you along your real estate journey, no matter where it takes you next! We’re passionate about helping families in South Seattle move up as they start a new chapter in their lives with our Serve it Up Method, and we can’t wait to help you!

Always remember this;