I can remember when I was little I wanted to be just like my Dad in every way including what I would do when I grew up; a small animal veterinarian with my own practice. I even learned how to spell veterinarian when I was 4 with my Mom's help so that I could impress my Dad. I grew up with animals; dogs, cats, at one point a pig, fish and horses. I loved horses, the minute I got off the bus my Mom would pick me up (we had a long driveway); I'd run inside change clothes and go to the barn. They were my passion, I knew my grades had to be top notch or the horses and horse shows would be gone. My Mom shared the same passion for animals so it was something we did together. When I turned 15 my Dad hired me at his animal hospital and I started in the kennels (no favoritism for the boss's daughter) and worked my way up. After being there a year I started assisting with grooming dogs in the morning (he also has a grooming business in his practice) and then coming down in the afternoon to help restrain pets for exams, weigh them etc. I loved my job with the exception of one thing; anyone that's an animal lover knows that the time may come when you have to do the kind thing for them and have them put to sleep. It was awful, I dreaded it and it was almost impossible for me not to get emotional which was not appropriate. There went my dreams of being a veterinarian; I couldn't cut it for that part of the job.
Fast forward to college, I studied at George Mason and wasn't allowed to have a job for the first semester because my parents wanted me to focus on adjusting to college. I was going crazy, coming from working 6 days a week every summer and Saturday's during high school to only have classes to attend at college was not working for me. We settled on a grade review at mid terms and if my grades were good I could get a part time job. I found a job working at the corporate office for Gold's Gym auditing the contracts that the sales consultants wrote. That part time job turned into 50 hours a week and before I knew it I was going to school full time and working full time. I liked it though, it kept me out of trouble and I found myself getting promotions. I resigned from Gold's Gym three years later as the East Coast Operations Manager. I left because they were relocating to Texas and I had one more semester of school. I found a new job working for Ratner, the company that owns Hair Cuttery. It was a job in their merchandising department working on inventory. I graduated with my degree in Business Management from Mason. I really liked my job at Ratner, I loved all the numbers and being able to help the salon employees. I didn't like that it was the same thing everyday though, coming to the same office, running the same reports and solving the same problems got boring for me. There wasn't any room for growth or promotion so; I decided it was time to try something new.
New adventure: I became a loan officer right when the market crashed (what was I thinking?). Thankfully I was good at my job and the income potential was unlimited. I liked it but, I wasn't in love. Something was missing; it was still the same thing day in and day out. I happened to be looking for my first house not long after I got into loans. I didn't know anything about searching for a home much less buying one so my Dad was helping with the process and we found a great agent. As the process went along I was really into it, from looking at houses online, to going to see them right down to settlement. At my home inspection I was talking with my agent and she told me I should get my license and that they were looking for a buyer's agent. The rest is history; 2 months later I had my license and became their first buyer's agent. I knew I had found my career soul mate about 3 months after I had my license. I was working more hours than I ever had before to get my business launched and I had never been happier. It never felt like work to me, it was the opposite; I couldn't sleep because I was thinking about what I needed to do the next day. The flexibility that real estate provides also allowed me to embrace my passion for animals and adopt a pit bull 4 years ago. "Walter" has become part of the family and enjoys taking road trips with me to see my parents.
I chose real estate because it was exactly like a new relationship everyday, can't stop thinking about it, talking about it and wanting to be around it. Years later my passion for real estate is still just as strong and I truly love being a Realtor. I've had job offers come along and I always consider every opportunity but, I can't picture myself not being a Realtor. It's the most challenging yet rewarding job I've ever had. I have the best of all worlds - no day is ever the same, I can be in or out of the office, and my clients trust me with one of their most important life investments. Nothing can compare to sitting down at a closing table and knowing you just made someone's dreams come true.
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