I'm sure you remember your first kiss, your first love and even the first home you purchased.  But have you ever stopped to think about the moment you knew you COULD and WOULD buy a home?  I remember my first time, as if it were yesterday. 

I was working for a great company in the financial sector though not feeling terribly fulfilled, my rap star dreams were fading, and my relationship just ended.   Oh, and did I mention I lived in New York City and was completely broke!

Homeownership was not on my top ten list, but one day I met this woman.  She was a chatty gal who ALWAYS talked.  She talked for days, sometimes about something and other times about seemingly nothing.  One topic she was feverishly passionate about was real estate.  She wasn't a broker, an agent, or in the real estate "biz", but rather a scientist who had dreams of owning a building in Brooklyn.  We were out one night, and I had a big argument with my ex, and to cheer me up she invited me on a "real estate hunt" with her best friend who was also looking to buy something of the property persuasion.  I thought to myself, buildings?  Who buys buildings in New York, except for rich people, and I was anything but that as I scrounged through my pocket to put together enough change for a cup of tea.

Early that Saturday am we were off!  Off on and adventure to find buildings in the Fort Greene and Clinton Hill sections of Brooklyn.  Along the way, we met several colorful people, some local brokers, local residents and local squatters (those folks who decide to live in a building without any permission).  The buildings they could afford were horrible.  I mean really nasty!  Some you couldn't go into because the floors were on the verge of collapse, other buildings were covered in dog poop and mold, and scary people with pit bulls living inside was enough to almost make me finish the last bit of tea and high tail it back to the East Village.  As I was plotting my escape, I heard the two women chatting about the buildings and one of them muttered, "talk dirty to me", which was their code for let's run the numbers on the property.  I just about peed my pants laughing.  These women were having the time of their lives, looking at properties, talking dirty to one another, and dreaming of turning some of these awful spaces in not so great areas (circa 2000) into investments and homes for themselves.

That was it.  My turning point, the moment all of the lights in my head lit up and said, I can do this.  Yeah, yeah, yeah, I knew I didn't have any money, assets, family money/help and had no idea what my credit score was, but I knew I was going to own something, a house, houses, or whatever.

Of course, I wanted to own my own piece of the American Dream like any other red blooded American, but acquiring the actual asset was like getting fruit from the joy of gardening.  As much as I wanted the asset, I wanted the experience and comradery of searching, planning and budgeting for the asset.  Heck, the partnership in the search whittle the scary and overwhelming feeling down, and instead it was fun and exciting.    It was at that moment, I BELIEVED I COULD and WOULD own a property, and was going make an experience of it.

Personally, I still buy properties this way and work with my clients in the same fashion, and have the time of my life.

Here's to friendships, buying homes and talking dirty!

Cree