My brother and I, enjoying our "pool home" in Miami, Florida during the 60's. I'm the curly headed kid on the left
For as long as I can remember, I always love drawing, coloring, getting creative. I wasn't the best on the block at any of it, but it gave me a lot of pleasure. A new coloring book was something that thrilled me to no end.
Fast forward to the early 90's and it should be no surprise that I had become a graphic artist, specializing in advertising graphics working on a Genigraphics computer system. I was doing fine with my career as one of the only women at the lab in Miami. The other women were secretaries, while I was "one of the boys" working in the lab.
Until I met Him.
No, not God. His name was Michael and he was a real estate broker from Key West. We met on a sailboat as crew members during the Columbus Day Regatta. It was love at first site.
Within a matter of weeks, I had quit my job, loaded all my belongings into a rental truck and headed down the Overseas Highway to my new life in the Florida Keys.
There was no demand for computer graphics in the quaint town of Key West. Finding a job was not easy. I eventually found work as an art director at a local graphic artist and print shop. I married my broker boyfriend and life was once again going perfectly.
That is, until the state auditors showed up.
Turns out the owners of the print shop had been collecting sales tax on stuff we printed, designed and billed for, but they had not been turning it over to the state. For the record, the state of Florida really frowns upon this. So much so, that they shut us down. I din't have a job anymore. Now what?
I was in shock. I went to my husband's real estate office and told him the news. Here I am, breaking the bad news to him, and he is actually standing there cool as a cucumber. Didn't he hear me say I was now unemployed? He didn't even miss a beat before he said "well, now you can go get your real estate license"! He was thrilled with the idea, but I thought he was crazy.
What? Me? A Realtor??
Before I knew it I was signed up for the 7 day class in Miami - 3 hours away by car. That meant that I'd have to stay with my mom and dad while I stayed in Miami to take the course. Having flown the coop at an early age, it was a long 7 days living with my parents as a grown, married woman.
But I passed course and took the sate exam and passed it with flying colors. On May 5th, 1993 I became a gold jacket wearing Realtor.
It hasn't always been easy and it hasn't always been fun. But now that I've combined my marketing career and my real estate career, i couldn't imagine doing anything else.
Eighteen years later, I am still here in the Florida Keys. My background in advertising and graphics is a perfect fit with marketing real estate.I think this is why I consider myself a "listing" type agent since having a listing to market brings out the graphic artist in me.
I've long since outgrown the gold jacket, but after a few years outside of the system with independent brokers, I am now back with Century 21. Part of why I love this industry so much is that it is constantly changing. New technology is added every day and this thrills me as much as those old coloring books used to. It keeps the creative side of me busy, learning new things with each day.
I feel like I am truly blessed to have "a job" that I love as much as I do.
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