This post is for the August Challenge with Carol Williams and Ralph Gorgoglione
How helping a struggling mother and her children taught me that real estate is about people first, numbers second.
About thirty-five years ago, when I was just starting out in real estate, I got a call that changed me in ways I never expected. From word of mouth, a woman reached out in tears, unsure of what to do. She had three young children, all under ten and a dog. Her husband had been abusive to all of them (and the dog) for years, and now he was sitting in the Broward County jail, facing a long sentence after another violent incident that finally brought police intervention.
She wasn’t just looking to sell a house. She was looking for a way out, a way to start fresh. There were other buyers who had offered her more money than I could, but money wasn’t what she needed. Well, she needed that too, but also a sympathetic ear. She needed someone to help her navigate things she had never done before: moving her family to safety, setting up a bank account and even getting her husband’s signature from behind bars so she could legally sell the home to me.
I’ll never forget walking into that jail. After being frisked, I was led into a room with bulletproof, dingy glass and filthy phones bolted to the wall on both sides. I wrapped a tissue around the receiver before putting it to my ear. Across from me sat her husband, with a guard standing close by eyeing his every move. I explained the documents, and under watchful eyes, he signed.
From there, I helped the woman find an apartment big enough for her and her kids, one that would even accept their dog. A friend of mine at a local bank (who was the manager) opened an account for her and walked her through the basics. For the first time, she had a safe place to live and a way to manage her own finances.
That experience has never left me. It wasn’t just about real estate. It was about doing the right thing for someone who needed it. It taught me early on that success in business doesn’t come from saying, “This can’t be done.” It comes from asking, “How can we make this work legally, ethically, and with compassion?”
That mindset has shaped everything I’ve done since.
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