Aloha!  Living on the island of Maui now for 11 years, I can truly say that I made the right choice moving here.  Originally from a small town south of Chicago, I use to work as a preschool and kindergarten teacher.  As working with children has always been my passion I knew that I could put that to use where ever I lived.  I made the move to Maui a few months after my 20th birthday.  My original intent was to come to island, find a place to rent, and start living island style.  As soon as I got to Maui I looked at numerous places to RENT; owning wasn't even in my lingo as I just assumed I was still too young for that sort of thing, I still had never even lived on my own!  Within the first month I was on island, I did in fact purchase a condo.  It was one of the biggest decisions of my life, and I was scared to death to actually make the move and go through with it.  When it came down to it, it simply made sense, and with a seasoned Real Estate agent that knew the ropes, they helped me understand everything I was doing with my purchase.  It was one of the best decisions I ever made!  Not only did I purchase that condo, I also started investing in Real Estate on the mainland with my family, purchasing several properties owning a 1/4 in each.  Little did I know (since I have always worked with children) that this side hobby of Real Estate was preparing me for a future career with the mindset of the client.  I was the client.  I still am a client to my Real Estate Agent on the mainland. 

The first few years I lived on Maui I attended the Maui Community College/University of Hawaii from Maui and took classes for Psychology and I worked for a Non-Profit company called Hale Kipa as a Youth Advocate for less fortunate children 7 years old to 18 years old that were in foster homes and on probation.  I provided individualized, wraparound prevention and intervention services to youth and their families, focusing on strengthening their families, and preventing further criminal/status offenses and/or abusive situations.  As I had several families I worked with, I was scattered around the entire island of Maui.  Again, this was unintentional preperation for my future career.  I learned so much about the island and the in's and out's of the smaller towns, neigborhoods and communities, which I most likely would have missed if I was not involved with Hale Kipa. 

About 3 1/2 years after I moved to Maui my mother and father moved over as well.  Instantly, my father Roger Pleski R(S) got into the Real Estate Industry.   I decided to leave Hale Kipa when my father offered me a job helping him with his marketing.  For a couple years, I helped him with his Real Estate marketing and eventually got a job as the Office Manager at his previous office Coldwell Banker Island Properties at The Wailea Town Center, which he know resides at our Shops at Wailea Office.   Taking the job as Office Manager was the way I wanted to start my Real Estate career.  I purposely wanted to learn Real Estate from the inside out.  I did not want to just take the test and jump right into it blindsided.  I knew eventually I would start to work as a team with my father and I wanted to be as prepared as possible.  I have managed the Town Center office for 2 years and have gained an interesting look on Real Estate from the inside out.  I've come across numerous (hundreds) agents through my work, and the one of the most important things I take from that is how I want to be as an agent.   I have spent 2 years working with some of the most prestigious agents/brokers, viewing some of the most high end million dollar beachfront homes at Broker's Opens to condo's suitable for a first time buyer on a budget (that was me!), and being embedded in the MLS everyday for the past two years that I have gained more knowledge than expected.  I've seen how this market has been for the past 7 years and have been around the knowledge I need to be to understand it for what it is. 

What a change of careers!  Do I miss working with children?  Sure!  When it comes down to it, I am happy in life helping others, no matter what it is.  It made perfect sense for me to start a Real Estate career with the path of life I was and am on.  I would like to make transactions for buyers and sellers as simple as possible, yet do everything it takes to get their particular needs met, as I remember from my own situations how intricate each persons situation actually is.  Working with my father, Roger Pleski R(S), couldn't be better, as he is one of the most straight forward agents you will ever meet.  Even growing up as a child, the one thing about my father is that he never embellishes what shouldn't be embellished.  He says it for what it is.  That's how it should be!  I am constantly learning from him on a daily basis and I feel I couldn't have a better mentor.   From owning my own properties to managing a prominent Real Estate office, I feel I have what it takes with an insiders view!