Our Story
Who am I? A Realtor, a Lawyer, a Mom . . .
A lawyer, a Realtor and a mom are sitting in a boat on the Pacific Ocean . . . It sounds like the beginning a joke doesn’t it? For me, it’s the story of my life.
I’m not sure when I first realized that my whole family was involved in real estate. Maybe it was when Grandma and I talked about putting down payments on her rental homes. Maybe it was when my mom talked about her grandma being one of the first real estate agents in Long Beach, or maybe it was when I started processing Mom’s mortgage loans when I was 11. Regardless, I knew with the certainty that only a 17 year old is capable of that I did not want to be the fourth generation in real estate in my family.
So, I ran off to Berkeley, picked up a couple of degrees, then my law degree at Pepperdine. Finally, I was ready to be a big, important attorney! The only problem is that by the time I graduated from law school, I was pretty sure I didn’t want to be one. Nevertheless, I procured a job as a first year associate and began my law career.
What did I learn? I learned that I don’t want to be part of a big company where people are treated like cogs in a wheel. I wanted something smaller and more personal on which I could have a true effect. I wanted a life where family, friends and clients were interchangeable terms.
How, do you make all of this work when you are climbing the ladder and graduating from associate to partner? I didn’t really know. I just knew it wasn’t for me.
Fortunately for me, I had friends who knew my family background and began asking for helping buying and selling their homes. I quickly realized how much fun I was having helping them plan their futures and find their dreams. My husband, Steve, recommended I get my broker’s license, and I did.
But, it hasn’t all been butterflies and roses. Not quite 10 years in to my real estate career, the bottom fell out of the Orange County real estate market. I learned a lot about myself and my clients in those years, and I helped lots of people that were having financial difficulties and the emotional strain that came with it.
I’m proud to say that not only am I still standing, I now have a vision for my company and for our clients. My team and I work together to help our clients open doors and fulfill dreams just as my family’s business has done for generations.
So, here I am decades later right in the middle of real estate where I knew I didn’t want to be and finding it hard to imagine doing anything else.
Maybe it’s true what they say, mom knows best.