07/03/2025
Real Estate Career: A Call to Service, Not Glamour
On April 25, 2025, I got a call that changed my life. My brother told me that our 75-year-old father had unexpectedly passed away that morning.
At the time, I was actively helping three clients across four transactions. There was no time to pause—not even for bereavement. I had to keep going, working 10 to 13-hour days, including weekends.
Before every meeting, I prayed, asking God to give me the strength to deliver my best. And God is always good. He gave me what I needed: the ability to show up with a smile, and be calm and professional as always. The only moments I allowed myself to grieve were in the silence of my showers or during long, quiet drives home late at night.
I miss my dad deeply. He used to always call me during those long drives home just to check on me: “Did you eat today?” he’d ask. “Don’t forget your apple and banana.” He’d tell me what he had cooked for himself and how his day went. Those little conversations meant much to me.
This was one of the darkest times in my life—but my clients never knew or felt it. Only one couple, who are also dear friends, were aware that my father had passed away. Still, I made sure they never noticed a change in my work effort. A real estate transaction is probably one of the most complex transactions and decisions in a person’s life, so my clients needed to feel confident that their agent had everything under control.
Some people see real estate through the lens of shows like Selling Sunset—glamour, designer clothes, and effortless big deals. But for many of us, this career is rooted in service. I believe deeply in the power of homeownership—not only for the sense of community it creates, but for the opportunity to build stability and long-term generational wealth.
A real estate career is more than just sales. It takes dedication, commitment, hustle, long days, late nights, overhead expenses that occur whether you make money or not, sacrifice, and a deep commitment to others.
Like many other small business owners, I work without bereavement leave, benefits, guaranteed income, sick days, or paid vacation. There’s no safety net. But this career gives me purpose—and that’s what keeps me moving forward, even when life feels overwhelming.
Today, as I reflect on being named one of the Top 20 Agents in number of transactions for May 2025 at Pearson Smith Realty—a brokerage of over 1,300 agents—I carry that small recognition with deep gratitude. Gratitude to my Savior Jesus, for my clients, my brokerage, and for the quiet strength that my father instilled in me.
If you’re working with a Realtor who shows up for you—truly shows up—please remember: behind the hustle, there’s often a very human story… and there’s also a small business owner doing their absolute best.
