09/09/2026
It’s easy to get so caught up worrying about the future—putting your head down and grinding—that you forget to pause. Moments like this force you to look in the rearview mirror and really reflect on how far we’ve come.
Back in 2014, I left my job as a recruiter at a parking company to become a real estate agent. I didn’t know what the hell I was doing or how to build a business. I just had big dream and knew how to work hard.
Fast forward to 2020, and Cara Hilgesen made the leap to leave her career in Traffic Engineering to help run our homePERQs team with me. We wanted to build something together and create the business and the life that we actually wanted. No risk, no return.
It hasn’t always been easy. We’ve had way more highs than lows, but the lows are what make us better. Even if it doesn’t feel like it in the moment.
Along the way, we’ve helped hundreds and hundreds of clients buy and sell homes. Guiding people through the biggest financial decisions of their lives is a true honor. But beyond the numbers, this journey has forced us to push each other to be better parents, better partners, and better entrepreneurs.
We’ve cried on each other’s shoulders. Cara picks me up when I’m down or worried, and I do the same for her. We support each other even when things fall flat. We argue sometimes, we apologize, and we get stressed. There are plenty of sleepless nights when you run your own business. We’ve taken risks that didn’t pay off, and we’ve been burned more than a few times. But through it all, we keep picking each other up and moving forward not just to build a great life for our family, but because we genuinely give a s**t about running a company we’re PROUD of.
Getting voted one of "The Best of North County" The Best of North County gave us that rare moment to look back and smile. It was a reminder that all the worry, the sleepless nights, the arguments, the tears, and the damn hard work are actually being noticed. So much so that people took the time out of their day to vote for us.
Thank you. This one really means a lot.
I’m so damn lucky to have Cara Hilgesen as my partner in life and in business. She’s the one who makes it all work, and the one who makes it all worth it.
Huge thank you to every single client who helped us get here. Cheers.
-James & Cara (Owners of homePERQs)
