08/04/2026
📖 One $31.79 decision changed my life forever.
On August 27, 2015, I walked into a Books-A-Million in Traverse City with one goal—to learn how to flip houses.
I left with a copy of Home Buying Kit For Dummies.
I still have the original receipt tucked inside the book. It's been my bookmark for almost 11 years.
Back then, I knew how to paint walls and wasn't afraid of hard work, but real estate investing felt like a completely different world.
I made myself one promise that day:
I was going to figure it out.
Nearly three years later, I bought my first fixer-upper.
Before the bank would approve the loan, it required a brand-new roof. So before I even owned the house, a roofer friend and I installed one just to satisfy the lender.
The inside wasn't much better.
For the first two months, I didn't even live there. I slept on a friend's bedroom floor with everything I owned in storage and one duffel bag of clothes.
Most people thought I was crazy.
The truth?
I loved every minute of it.
By spring 2019, I finished the renovation, sold the home, and used the profits to pay off my student loans in one transaction.
That project changed everything.
I invested in myself, went to real estate school, earned my license, and never looked back.
Since then, I've renovated multiple homes, helped countless buyers and sellers, and even had the opportunity to mentor new Realtors at eXp Realty.
The funny part?
When I bought this book, becoming a Realtor wasn't even part of the plan.
I just wanted to learn.
Looking back, it's amazing to think that a $31.79 book and one decision to get started completely changed the direction of my life.
I hope my clients know that when I talk about homes, renovations, inspections, negotiations, and real estate investing, it comes from years of hands-on experience—not just a real estate license.
Sometimes the smallest investment you make in yourself ends up paying the biggest dividends.
🏡❤️