06/04/2026
25 years.
It is hard to believe that today marks 25 years in real estate.
When I left my position as Assistant Equipment Manager with the Phantoms, I was not chasing a career in real estate. I was looking for a career that would allow me to be present for my family after the birth of my son, Joey.
Someone told me, "You have the personality to make a good Realtor."
That was all I needed.
I walked into the Fox & Roach office in Gloucester Township and met with manager Bob Hayes. The meeting went so well that I knew I had found my next chapter.
Back then, real estate looked a lot different. Fox & Roach was still family owned. Bill Fox Sr. would personally call agents on their birthdays. We worked the Up Desk, flipped through the Big Book of listings, and the MLS was still relatively new. Relationships were built face to face and business was built one conversation at a time.
Over the next 25 years, I watched this industry transform.
I experienced the booming markets when homes sold almost as fast as the signs went into the yard. I survived the crash of 2008 and learned the complexities of short sales and foreclosures when many agents left the business altogether. I watched Fox & Roach transition into Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices. TREND became Bright MLS. HUD 1s became ALTAs/Closing Disclosures. Technology changed everything from how we marketed homes to how we communicated with clients. When Zillow launched the Zestimate in 2006, consumers suddenly had instant access to estimated home values. It changed the way many people viewed pricing and homeownership and still serves as a starting point for many consumers today.
Then came COVID.
The market exploded. Interest rates hit historic lows. Social media became a major business tool. More people entered the industry than ever before. It felt like everyone knew someone getting their real estate license.
Then somewhere along the way, I made one of the hardest decisions of my career and left the company I had called home for nearly 20 years to begin a new chapter with Coldwell Banker.
But while real estate was changing, my life was changing too.
Over these 25 years, I welcomed Nate and Mia into my life and watched my family grow. As the years went on, life brought many of the same experiences I was helping my clients navigate. I went through a divorce, rented, bought and sold condos, purchased a single-family home, remarried, became part of a blended family, became a bonus dad to Wyatt, welcomed Wiley into the world, and experienced the heartbreak of losing both of my parents.
Life does not stop because you have a career. In fact, some of the biggest lessons I learned in real estate came from living through many of the same experiences my clients were facing.
The truth is that real estate has never just been about houses.
It is about people.
It is about first homes, growing families, job transfers, retirement, divorce, loss, fresh starts, and everything in between.
For 25 years, I have had the privilege of helping people navigate some of the biggest financial and emotional decisions of their lives while navigating many of my own.
The longer I do this, the more I realize that a 25-year real estate career is really an education in people, almost like earning an honorary degree in human relations. You become part therapist, part negotiator, part financial advisor, part mediator, and part problem solver. There is no class that teaches you how to handle every situation. Experience becomes the teacher.
Today, many of the first-time buyers/sellers I helped years ago are calling me to help their children and even their grandchildren purchase homes of their own. There is no greater compliment than earning that kind of trust.
Along the way, I have also had the privilege of building relationships with so many incredible people. Clients, coworkers, fellow Realtors, attorneys, lenders, inspectors, contractors, photographers, title representatives, and countless others have become part of this journey. Some started as professional connections and became lifelong friends. Those relationships have been one of the most rewarding parts of this career.
To every client, friend, family member, colleague, lender, attorney, title representative, inspector, photographer, processor, and fellow agent who has been part of this journey, thank you.
Twenty-five years later, I am still learning, still adapting, and still grateful for the relationships this career has brought into my life.
If I have had the privilege of helping you buy, sell, invest, or simply answer a real estate question over the years, I would love to hear from you. Feel free to leave a comment, share a memory, or post a photo. Looking back, it is amazing how many relationships and memories have been built along the way.
Twenty-five years have gone by in a flash. Here's to the next chapter.
