In 1977 my family immigrated to the land of the free and the home of opportunity. I was just 8 years old and didn’t speak any English. Our family had very little money so my father joined the military and my mother cleaned houses to make a living. My parents are so entrepreneurial and that must be where I get it! Many years later, my father had great aspirations of owning real estate. He encourage
d me and also funded my real estate classes at Cochise College. In 2004 I received my real estate license and I sold my dad an investment property. The property was represented by a new agent (much like myself), he was very young, enthusiastic, and overly optimistic! His name was Josh Berkley and a friendship was born. In 2008 real estate in Sierra Vista was very tough. Not much of it was moving and many Realtors were figuring out that it was a lot more fun working in a booming market. I also was having a bit of a hard time in that market. I decided that my “investment” into all the DIY home improvement shows should not go to waste! After trying to sell some great investment properties to local investors I decided I would try flipping homes. I cashed out my 403b, my savings, and borrowed a bit from my mother to finance my first flip. I explained the plan to my wife and her question was very simple, yet difficult at the same time. “If it’s so simple why hasn’t someone already done it…?” she asked. Apparently it wasn’t God’s plan for them, but it was his plan for us. The home we purchased was very modest and we stuck to the time lines and budget. I sold it in 9 days with the exact profit I projected. Over the next few years we reinvested our profits and purchased other properties to flip. However, my intent was not to keep buying and selling for ourselves. In 2010 I was approached by Josh to join him in a new (to Sierra Vista) real estate office by the name of Keller Williams. This company has zero debt, and a value system of God, Family, and then Business. Since those are my beliefs I decided to join. Most people in the area had never heard of Keller Williams, but it was fastest growing real estate company in the world. I’m a big believer in what Dave Ramsey teaches so much of my real estate advertising budget goes into Craigslist & Facebook. This career has its share of uncertainty and lacks many guarantees. I have to remember Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” I have met so many great people and made a few good friends. I have a wealth of experience and knowledge in this market, most of which is not the type that is learned in a classroom, or from a book! I look forward to the opportunity in helping you purchase your next home.
