My mom and dad bought their own home in 1955. It was two acres in Surrey, which was in the middle of nowhere back then. Not anymore. My dad was always looking for other real estate to buy. In the 1970s, my sister married a man whose father owned a real estate company. Her husband was a framer but quit to become a salesperson in the company. Shortly after they got married, my sister became a realto
r as well. At the time, I worked for B.C. Tel as an installer. I worked out of town. I enjoyed it, but it was hard to have a romantic relationship. Long-distance relationships were not common in the 1970s. I then started working back in town and switched from inside to outside installations. It was a bit of a commute, thirty minutes each way with one tunnel and rush hour traffic. The biggest frustration was my fellow workers. It was a union job, but I always felt that there was something missing. I have always had an entrepreneurial mindset. I delivered newspapers and picked strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. That something that was missing was being able to help others. I decided to start a career in real estate. Both my brother-in-law and my sister were now realtors. My brother-in-law's father owned the company. So, I got a lot of insight into being a realtor. After many talks with them, I left the security of my union job and its pension to become a realtor. It wasn't an easy decision, but it was the right one. As a self-employed person, I knew my satisfaction would come from helping people with the largest financial decision that they would ever make. Helping clients with their biggest financial decision of their lives is a noble profession. Real estate isn’t just about a house. It’s about helping people find a place to call home. A place to make new memories, start new adventures, and raise their family. I always remember growing up in our family home without moving and how stable that felt. Having the same friends and classmates through school. All the great memories I had made me want those same memories for my clients. When I show homes to my clients, I think, “Can I see them living here for the next 10-20 years?” Because I know them as people, I can paint a picture for them. I guide them to the home that best fits their needs. It must be working because most of my clients stay in their homes for 20+ years before they move again!
