2015 was a year that changed my life forever. 

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I was a newly engaged, single mom trying to make it.

2000-2010 were some of the hardest years of my life and I knew I had to make a change and give my twins a better life. 

What would that life be? I had no idea, but I knew there had to be something better than what we were living. So, I started working in Immigration contracting for the State Department. 

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Over the next five years, I built my credit and my finances. I was working hard to get on my feet for my twins and me. I also spent this time furthering my Immigration career. I found that my love of law and research helped me move up the ladder pretty quickly. 

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Then, in 2015, I was offered a position in Corporate Immigration, and I jumped on it! It was great pay and an opportunity to get closer to my goals. At the time, I had no idea what a difference this new job would make in our lives. After I started my new position, we began searching for a home. We were living in a small apartment in a duplex that my fiancé's parents owned. It was cute and gave us a roof over our heads, but it was just too small for the four of us. We had to build a bedroom in the basement for my teenage son (his “mancave”). His twin sister had a small bedroom upstairs with us. There wasn’t a lot of storage or space. We felt like we were constantly on top of one another. Tensions were building, and we were desperate to get out! 

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Our search was slow. We couldn’t afford a lot, and there weren’t many options that fit within our budget. I made offers on almost every home we looked at and kept getting outbid by a lot!! It was frustrating, and our limits were being tested. There were times when we didn’t think we would ever get our own home. We almost gave up.

 

By the fall, I found our dream home! It was 4500 sq. ft and uninhabitable. There were holes in the ceilings and it had mold. It needed a complete renovation and it was perfect! Well, perfect to me. My fiancé? He didn’t exactly feel the same. Where I saw our future with the twins, he saw a money pit. The house was one street over from where we were living so I convinced him to at least take a drive-by and see it in person. That drive-by made me obsessed and I called our realtor right away to set up a showing.

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Our realtor had the perfect lender that specializes in renovation loans. We outbid four other people and were ready to hit the ground running. The paperwork for this loan was so intense we would need at least 60 days to get to closing. In that 60 days, we had to find contractors, get quotes, and put together a renovation plan.

 

My background in Immigration was instrumental in this process. I was already trained to handle complicated paperwork. I held conference calls all over the world. I managed entire visa processes while adhering to strict deadlines. I was sure I could handle the homebuying process and I was right! I kept everyone on the same page and made sure we all stayed the course. We met all the deadlines that we were facing. It wasn’t perfect but we made it through and got our dream home.

 

Real estate is complex. My own experience made me realize this. Who you have on your side makes all the difference. So, I wanted to be that person for others. Two months after closing on our home, I went to school to get my real estate license. I never thought about being in real estate before. But, I knew my background in Immigration would give me the solid foundation I needed to succeed.

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Since going full-time in real estate, I found that I had a real passion for community outreach. I started working with a local church to deliver food to people with food insecurities. I ran a contest for our local small businesses. Because of this, they gained more customers during the pandemic. I brought food baskets to our local police stations. I took our local veterans out to lunch in my Italian sports car to thank them for their service. They got a kick out of it!

 

My dad passed away when I was 16 years old. He was an Army veteran. Some of his most cherished memories were of his time serving alongside Elvis Presley back in the '50s. It was in his honor I wanted to help our Military. So, I received my certification as a Military Relocation Professional. This became the main focus of my business. Helping our Military makes me feel closer to my dad and other family members who have also served.

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