I didn't choose Real Estate, Real Estate chose me.

I believe homeownership is generational. I've noticed if the grandparents rented, the parents rented, you rent, the kids rent, the grandkids rent..., - and on the other hand, some families generationally own.

My great-grandparents owned, my grandparents owned, my parents owned, I own, my daughter is looking to buy - a multi-family property, at that - so she can be a landlord.

When I started in the workforce, I got an apartment. I didn't have any money to acquire a home. I could afford a mortgage payment, I just didn't have any DOWN PAYMENT money.

Zero down payment loan products started to be advertised! Hot damn! THIS was me! I had ZERO down payment. So I marched my 20-something year old self into a nationally franchised real estate office (who coincidentally I worked for after I was licensed) and asked about the $0.% down financing program because I wanted to buy a house.

$0. down, 100% financing wasn't the norm, back in the day, and a lot of then real estate agents didn't know much, if anything about it. I was told, they didn't partake in those type of alternative loan programs. I would need 20% for my down payment, plus closing costs, and I was sent on my merry way.

Closing costs?! What's that? More money that I didn't have or know where I was going to get it from, My hopes of homeownership was dashed.

My job offered tuition reimbursement if you enrolled in college to continue your education. I took advantage of that benefit and took real estate classes and got my real estate license. I wanted to be able to understand what the real estate agent was talking about. I joined a local franchised brokerage, (not the one that told me, "no" yet,) and I persevered on and found out about low and no down payment programs. I had plenty of family, friends and coworkers, who like me, could pay the mortgage, but didn't have the down payment AND closing costs!

It was my mission then, and still is now, 33-years later, to help people who don't have the acquisition money, find assistance so that they can BUY a home.

For me, being a real estate professional, is about the money. Not the commission I earn on a sale, but the money I can find to help a family buy a home.