To anyone who wants to know:

There I was, sitting in NYC overlooking Madison Park from my office window. I was daydreaming about the three big dreams I had growing up: 1) To get into a really good school, 2) To make it in NYC, and 3) To become a real estate investor and agent who helps people with one of the most important transactions of their lives. I had made one and two happen. I had proved it to myself—I could make it in NYC, and here I was, fully ready to sign the papers on a return offer from the tech startup I had worked at for the last two years.

I was ready to forget about #3 and live it up in NYC as long as I could. But in that moment, my mind started wandering, remembering all of the showings and listings and the crazy hectic hustle and bustle of running from appointment to appointment with my grandma. I recalled meeting client after client, all in the backdrop of such a personal and beautiful medium that would impact each person’s life every day thereafter. It’s no secret I love houses. I send my friends listings for “property analysis Mondays” just for fun to see what they like and don’t like. I love that real estate has endless potential—almost every house is different, with different architecture and its own quirks and stories. But more significantly, every client and every deal is different, with different wants and needs, hopes and dreams. Homes revolve around people, they wait to be filled up with laughter, happiness, joy, and even sometimes sadness, but that’s what makes them so human, they are warm and filled with life unlike a computer screen. At this moment, I realized that by remaining in NYC and sitting behind a desk for my career, even if it was a rewarding one surrounded by some of the most talented people I’ve ever met, I would be bored.

I would be doing the same job, the same workflows with no chance to truly connect with people—but rather just sell them something to improve the bottom line of their business. There’s nothing wrong with that, but I remembered all the fun I had watching my grandma establish herself as one of the most successful agents in Maryland. I wanted to be a part of that. I wanted to work making people’s unique lives better, easier, and more satisfying. I wanted to invest too and grow a portfolio, something that would be hard to do in NYC where a 1-bedroom condo costs over a million dollars. Even making New York money, investing there would be nearly impossible for someone without serious familial wealth—something I didn’t grow up with.

So fast forward to today: I got my real estate license in Maryland, sat down with my grandmother, and said I wanted to run and inherit her business and help her retire. I turned down not just one but three six-figure offers to go back to NYC, and I am ready to start dream number three. So believe me when I tell you I care about you and your family. I care about people’s dreams and where they go in life. This isn’t a casual career for me; this is a big bet on myself, and I don’t take that lightly. I will fight tooth and nail, night and day, to make sure you get what you’re looking for—your dream home, selling your home and moving to the next phase of life, or even buying a second home or an investment that will yield you more security and opportunity. I am here for you, and I am ready to get started whenever you are!

With respect, Alex