Early on in my career, I found myself involved in a real estate transaction that would shape the way I do business today.
Back in 2015, I was looking for a shop for Tough Guys Landscaping & Lighting. There was a property south of Laramie that I had always liked, and I had done some business with the owner over the years. At one point, I told him, “If you ever decide to sell, give me a call.”
Then one day, I drove past the property and saw a big For Sale sign hanging on the fence.
I immediately picked up the phone.
“Come on, man! I told you if you ever wanted to sell, I wanted first crack at it.”
He started laughing.
“The sign isn’t for the property,” he said. “It’s for the car parked behind the fence.”
I felt like a complete idiot.
But that embarrassing phone call ended up changing the course of my career.
He went on to tell me that he and his wife had actually been talking about selling the property so they could build a new shop next to their home. His wife, who was a real estate agent, would be reaching out.
A few days later, she did.
That conversation introduced me to someone who would become one of my greatest mentors and a close friend.
What sticks with me most isn’t just how I found the property—it’s how the transaction unfolded.
Even though it happened in 2015, it felt like stepping back in time.
The process was remarkably simple. I don’t remember mountains of paperwork, endless negotiations, or stacks of documents to sign. The deal was built on something even more valuable: honesty, trust, and people doing what they said they would do.
Of course, today’s real estate transactions involve more documentation and consumer protections, and those serve an important purpose. But that experience taught me something that has never changed: real estate is, first and foremost, a people business.
Contracts matter.
Disclosures matter.
Protecting clients matters.
But relationships, integrity, and keeping your word matter just as much.
Those lessons have stayed with me throughout my career and continue to guide every client I work with.
A special thank you to Jessica Hocker for being an incredible mentor and for demonstrating what professionalism, integrity, and genuine client service look like. The example you set has had a lasting impact on the way I approach this business every day.
If there’s one thing I hope every client experiences when working with me, it’s the same trust and honesty that made one of my very first real estate deals so memorable.
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