Michelle JamesThe Team
In lots of ways I’m not proud of my early history, but it is what made me what I am today. You see, I was a late bloomer; I made a lot of mistakes, and it wasn’t until I was 33 that I started becoming an adult. It was the year my son was born -- in fact everything changed 3 days after he was born. I was now responsible for this perfect little boy and I fervently wanted him to be safe and grow up to be more responsible than what I had been so far. So what did I do? I ran home to mommy and daddy! It ended up being the best move I ever made but I didn’t receive the kind of help and support I thought I wanted at the time. They welcomed me in but the next morning my mother was waking me up to go to work at her real estate office. Not what I expected! I had a baby!
My mother started me out at the bottom – not always doing the most glamorous jobs, but though I did not have a prestigious title or position, my mother took time to teach me everything she knew. At this point in my life, I had a horrible credit rating, did not have a responsible bone in my body, and had actually been told I would never own a house of my own. She exercised an incredible amount of patience to help me realize the value of credit and how it could be used to my advantage. I learned to budget and we worked together to improve my credit score over 300 points.
It was during this time that I started realizing the value of serving others. Both my parents did this on a daily basis, but I was beginning to see how they became trusted friends in the eyes of clients and peers. I saw how she made others feel and how she helped them. She has faith in everyone being able to grow and improve. She knew that every single person was different and had unique needs and desires. She knew her job well, but she didn’t just “do her job”, she treated each person individually. Buying and selling houses is stressful and it involves incredible anxiety. People would come into her office upset and overwhelmed and she would patiently explain what was happening and what would occur next. She would outline realistic expectations and would nearly always restore hope and confidence in their future.
It didn’t take long for me to decide that I wanted to get my own real estate license and begin helping others do what they may think is impossible. We all have voices in our heads telling us we are not good enough, we can’t, or we don’t deserve. If anyone didn’t deserve a safe home and good life, it would have been me, but with help I was able to turn it around and change my life, my outlook, my future.
I now love what I do. Everyone goes through several stages in life and I like to work with people on an individual basis to help them make the best possible decisions for themselves and their families. Whether it is buying that first home, investing for the future, or downsizing to a more manageable home because they want to take it easier, travel more, or need a little help to maintain their independence -- whatever change is coming, that is what I want to help people transition into. I strive to be the agent willing to answer (or find the best answer) to every question, to be a sounding board when thoughts are overwhelming, and to honestly encourage when doubt floods the mind. This is what I want to do; I want to help people take advantage of the changes in their life.
Everyone can achieve their real estate goals with the right kind of hard work and dedication. I am here to help you get there.