You Don’t Have to Know the First Step

One of my favorite stories — and honestly one of the clearest reasons I chose real estate — started with a simple question from an old teaching coworker. She asked if I would help her daughter find a home.

Her daughter happened to be one of my own daughter’s friends — someone I had watched grow up. Being trusted with something that personal felt like an honor I didn’t take lightly.

When she came to me, she didn’t have a plan. She didn’t know what steps to take or what homeownership even looked like for her. She only knew one thing: she didn’t want to keep paying rent.

So we sat down. We talked. I listened.

I asked her about her goals, her hopes, and where she wanted her life to go — not just what kind of house she thought she needed. She trusted me enough to be honest about where she was financially. We looked at everything together and created a simple budget she could begin following. I introduced her to a mortgage lender I trust deeply — someone who, like me, was willing to walk with her instead of rushing her.

Even though she wasn’t ready to buy yet, we still went and looked at homes. Not to pressure her — but to give her something tangible to work toward. Something real.

Over the next year, there were phone calls. Budget check-ins. Conversations with the lender. Small steps that didn’t feel dramatic in the moment but mattered more than she realized.

Within a year, she bought her very first home.

That experience reinforced something I believe deeply: through patience, persistence, consistency, and a burning desire, people truly have no limits. Most people aren’t incapable — they’re just unsupported. Once someone feels seen and guided, confidence has room to grow.

And if you’re reading this feeling unsure, behind, or intimidated by the idea of homeownership, I want you to know this:

You don’t have to do this alone.

Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is let someone walk with you.