A question was presented to me yesterday by the National Association of REALTORS.  Why do you love being a REALTOR?  This question is typically answered with comments such as, " I love the flexibility" or "I love being my own boss".  Not wanting to repeat the typical answer, I thought about the question for a moment, to truly answer it I needed to start with why I chose to become a REALTOR!

My brother and I were raised by a single mom in Plant City.  We had step-dads in and out of our lives but our mom was the main (and sometimes only) bread winner.  Raising two kids on a single income left funds a little tight so we moved around often renting wherever our mom could find something affordable.

At 23, my husband and I bought our first house.  I still remember the feeling of getting those keys for the first time.  I was ecstatic!  I couldn't believe I actually had a house of my own.  I was the first in my family to own a home.  My brother soon followed with a great home just outside of Plant City and then finally after both of her kids bought homes, my mom bought her first house at 50 years old.

As a REALTOR, I get to help people every day achieve what my mom worked so many years to accomplish.  Some are newlyweds and just starting their family and others are older individuals that have worked their entire life, just like my mom, to finally be at a point to buy a place they can call their own.  To me, there is something very special about being that person, who guides and counsels those first time home buyers as they purchase their first home.  I get a little bit of that same ecstatic feeling all over again every time I hand the keys to a new home buyer.  THIS is why I love being a REALTOR!