When I was in my late teens and early 20s, I worked at my grandparents' machine shop in Kent, Washington. Every couple months, my grandfather would tell me that I should get into sales - not because of the opportunity that sales affords to make considerable amounts of money, but because, in his words, "You will tell people what they they need to know to make the best decision for them, even if it costs you a sale." I was young and had a poor impression of salespeople so I would either scoff or roll my eyes. Sometimes both. Years later, after dabbling in tech and restaurant management, I called my grandfather and told him that I had gotten my real estate license. "Congratulations," he said, "you're in sales!" Until that moment, I had not thought of real estate as SALES. My jaw fell and then I started to laugh. Two decades later, I am proud to say that my grandfather, rest his soul, was right about the type of salesperson I would be.

Now that you know my origin story, let's talk about YOU.

You are reading this bio because you are thinking about buying or selling a home. Maybe both.

You are looking for an agent that you can trust and might be feeling a little overwhelmed - which is not surprising given that there are tens of thousands of licensed real estate agents to choose from.

• Redmond, where I currently live, had 481 licensed agents when I updated this bio on July 30th, 2024.
• Bellevue, where my office is, had ten times that amount (4,849, to be exact).
• Kirkland, which is one of my preferred areas, had 1,462.
• Mercer Island, which I called home from 2010-2014, had 203.

That is just shy of 7,000 licensed real estate agents on the Eastside alone, and that does not account for Issaquah, Sammamish, Woodinville or Bothell.

Given the voluminous options, how do you choose the "right" agent for YOU?

If this were an episode of Family Feud and the top five answers were on the board, they would probably be - in one order or another: Existing Relationship, Area Expertise, Company Reputation, Convenience/Availability, and "My Friend Recommended Them".

Those are all good answers, but I have a better one.

M-O-N-E-Y.

I know that it sounds crass, but I will remind you of what my grandfather said: "You will tell people what they they need to know to make the best decision for them, even if it costs you a sale."

My promise to my clients who are selling a home is simple: I will net you more money in less time than other agents you might be considering.

For my buyer clients, the promise is similar: I will keep more money in your pocket than other agents will.

If that is not something that resonates with you then we might not be a good fit - which is 100% okay because not everyone is meant to be my client. If, however, what you have read here does resonate with you, we should talk. And soon.

Either way, I thank you for reading my bio and wish you well.