A little about me and my passion for homes!
My passion for housing started many years ago. I was a young woman in my early 20s who had just finished a counselling and advocacy diploma and landed my first job at a women’s shelter in Ajax. The shelter was in the beginning stages and had received some extra funding to run a transitional program. With a little bit of luck and a lot of hard work, I landed the transitional housing support worker position. I remember feeling excited, thankful and a bit unsure of what to do. Me and my partner were allocated 40 hours a week to spearhead a housing program where we had to make the magic happen. We were assigned to work with the women in the shelter and in the community to help them attain housing and essentially help them transition into their new lives. The women that became our clients all came from different backgrounds and situations but they all had one thing in common; all of them had left behind everything they knew and they were looking for a new place to call home.
Being young, inexperienced and idealistic I went into the job believing that any housing was better than no housing. I was a little taken aback when I saw my clients who had so little turning down housing options because of mere location. As I grew in my position I started to truly understand what it took to make my clients succeed in their new lives. Their immediate need was 4 walls to keep them safe and warm but the end goal was a home and a lifestyle they could sustain. They needed to be close to supports like schools daycares, friends and family. The commute times to work needed to be reasonable so they could make it to work on time and back to pick up their kids by six. For those clients who didn’t drive their new home needed to be near grocery stores and transit stops. I started to become an expert at helping my clients identify their needs and prioritize them. I also started to become an expert at solution-focused counselling, I helped my clients assert what they wanted and helped them put together plans to attain their goals in reasonable time frames. As time went on I grew as a counsellor, a housing worker, I made connections with my clients and learned to make important relationships with community liaisons in the Durham Region. When I left my position, I left with a feeling of pride, honour and accomplishment. I was proud and honoured to help so many families start new lives in their new communities all across the GTA.
When I started my Real Estate career I notice instantly how many transferable skills my previous experience and education gave me. I was loaded with skills that are essential to the successful agent I am today. My past experience gave me the ability to listen and understand people’s needs. It allowed me to see each client as an individual with their own reality and set of priorities. It gave me the experience to know that a successful transition in life has to have many essential elements, the most important one being sustainability. It taught me about 5 year plans and strategies to build personal wealth and freedom. Most of all it gave me a passion for housing families and community.
I am thankful for my past experiences, because of them I have the confidence to help my clients succeed. When I meet a new client I can walk into the relationship knowing I have the skills to listen to their needs and help them devise a plan to attain their real estate dreams. Whether they are looking for their first home, a place to retire or to expand their wealth portfolio, I know I can help them devise a plan and set it into action. My passion for my clients, families and community is what drives me to be the agent and the person I am today.
