Such A Big Part Of Who I AM

If you don’t have your “feel pants” on … you might want to get changed or revisit this post at another time … it’s going to get “mushy”.

When I was 10 I wanted to be a flight attendant when I grew up. Never one to sit around on a plan for too long … I figured having a second language would help me in my pursuit to “take to the skies”. So, I asked my Mom if I could enrol in French Immersion in grade 6. She agreed under one condition ... I had to sleep out overnight outside the school to secure my spot. She wasn't going to do it for me and her rationale was that, If I wanted to enroll in French Immersion bad enough then I'd have to do what it took to get there.

For the next 5 years ... nothing changed in my choice of future occupation until I discovered what a REALTOR® was. I was immediately enthralled with it. I asked somewhere between 7 and 423 questions about the profession to people "in the know" or anyone willing to be subject to my curiosity. My dream of "pointing to exits" vanished instantaneously.

Within weeks not only had I decided to drop out of French Immersion but I had wondered into my local real estate office and refused to leave until I had a job there. At 15 I became an assistant for a top producing team and for the next 4 years soaked up as much knowledge as I could ... I LOVED it!

High School ended. I studied business and marketing in college and started pursuing my real estate licence. On my 19th birthday, July 7th, 1993, just one year out of high school, I became a REALTOR®!

The reason I'm telling this story is that today I received a package at the office from the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board and the Canadian Real Estate Association commemorating my 25th year as a REALTOR®.

How did that happen?

There are a number of things that make me the person I am ... my parents, my childhood, my friends, my wife and my kids are some of those. Without question being a REALTOR® for the past 25 years has been a BIG part of shaping the person that I am. I'm beyond proud of what I do for a living. I'm continually humbled by the people that invite me into their lives at a point of transition, often times happy but sometimes sad, and trust me to help them navigate the complicated and often stressful real estate process. That trust is something I will never take lightly.

Then there are the people. Some of the most incredible people in the world are REALTORS®. I get to work alongside two of them every day. Jorda and Trisha are two of the most special people you'll ever meet. They are funny, passionate, smart, ethical and caring. I'm so fortunate to work with them both every day and so are our clients. Then there are the friendships ... some of my closest friends wouldn't be in my life if I'd pursued a different path. I have no idea what my life would be like without the "Jesses", "Valeries" and "Bruces".

25 years! Wow!

I guess they are right when they say "time flies when you are having fun".

As SO many of you know I'm not a "humble brag" type of guy. I VERY rarely share awards and accolades that I've received over the years ... but this one's different. It's far more of a "Thank You" than a "look at me".

Thank you to all my/our amazing clients that have trusted us over the years.

Thank you to all the mentors who shared advice and "marked the path".

Thank you to Jorda and Trisha who inspire me daily in my personal and professional life.

Thank you to all the amazing REALTORS®.

Thank you to the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board and the Canadian Real Estate Association for the recognition and for all you do for our industry.

The BIGGEST "Thank you" goes to my wife, Tracey, and our boys, Carter and Keaton for encouraging and supporting me each and every day and for putting up with "all the crazy" that comes with this incredible profession.

I can't wait to see what the next 25 years have in store for me!

~ Michael

𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐒𝐄𝐘 𝐁𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐋 𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐏

𝐑𝐄/𝐌𝐀𝐗 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐒𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐲 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐲 | hello@tmbrealestate.com | 604-306-7472