I was 18 years old when I did my first real estate deal.
Well, sort of. Let me give you a little backstory first..
I went all in on being a teenager.
Sneaking out of the house after my parents were asleep.
Taking the family car for a joyride around town when I didn’t even have a license.
Shoplifting. Yep, you read that right. I actually got caught shoplifting at Walmart and that was the end of my 5 finger discount forever.
Scared the living daylights out of my parents, that’s for sure!
But after 4 years of pushing the envelope and rebelling, I was ready to grow up.
Back to my first real estate deal…
It was the summer after my senior year of high school and my parents had our house for sale by owner. We were planning to move from McPherson, KS to Georgetown, TX.
They were asking $85,000. I know, can you even imagine??
My family went on summer vacation without me – probably best for everyone at that time in my life.
I was listening to REM with incense burning in my bedroom when the home phone rang (it was 1995).
It was someone calling the number on our for sale sign.
He wanted to see the house. Told me he was the new middle school principal and needed to find a house FAST. Said he loved the neighborhood.
I thought – hmmm, this guy sounds super interested in our house!
So when he asked me the price, I said “$90,000.”
He said “Great, when can I come to see it?”
I thought – OMG! I totally upsold this guy!
He came, he saw, he liked, and he bought.
BOOM!
When I told my parents, they couldn’t stop laughing.
And when I asked if they’d give me the $5,000 extra I got them…
They laughed even harder.
Oh well, a girl can try, right?
7 years later, I got my license and started a long term love affair with real estate.
Little did I know at the age of 18, that I’d be connecting people and houses for decades to come!
Sometimes the most rebellious teenagers turn into self-managed entrepreneurs.
If you’re the parent of a teen, hang it there!