Navigating Life’s Pivots: My Real Estate Journey

Honestly, I don’t know the struggles that people faced when they embarked on new endeavors. Hopefully, you all can relate to my story. If you understand the concept of life, you know there is always some resistance in whatever you do. No matter the size of the goal, aspiration, or task, obstacles can come out of thin air. Be prepared for them.

The starting point

I have to take you way back to when I had just graduated from college in the midst of a pandemic which…..wasn’t any fun to say the least as my professor didn’t know what to do, so they just made things up for us fully to get credit as everything went online as most of you know. I’ll say during that time of “imprisonment,” it truthfully woke a lot of people up, no matter the age. It gave us the time to sit still and contemplate what life we really wanted to have. Better yet, it made us think about what endeavors to embark on, as you honestly never know when your last day on this ball of mud will be.

As I made it through my last semester as a senior, I almost quit during that time because of all the unnecessary hoop we were put through. I realized I was right at the finish line. I had worked way too hard to give up at that moment, and I accepted that life will throw you an alley-op of obstacles at each door you choose to sprint through. Once I fully digested that realization, I had to move back home. That’s when the paradigm shift came to pursuing the entrepreneur route. The signs had always been there for me growing up. I used to sell candy, fake jewelry, and other snacks in middle school. I also told my family members I didn’t want any gifts, just give me money….haha. Too be transparent I wasn’t sure about myself when it came to entrepreneurship only because I hadn’t seen it anywhere in my family and I felt like I still had some growing to do internally stemming from my background.

The leap of a new mindset

So by this time of figuring out myself and researching what was out there I started to network which was way out of my comfort zone but lead me to a third door that I didn’t know was right in front of me. The third door was through a friend from high school who I hadn’t spoken to in about 2 years and he was also in the same frame of mind of taking the entrepreneur route which allowed him to make some good connections that he put me in contact with.

I decided to open myself to being uncomfortable. As a result, I managed to attract opportunities that most would miss. I had a bunch of conversations with those connections to comprehend what mindset you needed to have when it came to entrepreneurship. I also learned about the combination of skill sets you have to develop for the desired outcome. If you are a person floating or teetering in between that leap to embark on a new venture I’d recommend seizing that choice now, so you won’t regret or experience the guilt phase that happens sometimes.

At this point, 4 months after graduation college during the pandemic, I’d started a health and wellness (network marketing) business. It had very minimal overhead fees for starting a business. This was important because I’m a broke college graduate, and most businesses’ overhead fees are in the thousands. So, this was perfect for me. After learning the ins and outs of the business model I was in life started to shift for because I was being education on information they don’t teach in school which was hard to comprehend at first like the Cashflow Quadrant. Then I became a machine for learning. I understood that successful people take accountability for their education. You start to see life for what it is and realize that “work hard, get your degree, and work a corporate career” isn’t the only answer. If you want to live life by your own rules, you should use your degree and career to open up that third door. This will provide more resources to help achieve your aspirations.

Now that I’m obsessive about my self-education with reading, listening to podcasts, and attending conferences, I am starting to display an evolved mindset. This mindset merges with applying the skill set to the actions I’ve been taking. You are probably wondering what actions I’m referring to. I was talking to strangers every day while living my life. I had face-to-face meetings to better understand people and form a genuine connection. I also led people through an educational process to see if a partnership would make sense or not. None of those tasks were easy at first but confidence with the willingness to fail within the process is where you develop a energy that person can feel oozing from you. I’ll be honest it is scary when you decide to take your life into your own hands and sincerely put your trust into Allah knowing he controls everything.

Making the Pivot

Four years later I come to a crossroads for a multitude of reasons that have caused a few rocky situations in my life. I was fortunate to make the pivot in 2024 when I did because it had put me in a better state emotionally while allowing to reflect deeper on past choices I made to see at spots in time could teach me what areas to work on. The place I was living when I made the pivot was Houston, Tx. I decided to become a real estate investor because 4 years earlier I had an interest to “get into real estate” like most people were saying haha. However, I knew deep down that my interpersonal and communication skills were not where they needed to be as a consultant. I wasn’t ready to guide people through one of the biggest purchases of their lives. Plus, I didn’t know anything about business at that time.

How I started the journey was going to a REIAs meeting which kicked off my real estate journey which resulted in me wholesaling because for three reasons they were charging a arm and leg to mentor you, I had move back home to Illinois that same year in Aug. 2024, and I knew I could make money without having money while also learning how to interact with real estate agent which helped get deals under contract.

Not even six months later I relocated to Omaha, NE in Dec. 2024 for a job opportunity which didn’t work out…..honestly I wouldn’t recommend to anyone to move there haha. Once I settled there that when I started taking real estate courses to obtain my real estate license because I knew that was information I needed to become a successful real estate investor. One thing I will say……wholesaling there was actually fun and the market isn’t bad, so if you’re looking to find investment properties dive into that market. As I finished the real estate courses I decided to uproot myself from Omaha resulting in postponement of achieving my real estate license because I moved to Cincinnati, Oh understanding I wasn’t going to stay there too much longer.

A New Start Line

I have been living in Cincy for the last nine months. I have obtained my real estate license, or should I say Realtor license, haha. But all jokes aside, I love the Cincinnati market. I don’t just help clients buy or sell property. I help them align their real estate goals with their life’s purpose. Lastly, I don’t care if you’re a first-time buyer, seasoned investor, or business owner seeking the right commercial space, I’m here to help you move ahead with strategy, integrity, and heart.

DeBret McGee ~ Coldwell Banker

C: (513) 406-3962

E: debret.mcgee@cbrealty.com

Website: barakarealty.com