Honestly, it seems like yesterday, but I've been a Realtor® for eight years; where did the time go? It flew by because I'm 45, and time is relative, but let's stay on topic! Like many, way back in 1997, I joined the military because I didn't have a clue what I wanted to do with my life, but I understood that I had responsibilities. My Rate (primary job) in the Navy was AMHAR when I joined (Aviation Structural Mechanic, Hydraulics, Airman Recruit); a few years later, the all-knowing Navy brass decided to combine the subsections of the Rate (Hydraulics and Structures) into one job. I became an AM3(Aviation Structural Mechanic, Third Class Petty Officer). Okay... Cool... So, how does being a hammer slammer translate into real estate? It usually doesn't. But life is strange; somehow, political disagreement and a very rough tour of duty got me here.

In 2013, the Navy went through sequestration. Sailors being Sailors, we colloquially called it "sea-castration." In summary, sequestration resulted from a political process. The House of Representatives was, again, arguing over the debt ceiling. The GOP, which had control of the House then, compromised with the Dems to raise the debt ceiling temporarily, giving Congress time to work on a deal. An automatic funding cut would happen across the federal government, including the Navy if an agreement couldn't be reached in time. Guess what happened? You got it! The two parties couldn't agree, and the automatic spending cuts kicked in. The Navy was forced to work through some severe budget restraints. I was stationed at Naval Air Facility, Atsugi, Japan (NAF Atsugi). We, Task Force 70(CTF-70) and Carrier Strike Group Five (CSG-5), were forward-deployed, which meant that we and our families lived in a "deployed theater." CTF-70 and CSG-5, when home, lived on a constant deployment tether. We were at sea, anywhere between North Korea and Australia, six to eight months a year. When we were on the beach(NAF Atsugi), we could be tasked to deploy on short notice, which happened a few times. Funding was critical to our mission.

When sequestration hit, we were on the beach. I was attached to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 14(HS-14) as a Chief Petty Officer(AMC), serving as a Maintenance Control Chief. In this role, I prioritized and managed maintenance for scheduled and unscheduled upkeep, ensured that the proper parts were ordered, verified that fuel/weapons loads were correct for weight and balance, verified that all maintenance tasks were inspected by qualified Sailors, signed the aircraft over to the pilot as "Safe for Flight," and ensured Sailors were in a position to launch and recover aircraft; I had the privilege to lead Sailors who were as young as seventeen. We worked our asses off for twelve to fourteen hours at a time; to say it was dangerous and tiring is an understatement, but we had a blast! When the defense budget was slashed, we found ourselves with aircraft in the hangar that couldn't be returned to flight because we needed money for parts. Aircraft sat on the flight line because we didn't have funds to cover fuel. Mind you, we are FORWARD DEPLOYED. It didn't take long, a day or two, and we received emergency funding and returned to normal(ish)work. A few months later, we packed up and deployed once again.

Sequestration only lasted a few months, but its impact lasted a few years. When Congress passed the long-term budget and raised the debt ceiling, the Navy remained short of its "normal operating budget." Ships, aircraft, and Sailors once again had the funds to deploy and operate at sea. But other budgets, like Naval Personnel Command(PERS), remained underfunded. As my fourth and final deployment with HS-14 ended, I was in the window to negotiate orders and transfer to Shore Duty, a three-year tour without going to sea. But my detailer needed the funds to cut orders, and he had ZERO. I was offered two bad choices. I could wait for funding and then be sent someplace that PERS wanted me to go; I would have little to no choice in my next duty station. I would be detailed on the "Needs of the Navy." My second choice was better, but not much. I could be released to the Special Duties Detailer and become a Naval Recruiter, choosing the district I would work in and, therefore, my geographic location for the next three years. A little choice is better than none, so my wife and I took orders to Naval Recruiting District(NRD) St. Louis. We were going back home for a few years. This is where I began considering real estate as my post-naval career.

Naval Recruiting was BAD. By far, the worst tour of my career. It was my life's most stressful three years, but I learned valuable lessons and skills. To be blunt and very clear, Navy Recruiting is NOT the Navy. The rank structure is thrown out the door, and Sailors who decide to become Career Recruiters a few years into their careers run things. Most are out of touch with what it means to be in the Navy because they haven't been in the fleet in years; some have been removed for twenty or more years. To say that they lacked leadership skills is a gross understatement. In hindsight, I learned how NOT to be a salesman.

My first lesson was during Basic Recruiter Training. Before becoming a recruiter, one must go through a sales school. At that time, the Navy was using the Professional Sales Skills instruction. It was considered one of the best sales schools. It was fully accredited and lasted for three months. Summarizing the school, we were taught to identify (create) a need and then use our product, the Navy, to fulfill that need. When we were told "no," we were taught steps to overcome a prospect's drawbacks or hesitations. We learned how to sell(talk people into joining) the Navy when they didn't want to. Of course, ethics were also taught, and we were threatened with losing our birthdays if we violated those ethics. However, after arriving at my new office, I realized that ethics were expected to be thrown out the back door if our quotas(they called it "mission") weren't met. This is where I learned the slimy, disgusting practice of pressure sales, pushed down by senior leadership by yelling and extending work hours, you know, because we weren't working hard enough. There was a famous saying in recruiting at the time, "You can go from hero to zero in a month," and that was true. Case in point, I did well one month by putting more recruits in the Navy than I was tasked with; I was a hero and smiled at the camera while receiving sales awards. The following month, I missed my quota. I received a phone call from my Division Chief, and I was a zero just like that. It ended with me telling the guy to kick rocks, followed by his orders for me to write my own counseling chit and fax it to him; I was a Chief at the time, and the dude got a fax, alright; he got a fax of my middle finger. Situations like this taught me how NOT to be a real estate agent.

Many years later, my wife and I took orders to Naval Station Mayport after a second tour in Japan. This is where I started to think about retiring from the Navy and what I would do after I separated and became a civilian. I knew that I loved the sales world when helping people achieve something. Most people who joined the Navy through me wanted to join; they felt it was an accomplishment, and I helped them get there. This was rewarding because I knew what the Navy had done for me and truly believed in the mission. However, some people didn't want to join, and I understood that most of those people would not adjust well and fail, which bothered my conscience because there were some disgusting sales tactics used to get them to sign. Not just by me, but the entire St. Louis Military Entrance Processing Station(MEPS) staff to accept a Rate(primary job) and contract terms they didn't want. I'm telling you, it's a gross sales world. Like the salesperson on a car lot, the worst thing a customer or applicant in this situation can do is leave without signing.

When I decided to become a licensed real estate agent, I knew exactly the kind of Realtor® I wanted to be. I didn't understand how real estate worked, but I knew I wouldn't be a slimy sales guy. I knew that my top priority would be honesty. I knew that I wouldn't lie my head down at night and question my morals. I didn't know if this was possible or not. All I knew about sales was what I experienced in Naval Recruiting. I decided to be employed in a different industry if real estate resembled recruiting. Guess what? It doesn't, at least with EXIT 1 Stop Realty. I'm still here, almost eight years after deciding to be a Realtor®. I'm here because I can be and am encouraged by the EXIT 1 Stop Realty leadership to be honest and not do anything that doesn't align with my morals. I can be, and always am, 100% honest with my customers. This means that the bad news is shared with the good news, and sometimes a sale will fall through, and that's okay; Valarie(my Broker) isn't taking my birthday away for not hitting a sales quota; she doesn't like them either! Daily, I  bring the positives I learned during Naval Recruiting to real estate. I know how to listen to my customers, identify their wants and needs, and help fulfill them. Because I don't have the pressure of sales quotas, I'm allowed to take all the time a customer needs to help them buy or sell their home; there is ZERO pressure to talk them into accepting a negotiation chip or buying a house they don't love. Just like Naval recruiting, the joy of the profession comes when a customer is happy with their decision. When we are in a house right before closing with the entire family, filled with excitement, running around their new home. Or when a customer sells a house that has been hanging over their head for months, the sense of relief they feel after we crossed the t's and dotted the i's and know that we accomplished their goals without compromising honesty.

It's crazy to sit here and think back on things as I write this. To understand the positives I can bring to real estate due to experiencing the worst tour in my Naval career. It's wild; I've been bringing my skill set to the realty table for eight years, helping families purchase and sell their homes, which is the most significant investment many of them will make. Most importantly, I get to serve my customers with a clear conscience. I lie down at night, knowing I'm doing my best to help customers accomplish their real estate dreams. I couldn't have made a more fulfilling post-Navy career choice. And I wouldn't be able to do it as well without those three years as a Naval Recruiter.