Much of my career was in business development for high-tech companies. One of the most interesting was a startup called Nuance Communications which was the pioneer of speech recognition software. I worked with incredible people such as the founder of Siri. One of my development deals was with Google to build Goog 411 which essentially was the application Google used to “harvest” data to build their Google Speech application.

Portland, Oregon.

At 14, my ski instructor was a corporate jet pilot during the week and a ski instructor on the weekends! I was sure that was the life for me!

I love working in the yard … mowing the lawn can be a zen moment and a great way to clear your head!

Will Rogers, actor and humorous social commentator. I love his practical and logical humor. His words seem timeless and provide lessons for life. One of my favorites: “Don’t wait to buy real estate. Buy real estate and wait.”

Northlake Tavern & Pizza House! Old school full meal deal pizza with high-quality ingredients piled high on hand-tossed dough. Vintage. This is no five-minute pizza; budget 25 minutes to cook! Check out the walls with 1970s vintage David Horsey’s cartoons (editorial cartoonist for the PI). Well worth the wait!!

The real estate industry is in a constant state of change which challenges a broker to be creative, think on their feet and always be in motion. I wake up every day looking forward to being challenged and to learning something new!

I love using my life knowledge and experience to help my real estate clients through what can be a stressful experience. By leveraging that service, I provide service that stands out and results in referral business.

The most difficult thing for anyone in real estate is not having an outcome your client was expecting or hoping for. That said, I constantly do my best to make sure I educate my client on the real estate journey and that this is a partnership in which we plan together for the outcome we expect.

Network, network, network! There is no magical formula for gaining leads beyond working hard for your clients and letting your network sell your services for you! 

Certainly convincing my wife into marrying me and raising three children who all work in well-known high-tech firms in Seattle. My next favorite accomplishment is pivoting to my real estate career both in a real estate development project in Cabo San Lucas and my broker career with the Reese Team @ Compass

I just finished “1883.” I love the stories of the Oregon Trail and settling the West. I guess you could say it’s a real estate story! “1883” did a great job letting the viewer understand the challenges of that journey and why our forefathers settled this area.

OK, I mentioned Northshore’s Pizza! But my favorite restaurant is Toulouse Petit at the foot of Queen Anne Hill. Hip Cajun-Creole spot with a cozy, New Orleans vibe…awesome Bourbon Street style Hurricanes and don’t forget the beignets for dessert!

What else? The Space Needle! What building in Seattle is more iconic and has stood the test of time? That ’60s baby still looks awesome!

I went into the bathroom at an open house and found out the door handle was loose as it came off in my hand and the other side fell out on the floor locking me in. No cellphone on me! Fortunately, I was only in there about 10 minutes before a new group came through and let me out.

I played on a semi-pro competitive paintball team.

I love spending time at my vacation home at Black Butte Ranch in Oregon. It has been in my family since 1970 when my uncle developed Black Butte Ranch as a new real estate project for Brook Scanlon Lumber Company. I guess real estate development is in my bloodline.

I work for COMPASS and I have to say the COMPASS Platform accomplishes about 90% of what I need and is also a great interface for my clients!

@thebrokeagent… it helps to have some empathetic humor on your side!