Embracing a new adventure together, we learned a valuable lesson.

As I left the office that day, the yearning that I could not pinpoint felt more intense than ever. I had been working for a few years as an Office Manager handling the accounting and payroll for various small companies. Although I enjoyed the work, I longed to be out in the world, tackling new challenges in new places. Going to the same desk day after day was not the right fit for me.

Rick was approaching his 50th birthday, and I was not far behind him. Perhaps this milestone that loomed in the near future created this realization that there was something new on the horizon. Besides my job as an Office Manager, Rick and I had been fortunate to spend many years building relationships and mentoring others from at-risk youth to our own church family. Although we knew that our season of serving in those capacities was also coming to an end, we still valued relationships and knew we wanted that to be a priority in this next new endeavor.

Sitting at home that evening, I found myself online looking for jobs and googling “second half of life careers.” After a few minutes of uninspired scrolling, I gave up and instead began searching for homes for sale in my city, something I often did for fun. When our family was younger, we loved taking our three girls every weekend to visit open houses and tour the model homes in our community. We loved architecture and design and especially enjoyed imagining our family in the various homes we visited. That was when the idea hit me… I could become a Realtor! I would be able to combine two things I was passionate about, people and homes. That realization was the fuel to pursue this new career.

I quit my job and set about studying for my real estate exam. Soon after, I obtained my license and dove headfirst into all things real estate. There was so much to learn, and I wanted to be as knowledgeable as possible to help my clients in the best possible way.

It was not too long before I decided to go all in. I convinced Rick to join me. We have worked together off and on since we were first married. We have always been a team, and I did not want to embark on this adventure without him. It was not an easy transition; we sold our home and downsized substantially to get started. Our oldest two daughters were already grown. However, our youngest was on this adventure with us. It might not have been every teenager’s dream for both parents to quit their stable jobs, sell their home, and become entrepreneurs, but we made the most of it and did whatever we could to make it fun for the whole family.

Those first couple of years were scary. We realized it could all disappear overnight. However, we went into it with no Plan B, and failure was simply not an option. We learned early on that if you put your clients first, the business will come. The motto of our brokerage became the motto that we use to guide our business:

Quality before quantity, service before sales, people before profit, you before us.

In the end, we found a career that we are both passionate about and found a new way to connect with others. Rick and I are both relational people. Meeting people and building lasting relationships is what we love to do. In taking a leap of faith and pursuing our passion, we realized that with enough hard work and genuine compassion, anything is possible.

I have been a licensed Realtor since 2014, and we have been a team since 2015. Our favorite part of being Realtors is meeting new and fantastic people and the many ways we get to help them every day on their journey to reaching their dreams. A home is more than just a place to live. It is one of your most significant investments, and we love getting the opportunity to help our clients advance their financial goals.

Sincerely,                   

                                                                                                                                              ,

Rick & Lisa Rios

Recipients of the President's Club Award from Realty Concepts 2017-2024