Discover the intricate ballet of real estate transactions with escrow officer Gina Cole from Navi Title, whose 23-year dance through contracts and finances has perfected her role in this pivotal industry. Her journey reveals the nuanced responsibilities of an escrow officer, from the delight of assisting clients to the precision required in managing every minute detail of a property sale. Join us as Gina, with her infectious enthusiasm, narrates her unexpected start as a receptionist and her rise to leading her own branch, offering us a masterclass in the escrow process.
Navigating the minefield of real estate purchases, especially vacant land, requires more than just a sharp eye—it demands thorough due diligence, as mistakes can be financially crippling. In this episode, Gina and I dissect the intricacies of title reports, the significance of rightfully owning the land, and why a hasty skim could cost you dearly. We examine the crucial role of title insurance and the potential pitfalls of neglecting access rights and easements, providing a cautionary tale and guidance for those venturing into the vast world of real estate investment.
Lastly, Gina’s transition from pre-law to thriving in the real estate realm serves as a beacon for anyone seeking fulfillment in their professional life. Our candid discussion shines a light on the importance of finding joy in your career and embracing the unpredictable paths that lead to growth. Gina's story is a testament to the power of following your interests and the transformative effect this can have on overcoming life’s obstacles. Tune in for an inspiring episode that will not only educate but also encourage you to pursue your professional passions with zeal.
Discover the intricate ballet of real estate transactions with escrow officer Gina Cole from Navi Title, whose 23-year dance through contracts and finances has perfected her role in this pivotal industry. Her journey reveals the nuanced responsibilities of an escrow officer, from the delight of assisting clients to the precision required in managing every minute detail of a property sale. Join us as Gina, with her infectious enthusiasm, narrates her unexpected start as a receptionist and her rise to leading her own branch, offering us a masterclass in the escrow process.
Navigating the minefield of real estate purchases, especially vacant land, requires more than just a sharp eye—it demands thorough due diligence, as mistakes can be financially crippling. In this episode, Gina and I dissect the intricacies of title reports, the significance of rightfully owning the land, and why a hasty skim could cost you dearly. We examine the crucial role of title insurance and the potential pitfalls of neglecting access rights and easements, providing a cautionary tale and guidance for those venturing into the vast world of real estate investment.
Lastly, Gina’s transition from pre-law to thriving in the real estate realm serves as a beacon for anyone seeking fulfillment in their professional life. Our candid discussion shines a light on the importance of finding joy in your career and embracing the unpredictable paths that lead to growth. Gina's story is a testament to the power of following your interests and the transformative effect this can have on overcoming life’s obstacles. Tune in for an inspiring episode that will not only educate but also encourage you to pursue your professional passions with zeal.
Hi, I'm Christina Siwik, and welcome to another episode of MindStrength. Today we are here with Gina Cole. Gina, thank you so much for joining me today. Well, thank you for having me. It's wonderful for you to be here. You have been in the industry now for 23 years, is that correct? Yep, about 23 years, that's a long time.
Speaker 2:It's a very long time, especially in the real estate industry.
Speaker 1:It is a long time in real estate, that is true, so been in the business about the same amount of time. You are an escrow officer with Navi Title.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:Can you tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so 23 years ago I was in my early 20s actually, and I went into escrow by accident. I think most people get into escrow by accident. Anybody I've ever met in escrow never said I want to be an escrow or I want to be an escrow officer, because you don't know about it. So I started as a receptionist 23 years ago and loved it, was interested in learning about you know, at the time there were certain terms. There was like the HUD and the PUD and you know, at the time, there were certain terms.
Speaker 2:There was like the hood and the pud. And you know, I still had no idea what I was doing or what they meant, but there was so much to it, so by 2006, I started my own branch. Okay wow.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so three years, about three or four years, and just took off, which is amazing. That's quite impressive. Three or four years and just took off, which is amazing. And I was given the opportunity by a manager at the time who believed in me, so stayed with that company for about 20 years and then I just came to Navi. I've been at Navi a year in December is my first birthday, so and I'm loving it. Navi's, navi's awesome, um, but yeah, no, I mean, I, I think I'll always be an escrow, to be honest with you. It's um, it's addicting, um, it's challenging, it's fun, you know, but, um, what?
Speaker 1:do you love most about it?
Speaker 2:I love, you know, I love that it's different. Um, there's, there's never a day that's the same. I love educating people, when you do get those buyers or sellers or even agents, when they really appreciate the knowledge that you bring or they really appreciate your contribution to the transaction to helping it move forward or getting it closed. There's hurdles, always hurdles, in escrow contribution to the transaction, to helping it, you know move forward or getting it closed, or you know there's hurdles.
Speaker 2:You know that always hurdles in escrow and most of them, for the most part, escrow is supposed to work out the hurdles. So I find it fun, I find it fun.
Speaker 1:So I know, you know, typically you know what a real estate agent does in the transaction. You know what a lender does in a transaction. But what does an escrow officer do in a transaction?
Speaker 2:Right, that's what everybody asks me I'm like nothing nothing we just sit back. No, so there's. There's title and escrow.
Speaker 2:You know some states are two separate companies. So you have escrow, who facilitates, you know, the transaction as far as the monies and the contract and things like that. And then you have title, which is, you know, issuing the policies and ensuring and making sure that you know, when it's all said and done, that you know your seller you know received what they were supposed to receive and your buyer, you know has a property that they know they're not going to have any encumbrances or any issues on Arizona, title and escrow is together.
Speaker 2:So we do all of it. All of it, we really do. We're we start, we're the third party, so it started. You know we were a neutral third party to put in between. You know you have the buyer, the seller. You know you usually have two agents. You have the lender, so we basically take the terms that they've agreed to. So I always tell people they'll call me throughout the transaction and you say, well, where'd this come from? And I always tell them every single thing that I do comes from the contract that you put together. I don't make anything up, I don't add my own anything to it. It's your contract. So we basically take the contract and we take the documents that everybody's agreed to and we interpret those. We're a neutral third party and we help make sure that we can facilitate the transaction so that everybody is basically doing what they said they're going to do.
Speaker 1:I've always really enjoyed working with you. Likewise, and I definitely wish, on a transaction, that I was working with you because, as you said, I think it's important to be the neutral third party and to go by what's on the contract? Yep, yeah, so you take that and you help facilitate it. Is that basically?
Speaker 2:Yep we do. So we're going to make sure that you know, whatever anybody agreed to, you know we're pretty much going to hold them to it, because in order for us to get to the end of the transaction which we do facilitate, you know, the ending we facilitate the money, we facilitate the recording. The only thing you know, we're not handing over the keys. Sometimes we do the agents going to be out of town. But, you know, in order for us to get there, we're making sure that everything is done that everybody agreed to, and if it's not, then we're not going to get there. And that's what kind of makes us neutral is because we don't have any interest anywhere. We're just going to follow what you know, what you guys provided, but we also want to make sure that you know we're in it to win it too. We want to make sure that we want to get to the finish line, but we also are going to make sure that, in order to get there, everybody's going to hold up their end of the bargain.
Speaker 2:So I think it's super important and it's so funny that most people have no idea what we do. Right, you know, without title, I don't know where we'd be. You know I mean you hear the scary stories now I'm sure you do vacant land and how people are buying online.
Speaker 1:I have heard that recently, where there's homes that are listed and they're not actually owned by, the people.
Speaker 2:Well, they're vacant land, so it's not like you can go knock on the door and say hey, are you the seller what are some of the red flags with that.
Speaker 1:If you're out there and you're an agent representing a buyer or maybe let's back it up you get a call from whom you think is the appropriate person the owner, the seller of the land. What would be some red flags to watch out for, as that agent that would be potentially listing that property?
Speaker 2:They've never had any um, they've never met the person. Okay, um, everything's usually and sometimes there's not even phone calls. For the most part, you know they don't want to even be on the phone. A lot of it is via email, um, their area code of their phone I've told people look at that. You know you pull the tax records any tax records is going to have a mailing address of where the people who really own it and that's where people go wrong is. They don't look that up.
Speaker 1:They just don't look up anything.
Speaker 2:Okay, well, and some people, you know, depending on the market, somebody is super happy to get a listing Right. They're not going to, you know, they don't want to push back too much and it might not be in their mind thinking like, oh, this isn't real Because it wasn't common before you know, and it's not, it's unfortunately, you know, it's just the the new thing that they're trying to do. But no, I mean at the end. That's why title is important, because if you do go through a transaction like that and there is something wrong, that's where you know you're issued a policy from title based on that sales price. There's your protection.
Speaker 2:Tell a quick, real quick. I had a friend who just purchased um vacant land to half a million dollars on just closed company. It wasn't my company, um, but dream home going to build their their dream home, dream home on it. 500 000, that's a bit. That's a, that's a, that's a half a million dollars, yeah, and for just the land, in-state title company they lived in state um goes through, the transaction gets done. Three weeks out of the transaction gets a letter from the owners threat su, threatening to sue, saying that you fraudulently acquired our land. He went back and said well, can I buy it? They're like the land's worth $1.5 million. No, you can't buy our land.
Speaker 2:He's out. He paid cash oh wow, half a million dollars. This was a title company who actually did this, but at the end of the day, the protection's there, he has a policy for $500,000, you know, and he has that claim and the right to that claim. But if they would, they would have skipped title because that's land, there's nothing going to show up on the title. It should be free and clear. That's not the issue. The issue is you're dealing with a seller who doesn't even own it. So it happens. People don't think it happens and it happens a lot.
Speaker 1:Okay, so you're looking at land. What are some important things that are going to come up, besides maybe, something being fraudulent?
Speaker 2:on a title report with land.
Speaker 1:What's some good things to watch out for. Well, what's your plans for the land I want to build my dream house? I know that I have enough step backs and stuff that I can build my dream house. I know that that part's okay, but what else do I need to be looking out as far as like, access to the land, anything like that that I should be?
Speaker 2:aware of when you buy vacant land. So in a title world, when you buy vacant land, you're going to be issued a standard policy If I can put policies into you know standards like your basic. You know most investors vacant land, things like that. So as far as the bells and whistles that come along with that policy, you're getting a very limited policy.
Speaker 2:Well, that policy most of the time, is not going to include access. It's not going to include, you know, some of the things you know mechanics, liens, things like that. It's not going to include anything. So you have to be careful, you have to do your due diligence. You know, I always say the title report is, you know, we can talk about that a bit but the title report. I always say look at exceptions. Okay, the one thing in a title report that is not going to be covered is the exceptions. So anything in there, um, if something's in there and disclosed to you, you know which is your easements which will tell you if you have access or if you're landlocked. Another thing is to look at the different. A lot of people don't get surveys, you know. You don't get survey coverage on vacant land, you know. And then they go to build and there's a fight with the neighbor because they thought it was here and it's really there.
Speaker 1:The property line went to X and it really doesn't, so that's a huge thing.
Speaker 2:Most people you know they're buying the land they don't think about. It's just land.
Speaker 2:You know, I don't need to add that extra coverage and I don't need that. But what's your plans Right? So if you're planning on building your dream home, if you're planning on doing all of that, get a survey Right. It's 200, 300 bucks for it, you know, depending on the land. But now you know exactly where your land is, you submit that survey to title and we're going to now insure based on that survey, you know. So I think that's super important. No-transcript If you want to build a pool, if you're going to do anything that's going to go underground or you know, even above, look at your power lines, look up, you know. I say also look down, because I've had where they wanted to put a pool and they've had a designer come out and do everything and they start digging and realize that they have an easement underneath and then they want to come back to title again. It's on the documents.
Speaker 1:Do you find that people just don't read the title report?
Speaker 2:I find that I don't think that they know how, okay, and I don't know if they're afraid to ask, or if you know most buyer and sellers if they don't know, they're going to rely on their agent to know. Right, but a lot of agents, don't?
Speaker 1:I mean there's a lot that goes into a title report. There's I mean, meets and bounds descriptions, you know? I mean there's just Everything.
Speaker 2:Pretty much a title report is anything and everything, not only on that property but on the seller. You know, in Arizona, you know and I don't know as far as if it's different for different states but judgments, judgments are huge. You know, judgments follow the person which follows the property and homestead which is only good for your primary residence. So any investors, any vacant land. You know you might buy a piece of vacant land for $5,000 on the internet and then you go to sell it and the guy who owned it had a, you know, $250,000 IRS tax lien.
Speaker 1:Generally not a good idea to buy land for $5,000 on the internet, just to put that out there.
Speaker 2:No, but that's my point, right? You think you're getting a good deal or you don't pay. This is easy, this is simple, and look what happens. Now you have land that you can't even do anything. I know I feel so bad.
Speaker 1:We own a big piece of land in the middle of the state in Washington and there were some people that bought little tiny, you know parcels of land at an auction and they can't do anything with them, you know. We bought them back, bought them out of the you know little tiny parcels. This happened before we owned it. But they thought you know great deal, right, I can get that land for maybe $5,000 or $1,000 or whatever it was you know. And they can't get to their land, you know it's never going to work for them. So really, really important to know what you're buying.
Speaker 2:Yep, and that's why title is. You know it's super important. It protects your money. I mean, it's an investment. Most of the time, a real estate transaction is one of your biggest, you know.
Speaker 1:Most of the time it is your biggest, and I know, not always, but a lot of the times it is your biggest investment.
Speaker 2:Why would you cut corners? Why would you cut corners?
Speaker 1:You know, because I think a lot of times people I think you nailed it People don't know what they don't know.
Speaker 2:but they're, but they're afraid to ask the question because they figured they should know. Yep, and that's how you end up. You know after the fact with you know claims, but I always tell people too, and I tell my agents too. You know, if you don't ask, right, we do. I have no problem, and I've always said I have no problem going over anything in the title report. There's still things that I learn every day. Yeah, which is? Which is what keeps it?
Speaker 1:exciting.
Speaker 2:Yeah, or things I mess up and that's how I learn.
Speaker 1:Yes, I ask a lot of questions and a lot of times they are. There's no dumb questions, but sometimes they may be borderline. They're very basic. I just, you know, I think it's important to double check or to triple check yourself, even if you may sound you know, maybe I should already know, but I'd rather triple check myself, you know, and go back to a basic and a little bit about me, you know. You know, I originally started in in Washington and I was up there for I don't know 17 years and then I came down here and it's, you know, it's it's learning. You know, I have to learn a whole new state and learn a new way of doing things and I think it's important to triple check.
Speaker 2:I know you guys put up with my questions that I send over to you. No question is a dumb question Really, because you're protecting your client, you know, and they only have whatever the time frame is for that transaction. So if you put 10 days, or you put 20 days closing, or 45, you're going to think that's the only time frame that they have to do anything before it's theirs and after it's closed you know that no one's going to I know. You can't go back.
Speaker 1:You can't go back, it's yours now. Yeah, what are so with houses it's Lance With houses. What are some of the things that you see sometimes, that you've seen Like Ooh, like have you experienced? I'm sure you have like some um instances that have?
Speaker 2:happened, where maybe people have moved too fast and they've ended up with something.
Speaker 2:Um well, you have um, I mean, it's usually the cash like you said, because you look at cash and you know most people think that if it's a long transaction it's because there's a lender involved, right, you know. So if you have a cash, still, it's because there's a lender involved. So if you have a cash deal, ooh okay, cool, quick close, let's do a quick close, Right, and we're not doing our due diligence. Most always do. Seven days To me if I was paying cash, I'm putting way more out there than the 45-day close.
Speaker 1:Unless there's a need from either party, I think you treat it normal. I think you go 30. Unless there's a need from either party, I think you treat it normal. I think you go 30. Unless there's a reason, right Like you really need to be in there sooner, or you beat out 10 offers. But even then you're cash and I think people can say well, a loan is the same as cash. I think at the end of the day it's still cash.
Speaker 2:It's out of your pocket, every single dollar is out of your pocket, all of the costs right, yes, yeah, so you're.
Speaker 2:You know you have a loan in place for you know you buy a half million dollar house. You have a four hundred thousand dollar loan. Physically you're out a hundred thousand dollars. You know, on a 50-day close and on a cash deal sometimes. And mind you that most of them flip quick. But my suggestion is do honor before, do honor before, always. Yeah, you can do 30 days, do honor before. If everybody gets to a point where they feel they're ready, let's close. But then you're not putting people in a rush. I feel like when, even on our side, when I get a contract and I appreciate every contract, you know they'll call hey, I got a cash deal Quick close, can you do it in four days? Well, I can you know, but think about that. I get that Cash deal Quick close. Four days Sounds great.
Speaker 1:Four days To do all of your due diligence in that period of time yeah.
Speaker 2:So sometimes you know, even though everybody's on board, those are the deals that are going to get messed up.
Speaker 1:Anything you try to do quickly is the ones that are not a good idea. Yeah, yeah, I, you know that's such a good point. The honor before. I think people forget to do that that's, that's an option. You don't have to give a concrete date. Yep, you can. You can put you know at the end of the month or the 31st, and then the honor before it makes it. If all parties agree, they can close sooner.
Speaker 2:Well, and it makes it. You know it's like if you put that date, it's like anything, and if you close sooner, then you're the winner, everybody's happy. But if you try to rush it in seven days and then realistically you can't get it done, then again you're extending and you're extending and you're extending. So you know I don't decide. Obviously I come into play once that contract is fully executed. That's when you know I start my job. But I mean it's, I do. It's crazy how many you know. As soon as it's cash, it's quick, quick, quick, quick, quick. And there's really no reason. For the most of the time there's no reason. Now you have where the sellers are leaving the country or the buyers want to move quick, but really there, I've never maybe a few times have I gone. Okay, that reason makes sense, right, most of the time it's just for some reason. When people hear cash it's like oh, you want to close quick.
Speaker 1:You can close quick and I think you know, I think people sellers that are selling want to close quick because they just they want to get the deal done, yeah, and buyers want to close quick because they really want the house. I mean, I get that part of it right. I think the waiting can make people nervous and that's what causes people to rush.
Speaker 2:At least you know one of the reasons, but too, and I think, on the real estate side too, is saying listen, I know that you want this house, but you're putting down. You know you're throwing out $800,000. So let's do our seven days. Let's see where we're at. You know, because everybody's gone until it until it's closed and then, after the fact, you know, that's when you find out if something's not right. Right, and at that point you know oh yeah.
Speaker 1:No, you want to take the time and do the due diligence and you know it's nice to have a neutral third party. Yes, to help you uphold.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what's written on the contract yes, yes, because title wise, we can you know realistically, we're waiting on everybody to have a neutral third party to help you uphold what's written on the contract. Yes, yes, because title-wise, we can you know realistically, we're waiting on everybody. You know our title reports, for the most part, 24, 48 hours. Once I have that and as long as you know, depending on what comes up on it, you know if the seller's free and clear, if they have a mortgage, or you know if it comes back and they have 50 judgments in a tax lien, we have a problem, right.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:But for the most part we're ready. I can be ready in 72 hours. It's usually the other parties that we're, whether it's to go through the due diligence or the contingencies in the contract, or whether it's we're waiting on the lender to go through their process. So for us, you know people are always how quick can you get it done and it's like we can close tomorrow.
Speaker 1:But is that a good idea for you?
Speaker 2:No, because, too, on our side, the last thing we want to do is rush Right. We're dealing with, I mean, we're responsible for allocating every single penny of that money.
Speaker 2:You know we have to make sure all the invoices. You know anything that termites or insurance or you know we don't make this up, so everybody's providing all of this to us. You know we don't have. The only thing I have in my file is, you know, my title fees and things like that. So HOA is coming in and giving fees. You know if the termite needs to be paid, that's coming in. You know the agent helped the buyer with some stuff so I need to reimburse the agent, you know, whatever it may be. So we're getting all this stuff in and we put it, you know, on, we compile it together and send it out and and make sure all the numbers jive, you know, but to when we're rushed. We're rushing, you know, or we. There's an invoice that wasn't sent because we're closing in seven days. You know it's just. We get to closing, we close. It's always escrow's fault, it's always us. I get a call you didn't pay this and I'm like nobody sent it to me.
Speaker 2:I didn't know. They had 10 pieces of art I was supposed to pay for. No one told me that, but it always falls back on escrow. Well you should have known, I'm like it's not in the contract. But no, that's why, if you don't have to rush, you know, do your due diligence and give us time too. You know we do appreciate time. We'll close it in a couple days, but we also we want everybody to be happy. You know, if the buyer's happy, the seller's happy, the agent's happy, you know that's what we want.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:And so and good communication all around is very key, absolutely, and disclosure, you know, full disclosure, you guys provide great communication.
Speaker 1:That's always appreciated, thank you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we try. We're really big on updates, you know, trying to update on on every step of the process and making sure that everybody is, you know, involved or at least knows what's going on. So, no, I appreciate it. It's taken a long time to. I always say we can't control the market, but we can control the process, and that's kind of been my thing. I mean, you've watched it. We touched a little bit on 2008 and the chaos there, you know.
Speaker 1:So how was 2008 for you?
Speaker 2:The first part yeah, homeless, jobless. No, I felt that way.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I started my branch, like I said, in 2006. So when I started my branch, I mean I just turned the lights on and dills were like flying in the windows, and that was my experience in escrow from when I started. There was not a struggle in it, it was fun. So I think 2008 was like real. My experience in S girl from when I started there was not a struggle in it, it was fun, it was, you know. So I think 2008 was like real. Yeah, like, wait a minute, this isn't just, it was the first mind strength. It really is a great word. It was the first time it was going. Oh my gosh, this isn't just a. You know, my job depends first of all on what I bring in, you know, and then the market, um, but that's you know when. When it got low, low, but it was the process. Keep the process.
Speaker 2:And I would tell my staff keep the process, even if we're crying before we answer the phone. Can you answer and act like you're smiling, right? Act like you're having a good time. You know, um, which is what pushed us into, you know, getting some REOs and being able to to switch, totally switch gears. You know, um, and then ended up being super successful in the REO business for a couple of years.
Speaker 1:What made you, in that period of time, feel like you could, you could do it, feel like you could get up and put one in front of the other and make it to work and keep going to persevere?
Speaker 2:for that, you know, first of all, I was younger, I had more energy.
Speaker 2:I feel, like I could get up from a lot of things, but I was you know what, if I really were to come up with it, it would be naive. Okay, and I was you know what, if I really were to come over there, it would be naive. That kind of is because I didn't know enough to not know. If that makes sense. Yeah, it does make sense Because I had everything I had done in my career so far had been you know, it was just happy.
Speaker 1:Go lucky.
Speaker 2:This is a great job. Look at this. Deals come in. You know. So it was my first challenge, but I also hadn't been in it. You know, sometimes if you're in something long enough, you know you sometimes lean towards the negative because you've seen so much. And I guess at that point I was naive and and so I remember going to my boss and super excited and like I got this call, this Fannie Mae lady I don't know. She said she's gonna send me all these deals. My boss and super excited and like I got this call, this Fannie Mae lady I don't know. She said she's going to send me all these deals and my boss, being in the business a very long time, was like okay.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, all right, you know, but I just kept it. And then I mean, I think at the end of that month, my boss came in like, are you okay? I'm like, yeah, why? She's like, are you okay? I'm like, yeah, why? She's like you open 352 deal? Wow, I'm like, well, I'm breathing, yeah, you know, but I do. I think it was. I think I didn't know the negative, I only knew positive. So at that point it was all right. Well, what are we gonna do now? What's happening?
Speaker 2:right you know, I think now it's glad it doesn't happen now, but if it did, I wonder if I'd be the same as I was back then.
Speaker 1:You know, honestly, what's the one piece of advice you would give somebody that's starting out today in their career? They're, they're you today. I mean, it's a different market, but they're you today. Is there a piece of advice or a couple things that you would tell them?
Speaker 2:In escrow.
Speaker 1:I would just say In your industry or anybody that's looking to be successful. It can be in whatever industry that they're in. You have to like it, Okay.
Speaker 2:You have to like it, even on the darker days. But when you're first getting into something, you don't know it. So if you're getting into something and you're walking in and you're already like, hmm, yeah it's not your job.
Speaker 2:You know, when I walked into escrow I was curious. I didn't know anything about it. I was curious and then, the more that I, you know, picked up on a daily basis, the more I was like, oh, this is neat. So I had the curiosity for it and then I had the excitement for it, you know, know, and I think that's what pushed me is that it was the unknown, you know. Um, I think sometimes people go into a job, whatever it may be, and they're walking in the front door the first day just like right, it's not your job, it is not your job, it's not your calling.
Speaker 1:Nope in life you have to be, unless you want to be miserable.
Speaker 2:Your whole life maybe, but no you know, because if you don't like it from day one, right, I mean 20 something years and I can have a bad day and it's okay, you know. But but walking into a job, like first day or or you know, this is going to be my career. And I even say that for people who go to school or college for a certain job, same thing If you get into it, you don't like it, don't stay in it, even if it's your, you know. If that's what you went to school for, I feel like 99% of people unless they're like your doctor, you know went to school for something completely different than what they actually end up enjoying and doing in their life.
Speaker 1:So have it be okay for them if they went to college for something right and they decided that that's not the route that they wanted to go down. There's other careers. You know, like a real estate agent, you know that you can get into Escrow, escrow, escrow when you can. You know, try and see if that's where you find your joy. Yeah, but I think it's really important to find your joy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it is, because if you're, especially if it's going to be your career, it's going to be your career. It's not a week long thing.
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 2:You're going to go through trials and tribulations and things in your personal life, so at least find something you know in your business life or career that makes you happy, Makes you happy, excites you yeah.
Speaker 1:When everything else around you is sort of crumbling down. Yeah, yeah, had that happen a couple times yeah. Yeah, to where. Uh, you know life was crumbling down around, but you know I I knew how to do real estate, I knew how to sell and you had to do property management and you had to get into apartment leasing. I was very lucky to get into to get into apartment leasing and to co-manage one of the largest apartment complexes at the time, an Archstone complex. So um there's, there's.
Speaker 1:There's different avenues. You know, I think even in the same sort of career field you know that you can get into um that at times maybe you need a little bit of a change, or maybe stuff around you shifting, or maybe you need to sell and you also need a place to live. So you figure out how to get crafty with that some of us may have had to do real estate and yep, um, you know, but I just think, yeah, I think you're so right, just find something that that lights you up.
Speaker 2:You know, to get out of bed in the morning, yep and it for me too, it's um, you know, like my job, it was an accident. So that goes to show you. You know, and sometimes when you think about a job and especially if you're just starting out, you know there's like a label of like 50 jobs that you can think of. You know that you can off the top of your head.
Speaker 1:I was going to be a lawyer see yeah see, I was, uh, went to gonzaga, uh, go zags uh, yeah, they're right yeah, um you know, but uh, I I was pre-law and I was gonna go to law school and it was my real estate agent, um that was buying a house in seattle that she's like have you ever thought about this?
Speaker 1:and I was like, hmm, and I dabbled in it. My family had always sort of been in real estate, like been in house in Seattle. That she's like have you ever thought about this? And I was like, and I dabbled in it, my family had always sort of been in real estate, like been in, you know, investment homes and property management. And I started with internally, like with their company, my family's company, even when I was still in college. But it was do you like? I liked contracts.
Speaker 2:Yeah, isn't it interesting, you were doing that while you were going to school, pre-law to realize like wait, I like that, you know. But when you're going to school and you're doing it, you're still thinking like, oh the lawyer, I got to go to school, I'm going to be a lawyer, not realizing that, something that you love and enjoy will end up being your career.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's awesome. Stumbled into it too, yeah. And now, a long time later, here we are.
Speaker 2:Here we are. Yeah, we made it. Made it this far.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much, Gina, for joining me today. I truly appreciate you taking the time to come down here and hang out with me today. Yeah, thank you for having me. You're welcome and I can't wait until next time. I'd love for you to join me again. Yeah, it's been fun. Yeah, it's been a good time. I would love to have you back. I would love to come back Next time.
Speaker 2:I'm not going to match your couch, I'll figure something out.
Speaker 1:You did.
Speaker 2:Did you?
Speaker 1:Wait, you know what I'll need?
Speaker 2:a snapshot of the couch next time so I can make sure I wear the proper shirt.
Speaker 1:Well, you match the decor perfectly.
Speaker 2:Thank you. Thank you, no, it's thank you for having me.
Speaker 1:Well, thank.