During the hardest times of Josh’s life, he chose to grow and to learn from his mistakes. As he has overcome obstacles, he has learned many valuable lessons about himself and his business.
It was Saturday, March 15 when he celebrated his daughter Raegan’s first birthday, with a party. It was such a positive and exciting day. Never would he have guessed that just two days later they would be put into lockdown due to COVID-19. He remembers joking that his daughter’s birthday party was the last public event in San Diego.
As the lockdown continued for several weeks, Josh began to worry how the real estate market would be affected. His wife stayed at home with their daughter while she was still so young, and his income was what supported their family. There were a few months when he feared the worst might happen.
This wasn’t the first time he had experienced uncertainty in the real estate market. Growing up, he had watched his dad work as a realtor helping investors. So, several years after studying international business, Josh moved back to San Diego and became a realtor. He worked in real estate from 2006 to 2008 with investment clients and then the crash happened.
Times were so tough that he could not rely exclusively on real estate anymore. After trying different positions in sales, he ultimately had to go back to Trader Joe’s. It became clear to him that he had not set himself up for success. He had treated his real estate business more like a paycheck than an actual business. His initial success before the recession had come too easy. He never had to struggle to grow his business, and as a result, he didn’t do what was necessary for continual growth and improvement.
In late 2012, Josh decided to get his realtor’s license again. While working at Trader Joe’s, a great friend of his came into the store and asked him to help them through the buying process. He was so grateful they sought him out to be their realtor. While the transaction did not enable him to quit Trader Joe’s, it encouraged him to keep going and keep working to the point where he was able to quit and be a full-time realtor again.
His return to real estate made clear to him what his values are and why he loves being a realtor. Josh enjoys interacting with people and learning their stories. In the past when he was doing investment real estate, it was almost exclusively through the phone and fax. The properties were bought sight unseen. Now, he finds so much fulfillment in learning each client’s individual needs and helping them reach their goals. He realized that he values helping people one on one and making a genuine difference in their lives. It is an incredibly rewarding business that he is proud to be a part of.
In 2020 when COVID-19 hit, Josh was scared how he would be able to support his family. There were several months of uncertainty where he feared what the market might do. Fortunately, his hard work had established his reputation as a reliable, trustworthy realtor.
