When I sat down to think about my next blog post, my mind naturally went here: how did I even end up in real estate? The short answer is—very unintentionally.
It’s been one heck of a ride, so buckle up 😅
My “career” background is… colorful.
At 18, I was in Berlin, Germany pursuing dance and missions. At 19, I was back in the States working at Starbucks, doing my best to figure out how to get back to Europe—until I met my future husband and decided to stay.
At 22, I was promoted almost overnight from a parts clerk at a government contractor to administrative assistant to the VP of Operations. God thing. Crazy thing.
It was there, under my beloved boss Ed Cacace, that I fell in love with business organization and structure—how systems work, how people work, and how creativity can live inside something structured. Neither my husband nor I have college degrees, so everything we were learning at that point was coming through experience, mentorship, and a lot of figuring things out as we went. That foundation would matter later, even though I didn’t know it yet.
At 25, I left what would have been a very safe, reliable career path and moved sight unseen to a home in Norristown, Pennsylvania. During our years in PA, I birthed all three of my children and started a ballet business from the ground up at our local community center.
Then came 2020.
The birth of our third child. The abrupt ending of my dance business. And the beginning of the end of our life in Pennsylvania.
We sold our home after doing what was essentially a live-in flip. The profit—after living there less than five years—felt massive to us. For the first time, we saw what real estate could do.
Our wheels started turning.
During our move from PA to AL, we spent about a month in a short-term Airbnb. Moving was chaotic. Four out of five of us came down with COVID for the first time. Everything felt upside down.
My mom had a connection with our host, Alisha. One day, she read me a text Alisha sent about us staying in her place:
“Wow. Your daughter is very brave for starting over with her kids. That’s not easy.”
That moment stuck with me.
Something about being seen—in the middle of chaos—shifted something inside me. I wanted to know Alisha better. I wanted to understand how she had built a life that allowed her to host, invest, and create flexibility. That was the moment real estate stopped being an idea and started feeling like a calling.
A few months later, after we had begun trying to figure out real estate on our own, my mom ran into Alisha again. In passing, she mentioned that we were taking steps toward investing.
Alisha was encouraging & my mom let me know she replied to Alisha with, “There’s nothing Lawren hasn’t tried that she hasn’t been able to figure out.”
Those words landed deeper than she probably realized. Sometimes it’s not advice or strategy that changes the course of your life—it’s someone else’s belief spoken out loud at the right moment. That sentence became something I quietly carried with me when things felt confusing or hard.
Around that same time, my husband and I were also getting very clear on a few non‑negotiables for our family. One of the biggest was time. We wanted to homeschool our kids and be present for their day‑to‑day lives, not just the margins of mornings and evenings. The traditional matrix of both parents working 9–5 while outsourcing most of our children’s formative years never sat right with us.
Real estate stood out because it offered something rare: flexibility. The ability to work hard, creatively, and imperfectly while still prioritizing family rhythms. That mattered just as much to us as income, if not more.
“We didn’t choose real estate to escape work — we chose it to be present for our kids while building something meaningful.”
I won’t sugarcoat it.
The first three years? I did almost everything wrong.
We lost a lot of money. Plain and simple.
But I didn’t walk away empty-handed. Here’s what those three years taught me:
1. Don’t quit (this is the real work)
Alisha recommended Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. My biggest takeaway wasn’t financial—it was spiritual.
Hill talks about resistance that shows up the moment you step out in faith. When you move toward something God has placed on your heart, resistance isn’t a sign to stop—it’s often confirmation you’re on the right path.
I’m butchering his words, but the truth landed deep: God plants the dream. Resistance comes because that dream has impact.
That described my first three years perfectly. And honestly, I still can’t believe we didn’t quit.
2. You don’t need permission to start
Everything I needed to start real estate investing could be learned on YouTube—and by actually doing the work.
Pick up the phone. Try. Mess it up. Try again.
Fumble through 500 phone calls… then make the 501st.
Confidence comes after action, not before.
3. Comparison almost took me out
Once I got off the MLS and Facebook—once I stopped watching what everyone else was doing—and focused solely on finding sellers who actually needed to sell, everything changed.
Real estate stopped being about competition and started being about service.
4. This business is about people, not properties
The deals that changed everything didn’t come from flashy listings or trends. They came from conversations. From listening. From showing up with honesty and compassion when someone was overwhelmed or stuck.
That’s when real estate finally aligned with who I am.
The way I approach buying homes today is directly shaped by this season of life. I don’t lead with pressure or speed for the sake of speed—I lead with listening. Families don’t need another system working against them. They need options, clarity, and someone willing to slow down enough to actually understand their situation.
I didn’t get into real estate to chase houses.
I got into it because I believe in second chances, creative solutions, and helping people move forward—sometimes quietly, sometimes imperfectly, but always intentionally.
If you’re here because you’re curious, overwhelmed, starting late, or starting again—you’re in the right place.
This blog is where I’ll share the real story. Not the polished version. Not the guru version. Just the honest one.
If this story resonates—if you’re building a life around your family, your faith, or simply a different definition of success—you’re not alone.
In future posts, I’ll be sharing how we navigate real estate investing, homeschooling, faith, and entrepreneurship in real time—without pretending to have it all figured out.
Thanks for being here 🤍