Where I came from
I grew up on a family hog farm south of Tecumseh, Nebraska. Small town. Big sky. Chores before school. The kind of work ethic that only comes from growing up around people who actually build things for a living.
My dad taught me that if you're going to do something, do it right or don't bother. My mom taught me that you show up for people, even when it's inconvenient. Those two lessons have followed me everywhere.
Five years in the Marines
After high school I joined the United States Marine Corps and spent the next five years in California. Different scenery than Nebraska, for sure.
The Corps isn't a real estate analogy. But the habits it builds - discipline, follow-through, not flinching when things get hard - turn out to be exactly the habits this business needs.
The detour
When I got out, I moved to Lincoln to be closer to family. Started on an IT help desk. Worked my way up to project manager. Then into business phone system sales, where I had my first taste of "you eat what you kill," and found out I liked it.
A friend kept telling me I should get into real estate. I kept telling him I'd think about it.
The leap
Eventually I stopped thinking about it. Got my license in 2018. Took the leap full time in 2019. Bet the rest of my working life on being the kind of agent I wish had been around for my own family growing up.
The first couple of years I worked 7am to midnight most days. I'm not telling you that because it's impressive. I'm telling you because it's why I'm any good at this. When your clients call, I pick up. When the deal goes sideways, I'm the one in the trenches.
Why the Move-Up Method exists
I built The Move-Up Method because I watched too many families try to sell their starter home and buy their next one at the same time, and just get wrecked by it.
They'd live out of boxes for months. They'd carry two mortgages by accident. They'd sell low because their agent didn't have a plan. They'd settle for the wrong next house because they were out of time.
It shouldn't be that hard. It isn't, if someone runs the system for you. That's what I do.
What I actually do, day to day
500+ career transactions. Top 25 agents in Lincoln. Top 1% of agents in Nebraska. 5.0 stars from 100+ Google reviews. I work primarily with young families making the move from starter home to the house they'll raise their kids in. I can front repair costs for sellers who need it: up to $8,000 through HomePrep+, paid back out of your sale proceeds at closing. I coordinate buying and selling at the same time so you don't have to. And I've got a team (Amanda, Sydney, Ana, Megan) behind me so nothing drops through the cracks.
My favorite clients are the ones who got stuck. The ones with the house that needs work. The ones staring at Zillow for the third straight year. The ones whose first agent bailed when the situation got complicated.
The way I think about it
I'm not a firefighter. But I'm out here every day fighting fires for the families I work for.
I'm not a farmer. But I care about my flock.
That's where I come in.
Outside of work
Two kids and a dog named Texas. Aging like everyone else, just with more pressure. When I'm not working I'm either at the kids' ballgames or trying to keep up with them. The farm is still there. The stars are still big. Nebraska is still home.
