Real Estate, Leadership & Building a Better Oregon

What happens when a REALTOR® takes nearly two decades of experience in housing, entrepreneurship, and community leadership… and steps into public service?

In this episode of The Realtor Who Wines, Rashelle Newmyer sits down with Alex Phan, a 19-year-old REALTOR®, entrepreneur, AREAA leader, diversity advocate, and Metro Council candidate, to discuss real estate, leadership, housing, economic growth, and the future of Oregon.

From buying his first home at 23 to building a successful real estate career, Alex shares how entrepreneurship, rejection, and resilience shaped his path and why REALTORS® are uniquely positioned to understand the real needs of communities.

“It literally becomes your life… your business is going to grow or die based on your efforts.”

🏡 The Real Truth About Real Estate

Alex offers honest insight for anyone considering real estate, including:

•  Why success requires constant business development 
•  The emotional roller coaster of entrepreneurship 
•  Rejection, resilience, and self-motivation 
•  Why your business depends on your effort 

“When that deal closes… you’re back to square one.”

🤝 Why Leadership Matters

This episode also explores Alex’s journey from REALTOR® to industry advocate through AREAA, diversity leadership, and eventually public office.

He shares why representation, mentorship, and inclusive leadership matter, and why supporting affinity groups strengthens the profession for everyone.

“Our leadership should reflect our membership.”

🌎 Housing, Homelessness & Accountability

Alex also dives into one of Oregon’s biggest challenges: housing and public accountability.

“We pay a lot of taxes… but most voters don’t believe they’re getting real value.”

From homelessness and rental assistance systems to economic opportunity and workforce development, Alex shares why sustainable solutions require more than temporary relief.

“What are we really doing to help people learn to fish for themselves?”

💡 Oregon’s Future

This conversation also covers:

•  Affordable housing 
•  Economic revitalization 
•  Employer retention 
•  Public service 
•  Regional growth 
•  Community impact 

“Every Oregonian should have the opportunity to build a better life.”

🔥 Why You Should Listen

If you’re:

•  A REALTOR® or entrepreneur 
•  Curious about leadership or public service 
•  Passionate about housing and economic opportunity 
•  Interested in diversity, advocacy, and community growth 

This episode offers an honest perspective on what it means to lead in business, housing, and beyond.

Grab a glass, settle in, and join us for a conversation about entrepreneurship, advocacy, and building stronger communities.

Cheers! 🥂

Thank you for listening! Connect and collaborate with Realtor Rashelle on any of her social media platform pages > https://linktr.ee/RealtorRashelle 

Transcript

0:02

Welcome to the Realtor Who Wines podcast. I'm Rashelle Newmeyer. Your hostest with the mostest a student of life, a connector, a passionate wine enthusiast, and your local favorite guide. Join me as we explore the vibrant Pacific Northwest. Savor the finest wines and champion the spirit of entrepreneurship. Each episode, I'll sit down with inspiring guests, supporting business ownership and uncovering the stories that make this community unique. So grab a glass of wine, settle in, and let's embark on a journey of discovery and connection together. Cheers. to share with everybody what you have going on real estate wise and with the election. But before we get started, do you mind introducing yourself to everybody? Sure, yeah. Hi everyone. I'm Alex phan I where do I start? I tell my whole life story. Well I've been a realtor now 19 years, really sited and proud to be realtor. Born and raised here in Washington County. I grew up in Beaverton. And yeah, I've just enjoyed every moment of of being a dad. Now I have two kids, eight and 11 and just excited. Yeah, well, your resume is a lot longer than that, and your intro can be a lot longer than that, but we will dive into that. Cheers to cheers. Thank you for having this conversation with me today. I haven't had one of these podcasts yet where I've been able to drink. So this is actually. Yeah, yeah, we're having Fox Farm today, which is out in Dundee. This is his reserve Pinot gris. And David from Fox Farm has been on the podcast. He's a good friend of the podcast. So fantastic. I like to showcase him when I can. So you've been a realtor for 19 years? I didn't realize that. What got you into real estate to begin with? Yeah. Funny thing, I bought a house, I was shocking, I was 23 in college and was tired of living at home and went to Portland State University and didn't didn't live on campus. So I was just commuting back and forth, but really got to a point where, you know, like it was time for me to move out. I felt like I was missing a lot of that college experience, not, you know, being on campus. And so instead of renting, I decided to just get a buy a house. This is during the subprime crisis. So I honestly should not have qualified for that mortgage at the time. However, they gave me a loan and then my my best friends basically all moved in with me. And so I had like four roommates throughout that whole period. That's amazing. And then what about buying a house made you think, oh, this is an unjust tree for me, or I'm into this great question. Yeah, it was my realtor, actually. She kind of said, hey, Alex, if you ever thought about getting into real estate because she knew I was very entrepreneurial. Throughout my life, I had always been kind of like selling things on eBay and Craigslist and doing things like that. And she knew she was my employer's wife, and so I knew them kind of well. And she was like, you know, you should try real estate. And my family were was all entrepreneurs. So I kind of just thought about it was like, you know what? I think I could do this. And I just took a chance and apply, you know, sort of doing the work and got my license. What did you go to college for? Well, like every classical Asian family, I was supposed to be a doctor or a lawyer. And neither of those things happened, right? Yeah. So I quickly found that science and health was just not up my alley. It's really hard for me to really focus on those things. So after three years of really failing at college, I decided to switch to business, which totally changed everything, just made sense to me, and actually never finished college. I actually was thankfully able to find success really quickly in real estate my first year, even though like the economy was starting to slide and just never looked back. Yeah, I love that. I think some people don't realize that you really can make a true career out of real estate without going to college. I mean, we have our own education that you have to do and to be licensed and keep your license, but it's definitely an avenue outside of college for sure. What were some of the things that you remember back in your earlier days in real estate, like struggles that you didn't anticipate or like tough learning lessons? Oh so many. Gosh, I think the hardest things that were, especially in the beginning was like expectations, disappointment. You know, when you're brand new, you automatically believe that all your friends and family are going to want to work with you. And so I think those were the hardest left at the beginning when they chose to work with another agent. And again, you're really disappointed. So it took like probably 4 or 5 years for me to really grasp that and get over it. Second was how much more difficult it was then than it's portrayed to be like, absolutely. Yeah. All, all, you know, before knowing what a realtor really did, all we see as kind of normal, everyday laypeople is like, oh yeah, we get to look at houses, right? And you fill out some paperwork and then that's it. And you buy the house, right? Yeah, we know now that's not there's a lot of that. Yeah. HGTV doesn't help paint a different story for us at all for sure. I think that is when I talk to brand new agents or anybody thinking about getting into the business, I always say you have to have a tough skin for rejection because as business is full of rejection and you have to always validate yourself, like all the time, you're constantly like, I provide this and I do this and I do this. And then some people are still like, yeah, no. And then I go with a different way and you have to be able to be like, okay, right. But it is hard. It does take a few years to like get used to it for sure. Yeah, especially when you're younger. And if you haven't faced a lot of rejection thus far, it's definitely harder as you have grown over the years as a realtor and a leader in our industry. What are some things that has stuck out with you, like milestone moments? Milestone moments. You know, I've thankfully achieved so many cool like industry awards and whatever. But you know, the things that really stick the most of me. I have this last year client first time who passed away during our transaction. And I still think about him like nearly every day like, you know. Yeah, you know, I built this bond with him and we were I was helping him, you know, move and do all the things. And he's finally going to be able to move into his dream house, you know, and unfortunately lost his life before that. And I remember, like, him calling me from the hospital and basically telling me that that was it. Yeah. And, you know, so that sticks of me. Yeah. The relationships we build, the clients that I have become, like some of my best friends now. And we were just talking even before this, Steven on my team, he was a client before, you know, he before working with me. Yeah. And I had said, oh, I had no idea. I just thought you guys had been really good friends for a lot of years. Yeah, like I had. No, I didn't know at all. And now he's like a little brother to me, you know. And I love the guy. And so, you know, just like I love the real estate brings in so many relationships, especially I think, in today's culture and society is so hard to meet people in general and build relationships, that real estate can be a really great opportunity to do that. And again, other milestones is really helping people like first generation homebuyers and just seeing the impact that I know the impact is going to make on their life. Absolutely. Those are the things that are really stick with me. Yeah, I love that. The different leadership roles that you've had. What made you decide to get into leadership within the industry? Yeah, it was I never I never thought about it when, you know, when we were like, when you're a new agent and licensee, you're really like, how do I find business? How I find clients, right? Things like that. And his name was Dorian Barnhart. He was then Portland realtor president, and he was in this office in this world we're at today. Yeah. And he saw me kind of moving and shake. And he said, Alex, I think you should consider joining this committee. It was the U.N. committee. And I was like, well, I don't really know anything about committees. I've never volunteered in that way before. Yeah. And, but he's like, you know, just go to some meetings. And I went and for a new agent, it was actually really incredible because I was like meeting other brokers that were kind of in a way, like me younger at the time, you know, newer, trying to build our business. And it was building like camaraderie and friendship with other people and different brokerages. So I really enjoyed that. I enjoyed putting on the events, hosting events. I became like the tech guy for all the events, like I'd have to show up with the speakers and microphones and do all the sound and stuff like that, you know? So, but yeah. And then next thing you knew, I was chair of the committee the next year. That's how it always goes, right? Exactly. And then next thing you know, I'm on Mars board master's, you know, all the different boards that they've been. Yeah. So what led you to Aria? Was that part of, like, being on the board or like, talk about that a little bit story. So, you know, I'm obviously Vietnamese, I'm Asian, okay. I'm Vietnamese American, but growing like when your person of color, especially my experience coming into an industry that is predominantly, you know, white men and women, it was hard for me as a young new agent to really find acceptance and also like a culture or a group of people where I felt like I could identify with. I really didn't have very many mentors or anything like that when I was young in real estate. And so I was actually at a U.N. Young Professionals Network panel, and this guy came up to me at the bar and he says, hey, have you ever heard of Aria? And he was another Asian guy. I was like, no, I haven't. What is it? Aria is the Asian Real Estate Association of America. He said, well, hey, would you consider coming with me to a national conference? I think you would really enjoy it. And I was like, I don't know. But I, I did some research and I just had this guy research. But, you know, he was a likable guy. Yeah. And he's like, well, come with me to San Diego. So I like all right, take a chance. Go to San Diego. And this is I've never been to Asia before. Okay. So this is like the first time really for me, going to a place where I'm in a room of hundreds, if not really thousands of other Asian professionals. Not only are they Asian, they are also all in real estate. So I was like, oh my God, my people, you know, like I just don't, you know, where have you been? And and everyone was so like inviting and supportive, like it didn't matter. Like as they were telling me how they were doing things, they were telling me their strategies and their systems. And I was like, wow, this is incredible. Yeah. And so for the 3 or 4 days that we were there, I was just like eating it up and loving every moment of it. So we came back to Portland. We didn't have a chapter here in Portland. And I said, let's, let's start one here. So that guy, his name is Joey Lie. He's the godfather for Aria Portland. And we set out and we identified all the other Asian brokers in the area, and we invited them to a meeting and said, hey, here's what Aria is all about. Here's our mission, or blah, blah, blah. And so that was about 16 years ago and really proud that that organization is still going really strong today. I'm still active as a member and involved in helping them grow way I can. Yeah, and I really changed my life though, because it became I always like to say like my chosen family, you know, like, these are people who I, I am excited to see. I will help support in any way I can. Never worried about competition or anything like that. Yeah. No, it's always collaboration of our competition. Yeah. Aria was actually the first affinity group I was introduced to, and I had only been a broker for about six months, and someone had brought an Aria flier to like our team meeting as at Remax at the time. And they're like, you should go to this. You like networking and stuff. And I was confused because I was like, am I allowed to go to this? Is it offensive if I go to this? Is this meant for me? Like, I don't like if I'm invited, I want to go, but I also don't want to show up and how people be like, who the hell is this chick? Like, why did she think she could come to this? And then they were like, no, you can go. And so I was like, nervous because nobody from my office was going to go. They were just like, oh, you would like to go? And I was like, so I went. And then I was pleasantly surprised when I showed up, I was like, so nervous, like, am I going to walk in? And everyone's like, who brought the white girl? But it wasn't that way at all, obviously. And then that's one thing I always like to share about the affinity groups is like, you don't have to be Asian to support Aria. You don't have to be a woman to support Women's Council. You don't have to be Latino, you know, to support the different groups and stuff. So I just think it's so important. But it's hard. You never know. Especially in a yeah, we live in Portland, which sometimes can be a very emotional dynamic area where some people are like, no, this isn't your place, or other people are like, no, please come. So I was just like, I don't want to be offensive, but I do want to be supportive. Like, can I come? And I love Aria and I am a member. Yeah. So that's why I, like you said WCR, I mean, I the longest, affinity group membership I've had is with WCR. Yeah. Woman either. Yeah, but I'm a member of WCR, member of Nara now rep the alliance. All of them. Yeah, yeah. Well they just all support really important causes and all of them have their own needs and opportunities to help support those communities, for sure. What? How did your path go from once you were on the board? I know that you have also pursued leadership and Oregon Realtors and some other things. You talk about that journey a little bit. Yeah, sure. I guess my first. So, you know, we have a local association and we have a state association for the for the realtors. And after serving on PMR, there was, you know, we you can also serve as what's called a state director. So that was like my first really, entry and learning about the sales mission. But then after going to that similarly, like you kind of find like the committees are interested in and then you join them. And so at the time, I was part of the Professional Development committee, all these other things. But then I recognized that, you know, through my work at with Aria and the other affinity groups, that that there was no, basically the AI committee at the state association. So they had, you know, their pillars of values. And one of those was about, you know, leading with inclusion. I was like, well, it was actually our current real estate commissioner, Strode. He was the Oregon Realtors president at the time. And he said that we need our membership to or exceed. Know someone moving to Oregon? Send them my way. I specialize in relocation and I'll treat them like family. Plus, you know, there's a glass of wine in it for him. Cheers. Excuse me. Our leadership to reflect our membership. And I was like, well, there are no people who look like me or my colleagues, you know, on your leadership. So what is the pathway for us to get there? Yeah. And so we help develop and bring forward the diversity committee to Oregon Realtors and down to what's called a key committee or standing committee. And it's got a budget and a staff person. So we're actually able to do some really great work now through that to help share and spread these resources to members across our state. Yeah, absolutely. Especially like the Fair Housing Summit in different education opportunities. What about all of your different roles that you've had made you want to go into more like city politics? So Alex is currently running right now for an upcoming election, and I do want to talk more about that. But what made you be like, you know, I actually want to pivot and go more towards this. I, I all honestly, other people have made me tend to do these things, you know, like there's a senior volunteered to do. It's like Dorian Von told me to get to join, you know, why? And then next thing you know, I, I keep doing these other things because. So all my life throughout these different groups, people said, Alex, you should run for office someday. You should do you should be mayor. Alex and I always just laughed like mayor. What? Well, yeah. They're like, no, you should be the mayor of Beaverton. Ali. Yeah, and my clients tell me this. All these people, and I'm. I just laugh because I think it's, like, natural to have that imposter syndrome, for sure. Yeah, well, it's always flattering, but then at the same time, you're like, what? What do you see that I'm not seeing? Like, why? Why are you saying I should be mayor? Yeah, totally. Yeah. And so, you know, I'm running for Metro Council. Metros are regional government for if you're not familiar, Metro helps work with. And I say we're help works with partners with our three counties Multnomah, Clackamas, Washington 24 cities. And it's in charge of our regional growth plan. And so they invest in transportation. They manage solid waste and recycling. They manage the Oregon Convention Center, the Oregon Zoo Expo Center, and a lot of our parks and trail systems. And currently they're administering the SHS or supportive housing tax measure and also the affordable housing bond. And so this opportunity came up because for four years ago, I had met the current councilor in the seat. We were volunteering for a nonprofit in Washington County that I was part of, and I didn't know him at the time, but after meeting him, I was like, wow, this guy is really cool. His name's Juan Carlos Gonzales, he's running for Metro president. And anyways, he he kind of said, Alex, you know, well, actually, we met there, that volunteer event, we connected, we stayed in touch. I was following him. He's kind of following me. He saw everything I was doing. And then one day a couple of years ago, he invited me out for lunch, and he said, hey, Alex, you know, would you ever consider this? And I'm like, consider what you know. Well, I'm going to be running for Metro president one day, and I'd like you to run for my seat. And I was like, well, wow. On very flattering that. Thank you. Why? Why? And probably no, you know. Yeah, sure. Really? And he's like, well, I see what you're doing both in your professional work as a realtor, but also your nonprofit work serving our community. And now at the time and now I'm, I'm working on my first affordable housing project. We're building 41 units down in Salem for the Micronesian community, he said. You know, the perspectives you have as a business owner, as a community leader, as a affordable housing developer, those are perspectives we need at Metro. That's a voice we're missing. And so I would really consider and again, I was flattered if I said thank you, but no thank you. You know, and for me, the reason why was, you know, my I have two kids. They're eight and 11. Like I said, being a public servant is going to take up a lot of my time. And then on top of my business. Right. So I didn't think it was fair for my kids growing up. My parents worked 2 or 3 jobs at a time, so I would hardly see them because, you know, they were providing for us and I didn't have the relationship with them that I thought I wanted. So I figured, well, now's not the right time for me because that means more time away from my kids, and that's not what I want. And so I said no. And then he he gracefully accepted that. And then 2 or 3 weeks later, we were at a park and a Washington County commissioner who I know saw me and came up to me and said, Alice, I've heard your running for Metro. And I was like, oh my gosh, I did not share that with anybody. And so like for and then it was like made me realize, wow, how strategic is this guy to they'll get a commissioner to come after me. And then my wife Kim was with me and and basically I said, no, I lost like, no, no, I'm not doing it. And and Kim said, I think he should. I'm like, what you you think I should like, are you serious? Yeah. And then she said, yeah. You know, you've always loved giving baths and volunteering in the community. If believes in you, if one Carlos believes in you, this is your opportunity. It's something you really want. I will support you. I love that, you know. And so we I was of course, like really surprised. And that night we had a much deeper conversation about what it looks like and what the time commitment would be and all of those things. Exactly. She made sure, like, if you are going to do this, Alex, you are going to step off of all these other boards, things that you're doing well, and that's only you can only yeah, you can only be divided in so many ways. Yeah. So with your time. So what was the next step then once you and her decided like, okay, I am going to do this. Did you just call one backer? No, I called other people whom I respected, other people who I know that are elected to get their counsel and advice. And to those people are Senator Mark meek. He's a fellow realtor, and I've known him for 12 years and seen him rise, you know, as he he entered that political realm, too. And he basically tried to talk me out of it, really. You know, he was like, Alex, don't do it. You know, your kids are young. You know, there will always be a time in the future when you can jump into this stuff. Yeah, but this will take up a lot of your time away. So he basically tried to talk me out of it and I said, okay, got it. You know. And then I talked to a representative, Daniel Wynne, about it. Same thing basically, you know, and, you know, after hearing no, you know, why not to do it. And talking to my family further, I believe that I could do it. Yeah. You know, well, and sometimes it's really impactful for our kids to see us to certain things, you know, like it will also help shape their journey and like their perspective on the world, seeing you do certain things for the community. Absolutely. So I agree with you. Sometimes it does take away like the bedtime stories or sometimes the playing, but when they get to see you accomplish certain things, that really impacts them in a positive way. To what has been surprising to you. Going through the campaign process so far? Like, are there certain things that caught you off guard or that you were like, pleasantly surprised about or not so pleasantly surprised? Oh well, there's a lot of things. You know, it's been really fun. You know what I, what I love about doing this type of work is how much I get to learn every day. I'm meeting new people and getting new perspectives. I'm seeing things from, you know, places where I never even thought about before. So I really enjoy that. Things that I've experienced that I really don't like so far is kind of like the politics around politics, I suppose, like the the lack of better words, like caddying assumptions between certain politicians or even now I'm like, I'm nobody, right? Yes, I'm a candidate, but I'm still basically I feel like nobody and getting like, oh, well, I heard you went to somebody else's event and so therefore I can't support you. I'm like, why? You know, like I was not like I have publicly endorsed them or anything like that and I, I. Yeah. Isn't it good for me to always go and hear perspective? Yeah, absolutely. You know, just because I'm there at an event and maybe I am supportive, but, you know, I'm just there in spirit. Like, why do people hold those things against you? Yeah. It's a very strange. Yeah. So that part I don't like so much, you know, but for the most part, it's been really good. Yeah, yeah. Nothing I don't like. Nothing took you by surprise. Like how much? Like handshaking you have to do, or you know what I mean. Or, like, print and all that kind of stuff. Yeah. Campaign. Oh, I have such a different in such a high level of respect now for anybody who's willing to run for any office because this is a lift. Oh, it is, it is. It is hard for sure. I mean, the handshake, that's like the easy part. Sure. The hard part is remembering all these names. Oh, yeah. We're meeting so many more people. And for whatever reason, people remember me or know me, you know, but I go to like, oh my God, I know I've met you, but I'm so sorry. Can you remind me your name again? You know, like I'm sorry. It is hard. I mean, even in our business, we meet a lot of people out and about. Because you do volunteer a lot even before you're doing this. And that happens all the time. Or someone comes up to me and I'm, like, quickly going through the Rolodex in my brain, like, I know you like, are you a mom at Rylan School? Are you somebody to know through real estate? Are you somebody I know through Women's Council? Like all the things are going through my head and then normally I land on it partway through, like, oh, yeah, I took an aerobics class with you and, you know, like, something pops up, but otherwise, yeah, I'm always going to like, shoot, shoot, shoot. Who are you? Who are you? Who are you? And then I always feel terrible because then they're like, How is Rylan? And they, like, clearly remember stuff about me. And I'm like, oh my gosh, I'm the worst. Yeah, but we were at, Bullwinkle, this Lassie, for my daughter's friend's birthday, and we were on this. They called the XD ride whatever was like one of these 4D rides, right? And then people on the outside of the ride can see, you know, you on the screen. And I come out of the room with the kids and this woman came up, was like, hey, Alex from Alloa and clearly knew me. Yeah. And was like. And I was like, oh my gosh, I'm a little high school. I guess it a minute. I do not remember you. That's so funny. But, you know, I it's so weird how people can remember you. I know, but then it's also, it's so nice and and then you. That's why I always feel bad because I'm like, oh, you remembered me. And I took me 20 minutes to remember how I know you. Yeah. And then I felt terrible. I remind myself to you, though, I post a lot on social media and not everybody does. So I'm like, well, you might have seen like 30 things I posted which helped you remember me versus I haven't seen anything that you've posted, so it took me a second. I'm sorry. Usually by the second time where like the first time I might forget, but after the first time I really make an effort on cementing that person's name and trying to associate it with either another person I know or something like that. So that way when I see them again, I can recall it. Yeah. But yeah, it's knowing you think of her. You'll think high school bowling. Yeah. Exactly. That's how you're going to remember her. That's so funny. What is some advice you would give somebody if they came up to you? Well, we were just talking about this, that you just added someone to your team not too long ago. But when they come up to you and say, like, I'm thinking about getting into real estate, what should I know? Oh well, first I start with why I want to know why they are curious or interested in what they want to get out of it. And then really I tell them like the ugly truth that it's, it's a lot of work. It's, it's something where it literally becomes your life, where you are a basically a small business, small business owner, and the business is going to grow and die, basically based on your efforts, you know? And so I'm like, look, you, you, you got to be working every day at this. There will be nights where you can't sleep because all these business ideas and whatever you're working on is going to creep into your mind all the time. There's no shut off button. Really? Yeah. When you're a realtor, no, there really isn't. And you're always thinking about your clients way more than their thinking about you. Like, I'll even be like, oh, I haven't talked to so-and-so in a while. I need to call so-and-so. Like, I'll be laying in bed thinking about people I want to talk to in a while, and I know no one is in bed thinking like a shell hasn't called me. Yeah, like they're not thinking about it, but I always am. Yep, yep. I always tell them to. Like, everyone just thinks that, like, your phone's just going to ring, like the business is just going to show up. And really, it's a business that you have to go out and find your clients and provide value and gain momentum that way. But I know so many agents that when I'm training, they're like, oh, I don't I don't want to do Dornoch, okay. I don't want to do social media, okay? I don't want to do any farm letters, okay? I don't want to do floor time. How how are you finding clients? Yeah. Are you not working? No, I don't like not working. I don't know if this is a business for you. Like, how are you going to meet people like. Well, I don't know. Don't you guys just give leads? No, that's not really how it works. You know, so, yeah, it's a lot more work than people realize. Are. Sure. It's it's a, you know, there's a we're saying in our industry it's a roller coaster. There really is. I mean, you know, I, I tell like some of my newer agents when they join. Hey, look, when you get a client, you'll be excited. You'll be really working hard, you'll be keeping this deal. But don't forget you. When that deal closes, you're back to square one, unemployed again. Like we always joke. Like we're always unemployed in the state, right? Yeah. And so we're always having to look for new business. All the time, every single day. And it is a roller coaster. I was just explaining that to somebody the other day. I was like, one minute you'll have five clients and like, oh, we're going to these people are going to let us these people are buying. And two days they'll go by and be like, oh, we're going to wait until summer. Or someone says, job change. So we don't want to sell anymore. Oh, I don't think I'm ready to buy. I met with my. So like, you can go from having five clients on a Monday to zero clients on a Thursday that are ready to start shopping or selling, and then you're like, okay. And then the whole time you're just like, no big deal. Okay, totally. I understand because, I mean, you do like they all have their own valid reasons. But then to your point, it's like, okay, well, I still need business to provide for my family. So then you're just, like, constantly on the wheel. Yeah. I tell to my teams like into these, you know, people, our clients, the people we work with, they have their normal everyday lives. Like you said earlier, they're not waking up thinking about us and real estate every single day. They're dealing with their work, their life, other family matters, whatever's going on. So don't be offended or hurt because someone is not responding to you like they got other stuff going on. Yeah, and they don't care as much about some of the stuff because it's not their forefront or what they're thinking about. To your point earlier that like not all your sphere will use you if you're thinking about making a lifestyle upgrade, maybe wine country, acreage, grape views, or do you want to go downtown? Let's talk. Either way, I want to help you level up. Reach out now and we'll make your dreams come true. And real estate transactions and a lot of agents do get really upset about that. But they forget, like, there might be multiple reasons why that they're not using you. Like, maybe they're getting ready to have a divorce and they don't want their circle to know yet. Maybe they don't want you to know the inside of their financials, things like that. Maybe they don't want you to have an opinion on what they're buying. And because you're their brother, you're going to tell them like, no, you don't want this house, you want this house, you know, like so they sometimes they just want to separate business, you know, from personal. And people get so offended by it. I'm like, well, it's their choice. They're about to spend $700,000. They should choose who they want to work with. Totally. I actually remember now in saying that inexperienced mad was a new agent and it was a friend, you know, family kind of friend, pretty close. And they wanted to look at this house. And in my mind, for whatever reason, at the time, I was like, yeah, I just can't afford this house, you know, like, this is kind of like beyond really what I think you should be buying, you know, based on what you're pre-approved of, you know? And I essentially said to them, you know, I don't think you should look at this house. It's to to expensive whatever. Right. And that was a moment I'll never forget. I shot myself in the foot. Did they want to work with me anymore? No. Did they buy that house? Yes. They found a way to buy the house. And they bought it, right? Yeah. And I learned that lesson. Oh, don't ever assume you know what's best for your client, you know? So I never do that again. But, you know, you know, our job is, you know, serve our clients needs and best interests, and and they if there's something they want, they'll find a way to get it. Yeah, absolutely. Or like, I think sometimes people have a hard time removing them selves from the transaction as far as, like their own budget or what they would spend or on something. Like it's just funny you hear it. Even when people come through open houses like a mom with their two kids and the mom's like, I would never spend 800,000 on this house. And the two kids are, like, in love with it, right? When I say kids, they're like in their 30s, but like, they're in love with it. So it's just funny. I've seen realtors do that too. And I'm like, don't impose your budget or what you would want on somebody else. Like let your clients self discover that they want, and then you just help guide them to get what they want. Yep, yep. Why do you think it's important for people in our profession to run for political positions? Well, you know, interesting question. You know, I think realtors and by the way, we did not rehearse practice any of this stuff is totally. Yeah, off the cuff. Off the cuff. He has no idea. I think the realtors are really well positioned to serve in the community because the by nature of the work that we do, we are driving across. There are days when I'm showing properties in three different counties here, and we're driving even across state lines to now. And so that gives us a really good understanding of what's happening in communities, because as we're helping our clients make decisions on neighborhoods or areas they want to be in or commute times, that's a real just have a really good perspective on those. Plus, realtors are one of the industries where they give the most back to the communities in which they work in and serve. Because that's by nature how we grow our network and meet more people. And so I think it really helps a realtor if they want to pursue public service, that they don't. It only benefits them. Yeah. Well, it's nice to have a seat at the table to help make the decisions that are impacting the communities. Like there is a handful of bills sign this week that were all around housing, and we had quite a few realtors there present during the signing of that. And, you know, you've gone to the Capitol in D.C. many times, like I have to talk to legislation and to try and help get certain things moved across the to the the voting table. And it's just I think people don't think about that. I think a lot of people just visualize politicians as politicians and not like, oh, they actually have real jobs and they do other things outside of politics like real estate. And I just agree with you. Like we get to see what our clients need and find a way to voice it and help those like come to fruition. And I just think that's important. And I appreciate that you're running for office, and the few realtors that we do currently have in office and throughout Oregon, it's just really impactful. And it does help move the needle for home ownership across the board. Yeah for sure. Yep. Agree. Is there anything when you are elected that you're hoping to impact or move? Yeah. Couple things. You know, being a lifelong Oregonian, I feel like, you know, we've I've had the experience in my life where I feel like we've seen Oregon as a region thrive, not a region of the state, but like our region, metro region really thrive, right? It used to be where Portland was, the talk of the nation like a place where you could go to find great food, great culture. You know, obviously the environment to is amazing here. And that's really changed over the last five years. You know, it's now now when I travel and I tell people I'm from Portland and they're like, oh my gosh, how terrible it is for you over there. Let's be a terrible city. All these things. And like, we know that's not true, but we are. We are in a major decline right now. So I'm running on a couple platforms. One, I believe that every person, every Oregonian, should have the opportunity to be able to build a better life for themselves, to be able to have a living wage job where we have affordable housing options and pathways for advancement. And like I just kind of mentioned, we're heading in the opposite direction right now. We're in a major decline. Businesses continue to leave our state taking their jobs with them. They're investing in other areas. And because of how our state finances work, we're heavily dependent on income taxes. Well, if we continue to lose employers and lose high paying jobs. Yeah, our state's facing a major continued deficit basically, you know, so I want to be so what can I do to help our region be more competitive and attractive to employers to bring opportunities back to Oregon? I when as I have been going around in meeting different labor unions, it astounds me of the number of people who are out of work right now. And after I meet with them and I learned that, then I also recognize in our work it's like, wow, that's true. I have clients who are facing foreclosure at this point to like we are seeing that happen again. So since, you know, one, if we can't regrow our economy, then we got to work with what we have. So I want to make sure that we have real accountability to the taxes that we already pay for, like in Oregon and in our region. We pay a lot of different taxes. And to be honest, most of the voters and people don't believe we're getting real value for those dollars at this point. One of the things I see in the news every day this morning, in fact, they were just still talking about how, you know, the number of people who continue to enter homelessness continues rising, even though we've been pouring hundreds of millions of dollars every year into funding programs and shelters, more people continue entering homelessness. Right. And so what is not working, right. Clearly something. Absolutely. And I you know, I've always believed that, you know, to help somebody I love the old saying like, you know, give a man a fish he'll eat for a day, but teach a man a fish, he can he can feed himself for a lifetime. And what I see right now is we're giving out lots of fish. Yeah. You know, but what are we really doing to help people learn to fish better for themselves? How do they be able to find a sustainable way to care for themselves, to get back to contributing not only for their own selves, but back to our community for those dollars that we're supporting them with? So, for example, we have rental assistance vouchers, things like that, where a nonprofit may give rental assistance vouchers to somebody who's currently homeless and get them into an apartment. Well, that person is not required to participate into any programs. We're not required to receive any additional services. They're happy to take the check to get a shelter, obviously, you know, but those those vouchers are good for four months. And so once that money kind of stops, well, is that person able to continue paying. No. So what happens? They're going to end up back on the street right. The landlords and property owners, the only way to help that resident get more assistance is to file an eviction for them. So it puts me in a bad position where I'm not seeing me. But like the property owner has to file eviction against that person, further making it harder for them to find housing in the future. And, you know, again, there's just no accountability. Yeah, it's a vicious cycle. Yeah, totally. And so how do we break that to make it different. So I was I was working I was appointed to serve on Metro President's workforce this last year on, on this particular tax measure. Really excited that the council is moving some of those ideas that we we worked on forward just most recently last month they we had two oversight committees with that tax measure. And now they've consolidated that into one to make sure that both teams are working more efficiently. And that way we're able to to really dial in and deliver, again, real outcomes that the voters want. And right now we're recording in April and the elections coming up in May. Anything else you want to say to the voters out there? And also maybe mention who can vote for you? Because not everybody can vote for you. I'm running for Metro Council district four and district four runs all the way from Forest Grove, all Forest Grove, all of Cornelius, and then the northern and western parts of Hillsboro and Beaverton. So if you think of Valley Highway from Alloa up to Bethany, north of TV highway, that's my district all the way up to the Cedar Mill area, where we are here in right next to Saint Vincent's Hospital. So although I represent district four and that's only the people who can vote for me, there's 180,000 voters in district for the work that I do on Metro Council, like I said earlier, will be for the tri county area. So, you know, and of course, as a realtor, you impact the state two and voting happens in May. May 19th is election date. Ballots will actually be getting a mail sent out on April 29th. So just in a week. Yeah. Awesome. Well, thank you so much for your time. I know you're super busy right now at the campaign and you're still selling real estate full time as well. So cheers and good luck in the election. And thank you. Thank you for listening and watching. And I'll see you next week. Cheers.