When I look back on my real estate career, one thing stands out clearly: I always wanted to work in the neighborhoods that shaped my life.

I had walked those blocks for decades. First, as a child, I rode my bike to school. Later, as a teenager, I drove with my friends. And as a parent, I pushed a stroller or attended block parties. I knew where the lilacs bloomed in the spring, which streets had the friendliest neighbors, and which homes held stories I remembered from my youth.

When I was four years old, I asked my father if I could have his giant dictionary when he died.

We were in our musty basement. The basement held old tools and mysterious boxes and smelled of damp concrete. I was frightened to venture downstairs by myself, afraid of spiders and cobwebs. There, among the clutter, World War Two history books and science fiction Analog magazines stood a behemoth of a book: Webster’s New International Dictionary, Second Edition. This 1934 printing weighed nearly 13 pounds and contained over 600,000 words of almost 3,000 pages.

After I left my corporate career in IT project management and before I began my new chapter in real estate, I found myself in an in-between space. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do next. I knew I needed to do something joyful and purposeful in my next career.

That year, understanding it would take me time to figure it out, I turned my attention to something long overdue: our family photographs.

Lately, I've been thinking about how stories slip away.

Not the big, polished ones we tell at birthdays or holidays, the familiar tales that everyone expects. I mean the soft ones. The quiet stories. The ones that live between the lines of daily life and sometimes only return with a smell, a song, or a faded photograph.

Remember what matters most, whether laughter in a kitchen, a spontaneous sing-along, or a familiar hand on your shoulder as you peel apples together. The things that don't always make it into the photo album or the holiday newsletter.

Selling a home isn’t just a transaction—it’s often a turning point. Sellers want more than someone to list their property. They want someone who understands what this sale means to them and can educate them on the process, elevate their confidence, and empower them to move forward with clarity.

A book does precisely that—and more.

A book is more than pages of advice. A book proves your experience. It’s a glimpse into your values. It’s the story behind the sale.

I appreciate the profound similarity between my work as a real estate professional and a ghostwriter. I’m invited into a client’s life during the transition in both roles.

They may wish to sell a longtime family home or write a book about their journey. I help them navigate change and guide them toward a meaningful outcome.

It is a process layered with emotion and personality. And when it’s done, I gently step back. But the story? That stays with them. Here are three powerful ways real estate and ghostwriting mirror one another.

When I launched my real estate career, one of the first things I invested in was business cards.

I remember how excited I was to design them, carefully choosing the font, layout, and cardstock weight. Our brokerage had a clever tagline, and it would help me stand out. I proudly passed them out at Women's Council of Realtors® meetings, National Association of Realtors® conferences, and countless local events through the Chicago Association of Realtors®.

I envisioned my business card working to build my business.

There’s something about a book. It feels intentional. Thoughtful. Permanent.

As a real estate agent, you’ve probably sent postcards, made calls, or even left a door hanger. 

But what if you could hand a potential seller something that introduces you and proves your value before you even speak?

That’s the power of a book.

In real estate, we strive to stand out through postcards, open houses, and listing presentations. But in a crowded market, where every agent has a website and a slogan, how do you become the one people remember?

You write the book.

Not just any book, but a book about the neighborhood you know best or the one you're ready to serve with new passion and purpose. When you turn your knowledge into your story, you don't just market yourself. You position yourself as the trusted guide.

A book can keep you at the top of your mind long after closing, building referrals.

The metrics that measure our success as listing agents include the number of listings, days on the market, and the sale-to-list ratio. Showcasing metrics at a listing presentation helps the seller understand you are competent and trustworthy.

It was a call Really had been hoping for.

The spring market had just kicked into full swing when Selly reached out. A friend from Selly’s gardening club had recommended Really, praising her calm presence and sharp eye for pricing strategy. 

Selly and her husband were ready to move quickly, downsizing after thirty years in their beloved home, which was filled with memories and had mismatched paint colors in the guest room.

We all know sellers have endless options and opportunities to sell homes. As real estate agents, we spend years building our referral businesses to be at the top of mind when a former client wants to sell a property or a friend, family member, or business associate asks for a referral. 

The competition is fiercer when we try to attract new sellers into our sphere. We develop strategies for expired listings, foreclosed properties, short sales, cold calls, and networking.

We all have a common goal as real estate listing agents: more listings, better referrals, and steady revenue. 

We want consistent revenue regardless of market shifts and interest rate considerations. 

We want to stand out at our listing appointments and differentiate ourselves. 

We know the value of attaining and developing long-term relationships with clients who list their properties. They can become ongoing referral resources.

For 15 years, I have worked in real estate, guiding buyers and sellers through one of their life's most significant financial and emotional decisions. As the designated managing broker of a boutique firm, I trained and mentored agents, helping them build thriving businesses. Even now, as I hold my license with a real estate holding company, I remain passionate about assisting people to grow, just as I did with my residential real estate clients.

I have always been drawn to the power of storytelling. I love to read and listen to books. I love to talk with people one-on-one and hear about their stories.

As the family historian, I have stories, perspectives, and legacies to share. Self-publishing is daunting with its many editing, formatting, and distribution challenges.

I am delighted to start a series of personal memoirs, Echoes, and Journeys for Our Legacy books. Our Legacy is an editing, publishing, and distribution platform dedicated to guiding authors like you and me through the writing and publishing process.

The 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live was a celebration of comedy and comedy legends. However, it was primarily a celebration of legacy and the culture that shaped that legacy. It offered anyone watching across generations the opportunity to reflect on their coming of age and how those times and experiences shaped their lives.

Saturday Night Live is an institution built on the pillars of sketch comedy, some of which have been revered for decades; political and cultural satire; talented and relevant guest hosts striving to reach the five-timers club; the weekend update; and, perhaps most importantly, the popular musicians who are paired with the hosts.

Early in life, I discovered two activities that became cornerstones. Each, at various times, serves as a refuge, offers inner peace, provides strength, and ensures a connection to something greater.

When I was ten, my fourth-grade teacher suggested creative writing assignments. I remember the joy of sitting at my school desk with a blank sheet, free to create stories from my imagination.

I gladly invest weeks of reading or hours of listening time to beloved and challenging works of Historical Fiction. I love opening the door to a different time and place where my journey awaits. I reach for the author's hand, trusting that I will learn about the history and appreciate the characters and their intertwined lives. I will learn about their costumes, challenges, triumphs, social expectations, economic struggles, and political and internal turmoil.

I believe in the power of stories—our own, our families, and those that shaped our internal and external world. Our lives hold meaning for the future. I believe we all have stories that should be told to inspire, bond, remember, grow, amaze, and instill a sense of pride. Legacy stories tell the reader this is where I came from, who I am, and who my family is. We tell our stories in a simple, meaningful, and lasting way. Our words and stories can last forever.

The power of telling our stories for future generations to read and absorb is undeniable. Each of us has at least one story to leave behind. I can think of many, and I have started writing them for publication with the Our Legacy series, a platform dedicated to preserving personal narratives and legacies. 

Sometimes, it takes a significant, well-known, powerful legacy, like the recent movie about Bob Dylan, A Complete Unknown, which reached millions of people, to drive home the importance of our personal stories and the value of leaving them for future generations.