What motivates me to help?
In 2017 and again in 2019, Hurricane Harvey and Tropical Storm Imelda severely damaged my parents’ home. They were out of the house for over a year due to Hurricane Harvey and faced another lengthy absence because of Imelda. Unfortunately, they encountered several incompetent contractors during both recovery efforts. My parents are excellent business people, and under normal circumstances, my dad would have been at the house daily to monitor the work. However, in 2018, he fell ill and was hospitalized in Houston for an extended period, while my mom stayed by his side every day. My sisters and I all lived in the Houston area, while our family home was in Beaumont. I would visit a few times a week, but it wasn’t enough to ensure the work was done properly. The repairs dragged on, and numerous problems arose.
In 2019, the situation was similar. If I had been a licensed appraiser at the time, I would have taken those contractors to court to hold them accountable for their shoddy workmanship. In our area, we experience severe weather from time to time, and as an appraiser, I have seen countless homes devastated, left vacant, incomplete, or ruined by poor contractors. I know how that feels. It’s incredibly frustrating, and I intend to hold those individuals responsible in the future. There’s nothing worse than being out of your home, watching your life turn upside down due to a storm, and then having your hopes crushed by a contractor who cuts corners or takes advantage of people.
I had great mentors as a young man. My parents were my first and closest mentors. However, in my first full-time job after graduate school, I was hired by one of my friend’s fathers as a Division Manager with a local municipality. He shared a piece of advice that guided me toward the appraisal field: “While you are working here, always make sure to work toward something for yourself. Find an important industry and identify the choke point. Get really good at whatever that choke point is. There, you will find security and longevity.”
I have always been interested in real estate, and I believe that appraisal and valuation play critical roles in the industry. The importance of this work cannot be overstated. It took a long time to learn how to do it well, and while there have been changes over the years, the essential function of appraisal will never change. It is vital to have an independent voice—one that has no stake in the transaction—providing a supported opinion of value.
As for becoming an attorney, I’ve wanted to pursue that path since my first argument—probably over some food, as I was a husky kid! I’ve always been the type of person who examines issues or arguments from different perspectives, and I’ve been someone who stands up for others for as long as I can remember.
