From the time I was a little girl, I had a unique ability to pair people with homes. The first time I found a home for a family was when I was 13 years old. I was taking a stroll down the block in my neighborhood with my Father. We were discussing our big move from Missouri to Washington and how we would have to sell our house. Suddenly a lady came walking down the sidewalk in our direction. She was pushing a stroller and I recognized her from our church. I said, "Dad, that's who we should sell our house to." He said, "Well, I hadn't thought of that before, but I do believe her and her husband currently rent their home. I will ask her if she would be interested in considering buying our home." The rest was history. Her and her husband bought our home and raised their 4 young children there.
We made our big move to Seattle. My Father had accepted a job as a Preacher in a nearby suburb. The minute I saw the Seattle skyline, I was in love. I decided to make a tradition that every time we left downtown Seattle, I would look at the skyline one last time until it faded away in the distance. As time passed, I realized I loved architecture. I remembered as a child riding my bike past huge Victorian homes in Missouri and being in awe of their ambiance. From my roots in the Midwest growing up seeing big beautiful Victorian era homes to the modern style of Seattle homes, I realized that the love of architectural design was deeply engrained in me. I decided to build on my interest in architecture and signed up for Computer Aided Drafting courses in high school.
Fast forward a few years following my high school gradation, and I found myself working for one of the biggest banks on the West Coast called Washington Mutual (WaMu) in their Home Loan Department. I worked in the only wholesale fulfillment center in the state of Washington, which meant that any broker in Washington state that wanted to do business with WaMu had to submit their loan through my branch. To say we were busy was an understatement. One day my manager asked me if I would be willing to go to California on a business trip to help their wholesale branch get caught up. We were in the middle of the refi boom of the early 2000's. I said, "Sure, when is my flight." She said, "Bring your bags tomorrow and I will let you know when your plane leaves." I had previously taken a couple business trips to California for Wamu training. Those trips ignited a passion within me. I thought to myself, "What could be better than going to work and the beach all in the same day?" But this particular business trip opened my eyes to realize how busy companies were in California. I knew something was different in California and I wanted to be part of it. It seemed like the opportunities in California were endless.
That dream became a reality and in 2003, I moved to Orange County, California. I continued working in the home loan area, but this time I was on the sales side instead of processing. I suddenly realized my God given gift in sales. After winning multiple awards for being Top Salesperson of the Month and Quarter, the management confronted me and said, "What are you doing to get so many sales?" I told them, "I tell my customers their options and let them choose the one that is best for them." To me this straightforward honest approach was the best way to do business. It allowed me to do my work with integrity while making sure my customers were taken care of. While in this position, I had to use a portion of my profits to put back into my marketing. My marketing skills were fine tuned as I learned how to create marketing material to compete against the competition. It was during this time I obtained my California Real Estate License in 2006.
As time passed, I was presented with an opportunity to enter the world of Commercial Property Management in Los Angeles. To finally get to work in high rise skyscrapers was so exciting for me. I worked in some prominent buildings in the greater LA area including, the Taft Building (LA's first skyscraper) at the corner of Hollywood and Vine, 9595 Wilshire in Beverly Hills, 5900 Wilshire on the Miracle Mile, and 9560 Wilshire at the intersection of Wilshire and Rodeo Drive. Working at the Taft Building was an amazing opportunity. To walk the halls where some of Hollywood's most notable movie stars held their office, was an honor. I also did an apprenticeship at a residential skyscraper in downtown Los Angeles. I worked at this high rise development during their construction. My first assignment was to go on the elevator and determine the view on behalf of my future clients from different vantage points. Everything was concrete and the walls were not even on the building yet, but I knew without a doubt this was a stunning property that I would never forget. I was located right in the heart of the financial district and a just a couple blocks from the Staples Center where the Lakers play. I also had the opportunity to be an assistant to an Agent in both Commercial and Residential real estate. The agent I assisted in Residential Real Estate was the #1 Salesperson in our Beverly Hills office. His down to earth nature without the pushy salesman approach was similar to how I conducted my sales. I felt blessed to learn under the best.
Fast forward many years later, and I found myself drawn to Santa Monica beach. My family and I would take many strolls down the boardwalk to the Santa Monica Pier enjoying the ocean breeze and the sand between our toes. When the opportunity arose for me to start my own Real Estate companies, I knew there would be no other place I would rather be than the one place I made so many memories with my family. So I choose an office directly across the street from the Santa Monica Pier and the rest was history.
As you can see, Real Estate has been in my veins since I was a young girl. Real Estate is my love. My desire to keep learning more in real estate has not stopped. Not only did I obtain hands on Real Estate experience over the years, I also obtained my Bachelor's Degree in Real Estate Studies from the University of Arizona Global Campus. I am also planning on following in my Father's footsteps and attending his alma mater, Pepperdine University in Malibu, to obtain my Master's Degree in Real Estate. Also, in addition to owning multiple real estate companies, I am currently a licensed California Real Estate Agent and I am working on obtaining my California Broker's license.
As your Realtor, you can rest assured that you will get a hard working agent who will put my God given creative mind to work for you. Let's find your dream home today! To view LA's latest real estate listings click www.AmandaSellsLAHomes.com.
-Amanda Stephenson Stewart
Founder/CEO of
California Hot Properties, LLC
Cali High Rise, LLC
Cali Beach Homes, INC
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