As children, my brother and I would accompany our father, Ralph Yates on weekend trips up to northern Michigan.At the time my father was a real estate investor and developer who got started in the business as many did in the early 1970’s working for large land development companies selling property to down state buyers. Although we lived in Saginaw, Michigan (a mid sized town in east, central Lower Michigan) my father worked all over the northern Lower Peninsula.I had the privilege of learning the business almost by osmosis.By that, I mean that after 10+ years of listening to my father talk to prospective buyers and sellers on the job, I guess I picked up a lot of information without actually realizing it. At the time I had no idea of what I wanted to do for a living but I knew it wasn’t selling real estate at least not in the conventional sense.As a child I sat in countless real estate offices for hours on end waiting for my father as he investigated potential properties to purchase.Back then there were no computers and the only way you found land was to walk into the local offices. Once out of high school my brother decided he wasn’t going to follow in the family business and he joined the Army.Since I was 17 months younger I was still in high school and we left to help my dad on occasion when I wasn’t involved in extra curricular activities. My Career Choices
By this time I decided my career of choice.I wanted to be a helicopter pilot so I too joined the Army while still in high school.Upon graduation from high school in 1986 and acceptance into WAFT (Warrant Officer flight Training) I planned to spend the next few years flying of the military. Shortly thereafter my career plans came to an abrupt end.Shortly after I had entered high school my father basically lost everything and nearly filed bankruptcy.He had gotten involved with a bank that essentially wiped him out.Due to circumstances beyond his control he needed to sell a family parcel which I had grown up on. It was a 120 acre parcel located near Lake City Michigan.It was a gorgeous rolling parcel, partly open, partly wooded and it had a pristine trout stream running through it.Since I knew the property so well my Father asked me not to leave for basic training so I could help him try to recover from our family’s desperate situation.As you my have guessed I stayed to help.That’s where my official real estate career began.I was 1986 and I was just 18 years old.
With a heavy heart we successfully sold the property.Due to our success, my father was approached and asked if he knew of any other property that he felt could be developed in a similar fashion.As a matter of fact he did and my real estates career began.
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