The truth is that real estate isn’t about property. It’s about people. Normal human beings who have braved the sometimes wonderful, ofttimes treacherous waters of this great, real estate adventure. Here are some of their stories.
My parents handed me everything.
I have my parents to thank for where I am today. But not in the way I’ve heard other people describe. For the record, I am not “one of those ultra-rich Asians who doesn't need to work for a living”. I’m the son of immigrant parents who came here with almost nothing to their names. They left all they knew behind to find a better life for my sister and I. Always us first, themselves second.
I also have my parents to thank for who I am today. Even when they could afford it, they would never spoil me with superficial items. Rather, they would push me to learn; to be brave enough to design the life I wanted for myself. They had to sacrifice everything, and everything I have now I had to sacrifice to achieve. And you know what? I wouldn't have it any other way.
So you could say that my parents handed me everything. Everything that I am, and every way in which I engage with the world, I owe to them.
No complaints. Ever.
As a young child, I watched my father work day in and day out to put a roof over our heads, and a reason to open our fridge. My mother toiled tirelessly as a manager in a restaurant, returning home each day to cook, clean, and - above all - ensure that we always had quality time with her. I know that there are many such stories amongst those who moved their lives to these shores, but the thing I couldn’t understand at the time was that I never once heard them complain. Not once.
No moaning about hardship, or sacrifice. It was not until I was much older that I understood why; that it finally dawned on me that the simple drive to build a better life for their children was what lifted them from their beds each morning.
Through all the hardship, my father's business grew from a small renovator to a detached luxury builder. We moved from Eastside Burnaby to Broadmoor in Richmond. Our lives changed because of them, and watching them live a life in service of others inspired me to go out into the world and achieve everything that I wanted in life - but never just for me.
Mom, Dad - I owe you everything.
You are what inspires me to get up at 6am every day. You taught me that one of the most powerful things you can ever do is to serve those around you. Love is what motivated you to achieve the things you did. Now it inspires me to make sacrifices so I can take care of my loved ones, and serve the community from which we received so much.
My mission is to make a positive impact so great that it benefits everyone around us, a cycle of positivity that keeps perpetuating itself.
Mom, dad - you gave me nothing and everything at the same time. Thank you. I love you.
James
