The house is just the building. I want to help you find your home.
I believe you should know the person behind the business card, so here's my story.
To me, real estate is more than buying or selling a house. It is the opportunity to help people achieve the happiness that I have found in my family, my community and my home. You may know me and my family, but I want you to know what's important to me and why that helps me be great at my job.
I spent my life building a family, a community and a home
After my parents divorced when I was young, I spent the next few years bouncing between houses, between schools, between jobs, feeling lost. By the time I left for Binghamton University at 18, I was already starting to think about finding a home. Maybe not the physical building, but certainly the feeling of home. During my sophomore year I met Jen, who later became my wife and is still with me 35 years later.
We married a few years after graduating and moved to Fairfield County into a small studio apartment in Stamford with lots of animals. We built our home gradually, starting with our first house in Norwalk, where we had all three of our boys, then a sprawling ranch in Ridgefield, and eventually our forever home in Wilton, where we found a wonderful neighborhood.
From the moment Jen and I brought home Ben, our oldest son, we centered our lives around giving them the best life we could. After the twins came two years later… well, I don't remember that year because we were so tired, but I'm sure it was great! As they grew, we volunteered in their schools, I coached them in every sport they played, and we encouraged them to explore every extracurricular, like theater, improv, Ambler Farm and the Wilton Land Trust, and to give back by volunteering. Eventually we became empty nesters as they all went off to college and beyond. It's been hard, but we're learning what our next version of home is.
We've had some challenging times, but who hasn't? Through it all, it was family that kept us grounded. Going through rehab again for the third knee surgery in as many years is easier when you know you're teaching your kids to be resilient. It's possible when you're doing it so you can run a race with them again, or finish a triathlon to show them they should never stop taking on new challenges.
When money was tight, it made us appreciate what is really important: family. It encouraged us to make our own fun, taking hikes with our dog Duncan, seeing friends, playing strategy board games and watching movies. We had each other, and the rest we figured out.
Finding my professional home
Finding my professional home was more difficult. I spent 20 years in sales and marketing, the last five as a CRO/COO, and yet I felt unfulfilled. I had been interested in real estate for years but was nervous to make the switch with the financial responsibilities of providing for a family.
I took the leap in 2016. It was a difficult transition, but after a few months I started to see results. The next year I capped, and the following year I was one of the top agents at Keller Williams. I was recruited for the Agent Leadership Council and helped train newer agents and guide the market center. Ten years in, I've been part of more than 175 transactions and over $68 million in sales, which places me in the top 2.7% of all REALTORS® in Connecticut. It's amazing how easy it feels when you truly enjoy what you're doing!
There is a lot to real estate, and my background has given me the tools to be successful. I have a sales and marketing background, I'm highly analytical and organized, and I know how to run a business. But those are just logistics. What I really love are the moments that make this personal. The moment buyers walk into the house they're going to buy. The moment sellers get the offer that lets them move closer to their grandkids or buy the boat they've always wanted. The moment an investor buys another rental property that adds to their passive income and funds their retirement.
These are the special moments that make what I do great.
I want to be your REALTOR®
I want to be the REALTOR® you recommend when your friend is ready to sell their house. I want to be the REALTOR® you recommend to the person standing next to you at the deli counter who mentions buying a house! Not just because you know me and my family, but because you're confident there is no one more qualified and motivated to help.
There's a real estate adage that warns buyers there is no "perfect house," and it's true. What they don't say is that it doesn't matter. The house is just the building. I want to help you find your home.
— Christopher