Today’s highlighted agent may be a familiar face to you, especially if you are a member of the congregation at Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church — he’s Steve Cairns, who served as youth minister in the 3,000-member church for more than 20 years.
It turns out the character traits needed to provide guidance and support to young people in a spiritual setting lend themselves nicely to assisting individuals purchasing a new home. Steve’s personal journey finding a new home and navigating the complex waters of the buying it led him to join the team at the Lakewood/Lake Highlands office of Ebby Halliday Realtors, where he’s planning to help others seeking shelter themselves.
The background? Steve has lived in Dallas for many years, graduating from W.T. White High School. With thoughts of being a sportscaster, he went to Syracuse University where he studied broadcast journalism, later pursuing teacher certification at the University of North Texas, taking a course toward teaching high school history. After graduation, while looking for a teaching post, he took a job as interim youth director at Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church. He loved it so much that he continued for 22 years.
When he married a few years back, Steve and his wife, Kristen, began shopping for a larger alternative to Steve’s townhome. He was soon bitten by the real estate bug. Steve loves “the hunt,” as he puts it, and has even become an avid HGTV fan, as he studies potential improvements that can transform a dated structure to its very best. His experience led him to transition into helping others find their dream home, and Steve did just that, earning his license and joining Ebby Halliday’s Lakewood/Lake Highlands office, which specializes in the area where he and Kristen bought their home.
We asked Steve his thoughts on his new role:
What got you interested in real estate?
My wife and I started going to open houses about four years ago thinking we’d buy a house in a year or so. It was a fun weekend activity until one day we went into a house in Lake Highlands and my wife got these wide eyes and said “I love it.” It had pink paint in the kitchen and fruit wallpaper. We have had fun remodeling every inch of it, doing small stuff ourselves and letting the pros do the heavy lifting. I enjoy the hunt, and the satisfaction of finding “The One.” And, of course, my wife and I will have our own HGTV show someday!
What drew you to pursue in real estate sales?
I get excited about helping people find a home. Buying or selling a house is something people don’t do very often and it can be stressful and intimidating. I feel my strengths of teaching, supporting, and connecting people will serve me well in guiding folks through the home buying process.
What would you say home ownership provides to an individual?
Where you call home defines and dictates a lot of your life — where you shop, where you eat, who your friends are, and much more. Finding a home the matches your lifestyle is important to living the life you want to live.
Why did you choose Ebby Halliday?
I was telling a friend the other day that being with Ebby Halliday, I feel like Dak Prescott. He had a great team around him that allowed him to do a great job right out of the blocks. With our mortgage, title, and insurance partners, our training and technology, my manager and mentor, I am equipped to be successful in my first year. I just need to bring the hard work and some talent and to earn the trust of my teammates. That’s what I plan to do.
Naturally, we had to ask his co-workers at Ebby Halliday to give us their thoughts.
“Steve is awesome and we are blessed to have him on our team,” said Rene Barrera, manager of the Lakewood/Lake Highlands office. “He knew that Ebby was the right brokerage for him and I knew immediately that he was a perfect fit for our office’s culture. As past Youth Director at Preston Hollow Presbyterian and with his years of experience in the community, he’s a perfect match for the Ebby Halliday family. He has gained the trust of many families through caring for their children. These people know Steve can be trusted with what’s often the biggest transaction of his clients’ lives, their next home purchase or sale.”
As this photo from an open house last weekend, he’s already at work doing just that:
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