I grew up in the Ozark Mountains in Missouri, a very rural place with lots of lakes, caverns and fresh mountain air. I was raised with those solid Midwestern values – your word is your bond, always lend a helping hand, and an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay.

We lived on a lake and I learned to jet ski, waterski, and bass fish as a kid. Aside from all those fun adventures with my friends, I was always trying to come up with ways to make money. I was an entrepreneur before I even knew what the word meant. Since so many neighbors owned RVs and watercraft, I decided to start my own business detailing cars and boats. I’d spend my summer days and weekends scouring the slime off hulls and waxing and buffing out those vehicles until they sparkled in the sun. I socked away every penny I made. When I got a little older, I got a job as a bus boy at a restaurant and added to my nest egg. By the time I was 16, I had enough money to buy my first car, all on my own. It was a 1987 Pontiac Grand Am. The best part about owning it was knowing that I had earned it.

Growing up, my dad owned a construction company and built houses and residential properties. My mom was an interior decorator.  It was the perfect combination to help me learn about the real estate business. I saw how my dad organized crews and brought structures to life from blueprints. I watched my mom transform dreary-looking spaces into ones that were vibrant with color and pattern. These experiences showed me the value of good construction and the appeal of staging and presentation. 

When I got a little older, I took a construction job with my dad’s company and worked in the hot sun all summer long as the “grunt” of the crew. In the pecking order of laborers, I was at the bottom of the heap. I did whatever I was told and ended up digging a lot of ditches and jack-hammering a lot of concrete. It taught me humility and hard work, and although I didn’t know it at the time, it was a great training ground for later on in life. I have a really strong work ethic and always push hard for my clients. I care about their lives and am often humbled by the trust they put in me. I never want to let them down.

My construction job also taught me how to identify a well-built home and what to look for when buying a property. In a way, being a Realtor is a lot like being a construction manager. You’re solving problems, juggling a lot of things at once, and building something that will last a lifetime. I’m building relationships with my clients that last a lifetime, and many of them come back when they’re buying their second or third home. That’s really exciting to me, because I get to share in their lives as they unfold with a growing family or a relocation. 

I also know what it takes to rehab a house for the best possible result, and that’s an added value I bring to clients who might be thinking about upgrading their home before they put it on the market.

Even though I spent many years in the corporate world climbing up that ladder, eventually I found my way back to an entrepreneurial calling that I love. I’m in the business of making the American dream come true and I take that very seriously. I love to collaborate with my clients to find them the perfect home and watch them settle in. Nothing gives me greater satisfaction.

The real estate business has really been a pivotal part of my personal life from early on. As a kid, I learned the value of hard work from my dad’s construction company and the magic of staging and presentation from my mom as an interior decorator. But it goes beyond that. I met my wife, Denise, through real estate. I was helping my dad sell a house and Denise was in the market for a new home. She saw the sign and called to get a showing. I remember driving up and noticing her license plate had the letters “LAI,” which is my last name. I took that as a really good sign. She ended up not buying the house, but it was the start of our relationship. We’ve been married ten years now. And now my stepdaughter is interested in the real estate industry and got her first job as a title agent. I love the fact that I’m passing on my passion for this business.

 

Sincerely,

Christopher Lai
REALTOR®