I can recall a time when failure was not option: I was finishing my degree while working full time in addition to taking care of a baby. I overcame it all and realized that, If I could do that, I could build a company.

The stroller wheels made a light rumbling sound on the linoleum floor of the university hallways as I pushed my daughter towards our destination. When I reached the lecture hall, I slid past the stroller so the door wouldn’t slam shut in my daughter’s face. The rolling sound was amplified in the echoey chamber of the room. I felt my classmates' eyes swiveling in my direction as I made the way to my seat. I slid into the seat and positioned the stroller so it took up as little of the aisle as was humanly possible.

I knew the guy sitting next to me; he was somewhere between a friend and an acquaintance. He leaned and whispered, “What are you doing bringing a baby in here?”

I gave a shrug, “She’ll be fine.” In my mind, I was hoping against hope that she'd keep calm and wouldn’t throw a tantrum in the middle of class.

I was a dad. It’s what a dad does. I was also a struggling college kid. I didn’t have the money for a babysitter, nor was it easy to find anyone with the availability I needed. The only on-campus daycare was technically for faculty. As a student, they weren’t very receptive to the idea of taking on my daughter as well. It took three months of begging before they finally relented.

Juggling a full class schedule during the day and waiting tables at night speaks to my work ethic that at no point did I say, “This is too much for me to deal with” Instead, I just carried on. Today I have four children and have been able to be a part of their lives no matter how tough the times might have been.

That same work ethic led me to real estate. I didn’t think it would be a full-time career, though. Looking back, it seemed like my whole life was steering me in that direction.

I grew up in a household where my parents always had more than one job. I never viewed work as the enemy, but as a friend. I gained the understanding that if I wanted something, all I had to do was go and work for it, it seemed like a simple equation.

While I ended up pursuing and earning a business degree, I initially studied architecture; I loved the design aspect of the work. When I got older, I began house flipping with my dad. I knew what it was like to gut a home and renovate it, I saw it as a beautiful endeavor and gained tremendous satisfaction each time.

Naturally, my real estate side gig overtook my job and became my full-time career. But all this knowledge and experience was too good to be put to waste. I wanted to be more than just an agent. If a house needed a complete remodeling, I wanted to be able to do that for a client. If a building needed property management or a buyer needed cash upfront, I saw no reason why I couldn’t build a company that could do all those things for its clients. It could cover everything from design to construction to real estate. And I wanted to cater to anyone who needed it: buyers, sellers, investors, renters. Hence, I created TREND Real Estate to provide a complete service experience.

Helping clients find the ideal location of their dream home and molding that home to be exactly what they want it to be is the unique service that TREND Real Estate provides. 

A client once tried to compliment me by saying I was a good salesman. I couldn’t help but wince at the sentiment. I don’t see myself as a salesperson, and I don’t want clients to see me that way either. I would like to think of myself as your trusted advisor. I can walk into any house and tell you what’s right and what’s wrong just by standing in it. My experience in renovating and building homes gives me a unique perspective. Imagine finding a diamond in the rough and having the tools and experience to polish it. It’s important to me to deliver exactly what the client wants because I approach each person as though I will be their trusted advisor for life. In this current climate where doing less has become the standard, I want to give more. More service, more assistance, more focus, more to you. I hope I earn the opportunity to be that lifelong connection for you.

With gratitude,

Michael Estes
Broker-Owner