I bought my first home at 21 on $21 an hour. I moved into an empty house with no furniture and survived on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I had no idea if I'd made the right decision. I just knew I had to try.

 

My journey into real estate began in high school when I learned that one of my teachers owned twelve houses. He told me he was a real estate investor and had bought homes for each of his children. I’d never heard of anyone owning twelve houses before, and the idea fascinated me. Still, it would take years before I became a REALTOR®.

 

 My story started in Herriman, Utah, where I grew up on two and a half acres of land. Life was simple, and I learned the value of hard work early on. After high school, I didn’t have a clear plan. I bounced between jobs—Xbox support, pulling data cables for businesses, and eventually returning to tech support.

 

I was working as a data center technician at eBay, surrounded by endless rows of servers, when I started thinking seriously about my future. The job was stable, but too relaxed for me. I outworked my peers, yet we were paid the same. I wanted a career where my income directly reflected my effort.

 

While working at eBay, I started devouring books and podcasts about real estate investing. My first major goal was to buy my own home, which I managed to do at 21 while earning $21 an hour. It was a stretch. I moved into an empty house with no furniture, no pets, and no roommates. I survived on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, hoping I’d made the right decision. Once I brought in roommates, things started to improve.

 

 My next goal was to break through the glass ceiling I felt at my corporate job by getting my real estate license. I studied while working full-time and finally got licensed just as COVID hit. It was a scary time to jump into real estate, but I gave myself thirty days to hustle outside my day job. On the last day, I landed my first client. That small win gave me the confidence to go all in.

 

But the challenges didn’t stop there. For six months, I didn’t receive a single paycheck. My mortgage was covered by renting out rooms to friends, but the stress was intense. I leaned heavily into personal development—reading, journaling, and setting daily goals. Every day, I focused on three small wins, whether that meant talking to ten people about real estate, going to the gym, or simply waking up on time. Even when deals weren’t coming in, I could still control my effort and mindset.

 

Eventually, things started to click. Month seven brought a wave of closings, and I finally felt like I was on the right path. Along the way, I met Katrinna, my wife. We also went into business together, which is its own story. Katrinna worked as a pet groomer, but cancellations were constantly cutting into her income. I hated seeing her stressed, so I suggested we take matters into our own hands.

 

 Together, we built a mobile pet grooming business from scratch—converting a trailer ourselves, fixing problems as they came up, and learning as we went. There were plenty of moments when Katrinna wondered if it was worth it, but we kept pushing forward. Eventually, the business began to grow. We now have an employee and recently purchased a second van to be professionally outfitted to keep up with demand, and transition Katrinna to be a future stay-at-home mom.

 

When we need to decompress, we head outdoors. Utah’s beauty is my therapy—whether I’m paddle boarding on the lake with Katrinna and our dog, snowboarding in the winter, or sitting on the porch swing listening to the birds. Nature helps me reset and reminds me why I work so hard. Now, Katrinna and I are looking toward the future and planning for children.

 

What sets me apart as a REALTOR® is that I’m not here to sell a house—I’m here to be an advocate. My focus is on educating clients about every aspect of a property, from the age of the roof to the condition of the furnace and AC, so they know exactly what they’re getting into. I want them to make a smart investment.

 

I pride myself on being highly responsive and diligent with communication, available any day or hour. Real estate isn’t a side gig for me—I’m a full-time agent, and I’m in the top 1% in Utah for transaction volume, which means I have the experience to solve problems and understand the market inside and out. I always provide options and let clients decide what’s best for them. I also add personal touches, like handwritten birthday cards and client events, because I want our relationship to last long after the transaction is done.

 

Sincerely,

  

 

 

 

Hyrum Rosquist