NORTH FORT WORTH
C O N N E C T I N G .
KAY LOPEZ: Following the Four Fs SONU VARKEY: Magic Saved Me
E L E VAT I N G .
I N S P I R I N G .
AARON KINN
A Foundation of Education
BRIAN SEETS: Moving to His Own Beat THE RESTART AGENCY: Meeting the Needs of an Industry and Community
Photo by: Desiree Roberts
JULY 2022
2 • July 2022
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North Fort Worth Real Producers • 3
TAB LE OF
CONTENTS 05
06 Index of Trusted Partners
Publisher’s Note: Welcome Our Newest Team Members!
12
18
24
Meet The North Ft Worth RP Team
Kay Lopez: Following the Four Fs
Event Recap DFW Real Producers Vetted Business Social
RP Vetted Business Spotlight: The REstart Agency
34
46
52
Aaron Kinn: A Foundation of Education
4 • July 2022
08
Brian Seets: Moving to His Own Beat
Sonu Varkey: Magic Saved Me
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MEET THE
N O R T H F T. W O R T H REAL PRODUCERS TEAM
Jordan Espeseth Co-Owner
Lance Dunahoe
Julie Altemus
Co-Owner
Executive Director
Kareen Delos Reyes
Katherine Fondren
Crystal Barley
Desiree Roberts
Lanie Schaber
Missy Kremer
Administrative Assistant
Photographer
Content Coordinator
Ad Strategist
Content Specialist
Editor
Landon Robinson
Director of Client Relations
Dave Danielson Writer
Rick Davis
Videographer
Samantha Farris Photographer
Jason Van Sickel
Photographer/Videographer
If you are interested in contributing or nominating REALTORS® for certain stories, please email us at lance.dunahoe@realproducersmag.com.
If you are interested in contributing or nominating REALTORS® for certain stories, please email us at lance.dunahoe@realproducersmag.com. DISCLAIMER: Any articles included in this publication and/or opinions expressed therein do not necessarily reflect the views of The N2 Company d/b/a Real Producers but remain solely those of the author(s). The paid advertisements contained within the North Fort Worth Real Producers magazine are not endorsed or recommended by The N2 Company or the publisher. Therefore, neither The N2 Company nor the publisher may be held liable or responsible for business practices of these companies.
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North Fort Worth Real Producers • 5
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Stonebriar Moving Services (469) 734-9000 stonebriarmoving.com
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North Fort Worth Real Producers • 7
welcome our
NEWEST TEAM MEMBERS! publisher’s note It has been said that “The only constant in life is change.” I couldn’t agree with this statement more. Not only in life but in business, too. Often, when change happens, we don’t like it; we resent it, we fight it … but I have noticed over time that these changes that seem terrible at the moment often become a huge blessing in disguise. Something that we needed to happen, but we didn’t know it at the time. That has happened a few times to me in the last four years as the owner of Real Producers here in DFW. As of recently, we have had more change. Sadly, due to some life changes, Rachelle Marie, who a lot of you have met and got to know over the last couple of years, is no longer working for RP. Rachelle was a fantastic team member, and she will certainly be missed. With that change came some more change. We have added two new team members! Just an all-you-caneat buffet of change. I am extremely excited about these two individuals. The first is our Executive Director, Julie Altemus. Many of you may know her from her previous career where she excelled in the warranty industry with the company Super. Prior to that, Julie was a Plano News Reporter for 16 years and is actively
8 • July 2022
Julie Altemus Executive Director
Landon Robinson Director of Client Relations
a Certified Speaker and Coach through John Maxwell. She will be an amazing addition to our team! The other is Landon Robinson, who will be our Director of Client Relations. Landon studied at Elevate Leadership Institute, worked for Walt Disney World, was a general manager at a pizza company, and is going to be an integral part of the DFW Real Producers team. You will all be seeing a lot more of Julie and Landon in the days and months ahead! Although I did not anticipate these changes, I could not be more excited about the team that we have put together. As we know, change tends to be bittersweet. This time is no different. But, I know that when you have the right people, in the right place, at the right time, the right things happen. See you on the other side of change! JORDAN ESPESETH Owner jordan.espeseth@realproducersmag.com
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10 • July 2022
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North Fort Worth Real Producers • 11
kay lop e z
REALTOR® on the rise Written by: Mark Fadden Photos by: Samantha Farris
12 • July 2022
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Following the Four Fs For Kay Lopez, life is all about family, farms, and financial freedom.
If you had asked any of Kay Lopez’s friends in college, none of them would have guessed that she’d become an entrepreneur. But proving people wrong isn’t exactly her style. It’s more about proving to herself that she’s living up to the expectations her mom and dad set forth for her and her two siblings. “My parents modeled how you show up and do what’s right, even when no one is watching,” said Lopez. “My father specifically showed us how to live life without excuses. He always told us that everyone has an equal opportunity, and if you think you can’t, then you’ve already beaten yourself. If you want something bad enough, go get it.” Lopez’s mother balanced that stop-at-nothing mindset by adding a topping of humility. “My mom has always brought me back to being ‘human’ and that giving grace to others isn’t weak. It’s much more freeing to live with forgiveness than holding onto the hurts of the past.” Lopez used that duality of perception to help her navigate life. She attended the University of Florida (UF), where she earned a full-time internship with the football program at UF as a Program Coordinator. With a degree in event management under her belt, she continued working at UF for a year after graduation, a job to this day she holds up as one of the best jobs she’s ever had. But then, she felt that familiar tug of post-college life. “During the summer
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of 2013, I started having desires to one day start a family. As much as I loved my job and career opportunities in the NFL and college sports, I knew this was not long-term how I wanted to raise a family. I began thinking about other potential career opportunities and decided to throw myself into becoming an entrepreneur,” Lopez said. Confident that her experience in event management and the solid work ethic ingrained in her from an early age would support any endeavor, she
moved to West Palm Beach, FL, to begin an event management company with a college friend. “I spent June 2013 through February 2015 in West Palm Beach. It was the most humbling learning experience. I had to learn how to live on my own and make things happen. But the most impactful was developing a relationship with Jesus,” said Lopez. While living in West Palm Beach was full of life-changing, foundational moments, Lopez felt another familiar
North Fort Worth Real Producers • 13
a pretty good avenue to make money and learn more about real estate investments. After much thought and prayer, I decided to start real estate school and become an agent,” said Lopez. Looking from the outside, it would seem that Lopez has it all together, but looks can be deceiving. However, Lopez doesn’t mind sharing that messy part of her story, and by doing so, she’s paying tribute to her mom’s life lesson of giving people, including herself, a little grace. “After giving birth to my first child, NoraRae, I was having a ‘REALTOR® meltdown.’ I was a new mom and couldn’t seem to balance family and work. Ultimately work began to suffer,” Lopez said. “I began looking into other career paths to hopefully keep a similar lifestyle, but I quickly realized there were not many options out there that would give me the opportunities real estate gave me. In that moment, I had to decide: Would I quit being a real estate agent and get a J-O-B, or would I figure it out? I realized I had to start putting boundaries in place. My husband and I also started setting goals together and committed to making real estate work as a vehicle to truly change our world and the world around us.”
pull…something was calling her home to Texas, where she was born. “In February 2015, I moved to Texas and had to start over. I left all my connections and groundwork of my early twenties to begin a new life journey. I was 24 with a college degree and a decent work history and not a clue what to do,” Lopez said.
world in general. “After paying a year on student loans, it opened my eyes to the overall loan process that I had never fully understood. I began to understand the concept of interest, monthly payments, etc. and realized if I bought a home and made it a rental property, someone else would be making the payment, and I could grow wealth.
But while her work life was stuck on pause, the college loan bills that kept coming in made her think about not just her financial life but the financial
Around the same time, I had a friend from high school that started as an agent at Keller Williams and was doing well for himself. It seemed to be
14 • July 2022
Although it wasn’t an easy process, Lopez was glad she took the time and effort to reflect on her real estate career. It made her thankful for the people in her big, messy life and also made her realize a new definition of success. “For my husband, Ignacio, and me, success is raising our two small children, NoraRae and Isaac, on our 35-acre farm in Decatur, where the kids can chase chickens and ride miniature horses,” said Lopez. “You don’t have to ‘have it all together’ to be successful. It’s important to be yourself and truly know what you deem as success, not what society or others deem as successful for you.”
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Ashley Polito Vice President | Digital Marketing
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Cory Turner Vice President | Director of Sales
Kim Fuller Escrow Officer
North Fort Worth Real Producers • 15
16 • July 2022
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North Fort Worth Real Producers • 17
event recap Photos by: Samantha Farris
DFW Real Producers Vetted Business Social
@THE SKYHOUSE
18 • July 2022
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Once a year, we throw an event that is exclusively for our RP Vetted Business Partners, and it is one of my absolute favorite events! We had about 75 of our partners in attendance, and the weather was perfect. The views from the Skyhouse’s 25th floor never get old, either! We also introduced our two newest team members: Julie Altemus, our Executive Director, and Landon Robinson, our Director of Client Relations. It was great to see our partners connecting so well with these two individuals. They will be an amazing addition to our DFW Real Producers team. We are so grateful for each and every one of the businesses that partner with Real Producers. Each one of them has come recommended to use by the highest producing real estate agents in the market, and they are vetted by our team. They truly are the best of the best! Real Producers wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for them. If you are an agent, be sure to thank our partners, and if you ever have the opportunity to use their services, I am confident you will not be let down. Appreciate you all! Jordan Espeseth Owner
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North Fort Worth Real Producers • 19
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North Fort Worth Real Producers • 23
partner spotlight Written by: Dave Danielson Photos by: Scott Peek Photography, LLC
MEETING THE NEEDS OF AN INDUSTRY AND COMMUNITY Each day, you make a relentless impact on your clients … one that stretches across generations. As you help to open doors for those you serve, it’s good to know that you have a partner that brings that same sense of giving to what it does. That partner is the REstart Agency, meeting the needs of an industry and community. Rick Davis is Co-Founder of the REstart Agency, a partner that provides you with full-spectrum marketing and content creation, along with a call center staffed by women who are making a second start in the world. “The REstart Agency offers a one-stop shop for our REALTOR® partners who need video and content creation and then provides a service to push that content out to their audiences through our team of ladies who distribute content,” Rick explains. “We partner with Exodus Ministries in Dallas, who gives us a direct line to helping these individual women.”
THE 24 • July 2022
How it Works
Inspired to Help Others
“Our clients partner with us to create their marketing strategies and develop content to build their brand … elements such as headshots, logos, video content, and social media management. As part of that, we offer a brick-and-mortar green screen studio with production and editing capabilities,” Rick explains.
Part of the drive that Rick feels for creating and operating this particular business model comes from his own background.
“This model gives our REALTOR® partners an assembly line with an outbound team that delivers the content via phone, text, and social media channels.” Fulfilling Real Needs
As Rick says, the business model eliminates pain points for REALTORS® when it comes to developing and distributing content to support their brand. “This provides an extra team that works with them to get their message out there … all the while, giving our team of ladies the ability to get back on their feet, gain valuable skills, and fulfill a requirement of the program they are part of. This gives them an opportunity to reboot their lives.”
“I’ve been sober for 17 years. Before that, I knew what it’s like to not be able to pass a drug test or to get a DWI. The recovery aspect that I’ve been through myself is a huge player in why I wanted to pivot and focus on the REstart Agency. It’s close to my heart,” Rick explains. “My mom passed in early December. But before that, she got to see me sober for 17 years and see the way I worked to undo all the wreckage of my past. A lot of folks don’t get that, or get to really do that, or have the opportunity. This is my way of doing what I can to help people who are in a challenging spot in their lives. We help these ladies and let them know that they aren’t alone in this. Plus, I love making the content and working with agents and brokers to develop their individual brands and helping people grow in their careers.” Experience at Work
Rick has a long history of making an impact in the industry. In fact, he worked in the mortgage side of the business for about 15 years.
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North Fort Worth Real Producers • 25
“
The REstart Agency offers a one-stop shop for our REALTOR® partners who need video and content creation and then provides a service to push that content out to their audiences through our team of ladies who distribute content.
“
“I have a long history of being in real estate from the transactional side, and now I’ve been working for a time in content creation and marketing. About six years ago I started doing photography, video, and drone work and specializing in individual agent branding.” Along the way, Rick has been deeply involved in giving back to others in the industry. He served as Affiliate Chairman at MetroTex in 2015. Then, in 2016, he created Flux Media, providing photography, videography, and agent branding. He also started providing video and digital content for Real Producers magazine in 2019. Those who have the opportunity to know and work with Rick trust in the way he shares his upbeat, energetic, and creative gifts to develop solutions. When you’re looking for a partner who shares your same mission to make a real difference while creating impactful results, look to the REstart Agency. 26 • July 2022
Contact The REstart Agency Today! Email: Rick@TheRestartAgency.com Cell: 469-955-5833 @realproducers
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FAQ ABOUT THIS MAGAZINE
Real Producers magazine started in Indianapolis in 2015 and is now in over 100 markets across the nation and continues to spread rapidly. Real Producers first launched in DFW in August 2018 with North DFW Real Producers (now called “North Dallas”). In May 2019, Dallas Real Producers launched and then Tarrant Real Producers in March of 2021. In 2022, Tarrant Real Producers split into two publications, North Fort Worth and Fort Worth Real Producers. Fort Worth Real Producers will go to print later this year. Q: WHO RECEIVES Real Producers MAGAZINE? A: The top 500 real estate agents in each of the four markets in DFW based on their MLS production for the previous year. Refer to the map in this publication for the exact territories. If your broker address is within that given territory, and you are in the top 500, you will receive that publication for the year. There are approximately 60,000 licensed real estate agents in DFW. The list will reset at the end of every year and continue to update annually. Q: WHAT IS THE GOAL OF THIS MAGAZINE? A: We believe that we are better together. When we surround ourselves with other successful, like-minded people, we grow to new heights. Real Producers is a platform that brings together the most elite individuals in DFW real estate. We take the top 500 real estate agents and RP vetted businesses in every market, and we build an exclusive community around that group. We share their stories, successes, market trends, upcoming events — really, anything that will connect, inform and inspire, we put in our monthly publication. Q: DOES REAL PRODUCERS HAVE EVENTS? A: Yes! Each community will have two main events a year, and then we do a combined event at the end of the year, which is an awards gala called The ESPES. For these events, we invite the top 500 real estate agents and our RP Vetted Businesses. Top 500 agents are allowed to invite members on their team as well. These events are an incredible opportunity to connect with the best of the best in DFW real estate. It is amazing to see the power realproducersmag.com
in the connections made at these events. Be on the lookout for your exclusive invites! Q: WHAT IS THE PROCESS FOR BEING FEATURED IN THIS MAGAZINE? A: It’s really simple. You have to be on the top 500 list, and we take nominations seriously. You can nominate other real estate agents, businesses, brokers, owners, or even yourself! Office leaders can also nominate real estate agents. We will consider anyone brought to our attention who is in the top 500 because we don’t know everyone’s story, so we need your help to learn about them. We cannot guarantee a feature, but to increase your chances, we encourage you to meet with one of our team members, support Real Producers, and attend our private events. You can email your nominations to jordan.espeseth@realproducersmag.com. Q: WHAT DOES IT COST A REAL ESTATE AGENT/TEAM TO BE FEATURED? A: Zero, zilch, zippo, nada, nil. It costs nothing, my friends, so nominate away! We are not a pay-to-play model. We share real stories of Real Producers. Q: WHO IS THE RP VETTED BUSINESSES? A: They are one of the best businesses in DFW in their category, and you can find them listed in our index! We don’t just find these businesses off the street, nor do we work with all businesses that approach us. One of many of the top real estate agents has recommended every single business you see in this publication. We won’t even meet with a business that has not been vetted by one of you and “stamped for approval,” in a sense. Our team will further vet every business to ensure they are a good fit and bring value to our community. Our goal is to create a powerhouse network, not only for the best real estate agents in the area but the best businesses, as well, so we can grow stronger together. Q: HOW CAN I RECOMMEND A BUSINESS? A: If you know and want to recommend a business that works with top real estate agents, please email us to let us know at jordan.espeseth@realproducersmag.com. North Fort Worth Real Producers • 31
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North Fort Worth Real Producers • 33
AARON KINN A Foundation of Education cover story
Written by: Dave Danielson Photos by: Desiree Roberts
Aaron Kinn may have left a teaching career for real estate, but that doesn’t mean he still isn’t educating people every chance he can get.
34 • July 2022
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North Fort Worth Real Producers • 35
36 • July 2022
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Many real estate agents start off their professional lives in other careers. Although he enjoyed being an art teacher and coach, Aaron Kinn knew that the path to happiness in his professional life was in a different career. Fortunately, an unfortunate incident with his roommate at the time gave him the nudge he needed to make the change. “I always had an interest in real estate but never really took any steps toward that career,” said Kinn. “The catalyst came when my former roommate was mad about my dog and dropped him off in the middle of the nowhere. Needless to say, I looked for a new place to live ASAP. I was looking at apartments, and, in doing the math, I realized I could buy something for the same as I could rent. So, I walked into a real estate office a few blocks from my school, and within four hours, I was approved for a loan and under contract for my first house.”
While many people that buy a house want to just sign all the documents, get on with packing boxes, and never want to think about moving again, Kinn saw that experience as the possible path to take toward a new career. “I was used to working 60 to 80-hour weeks as a teacher and coach, and I was getting pretty burned out with the long hours and low pay. After my house buying experience, I figured my REALTOR® made about as much in four hours as I did in a month! I thought that I might as well give it a shot. So, I enrolled
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North Fort Worth Real Producers • 37
I think this goes back to my teaching days, as I never feel more alive or more in my element than when I am presenting on a stage or training in front of a room full of people that want to listen and learn.
in correspondence classes through Texas Tech University,” Kinn said. Educators tend to get into teaching because they see the value of education. Kinn, who had maintained an interest in computers and technology from an early age, was able to leverage that curiosity to launch his real estate career. “Our MLS at that time was a DOS-based system, so it was limited. An agent could search for homes and print off some information about them but really couldn’t do much with the data. There weren’t IDX and public information sites like Realtor.com at the time, so I had a programmer friend build me a program where I could email properties out of our DOS-MLS system. I wasn’t aware of anyone else that could do this; it was something I could offer the buying public that no one else could, and by utilizing this service, I was able to close 37 homes my first year in real estate,” said Kinn. While Kinn has relied heavily on his understanding of real estate technology to drive his business over the years, he’s never forgotten that real estate is about two main 38 • July 2022
things: building relationships and helping educate your clients about the process. Growing up in Rochelle, Illinois, a rural town 80 miles west of Chicago, life was slow-paced for Kinn. But it’s also where he learned his sales chops working for his uncle in the summers.
someone what personality style they are, and I can customize how I interact with them so they can best grasp the information I am providing.”
“At the age of 12, I started selling sweet corn and pumpkins for him at a stand on a busy freeway there,” Kinn said. “You get to learn a lot about people — how to sell, communicate, and deal with money.” Once he had the people side of the equation down, it wasn’t long before he leveraged his experience as an educator to solidify his approach to real estate.
Besides simply being a way to earn a buck, real estate has influenced Kinn’s life in ways he could have never imagined when he first got into the business. “My wife and eldest son work with me as part of the Kinn Team. We have three other kids graduating high school in the next four years, so eventually, we will look forward to their success and hopefully grandkids at some point in the distant future,” Kinn said. “Being in this business has given me the freedom and time to support our kids in all of their activities and sports.”
“I didn’t know it then, but being an educator taught me how to interact with different personality styles,” said Kinn. “In education, you must change your approach depending on various learning and personality styles, so each child has the best opportunity to succeed. Being able to spot these different styles quickly has prepared me for the challenges of real estate in terms of both clients and cooperating agents. I know within a few minutes of meeting
Beyond family, Kinn has also focused a fair share of his attention on giving back to new agents by training them for a successful real estate career. “I want to be able to not only help agents on my team but help agents in general,” said Kinn. “I think this goes back to my teaching days, as I never feel more alive or more in my element than when I am presenting on a stage or training in front of a room full of people that want to listen and learn.” @realproducers
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agent feature Written by: Mark Fadden Photos by: Desiree Roberts
46 • July 2022
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BRIAN SEETS
Moving to His Own Beat
For Brian Seets, life is like music — it must be composed by feeling, not by fear of failure.
Early ups and downs helped shape what Brian Seets would call a much steadier rhythm to life these days. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Seets is the youngest of four children and the only boy (he jokes that while he was probably an “oops” baby, his dad also focused a little more on the last try). Growing up in suburban St. Louis, he enjoyed early success in musical endeavors. “I was a snare drummer growing up and was in award-winning marching bands and concert bands in both high school and college,” Seets said. He also had his own rock band on the side in high school that played concerts at school dances and even corporate outings. Beyond music, Seets was also successful enough with his
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academics to earn admission to the University of Missouri. However, life hit a sour note when he began struggling with grades his freshman year. “I essentially flunked out of school and had to face some harsh realities,” said Seets. One such reality was working on a construction crew laying concrete the summer after his freshman year, but that job would prove to be a pivotal experience that would change his life. “It was grunt work that didn’t pay very well, but it was the only job I could get,” recalled Seets. “One day, we were sitting around on a break, and I was talking to one of the guys named Junior about what he was going to do for the weekend. He said that he was hoping to get some overtime in because he wanted to take his son to the movies. That’s when it dawned on me…here was this guy in his early 30s who was married with a kid, and he was only making about 20 cents more an hour than I was. I could be sitting here in ten years and be just like Junior.” While Seets knew college was the answer to a better life, he also realized that the University of Missouri wasn’t the right fit. “The classes were 16 weeks, which for me was too long.
North Fort Worth Real Producers • 47
I got bored. So, I enrolled in evening classes at the local college where the classes were only eight weeks long,” said Seets. But perhaps even more important was that he was no longer surrounded by young college kids who, for a lot of them, going to college was party time. His evening classes were filled with professionals that worked during the day and went to school at night to gain the education needed for advancement in their careers. Their dedication and motivation rubbed off on him. Four years later, Seets graduated with a degree in business administration with an emphasis in marketing and began a career in apparel retail management. He also dabbled in a few entrepreneurial ventures, such as marketing water filtration systems in Chicago along the way. But, like a song you can’t get out of your head, an interest in real estate that he cultivated as a young boy never left him. “I had always been fascinated with the idea of selling homes, or real estate in general, because of my dad,” said Seets. “While he was not a REALTOR®, my dad designed and renovated the homes we grew up in and taught me a lot about the building process in my youth. When I finally got married at the age of 37 and we moved to Texas to start our new chapter, I developed a serious interest in becoming a real estate professional. I was introduced to some influential agents who solidified my curiosity and gave me the platform to start my real estate career.” Upon reflection, Seets can now see his freshman year at the University of Missouri as a crucial time in his life that has shaped everything beyond it. “That time taught me that you are never out of the game unless you take yourself out,” said Seets. Around that same time, he was also inspired by a friend’s older brother to remain focused and stay the course. “One of my best and most influential friends, Tony Ross, taught me about the importance of having a growth mindset and helped me change my perspective on school. He would always instill confidence in me by saying my ‘off days’ are better than a lot of people’s ‘on days’ and that if I stayed engaged, worked smarter, and maintained discipline, good things would happen.” By taking his friend’s advice, Seets soon began looking at the world in a different way. “My mindset 48 • July 2022
changed,” Seets said. “It allowed me to not set a bar for my success but always to ask ‘how high is high?’ and that relationships are the most important thing in life. Value every one of them because those are the things that really can shape your path and the fulfillment you have in life.” Seets believes that while he experienced a fair number of struggles in his early life, he wouldn’t change a thing about the past that continues to shape his present and his future. “As the youngest in my family, I’ve always been surrounded by older people, which has been helpful in not only communicating with more experienced individuals but also with my age and younger,” said Seets. “Relatability is so important in life. I’ve found the more relatable you are, the more success you can have. From my early struggles in school to my various endeavors, I have learned that I am owed nothing. Perseverance is the key. I love real estate, and I think that getting into it a little later after experiencing other careers has helped me to have the success I’ve enjoyed.” @realproducers
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SONU
MAGIC SAVED ME 52 • July 2022
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inspirational agent Written by: Mark Fadden Photos by: Samantha Farris
After two heart failures, most of us would simply be glad to be alive, but Sonu Varkey believes it’s important to wring every moment possible out of life. Sonu began our conversation telling me it’s a miracle he was even born. “The doctor told my dad to choose who to save: my mom or me,” said Sonu, who will celebrate his 50th birthday this November. “Fortunately, we both survived.” Born in Ludhiana, India, Sonu initially stayed there with his father, who was in the military, while his mother set out to seek better opportunities for their young family. As a nurse, she took a job first in London, then in the small West Texas town of Monahans, just outside of Midland Odessa. After his mother established a solid foundation in just 18 months, Sonu and his father joined her. “I’m amazed when I think about my dad who spoke little English, had only $7 in his pocket, and a bag of fruit to feed two-year-old me on a flight that took nearly 24 hours,” Sonu said, recalling the story of their journey halfway across the world to America. Three years later, Sonu and his family relocated to the DallasFort Worth area, where they still live today. Sonu was a talented baseball player and made Coppell’s varsity baseball team as a backup catcher his freshman year. By combining his speed with his ability to hit grounders, he was able to earn the first spot in the hitting lineup. But a team physical threw Sonu a curve ball at just 15 years old. “I was diagnosed with a major heart condition,” Sonu said. “The doctor told my parents I had less than one week to live.”
SONU VARKEY FACED DEATH…FOUR DIFFERENT TIMES. NOW HE’S USING HIS “BONUS TIME” TO SPREAD AS MUCH HAPPINESS AS POSSIBLE BY MERGING HIS TWO PASSIONS. realproducersmag.com
The doctor’s diagnosis was severe atrial fibrillation (AF), a type of arrhythmia or abnormal heartbeat where the heart beats at an extremely fast and irregular rhythm. Although Sonu lived beyond that first stressful week, life seemed to be passing him by. “I couldn’t play baseball any longer. I couldn’t do much of anything,” said Sonu. “But I could do the one thing I had fallen in love with years before…magic.” From the moment Sonu saw his first magic show at ten years old…he was hooked. “It was at vacation bible school, and a magician had come to perform. But instead of being entertained, I heckled her. Every time she performed a trick, I would yell out how she did it,” Sonu said. The magician was insightful and realized his interest. The next
North Fort Worth Real Producers • 53
day, she showed him how her tricks worked and had him take the magician’s oath — making him swear never to reveal any secrets to anyone except another magician. He soon began reading every book he could on magic and perfecting his tricks. But no amount of magic could help him when fate struck again. “I had my first massive heart– failure just after my 18th birthday,” Sonu said. “Thankfully, the initial AF diagnosis was corrected – I was actually suffering from ventricular tachycardia — and was in the hospital receiving treatment when my heart went into failure.” Heart failure occurs when the heart cannot pump adequately. A normal heart beats around 60 to 100 times a minute. When Sonu went into heart failure, his heart rate was 338 beats a minute. Ninety-five percent of people with asymptomatic v-tach die within thirty minutes of heart failure. Not only did Sonu survive, but he stayed conscious as doctors scrambled to save his life. Over the years, medication and close monitoring helped Sonu regulate his heartbeat. Sonu got married and started a family and a successful real estate career. Then in 2012, he had an episode again with a second massive heart failure that landed Sonu on the heart and liver transplant list. Sonu spent 16 days in the hospital closing real estate deals in between tests and procedures. With amazing medical care and the help of a small pacemaker/intra-cardiac device (ICD), Sonu made an extraordinary recovery. It also left him with a desire not to leave opportunities unexplored, and he officially launched his professional magic career, becoming a top-rated
54 • July 2022
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THANKFULLY, THE INITIAL AF DIAGNOSIS WAS CORRECTED – I WAS ACTUALLY SUFFERING FROM VENTRICULAR TACHYCARDIA — AND WAS IN THE HOSPITAL RECEIVING TREATMENT WHEN MY HEART WENT INTO FAILURE.
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North Fort Worth Real Producers • 55
entertainer in short order, much as with his real estate career. Today, he really doesn’t think about his heart that often; he’s too busy managing two careers that rely upon each other. “Magic is just looking at things from a different perspective,” Sonu said as he made a bar napkin float before my eyes. “You might see a napkin as something you use for a drink; I see it as a way to make people smile. I use that approach when I’m showing my clients houses. They see the kitchen where they’ll be making family meals or the living room where they’ll watch movies with their kids. I believe it’s my professional responsibility to show them all the reasons they shouldn’t buy the house,” said Sonu, invoking that determined ten-yearold trying to figure out what’s going on behind the scenes. “I don’t need to tell them what they already see. I need to tell them about the physical property from all the various angles. I need to reveal what’s not already obvious.”
YOU MIGHT SEE A NAPKIN AS SOMETHING YOU USE FOR A DRINK; I SEE IT AS A WAY TO MAKE PEOPLE SMILE. I USE THAT APPROACH WHEN I’M SHOWING MY CLIENTS HOUSES. THEY SEE THE KITCHEN WHERE THEY’LL BE MAKING FAMILY MEALS OR THE LIVING ROOM WHERE THEY’LL WATCH MOVIES WITH THEIR KIDS.
56 • July 2022
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