My Story
Blogger?! Not sure. I do love to talk and often have lots of ideas running around in my mind. So why not? I’ve decided to jump in and see what happens.
My goal is to keep this mostly about real estate, family life, San Antonio, and Texas. I’m sure some day-to-day happenings will make it in, too, as well as the things I hear that I think need repeating.
I’m a mom of three kids ages 13, 11, and 6 in San Antonio, Texas. I married my high school sweetheart and just celebrated 15 years of marriage. I’m pretty proud of that milestone. We weren’t your typical couple. We fought hard and loudly when we were younger (like, baby younger…), and we’ve had our dose of challenges and doubts. But we’ve also had some amazing memories together. I choose to focus on the later. Marriage is possibly the most difficult and most rewarding thing I’ve done in this life. Abe is a huge reason for my growth–he’s the most incredible motivator and coach ever. Some days it’s exhausting, but I’m thankful to be matched with someone brave enough to push me. I couldn’t imagine doing life without him by my side.
When we started our family, I was a homemaker and honestly thought I’d always be a stay at home mom. Ten years later when we welcomed our last baby, I tried my go-to story times and park play dates and realized I was just ready for a change, something new. A friend (who later became a mentor) slowly introduced me to the possibility of becoming a Realtor®, and in true Jessica fashion, it didn’t take me long to say, “Let’s do it!” I enrolled in real estate school, drove myself many late nights to classes, ate lots of junk food and late night coffee to stay awake, and ultimately obtained my license and a few extra pounds. The day I found out I’d passed my exam was one of the proudest days of my life. From that day on, I’ve dug deep into a career that has continually felt right. Life is so funny that way… you’re never really sure how the journey lines up with the plan, but when it does, it hits you like “DUH!”
San Antonio has been home for 15 years. Abe and I moved here right out of his college days. We were already living here for a short time when we were married in Austin, TX in 2004. San Antonio then and San Antonio today are two pretty different places. It’s been so neat to watch this city change and become what it is today. Abe and I tell people we were in SA when SA was, for real, lame. It’s definitely not lame now! Ha!!! Truth be told, we’d always thought we’d move back to Austin. We never intended to be here this long. But once the kids were born, this town gave two young parents starting a family everything we needed. People who took us in, friends who felt like family, communities that believed in us and oak trees that filled our backyards and felt like they were always supposed to be there. San Antonio has definitely become home for the Maldonados.
Real estate has allowed me to achieve a special balance in my life. I can use my talents and my love for people equally. It’s given me the chance to discover my professional self at my own pace, and to grow parts of myself that feel worthy of attention. Talking with a client, a lender, or even another Realtor® can change the course of my day or week. Often times for the better, but there are certainly some tougher learning experiences mixed in, too. I don’t always want to embrace those, but that’s how the big lessons are taught! I tell people that real estate is like a dance. You never know what you’re going to get until you get out on that floor, but having the instinct to stick it out and pay attention to the cues is what helps you succeed. I’m like any working mom though… I have days when I question why I’m doing this when I have to miss something important, can’t cook the dinner I intended for my family, or just generally feel like a spastic person because my mind has way too many tabs opened.
I’m so excited to open up a little more and share my experiences. I’ve had an incredible amount of knowledge and love and support poured into me. I’ve realized there’s connection in everything we do, and the best way to connect is to open yourself up. Let’s see what happens!
This post was originally published in April, 2019.