It’s easy to keep going the way things are—to trudge through the daily grind, waiting for that “one day” when everything will fall into place. But I’ve learned that day only comes with real change, a willingness to step into uncertainty, and the courage to take a risk in pursuit of a happier life.
Tucking my five-year-old into bed one night, he asked, “Mom, is tomorrow Thursday?” I told him it was, assuming he was excited because I was home on Thursdays. But instead, he said, “You’re in a better mood on Thursdays.” Sometimes it takes a child’s brutal honesty to make you realize something needs to change.
At the time, I was working in new home sales for a national builder, which was a position that I loved and afforded me countless opportunities that I would not have had otherwise. I like to say I’ve always been in real estate—since I was a kid, I have been fascinated by homes and how people live in them. I’d always ask my parents to stop at open houses just to see what was inside. That curiosity became something more serious after I bought my first home in southeastern Indiana in the late 1990s and saw firsthand how easily buyers could be misled or poorly represented.
In 1998, I earned my real estate license and began working in a small-town market where everyone knew each other. At the time, I was a young single mom, surrounded by agents with decades more experience. I built my business the only way I could: through relationships, consistency, and quality service.
Later, I moved to Cincinnati and transitioned into new home construction. It was a great fit, and after marrying my husband, Brian, and having two more children, the stability it provided was great for our family. But it also meant there was very little flexibility, keeping me away from my family.
When hired as a builder representative, I was hired to represent them, but my heart was in it for the clients. I remember fighting to delay re-listing a home when a buyer ran into financing issues. She was a single mother, and her daughter called me Aunt Angie—that’s how long I had been working with them to get this home. I put my job on the line to extend the time before relisting. By some miracle, it worked! But I didn’t want to keep putting myself in that position.
After 10 years, my time commitment to my job was having enough of an impact on me that my 5-year-old noticed. At the time, I was the sole provider in our house, with Brian staying home with the kids. But it was his support that gave me the final push. We agreed that I could work as hard as possible, but if I wasn’t happy or able to be present for my family, what was it all for?
In 2018, I returned to traditional real estate. Rebuilding my own business was challenging. Still, I trusted the relationships I had built over years of serving my clients, many of them across generations—and thankfully, I was right. My clients have continued to trust me with the most significant financial decisions of their lives, and now I can serve them without limits to one product or timeline. It’s the kind of client-centric service I always believed in, and now able to deliver fully.
It has also completely changed our personal lives. It has afforded me much more quality time to spend with my family. I can be there for games, plays, and school activities. Our son Aiden attends Walnut Hills High School, where he plays football, and our younger son, Avery goes to Dater Montessori School, where his love for theater has really taken off. My daughter, Aiyana, is a supervisor at Macy’s while going to school for law.
We also have a dog, Billie, who came into our lives the day my father passed, when we returned home from the hospital. He had always insisted the kids needed a dog, and sure enough, there she was—waiting outside our door that night. She’s been a beloved member of our family ever since.
In the end, choosing happiness, fulfillment, and balance was the best decision I could have made.
Buying or selling a home is rarely just about the property. It is about timing, family, finances, and lifestyle. When you love where you live and feel confident in your financial investment, it has an impact on your quality of life. Over the years, I’ve helped many people buy their first homes, a process that often requires education, connections to the right lenders and financing programs, and someone willing to guide them every step of the way and even after closing. It is a specialty I’m deeply passionate about because I understand the long-term impact of homeownership.
Whether buying, selling, or building, I take the time to understand your goals, explain your options clearly, and make sure you are never rushed into a decision that does not truly serve you. I stay personally involved from start to finish by walking homes, discussing pros and cons, guiding inspections and negotiations, and being available before, during, and after closing. I do not believe in handing clients off or treating them like transactions. I believe in being present, honest, and proactive because where you live impacts your comfort, your happiness, and your future, and you deserve guidance that reflects how important that decision really is.
Sincerely,
Angie Quebman
