Dennis Elliott Featured on the Sacramento Real Estate Podcast

Sacramento Realtor Dennis Elliott recently joined the Sacramento Real Estate Podcast to share the unusual path that led from building websites and investing in real estate to becoming a longtime Sacramento-area Realtor and North Natomas real estate specialist.

The episode, An Unusual Journey – Dennis Elliott Origin Story, tells a story that started well before I became a real estate broker. It includes some very different chapters: selling vacuum cleaners, building websites as a teenager, working for a mortgage broker out of an extremely hot garage, buying my first home just before the Great Recession, becoming a landlord, traveling across the country to buy foreclosures, renovating and wholesaling properties, and eventually building my real estate career in Sacramento.

Listen to the Podcast

You can listen to the full episode below:

Listen to An Unusual Journey – Dennis Elliott Origin Story on Spotify

My Path Into Real Estate Wasn't Exactly Traditional

I didn't begin my career by deciding one day that I wanted to become a Realtor.

As a teenager, I was already building websites. When I needed money as a college student, I started calling local businesses to see if they needed websites of their own. Around the same period, I tried traditional sales jobs and learned fairly quickly that the stereotypical hard-sell approach wasn't a particularly good fit for me.

Eventually, I found myself making calls for an independent mortgage broker. That became one of my first real introductions to the real estate business.

Then I started investing.

Buying a Home Just Before the Housing Crash

I bought my first home in 2007, shortly before the Great Recession and housing-market collapse.

As the property's value fell dramatically, I had to figure out how to make the numbers work. Rather than simply walking away from the property, I rented out four of the five bedrooms and held onto the house.

Looking back, that experience taught me lessons about homeownership, risk, financing and real estate that would be difficult to learn from a textbook.

From Homeowner to Real Estate Investor

My involvement in real estate expanded from there.

I began traveling to other parts of the country, including Pennsylvania and Ohio, where I purchased inexpensive foreclosure properties, renovated homes and wholesaled properties to other investors.

Before becoming a traditional real estate agent, I had already experienced the business from several perspectives: homeowner, landlord, investor, renovator, wholesaler and buyer.

Those experiences still influence the way I look at real estate transactions today. A home isn't simply a collection of bedrooms, bathrooms and square footage. There are financial decisions, risks, opportunities and personal circumstances behind almost every transaction.

Building a Real Estate Career in Sacramento

My journey eventually brought me to Sacramento, where I purchased a duplex and continued studying real estate and building my business.

I later earned my California real estate broker's license and joined Keller Williams in Natomas after being introduced to the office through a lender.

What initially started as a brokerage move eventually created a much deeper connection to Natomas and particularly North Natomas.

Over the years, I've worked extensively with Sacramento-area home buyers and sellers while spending a significant portion of my career in Natomas. That experience has given me an unusually detailed familiarity with North Natomas neighborhoods, housing styles, developments and the differences between communities that can appear very similar on a map.

If you're researching the area, you can also read my guide to the best neighborhoods in North Natomas.

Why My Background Matters to My Clients

One of the themes Julie and I discuss in the podcast is something that goes all the way back to those early sales jobs: real estate doesn't have to be about pressure or the hard sell.

For me, the job is much more about understanding what someone is trying to accomplish, identifying potential problems before they become expensive problems, explaining the available options and helping a client make an informed decision.

Sometimes that means helping a seller determine how to prepare and price a property. Sometimes it means helping a buyer structure an offer while protecting themselves through appropriate contingencies. And sometimes it means telling a client that the best decision may be different from what they originally expected.

After more than 18 years in real estate, I've found that every transaction has its own set of circumstances. The experience gained from investing, owning property, managing rentals and representing buyers and sellers gives me a broader perspective when those situations arise.

North Natomas and Sacramento Real Estate

North Natomas has become the community most closely connected to my real estate career.

It's an area I've watched grow and change over the years, and one where neighborhood knowledge can make a meaningful difference. Westlake, Natomas Park, The Hamptons, Regency Park, Northpointe, Natomas Crossing, Heritage Park and the area's various Village communities each offer something a little different.

That's one of the reasons I've continued developing detailed North Natomas resources on this website rather than treating Natomas as one generic housing market.

You can explore more of those resources through my Sacramento & Natomas Real Estate Blog.

About Dennis Elliott

Dennis Elliott is a Sacramento Realtor and North Natomas real estate specialist with more than 18 years of real estate experience. His background includes residential real estate sales, real estate investing, property renovation, wholesaling, property ownership and brokerage.

Dennis has been voted Best Realtor in Sacramento by The Sacramento Bee three years in a row and works with home buyers and sellers throughout Natomas and the greater Sacramento area.

Thinking about buying or selling a home in North Natomas or Sacramento? I'm happy to talk through your situation, answer questions and help you determine what makes the most sense for you.

Dennis Elliott
North Natomas Real Estate Specialist
(916) 573-1730
DennisSellsNatomas.com