About Tracy Saephan

Dear Friend, I am sending this letter to my friends, family and acquaintances to share with you a little about my life as it is today. Although I work hard to create and maintain personal relationships, I may not have spoken with some of you recently and wanted to take a moment to reach out to you now to renew and strengthen our ties. Those of you who know me through my professional capacity know that I am a Realtor that doesn't just expect your business, but only the opportunity to "apply for the job." It is my hope to share with you more about myself in order to earn that opportunity. Those who know me more personally know that I draw immense joy from helping those around me. I have many to thank for that gift, which was cultivated at a young age by my family and church community. It is that joy in helping others that I bring to work with me each day, making my career as a Realtor such a pleasure. As many of you know, I come from a humble and very hard-working immigrant family to whom I own a great deal. My Iu-Mien parents adopted me from Thailand when as a young child and brought me here to the United States. It is a common enough stories, but one that includes brave and difficult choices made in the hope of a better life with greater opportunity. My parents had few skills and, like so many in their position, their work was undervalued and respected little. Growing up as an immigrant child in Oakland was difficult; as you can imagine there are endless opportunities for wrong choices. I was fortunate to find a supportive and caring community in New Hope Church, a community that still guides and sustains my entire family. In this community can be found some of my heroes, including Rev. Barbara Franzen, whose outreach to Oakland's immigrant teens is truly inspiring. It was here at New HopeChurch that I met my wonderful husband, Nay so many years ago. I was just 18 when our first child Andrew was born, who oddly enough is himself now 25 years old. Nay and I worked hard to support our young, new family. I worked first at a bakery, clocking in at 5:30 each morning. At that time the minimum wage was just $4.25 per hour, and getting to work so early each morning was difficult with a young child. I then worked as a bank teller for a few years and, although the pay was a significantly better, I was still unsatisfied. I knew that I wanted a career that provided greater flexibility for me to spend as much time with my family as possible. I simply didn't want to miss out on as much family time as my parents had to. And that was when I made one of the best decisions of my life. My uncle, who was in real estate for some time, suspected I would enjoy being a Realtor and had been gently encouraging me to give it a try. I knew that I had both a passion and a talent for working with people, so I heeded my uncle's words of wisdom and pursued my real estate license. This career brings its own challenges, of course. It took me six months before I made my first sale, which really taught me to respect the profession and the hard work it requires. But it's become not just a job but a career and a way of living. Life's big decisions are always difficult, and I am grateful to Nay for supporting me as I pursued this new career path. Over the years I have had the opportunity to meet and help wonderful people find a home, and many of them have become my friends. They include an Indian couple in Hayward that was living in a Section 8 rental home. The home was going up for sale and I was called to help them find their next home. I met with them at the house and talked with them at length, and eventually we all realized that they wanted to buy the home they were in rather than relocate. So I wrote an offer and it was accepted. The home was a short sale and the Section 8 status resulted in additional paperwork, including applications for subsidy grants. It was a bit of a roller coaster, but the clients trusted me and stuck with it. It was this trust that got us through the process and, in the end, kept the couple in their home. The relief that they didn't have to pack up their lives and the happiness I was able to provide them as first-time owners was more satisfying than the mechanics of closing the sale. They told me that I have become a part of their family and invited me to stop by anytime for dinner and a chat. This is why I love what I do as a Realtor; simply by doing my job I can help brighten someone's life and make a long-lasting personal connection. Over the years our family has grown. Nay and I now have three beautiful children of whom we are extremely proud. Our eldest, Andrew 25 year-old, has grown into a gifted cellist and graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Architect. Our middle child Leah is an extremely mature 21 year-old. She has developed wonderful interpersonal skills and is gifted with the power of thrift; she believes firmly in saving wherever possible (for which we are grateful)! And our youngest is Genevieve, who at 15 is the family firebrand, both feisty and big-hearted. Earlier this year, I made the decision to move to an exciting and new agency. I've always wanted to build my own brand and company so this change was liberating, and gave me the freedom to focus on how I believe my clients should be treated. It allowed me to have a fulfilling career helping others with the freedom to be there for my family. It feels good knowing that I can provide better service by working under my own name and my own principles, and I'm gratified to be running a real estate business based on service. I want those I work with to get to know me not just a as a competent Realtor, but as a person that they can trust and respect. I believe you feel the way I do--much more comfortable doing business with a person once you understand how they work and why they chose their career. If you choose to work with me, I want you to know that I will always do my best to find the right solution for YOU. I'm not here to sell you anything, but to guide you through the process of purchasing or selling a home. I'm so proud to be living the life that I've always envisioned for myself and I want those around me to have that opportunity as well. I've been able to develop a career that is deeply satisfying and provides for my family, but also has allowed me the flexibility to be present for family milestones and important moments. It is my hope that as a Realtor I can help you along that same path by finding the home in which you can build the life that you envision for yourself as well. I hope that in the future when you, a loved one, or a friend is looking for help navigating through the real estate process, that you would give me an opportunity to demonstrate my services and interview for the job. Thank you so much for taking the time to learn a little more about me. I greatly appreciate it and hope that I can earn your business should you ever need a Realtor. Yours truly, TracySaephan (510)290-2683 [email protected] CalBRE #01374879