To Protect and Serve
When Rio Ingram, 28, began selling real estate, he went to the men’s department at Nordstrom to learn how to tie a tie. He’s a former third-generation Los Angeles police officer who always wore a clip-on so he couldn’t be strangled during a fight. His law enforcement career had been on the rise, but the demanding shifts and on-the-job dangers were hard on his marriage and plans for the future. He and his wife relocated to her hometown of Seattle, where Ingram knew no one. He built his sphere primarily by sitting at open houses when no one else at his office wanted to. He also joined newcomer groups on Meetup.com and found his first client that way. “When I was a cop, my entire career centered on giving back and serving our community,” he says. “I feel the same way about real estate.”