Community Highlights: Meet Chris Waitz of New Era Group – Your Castle Real Estate

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Waitz.

Chris, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was born in Houma, LA from a rather large family. My mother is 1 of 13 and my dad is 1 of 7 and I have at least 50-60 first cousins and usually around 100 people at my parent’s house for our usual gatherings on a normal weekend. So I am a pure-bred cajun that has sought out higher elevation, no pun intended, and landed in Denver, Colorado. So don’t be shocked if my closing gifts include some goodies from my South Louisiana Culture and a few unsolicited cooking tips. Because I will tell you even if you didn’t ask.

I graduated from Vandebilt Catholic High School class of 2007 and was a part of the state champion swimming and soccer dynasty. Coming from such a large family along with having success in sports built my core family values with discipline towards my craft. My swim coach, Frank Shepard, instilled these beliefs in me at a young age and I have learned to keep this discipline and perfect practice in all of my affairs. As a young teenager growing up I knew that I wanted to make an impact on my community and I struggled with finding purpose in my professional realm which led to taking a swing at different industries until I finally found my calling in Real Estate.

So here I am: My name is Chris Waitz and put people in their place. Finding the perfect place for people building their wealth while growing their sphere within their community is a gift I believe my higher power built deep within my bones. Real estate has always been a part of my life whether it was watching my mother manage her commercial estate properties or working for my dad at his company, David A. Waitz Engineering & Land Surveying, Inc. as an intern land surveyor witnessing the infant stages of subdivision developments. While working for my dad, I was able to earn a Bachelor of Business Administration with a Marketing Concentration from Nicholls State University class of 2012 and am a proud graduate on Leadership Terrebonne class of 2013.

My vision to make an economic impact on my community continues to drive me to focus on sustainable development for my clients in both residential and commercial markets. While working around the clock on earning and saving my clients every penny, I also focus on making my community, regardless of their background and who they love, a safe place to work and play. My vision for inclusion is a wealth of understanding that there is enough business and enough room for everyone. And that’s a period.

I firmly believe that our differences is what make our community beautiful and unique. The more we are able to invest in our infrastructure along with the inclusion of everyone, the more we are able to celebrate each other and be united by our differences. My successful career in Louisiana had me craving bigger challenges which has brought me to Denver, Colorado. Denver has continued to be a leading pioneer in our country for equality and progression and am grateful have the chance to be a part of this market.

As Realtors, we have heavy economic hands, and you can bet that when working with me you’re going to get someone who does more than fill the blanks of a contract and a sign in your yard. I am one of those who is selling and making the movements by putting everyone in their place as one whole community by listening with an honest ear. These experiences have made me fall in love with assisting in the buying and selling process of all Real Estate transactions. Hello Denver, your new favorite Realtor has arrived!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Growing up I always felt that I had very large shoes to fill which gave me a significant amount of anxiety. I had many issues and I struggled with my personal identity. It wasn’t until I graduated college and got off all of the medications (in 2012) that I had the courage to come out as a openly gay man and address sexual abuse I survived as a child. I was flushed with a hurricane (category 5) of emotions from that moment on.

I began taking stimulants in first grade to treat ADHD and became a robot. Which completely robbed me of 20 years of my emotions. The good grades were not enough to keep me on stimulants like adderall among other options (I have tried them all). The side effects exceeded the value that the benefits offered and I knew I would eventually need to figure something out. Dealing with rumors at school and bullies affiliated with my abuse growing up killed my soul. I was defamed and blackmailed most of my childhood from people of my community that were involved with horrible events of my childhood. I felt like a hollowed-out turtle shell. I fought beyond a reasonable doubt to shield my family from hearing anything regarding my personal life and did my best to shut everything out.

This drug became something I felt I needed, it became my armor. Like brushing your teeth in the morning, it becomes a part of your routine. Especially when you’re told by doctors your entire life that you need this pill to succeed and focus. Struggling with who I was as a person while dodging the idiots messing with me growing up did not help and adderall certainly did not help with my decision-making on this subject matter. I knew that my decision to come out would significantly impact my family and would change my personal friends and would change my life forever. And I absolutely did not want to be a statistic or someone branded for repeating bad behavior because that was not the case at all. So I took the pills and did my best to “blend” with what society said was ‘normal.’ I completely shut off all of my creative juices and went into auto-pilot. Then I met my next best friend, alcohol.

Before Real Estate I was successful within the restaurant/hospitality industry. Though, I did not realize that even though I thought I was doing the right thing, I actually began substituting adderall for alcohol. Mixing alcohol with someone who is figuring out their life after being prescribed stimulants for over 20 years is a recipe for depression and anxiety. I became my own worst enemy and lost my self-confidence and worth. I would obsess and get angry over circumstances I couldn’t control. I was so disappointed with my circumstances that I began to lose a lot of myself and any drive to do much of anything anymore. I would constantly ask myself: “what is the point of doing any of this if I can’t be with who I love?” It wasn’t until gay marriage was legal that I really felt that there was any hope for my life. Thank God for that.

A few years ago I realized that I had become addicted to changing who I am to fit in. Self-awareness and authenticity is a major things in Real Estate, believe it or not. I have become so used to being who I should be to appease the people around me that I got lost. Very lost. So lost that I began my journey of recovery by voluntarily checking myself into an addiction and recovery rehabilitation center. I finally had enough of being told of who I should be or how I should behave and realized I needed to take a deep look in the mirror if I am going to live a life worth living. I have been advised by many that I shouldn’t talk about these things, however, I think my recovery has become my strength. Now that I know who I am, I know I am unstoppable.

It took me a while to change my story from being a victim to becoming a survivor. I never thought that simply being who I am and who I am supposed to be is my superpower. The dependence on ADHD treatment, doctors, alcohol and society no longer lived in my mind rent-free and I gave myself freedom from the insanity of the shackles I allowed myself to be locked in for so long. My trials and tribulations has been a huge asset with my career because I have been there. I have an honest ear that can relate to a multitude of situations that impact us in everyday life. And I am very proud of myself and my accomplishments. It’s like I opened up a box and was like “yoo-hoo?! Chris you down there?! It’s time to come back” and that’s exactly what I have done. I feel like I am 100% whole and spiritually fit. A gift I gave myself, my family and my creativity has soared tremendously since then. I am beyond thankful for my family and my support group who have helped me get to become who I am and where I am today.

We’ve been impressed with New Era Group – Your Castle Real Estate, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I am beyond proud of joining the New Era Group with Your Castle Real Estate. I moved here in April and I interviewed with at least 20 companies and I am so glad I did not jump at the first company that gave me an offer. I had several offers and never in my life have I gone on interviews and have been completely raw and authentic without caring if they hired me or not. Normally we go on interviews and we think we should censor or abbreviate certain topics and events in fear of rejection. Not this time, I went in gloves off and I was shocked by the amount of support I received from the Denver employment community. It was almost as if they were waiting for me at the New Era Group this whole time.

I was able to be gut-level honest with all of my future employer potentials and it felt amazing. When I received a call back from the New Era Group and was offered my compensation package I was blown away. It was so easy to accept this career and say “see ya later” to all of the other offers I received. The New Era Group is all about diversity, inclusion, and authenticity and that is exactly the company atmosphere I have been looking to join here in Colorado. It feels great to be a part of a company that does everything they can authentically to make everyone around them successful.

I am a Licensed Realtor in both Louisiana and Colorado and am proud to be a part of the New Era Group with Your Castle Real Estate. I specialize in putting people in their place (residential homes that is). I am more than just a Realtor, I am a friend, brother, son, cousin, colleague, and most of all a member of this community. I am fully invested with growing my roots here in Colorado and making an economic and personal impact on my community here in the Metro-Denver area. I am more concerned with being my authentic self and noticed that by doing just that, the right answers come along. Since COVID-19 I have realized that people don’t want to talk to the cut-dry business guy with the cheesy headshot. People want to work with REAL people who are relatable. That’s who I am to my clients who eventually become dear friends.

I use my experiences to relate and understand my clients and guiding them on a path of success. Buying and selling homes is such a personal experience so yes, this business is personal. And with the right attitude, anything is possible. The more I am myself, the more successful I have become. So if you are looking for a Realtor that will sugar coat the details for you, I may not be your guy. But if you want someone who cares about you, your family, your future, and want someone that is gut-level honest and treats everyone with respect and fairness, shoot me a text. It’s just that easy to do business with me.

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
The role of luck has had a lot to do with where I focus my energy and I translate it to my spiritual fitness. The more I focus my energy on being grateful for who I am, where I come from, and what I have today – the more I find that life brings me exactly what I need at that moment and I am able to make the biggest impact by giving back to my community. I see my spirituality thriving when I am in nature (which was one of my selling points to moving to Denver) where I can feel that I am capable of really recharging my spiritual bank so that I can best be of service to my community.

Whether if you are a believer of God or as how you may understand Him or Her that works for you, I do believe that I have been blessed and the more I am authentically myself, the more gifts I receive from life. But the second I start feeling like “I got it” and stop being grateful, the train of speed bumps begins to reveal themselves. So learning to stay spiritually fit and coming from a place of gratitude with my daily practice prevents me from having those stormy detours. Even if I do come across a hurricane in my life, coming from a grateful practice, I am able to calm even the darkest of storms. Which is VERY relevant in Real Estate.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://chriswaitz.yourcastle.com/
• Instagram: @chriswaitz
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/chriswaitz.realtor/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCOCNWdBcLu1th32e_KB-sMA
• Other: https://chriswaitz.latter-blum.com/