Meet Ricky Schoonover of 8z Real Estate

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ricky Schoonover

Hi Ricky, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Let’s start with humble beginnings, I was born into a nomadic family. My father was a cabinet Maker by trade but he had 4 other brothers and we would often relocate for work in various states. I went to more grade schools than I can count. I went to 4 different High Schools, in my freshmen year.

Our housing was insecure is an understatement, we lived in mostly apartments, but a couple different houses, a Mobile Home and sometimes the car. We called the car “Moving” but in reality, we did not have a house, a job or any savings as we moved from one place to another.

Then at age 24, (turned 25 in Basic Training – Did not realize it was my birthday) I joined the U.S. Navy – My job offer was “Naval Air Warfare Systems Operator / Helicopter Rescue Swimmer” What they don’t do a great job at during the recruiting process is explaining over 80% who go for this job title fail before they actually serve in the fleet. 80% end up doing whatever jobs the Navy needs filled once they fail to accomplish the required schools and training.

I took to the Navy like a fish in the water, yes, I failed Rescue Swimmer School, twice, you are only allowed to fail twice and still have a chance. After the third roll. “You roll right out into the fleet with no designation” After my second failure. The Rescue swimmer instructor called me in, early, before anyone was there at the school. I must have done 30 minutes of High intensity PT. “Physical Training” coupled with some Psychological trauma. I was told for 30 mins, I was worthless, I wasn’t going to EVER become a rescue swimmer and this instructor told me he would make it his life’s mission to ensure I failed a third time and would NEVER make to the fleet as a Rescue Swimmer.

When I passed on my third time and I stepped up to the front, that same Instructor grabs my shoulder, he says to me “Schoon, I knew from day one you were going to be a rescue swimmer. You never quit, you just would not stop. I just needed you to realize in yourself that you would be a Rescue Swimmer.

So, from a chaotic childhood, to the Navy where I found Order, I found Honor, I found self discipline, The list goes on. For the first time in my entire life, my life was on track, I had vision and everything had it’s place and everything was in it’s place. I still, to this day fold my T shirts how I was taught in Basic. If you were in the Navy you know “Skinny, Fat, Fat, Skinny” LOL

My parents never owned a home, ever in their lives. When I got out of the Navy under honorable discharge in 2000, I bought my very first small condo in the sub-urbs of San Diego. What I found was peace of mind, this little condo was MINE, I was not renting it, I wasn’t living with family, or in a car, or any other bit of chaos.

Owning a home changed my life. I went to school and earned my state Real Estate license. Every homebuyer I meet with, I think back to how owning a home changed my life and I want to share that secret which so many take for granted. Owning a home is magical, the sense of pride, community and stability are just some of the benefits I found to be life changing.

This is my “Why” This is why I’m so passionate about what I do. This is why I’m a REALTOR

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Ha, well from the time I received my Real Estate License, my boyfriend, now Husband was accepted to Boston University to pursue his PhD. So, he moved from San Diego to Boston. We lived apart for a better part of the mid/late 2000’s.

When the financial meltdown of 2008 hit, I got hit hard, lost my income, I was barely paying my bills and we had to make some life changes. Luckily, we had also bought a small condo in Boston for him to use while in school. My Father passed away in 2009, His mother passed away and then in 2013, I lost my mother.

So, yes, we had some struggles, I stepped away from Real Estate, I was in Hospitality which I had some experience in from before and even after the Navy. We eventually moved to Miami, then Charleston, SC Where I returned to Real Estate and in 2016, found our way to Denver. Where I immediately earned my Real estate license and have been building my business since. The biggest struggle is that push and pull, the market is ever changing and you have to really stay on top of your game at all times. Never knowing where that next deal will come from and with that where your next paycheck will come from. That takes a ton of courage and you need to budget for the lean times when you are on a good run.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I say 8z Real Estate and yes, that is indeed the team of professionals in which I align my business with. However, being a Realtor, you really are not the employee of anyone except yourself. I’m a 1099 – Independent Contractor so I run my own operation of one.
Where the Real Estate company umbrella comes in is think of it as a shared pool where all the Realtors of that firm re-invest into their business into a pool of funds. Those pool of funds are then used for various levels of support we all share in and benefit from.
So, our commission splits are where those funds are pooled together for everyone who hangs their license at 8z Real Estate and those pooled funds are used for things like the office, the support staff, marketing team, a Transaction coordinator, all these resources are paid for by the 180 or so of us who are and make up 8z Real estate.

So really my company is ME, Ricky Schoonover of 8z Real Estate and I manage my own website where I keep track of my business through wwwDenverHomesMarket.com.

For the past 5 years, I have also been host to Denver’s Monthly Real Estate podcast “The Denver Homes Market Report”

The office, the 8z name, the support and all that goes with it are basically where I have chose to align my business with to pool resources with other 8z Agents so we can share the cost of the support we have to help us in our own business.

We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
AWE, where to start?
Let’s talk about when I was just a youngster, my father and my mother had split up and I lived with my Mom and my two sisters for a time and I lived with my dad also for a time.

When I was in school there would be days where I did not need to go to school. Like a Teacher’s development day or some other reason the kids were not sent to class.

My father could not afford a baby sitter and so He’d take me into his cabinet shop. The sounds, the smells, the buzz of the saws, the pneumatic nail guns. all of it, I loved it.

My Father would hand me a hammer, he’d hand me a nail, yes ONE nail and a couple blocks of scrap wood. He’s say “Son, It’s 8am, we don’t get a break til my 10am smoke break.” “I want you to use this hammer and this nail, How many times can you nail this nail into the blocks, pull them apart, pull out your nail, straighten it and nail it in again.”

I learned so much. Different types of wood, which wood was dense, which was soft, how the grain looked, how the wood smelled, everything. Even things like patience, strike angle of the hammer, my determination, etc…

Back then, he was just trying to keep his kid busy and out of the way while he worked, but I learned a lot and in fact at age 15 til 24 I worked in the same cabinet shop as my father. He did not own it, but I worked there for 8 years as a professional Cabinet Installer before joining the Navy.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.DenverHomesMarket.com
• Instagram: @rickyschoonover
• LinkedIn: @rickyschoonover
• Youtube: @denverhomesmarket