Kathleen Cheek knows first hand the tremendous positive impact that one person’s sacrifices, small or large, can have on another individual.
As a real estate broker and sales agent for Century 21 in Valparaiso, Kathleen happily jumps through hoops and bends over backwards for the sake of making her clients happy, doing everything she can to snag them that perfect new home.
“I love people,” says Cheek. “I love trying to think outside the box and ironing out problems. It’s always a puzzle, and you always have to figure out how to solve that problem to make sure you leave them with a smile.”
Despite an expansive knowledge of construction and the housing market, Cheek’s love for her job comes not out of her passion for houses, but for the people in search of one. She admits that after weeks (or even months) of helping families find their perfect new home, it’s difficult not to feel a close connection to her clients.
“You just form a relationship, and as time goes on, it’s kind of like reading a book,” says Cheek. “When you finally get to closing day with them, it’s kind of like the end of the book; there’s tears, hugs, and sometimes there’s another chapter.”
Yet, if such a metaphorical book of Kathleen’s life actually existed, the chapters would include far more than just the sacrifices she’s made for her clients. As much as she loves her work, there is often an unseen part of Cheek’s life that showcases her true potential for the spectacular: being a mom.
With five kids aged from three to sixteen years old, it goes without saying the balancing act between work and personal life is anything but easy for Cheek, but it sure keeps things interesting. What’s more interesting, and perhaps even a little amazing, is the journey of sacrifice that has led Cheek to the chapter she’s arrived at now.
Cheek graduated college in October of 2003 from Commonwealth Business College in LaPorte, and worked for a cardiologist in Merrillville as a medical assistant immediately after. For her, it was a career that she loved, and one that she could have seen herself doing for the rest of her life.
However, when the economy begin to dramatically slow down in 2005, she committed all of her spare time, which, as a medical assistant and mother of two, wasn’t very much, toward helping her husband get his remodeling construction business off the ground. Shortly after, the housing market really took a hit; demand for new construction met a new low, but calls for Bill’s work as a remodeling began to skyrocket.
“There was nobody moving,” says Cheek. “Everyone was just remodeling what they had.”
Despite her love for the medical field, Kathleen decided to permanently leave her job as a medical assistant, and committed herself full-time to helping Bill capitalize on this new booming opportunity - all for the sake of her growing family. As time went on, and the housing market began to recover in 2010, Kathleen once again readjusted, assessing what would most benefit her family of now four children.
“I thought to myself ‘Well shoot, I’m watching the entire construction of a house from foundation and up into a finished structure,’” she said. “When the market started popping, I knew I had to get into real estate.”
So, in 2012 Cheek attended the McColly School of Real Estate in Schererville and earned her license - a process that was more than a little stressful.
“I did that in the summer, with four kids out of school, so I certainly didn’t think that through,” Cheek half-jokes. “But I made it.”
Today, as Cheek looks back on her path up to this moment, she isn’t ashamed or afraid to admit that there were plenty of personal goals, ambitions, and even emotions that were put on the back burner for the sake of her family. Such is the sacrifice that moms like Cheek make on a daily basis, and she hopes that she can be something of a symbol of strength for all those looking to give their children the best lives possible.
That’s not to say Cheek isn’t happy with where she’s landed. If anything, the sum of her experiences has allowed her to appreciate her adaptability and determination as both a mother and a real estate agent.
“I don’t like sitting still, and I love meeting new people, which I think is why I’ve developed this passion for real estate,” she says, adding that living an easy or slow-moving life would be too “boring.”
As Cheek continues to strive for greatness in all areas of life, she also plans on setting more time aside for herself in the near future. Specifically, Cheek is excited to travel and visit new places with her husband and children, as she continues to add another chapter to a sometimes crazy, but never boring, book of life.