Erika Rayburn

It was not about Erika anymore. As soon as she found out she was expecting her oldest daughter, Sophia, her perspective shifted. Up to that moment, she had been trying to find herself and discover what she was meant to do with her life. Months later, when Sophia was born, I knew she had found her purpose.

Do not get her wrong, it was not all roses and snapshots of baby’s firsts. Raising a child is hard work and gets messy. However, becoming a mom gave her the sense of place and purpose that she had been searching for.

Sophia’s father worked a lot so that she could stay home. However, after a few months as a stay-at-home mom, although she loved taking care of her daughter, she needed to do more. Erika has always been a person on the go, a type A personality that needed a project. The problem was, even though she found her purpose, she still was not sure what she wanted to do professionally.

Before she became a mother, she had little work/life balance and usually worked seven days a week. At age 21 she began her career in real estate and though she loved what she did, she felt that she needed to find more balance. After several years, she stepped away and went on a journey of self-discovery to find some grounding and stay connected. Of course, she never learned the perfect formula and do not think any one person has, however, when Sophia was born, she discovered that connection.

After having her second daughter Eva in 2013, she completed her Business Degree, but needed to re-enter the workforce urgently; there was no more time to venture towards something new and to support her family, she returned to the familiar: real estate. In 2015 she began working with a builder and though it was a great experience, it still was not quite right. A couple of years later, she welcomed her little boy Derek to her family, and soon after, she decided to branch out on her own as a full time REALTOR®, right back where she began 19 years earlier at Windermere Manito.

Right after she started her business, COVID hit, and she was at home with her two girls and little boy. It was a chaotic time getting the girls to school with a shaky internet connection and finding a moment to work in between helping them and corralling her son who was one ½ years old at the time. There were a lot of late nights and early mornings and at first, she felt overwhelmed.

Although there were long days with her children tagging along, they made it work. Quitting has never been something she takes lightly and even though it was rough in the beginning, she stuck with real estate and refused to give up because it felt right, as if she was guided to where it needed to be. Through it all, she learned that there are always tough chapters in life, but just as surely as spring turns into summer, those difficult chapters also end and lead to new beginnings.

Erika has been a licensed REALTOR® since 2000. She enjoys spending time outside with her kids and husband John, staying in touch with nature, meditating, and trying out new restaurants. Her favorite part of being a REALTOR® is getting to know the stories of her clients and helping them find the perfect ending to their chapter before turning the page.