I dare you to read this story and not:
- Relate to it
- Get a good vibe
- Call Stacy next time you buy or sell a house (301-646-9625, Stacy.Delisle@gmail.com)
Stacy Delisle is well-known in this area as a Realtor who gets results for her clients, treats everyone with the utmost consideration, and gives back to her community. In fact, her impressive goal of being involved and giving back to the community is how we at Macaroni Kid got to know Stacy. She attended a few of our community events, then got in touch and said she wanted to be more involved. She loved what we were doing, and offered her help. Now, Stacy has been the biggest sponsor of a couple of our big community events, allowing us to create as much family fun as we possibly can for every parent or child who attends.
October 9th is our 2nd MAMA Prom-A, made possible by Stacy's sponsorship. Her involvement allowed us to comp tickets for every ticket-holder who didn't get a refund after the frustrating cancelation from Covid last year. That's a huge, huge gesture! Read on, and you'll see that it's typical of how Stacy treats people - client centered, service focused, and integrity driven.
It was a summer in the mid 1980’s. Well, multiple summers, actually. The air was thick with mid-Atlantic’s humidity in Ocean City, Maryland, and sunny days spent seaside were long … digging for sand crabs, playing a game my Dad fondly referred to as “Over Under” jumping the ocean’s waves. Lunch time sandwiches were full of just that - sand - but it didn’t matter. Those days were some of the best. Sun-kissed cheeks were later cooled with Seabreeze, bellies were filled with delicious dinners, and the evenings were filled with glow sticks and game nights. The daughter of two educators, I couldn’t imagine my summers any other way.
And the family business didn’t end there. My aunt Janie, my aunt Mary Anne, my Nana, my Nana’s sister Jean Clare - all educators. I couldn’t have realized it then, but the “family business” of being an educator allowed us summers like none other. Summer at the beach. With family and friends who were like family. A long-lived tradition that still burns strong.
When it came time to declare a major during college, I didn’t think twice. Education. Elementary, to be exact. It was what I knew. It was what afforded our family the time together I hoped to continue with a family of my own one day. For ten years in the public school system, my degree and career as an educator served me extremely well. I met life-long friends. Learned from some incredibly talented and wise people. It was even where I met my husband! With great hope and expectancy, life was unfolding just as I hoped - until it wasn’t.
I couldn’t have known then that our hopes to start a family would begin with loss. Loss that changed me and completely redefined my priorities.
Our son, Isaac, may have only lived a short time, but his life has had a profound impact on so many things. Everything, really. You don’t lose your child and walk away the same. Everything is different.
And so it was with my career in education. I will never forget the moment I was sitting in a staff meeting, about eight months after our second baby, Eliana, was born. I had always imagined teaching fitting so seamlessly into family life, just as I had experienced as a child. But this was different. It simply, didn’t.
There was a disconnect I had felt for months. And at this meeting, in this moment, it became clear. “It’s all about the kids.” Those words my principal shared that day ignited something in me I will never forget. It IS about the kids. But the tension I had been experiencing for months made one thing clear: I wanted to be about MY kids. The one whose memory I get to steward. The one whose little self was still a newborn, but growing so fast. I didn’t want to miss it.
Any of it. Despite optimal daycare for my daughter (I mean, it doesn’t get much better than Grandma and your close friend caring for your baby!), I wanted it to be me. I was at a crossroads, and I couldn’t stay there. It didn’t serve anyone well… my students, my co-workers, my family, or myself.
I got home from work that day and will never forget standing in the living room, physically exhausted from both a long day at work, as well as life as a mom of a young baby, looking at Spencer and telling him: “I just can’t do this anymore.” My passion for teaching had waned, and it then felt more like a job than a calling. True to form, Spencer was incredibly supportive and in complete agreement.
So with both great trepidation and anticipation, I did it. My heart pounding and a thousand thoughts racing through my mind, I handed in my resignation. While there were many unknowns ahead, one thing was for sure: this decision was right.
Shortly after leaving the “family business,” I transitioned into a new position that I was able to complete from home and structure around our family’s schedule. A gift afforded to me by a very dear family in our church. A way to make ends meet. A gift of grace.
Working from home while caring for Ellie, then also Jacob, and then Ryleigh, I realized that just maybe this setup was something that could stay. This position helped me to develop a skill set and build a confidence in areas I didn’t even realize I lacked. More so, I loved how I was able to be present for my kids. I loved being able to pour into my community. My heart would nearly explode on a daily basis seeing the gift of time that I had been given through this work-at-home position. Time that allowed me to pursue my passions of family, community, and service. And eventually, a new career what was an opportunity to combine them all.
We had quickly outgrown the townhome we long loved, and decided it was time to move. The story is long and may (does) involve moving 4 times in 18 months with three kids ages 5 and under. (Side note: who does that?!) We learned, though, that the right home in the wrong place just didn’t work. I also happened to learn that I really, really love real estate.
However, it’s not for the reasons you might think. Do I love studying the market, touring homes, and prepping a listing for sale? Absolutely. There is something about the nuts and bolts of real estate that I enjoy tremendously. Each transaction is different, affording new opportunities to learn. It’s taking the best parts of my time as an educator and applying them to a new and exciting context.
But it’s more. It is SO MUCH more. It’s stepping into another person’s dreams. Holding their hand through hardship. Guiding them through a transaction involving their largest asset. It’s strategy building. Problem solving. Hope bringing. For me, it’s life-giving - a sweet combination of passions and strengths in service to others.
The past 5 ½ years in real estate have also afforded me the opportunity to spend more time with my family. Homeschool my kids during a pandemic. Coach Ellie’s softball team. Lead a home group through our church. Build strong connections and partnerships with other local small businesses and develop ways to engage and serve our community. That’s how my passion for a client-centered, service-focused, and integrity-driven approach to real estate was born.
It’s never about just the house. It’s always about the people. The family. Chasing dreams and creating a home. Contributing to the greater good. Passionately advocating on behalf of others with uncompromised standards of honesty and virtue.
Our summers at the beach still happen, much like those summers in the mid1980’s. Spencer takes some time off from his duties as a a principal, and I am fortunate to work with some of the best folks in the real estate business who hold down the fort and continue to serve my clients well while I’m away.
Now, I sit in my parents’ shoes. Sandy sandwiches, delicious dinners, “OverUnder”, and night time glow sticks all still happen. I’m just the one doing the cooking. And packing. But I still get to do the wave jumping.
I am so grateful.
Stacy Delisle
https://www.impactmarylandrealestate.com/stacy-delisle/
301-646-9625
Stacy.Delisle@gmail.com
