Cara Lonsdale, PLLC

My Real Estate Story

I have always loved Real Estate.

​

In my early 20s, I decided I wanted to buy a home of my own. I called a local Real Estate Agent, who quickly passed me off to her preferred lender to determine whether I was even worth her time. As someone just starting out, with relatively little credit history, I wasn't exactly a desirable candidate on paper. I never heard back from either of them after that initial conversation.

​

That angered me. I knew I was worthy of becoming a homeowner, and I was offended by how quickly I was dismissed, without any thought or consideration of my potential if someone had simply taken the time to show me the steps toward success.

​

Shortly after, I became a mom, and everything changed. My desire to provide a home for my daughter grew even stronger, along with a sense of urgency to build something that would support our family and allow for balance in our lives.

​

Fueled by my own passion to become a homeowner and my desire to change that experience for others, I enrolled in Real Estate school. I doubled up on classes so I could finish as quickly as possible and beat the odds by passing every exam on the first try. I did it!

​

I became a Realtor in 1997 and hung my license with a small brokerage in North Scottsdale, near Kierland, that not many people had heard of yet: Keller Williams Arizona Realtors.

​

I loved Keller Williams for its emphasis on training, coaching, and professional development, as well as its Profit Share program. As someone who has always been driven by learning, I soaked up everything they offered and quickly found my footing. By 2000, I had become a Vested Agent Partner.

​

But building a successful real estate business, to me, was never just about selling houses. It was about creating an experience that was different from the one I had as a young prospective buyer.

I began building a team of transactional partners, each thoughtfully selected for their expertise, superior skill set, and commitment to my mission of providing an enhanced client experience.

​

My lending partner didn't simply help Buyers secure financing. She worked with those who weren't quite ready to qualify, helping them establish a plan for income, credit repair, and financial preparation so they had a clear path toward homeownership.

​

My title and escrow partner understood that the paperwork and terminology involved in a real estate transaction could be overwhelming. She took the time to explain confusing title documents, anticipate questions, and provide regular updates so clients always knew what was happening and never missed an important milestone.

Even my home inspector was ahead of his time. While others were handing out handwritten reports that were nearly impossible to read, he provided fully typed reports complete with photographs. More importantly, he would sit down with Buyers after the inspection, walk them through the findings, and answer questions until they fully understood the condition of their new home.

​

These weren't just service providers. They were people who shared my philosophy that clients deserved more than a transaction. They deserved to be educated, prepared, supported, and genuinely cared for.

Over the decades, some of those partners retired, while others were replaced by people whose skills and approach were better aligned with my evolving business and mission. The faces may have changed, but the philosophy never has.

​

My business has always been built around the people who have been overlooked, dismissed, or labeled as too difficult.

It's the first-time homebuyer who is just starting out and has little or no established credit. It's the renter who has been paying someone else's mortgage for years and dreams of owning a home but doesn't have the down payment. It's the Veteran who served our country and now simply wants a piece of the American dream of homeownership.

It's the Seller who doesn't want to get lost in a sea of listings and wants someone who will recognize the value of their home and tell its story. It's the beneficiaries of an estate who have just lost a loved one, are overwhelmed by the probate process, and don't know where to turn for help with the real estate involved. It's the first-time Investor who has read all the books, done all the research, and developed a serious case of analysis paralysis, unable to take that first step.

​

These are the people I love working with. Helping them recognize possibilities, navigate obstacles, and accomplish something they may have once thought was out of reach has been, and continues to be, one of the greatest joys of my career.

​

In 2024, I made the decision to take another step forward in my career. I obtained my Broker's license and started my own brokerage, Designated PRO Realty.

​

Keller Williams had been very good to me, and I will always appreciate the foundation it provided. But after so many years in the business, I knew that continuing to grow meant creating something of my own—something that aligned completely with my vision and allowed me to build a brokerage around the client experience I had spent decades perfecting.

​

For me, growth meant learning to delegate the inconsequential tasks, not the important decisions, and certainly not my clients. I have never delegated a client to another member of my team. Never.

​

I believe that when someone chooses to work with me, they deserve me. They deserve my experience, my attention, my guidance, and my commitment from the first conversation to the closing table and beyond.

​

And by the way... I did eventually buy my first home in 1999, just shy of two years into my real estate career. When I purchased my second home in 2002, I converted that first home into a rental property. I purchased my third home in 2005, and continued building from there.

​

I don't share that to be braggadocious. I share it because I often think back to that agent who dismissed me so many years ago. She had no idea what I was capable of, what I would accomplish, or the kind of career I would go on to build.

It was a pretty shortsighted decision on her part.

​

And honestly, that experience still fuels me today. It gave me a purpose in this business that goes far beyond buying and selling homes. It taught me never to make assumptions about someone's potential, never to decide what someone can or cannot accomplish based on where they happen to be today, and never to make someone feel like they aren't worth of my time.

​

Perhaps that's why so many of my clients have become lifelong relationships. They come back when it's time for their next home, their next investment, or their next chapter. Some have been with me for decades, and I consider it one of the greatest compliments when someone refers to me as their forever Realtor.

​

After nearly three decades in Real Estate, I still love what I do. I love the people, the relationships, the challenges, and the opportunity to make a difference in someone's life through real estate.

​

The market will change. Technology will change. The way we do business will continue to evolve.

​

But one thing will never change: I will never forget what it felt like to be the person someone decided wasn't worth their time. And I will never let someone who comes to me feel that way.