Bio
“We must use our own experiences to create opportunities for others”
-Ron Lee
Realtor, Student, and Friend
Oscar Wilde once said, “Experience is the name every one gives to their mistakes.”. I just happen to believe he couldn’t have been more accurate. I started my career in real estate clear back in 1999 at the age of 21. Like most new agents do, when I first got started I would host open houses for other more experienced brokers. This was a great way to get my feet wet and learn about the business as a whole. Over time though as friends and past client would refer me to their friends and family I began to focus more and more on opportunities in the market where homes would wind up selling for alot less than their actual move-in-ready, market values.
I always found it fascinating how much more people were willing to pay for cosmetic appeal. Due to that interest I spent most of my twenties both working with clients as well as buying and selling dozens of homes myself even buying and selling a few independently owned RE/MAX franchise offices along the way. I owned RE/MAX Albany and Corvallis Franchised Offices for a short time before returning to sales full time.
It’s fair to say I made alot of money and I saw parts of the world I never dreamt I’d ever be able to, but when I look back now I see how somewhere in the midst of it all I lost track of what really mattered most to me. This is the total impact that I could have made on small and large problems I see around me in the world today.
Sure, I would on occassion put together a food drive or volunteer when I could but I never did as much as I felt I could have. Looking back now it sure is funny how along the way we learn so much.
In 2007, like many others while I was trying to amass personal wealth I found myself overleveraged and it all went under. I lost everything. After a decade in real estate I was headed back to school. 
Veterans in the Real Estate Business Say You Haven’t Really Been in Real Estate Until You’ve See a Bust and I think That is Very True
For me I feel that this experience was neccessary in order to take stock of where I was and what I wanted to do with my real estate career and my life. Looking back on having owned one of the largest real estate organizations in the mid-Willamette Valley at just 25, having bought, rehabbed, and re-sold dozens and dozens of homes, and having had worked with hundreds of clients along the way only to start over was to say the least, eye opening.
I decided it was time to take a break while the market recovered and go back to complete my education. After over 3 long years I graduated from Portland State University with my Bachelor Degree in Social Sciences in 2011 – something I never had the chance to take the time to do when I was younger and just jumped right into property sales.
My undergrad degree in social sciences which was centered around my cluster of morality from a psychology, sociology, and philosophical perspective(s)…Yes, Morality is a hard issue to find consensus on and can be tough to qualify but I find it fascinating. My capstone was for a community interest group in downtown Portland called, “Uniting To Understand Racism”, and I was happy to be able to both learn alot and offer back what I could during the capstone experience.
All in all, It was not just what I gained through the textbooks but more the totality of the experience I had, one I believe that helped me become a more well rounded person and even a better housing professional for my clients.
I am forever grateful for the financial aid system which paved the way for me to go back to school, my mother, and brother for helping me make this all possible, and my advisors, professors, and peers at Portland State University for a enriching and rewarding experience.
While I was back in school I also had the privilege of trying to coordinate a textbook loaner program at Chemeketa Community College, running for Student Body President, being elected to the Student Fee Committee, and being appointed to the Speakers Board while at Portland State University. As a loud fiscal conservative, I am very proud to have stood my ground in leadership opportunities as well. Having had the opportunity to fight on education affordability issues, which I feel are clearly very important to our society as a whole, also gave me alot of perspective.
Smart, strategic, and responsible support for higher education is paramount and I’ve since pledged to always do anything and everything I can to support access and affordability to higher education. Had it not been for the college grants and loans I would have never had the opportunities I have. This was a chance to have gain perspective and recognize just how incredibly lucky I have been. Having now a better appreciation for the struggles of others both right here in America and around the world, as well as a better historical perspective of the society we really live in, helps give one direction as to their own role in the world.
After completing my undergraduate I decided to continue on…
A Journey of discovery, doing my M.B.A. abroad in an emerging economy.
In 2011 After completing my Bachelors Degree at Portland State Univerity I saw a whole new world of opportunities and things I wanted to explore as I pretty much went straight into real estate from high school, which never gave me much of a chance to have the experiences that I am now. I also had a burning desire to continue to build on new travel experiences, something I have always loved, as well as advance my formal, ‘western’ education.
Therefore, I applied to a unique mix of programs both sociology and business oriented at a few different schools, most of which were abroad. I was accepted into a number of programs but in the end I chose to accept admission into Webster University M.B.A. Program – Walker School of Business and Technology.
This program is offered at many international centers of Webster Univ. around the world including in Switzerland and China but Bangkok of course offered me the most affordable exposure to Asia, as Thailand is surrounded by economies that are growing by leaps and bounds.
I wouldn’t however be telling the whole truth if I didn’t also say that exploring ethics, as far as the differences in religions, sociology, and just human behaviors overall wasn’t fascinating me as well since Ethics and Morality was my area of emphasis in my undergraduate studies and something I find myself fascinated studying.
I will be returning home upon completion of my M.B.A. here in Thailand very soon but in the meantime I placed my real estate license with Equity Referral Services and I work with a team of very talented real estate agents to service my customers.
(So if you contact me I will be then setting you up with one of our office team members through the assistance of my office manager)
I really appreciate you working through my referral! The extra income also helps me afford the cost of living and tuition and the occassional road trip to see new things here in S.E. Asia.
I actually chose quite a unique year to live in Bangkok, as Venice of the East has in some ways been turned into a waterworld. It’s been humbling and it’s been sad at times to see things that frankly, you just don’t see on the side of the world that I have spent most of my life. It’s also been exciting meeting and networking with people from all over the world and trying to wrap my brain around new business concepts that I have never studied before. Business is complex and my takeaways thus far are many. Studying with students from all over the world really in my view adds to the depth of the material and real world experiences. I look forward to many of these new experiences over the next 10-12 months while I complete my Masters of Business Administration degree abroad and just hope that I never stop reaching for new things and ways to challenege myself. Afterall, isn’t it those new experiences that are really the proof of life? The memories you make and the things you learn along the way…
Carpe Diem~
Write me for a referral at RonLeeEmail@aol.com and it’s also safe to assume you’ll get a cool closing gift from the far east! 
Please also visit my primary web site at www.ThingsToDoinPortland.net
Agency Disclosure Pamphlet Short Sales, HUD, VA, USDA foreclosures, & all types of REO sales! Ron Lee – Portland and Salem Oregon Real Estate Agent – Realtor – Principal Real Estate Broker – License # 1990262 Email: RonLeeEmail@aol.com
EQUITY REFERRAL SERVICES PO Box 25308, Portland, Oregon 97298
Read more about my Professional Experience and See My Resume
