Everyone has a story. Don’t discount your own. #life #lifestyle #realestate #broken #fix #strong

19 Jul 2023 · 1 min

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Steve D Valentine recounts a personal story of severe financial and family hardship and recovery. He describes losing his home to foreclosure, "a million dollars worth of assets" and "a million dollars worth of debt," working odd jobs (sprinkler and car repairs, taking sign calls), his wife waiting tables, and attempting to start over. He also describes a near-paralyzing injury (C5–C6 crushed during a mud run) and writing a suicide note, framing the narrative as one of rock-bottom challenges and rebuilding.

Questions this video answers

Two toddlers (two little kids).

"A million dollars worth of assets" lost and "a million dollars worth of debt" owed.

C5–C6.

Chapters

So we bailed. We had two toddlers, two little kids, lost our house to foreclosure, lost a million dollars worth of assets and a million dollars worth of debt we were stuck with. We had nothing. And we're like, okay, let's start over. I'm going to go put signs in the yard on short sales that I don't know anything about. And then I meet Kevin and Fred. That was an interesting conversation, right? I was like, whatever I can do to get a sign call. And so at that time, I'm watching my wife wait tables, right? We lost everything. I'm doing sprinkler repairs and car repairs than anything and, like, taking sign calls and anything we could do to start over. And it was dismal. You know, I completely failed as a father, as a husband. And in the book that I actually wrote a suicide note, I was done. I had screwed up royally. I lost everything. And that same year, I also broke my neck and had a 50, 50 shot of being paralyzed, right? So C5, C6, crushed during a mad mud run. And in the hospital, thank God, we still had health insurance. And so we're, like, starting all this over as, like, the most dismal thing you can possibly imagine.