Ivan Blanco

He could have been a rock star, but instead, Ivan Blanco took his inimitable talents back to high schoolaEUR"this time, as an English teacher.

Rather than jamming with the Stones or helping David Lee Roth pick the brown M&M's out of his candy bowl, he sacrificed the way all educators are expected to do: become "the Catcher in the Rye" for someone else's children while their own pay the price. And rather than chase his own dreams, he read about the dreams of others and shared them with his students. While he felt fulfilled helping others, the lack of upward mobility began to eat away at his passion for the classroom. He was resigned, like so many educators sadly become.

That is, until Martin Luther King, Jr. day in 2014, when all of that resignation led to an enlightening conversation with a longtime friend who had opened his own real estate brokerage. He too had been a teacher, but entering real estate, he seemed more fulfilled now than at any time since.

"Don't you miss the classroom?" Ivan asked over lunch that day. "Don't you miss helping people?" His friend smiled that familiar wry smile Ivan had known for 20 years. "I still help people, brother," he said. "Only now I help them achieve their dreams rather than just telling them about them."

Ivan knew he had to make a change, and, as his 31st birthday barreled closer, it became apparent that the time for that change was now upon him. So, with a typical teacher's savings of $1500 in the bank and a freshly minted real estate license, he left the school system at the end of the academic year and plunged headfirst into his new career.

And soon, people saw the face behind the suit. They called Ivan "profA(C)," aEUR" Spanish slang for "Professor," because he had adapted his teaching skills to become their body of knowledge for any and all real estate needs. He was their guy aEUR" he was their Real Estate Professor.

All that work paid off in time, and in his first year, Ivan closed more business than any first-year agent at his brokerage had ever closed. He never quit, even when a deal seemed to be on its last legs, because he knew he had people's trust in his hands. And he also took his earned title as The Real Estate Professor seriously.

No, Ivan never got to be the 5th Beatle, but hey aEUR" he can say now that these are the best of times. He's the new catcher in the rye. They call him "Professor," and sometimes "ProfA(C)," because it's not just his job to deliver results, but to ensure his clients feel empowered about their choices today, tomorrow, and for the rest of their lives.

That's the work of an A+ Realtor. That's the trusted guidance of a friend. And that's the uniqueness of Ivan Blanco, The Real Estate Professor.