Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Dooling
Amy, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I first began my real estate journey on the East Coast in 2006. After working for many years helping buyers in Maryland, D.C. and Virginia my husband’s job relocated us to Sunny San Diego. Rescuing dogs has always been apart of my DNA. I grew up as an only child but we always had dogs in the home and they were like my siblings. As our communtiy noticed young teen my love of dogs and I was often asked to dog sit and dog walk from neighbors. As an adult working full time in Real Estate with a busy and thriving career, I still found time to volunteer with local rescue organizations and shelters. I began to realize that I had two identities based on how people knew me. I was either “Amy the Realtor” or “Amy the rescue dog lady”. After moving to San Diego and essentially starting over as a Realtor I decided that I could be both of these identities in one! Yes, I am a great Realtor with many years of experience serving happy clients. I’ve won awards and been ranked among the top 5 producers in the country with my last company. And yes, I am a caring and compassionate animal advocate who wears my heart on my sleeve when it comes to four-legged friends. I decided to re-brand myself (so to speak) as the “Rescue Realtor”. I dedicate a portion of my commissions earned from every home sale or purchase to a local rescue organization. The organizations I donate to are ones that I have personally volunteered with. I foster dogs, help with adoption and foster placement, fundraising events, transportation and general animal care. I have also organized and hosted spay and neuter clinics in areas of Baja California. By hiring a team of vets and working closely with the local communities there, I have been able to offer free spay and neuter services. I believe part of the influx of animals, especially dogs, in Southern California are dogs coming from Baja. I think its important to focus efforts here in San Deigo, ut to also provide services and education in the areas of the Baja that many of these animals are coming from.
As the Rescue Realtor I am both your reliable, educated and professional real estate agent, while being caring and compassionate towards the animals in our San Diego community. Along with donating with each transaction I still take the time to volunteer in person with these orginzatoins every month.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Starting out in the real estate business is tough! You work long hours at the beginning of your career to build your business and sometimes the payout is limited. I built a successful career on the East Coast through a lot of hard work and I finally got to a point in my career where I could take some weekends off to enjoy time with my husband, friends and family. While I was in the growth part of my business I don’t think I took more than 4 weekends off a year for about 4-5 years. I was finally in a comfortable place in my career before moving to San Diego…..Then I had to start all over again. Unfortunately, we moved right as Covid started and even with years of experience under me in other states, the state of California requires you to sit for 135 hours of pre-licensing education and then a state exam. This was difficult to accomplish during covid because my classes were being cancelled left and right and the state testing centers kept closing. It took a little over a year to finally obtain my CA state license. During that time I was able to focus my efforts on the animals. I volunteered full-time with local organizations helping with adoption and foster placement, transport, onsite animal care, and fostering. During covid my husband and I fostered over 100 dogs. I’d say it was almost a blessing it took so long to obtain my license here because it allowed me to volunteer so much within the San Diego rescue community. I’d say it was after this that period I knew I had to somehow blend myself as a realtor and animal rescuer into one.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a local Realtor who specializes in helping people and animals find the perfect home. I love helping families find their perfect home or helping them sell their current home so they can continue to grow. Your home is such a personal space and helping clients with something so special fills my cup. I love to serve and make people happy.
I also love animals and think it’s so important to serve the community you live in. I volunteer with local animal rescues and shelters and I dedicate a life-saving donation to a local rescue with every home sale or purchase as a realtor.
I also foster dogs, onsite animal care, adoption, and foster support, and fundraising events.
How do you think about happiness?
This might sound cliche, but making others happy is truly what does it for me. Serving a family and seeing them get the keys to the home they’ve been dreaming over is just an amazing feeling. And to tag along with that seeing a dog come from awful conditions, sick and injured, to thriving with a family that loves him/her is just the best feeling in the world. Ive been a part of so many amazing stories with dogs that were near death from neglect and they are now living their best lives with families who would do anything for them. It doesn’t get better then that!
I have 3 rescue dogs myself and we also take in foster dogs. My 3 all came from situations of neglect or abandonment. They make me smile every single day and Im so grateful for them. I technically “saved” them, but the happiness they provide me daily is unmeasurable.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/realtoramyd
- Instagram: @RescueRealtorAmy
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RescueRealtorAmy
- Other: https://amy.thequesadagroup.com/
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