Preparation matters.
Standards matter.

Real estate came first.

In a lot of ways, I was initially drawn to real estate for the same reason I would later choose the Air Force when deciding which Special Operations career to pursue: I looked up to my big brother.

My brother John had served as a C-130 crew chief before beginning his own career in real estate. Watching him build something for himself after leaving the military gave me an early example of what a career built around personal responsibility, service, and performance could look like.

I became licensed in North Carolina in 2017 and joined my family's real estate team, BoomTown Real Estate Group, with Coldwell Banker Triad Realtors in Winston-Salem. My brother led the listing side of the business, my sister and I worked primarily with buyers, and my mom managed transactions.

In our strongest year, the team closed roughly 20 to 30 transactions, split fairly evenly between buyers and sellers.

One of my clearest memories from those years is earning my first listing. My mom and I gave the presentation together, and when we walked out with a signed listing agreement, I could see the pride in her eyes. There are bigger transactions and more impressive numbers in real estate, but that moment has always stuck with me.

Those early years gave me an education in both sides of a real estate transaction—prospecting, property marketing, working with buyers and sellers, negotiating, and helping clients navigate everything between the first conversation and the closing table.

They also taught me lessons I still carry with me today: the importance of preparation, clearly defined roles and knowing the place behind an address. The streets around a home are part of its story, not an afterthought.

“Okay, you run a marathon. What's next?”

In 2021, at 29 years old, I stepped away from real estate to pursue a very different challenge and joined the United States Air Force with the goal of entering Air Force Special Operations.

That decision actually began with running. After years of watching my other brother, Doug, run every day, I finally decided to get off the couch and start running myself. It became an obsession pretty quickly. As soon as one distance became manageable, I wanted to know what came next.

Eventually, I decided I was going to sign up for my first marathon. Instead, I signed up for the Air Force.

My original goal was to become an Air Force Pararescueman. Then I met the superintendent of my Special Warfare preparatory class, who happened to be a Combat Controller. After hearing him explain the mission, I changed direction.

Combat Control combined the physical standards and Special Operations environment I was looking for with something that immediately appealed to the way my brain works: taking complicated pieces, creating order, communicating clearly, and making decisions when the situation around you is moving quickly.

What followed was nearly three years of selection and specialized training. That journey taught me to keep asking questions and keep learning, especially when the first attempt doesn't go as planned.

Turn absolute chaos into total control.

After selection and pre-dive training, I attended Airborne School at Fort Benning, Georgia, where my sister Rose had the chance to pin my wings on me. From there came Combat Dive School and Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape training before I headed to Pope Army Airfield in North Carolina for Special Warfare Air Traffic Control School.

There, I graduated with distinction and earned recognition as the course's Top Controller.

In August 2023, after years of selection, training and setbacks, I earned the Combat Control red beret. The mindset that stuck with me was simple: preparation matters, failure is information, and the details you understand ahead of time are the ones you can rely on when things get complicated.

I later completed Military Freefall training and returned to Pope Army Airfield for Static Line Jumpmaster School before finishing my active-duty career as a Staff Sergeant. Along the way, I was trusted with squadron leadership responsibilities and received the John L. Levitow Award for leadership.

That way of thinking still shapes how I approach a neighborhood. Begin with the documented facts. Learn the history. Notice what changes from one street to another. Keep looking until the picture makes sense.

The story matters. The work matters more.

San Antonio became home for personal reasons, too. I met my wife there during Special Warfare training. We later chose a home in the Monticello Park Historic District, where the architecture and immediate welcome from our neighbors reminded me why local character matters so much.

My interest in photography and visual storytelling also led me to earn my FAA Part 107 certificate and found Brick & Bearing Aerial Media.

I've built a life and real estate career in San Antonio, but Winston-Salem is where that career began. Salem by Saunders is my way of staying connected to a city that shaped me.

For my Texas real estate work and more of my story, visit bobbygsaunders.com.