We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Stacey Deville. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Stacey below.

Stacey, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

I grew up knowing I wanted to be a crime scene investigator. My entire path was carved out. I was going to get my bachelors, my masters and eventually my PhD in forensic science. I had the path drawn and the dedication and drive to do it, but what I didn’t realize is that things change along the way. You may fall in love, have kids, lose a family member, or just change courses and that too is ok.

See my path didn’t necessarily get changed…it altered and grew side streets but those were just cul-de-sacs that took me back to my main path. I did go and get my Bachelors in Forensic Science. I did get my Masters in Forensic Science, but when I started thinking about my PhD real life hit me and I questioned what I would do with it. Maybe a law degree would’ve been better, maybe a medical degree, or even going through the police academy. So after working for numerous years as a Crime Scene Investigator, I changed courses and started my own Crime Scene Consulting and Private Investigation company and went through the police academy. That was one of the hardest 10 month periods in my life. I learned so much and experienced so much joy in pushing myself to the brink of exhaustion that I had to learn to how to prioritize. I learned I could do it all.

Shortly thereafter, my husband and I decided to start having a family. We started later in life so we could live, enjoy, travel (not as much as I should’ve, and work hard). That same year I decided to get my real estate license. I had an influential person in my life trying to get me into the industry for years, but it never felt like time. Through in a pregnancy and hormones to make you realize “today is the day to start”, and I did just that. So now I am working as a Crime Scene Consultant, Private Investigator and Reserve Police Officer while starting my real estate career.

Those next few months were a blur with a new baby, the blues, and multiple careers. What I realized now looking back is that we CAN do it all. We can build that empire, give back, serve our community, hold down a home, be a wife, and raise multiple children. We are women and we have that ability to do it all! I hope at the end of my life my children will realize they too can do it all. Work hard, have multiple careers, live life, travel, and have happiness. Because at the end of the day every single person is striving to find happiness and that just might be in multiple career fields!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Hi. I am Stacey Deville. I am a workaholic mother who finds joy in my family, my kids and my value in work. To be honest, sometimes its easier to find value in work because there is a monetary value that comes with it, vs at home where you don’t see the value until your kids get a little older! But both are so important to my life, and I think we as mothers feel bad about wanting to work. Society has made it to where we feel bad about ourselves if we still want a career after having children! I am here to change that. So that is me in a nutshell…..someone that finds value in both, and that is OK!

I have spent my career working as a crime scene investigator. I left the PD 14 years ago to start up my own Crime Scene Consulting and Private Investigation company where I mainly work high profile capital murders. I am also a Reserve Police Officer, Real Estate Broker and help my husband run our construction company-Deville Custom Homes.

How in the world did I cross from law enforcement into real estate? I had a mentor earlier in my life who was begging me to get into real estate. See I am the worst at marketing myself. I honestly sometimes hate the real estate world because it feels so braggy, like look at me! But my friend and mentor told me that the most successful agents aren’t the ones selling themselves, they are the ones people trust and like. Fast forward a few years and I met and married my husband, a builder and developer. I started in real estate and quickly built my business. I became a real estate broker and started my company, Townes, which I have under Compass. I absolutely love serving my community and one of those ways is by helping them with one of the biggest decisions in their lives….buying and selling their home (or ranch).

Daily I feel so blessed to be able to be a mom, run a Crime Scene Company, put on the uniform and work as an Officer for CID at the Police Department, help run our building company (www.DevilleCustomHomes.com) and work in Real Estate. I get asked often why do I continue doing law enforcement?

Have you ever pulled over to help a turtle cross the road? What about that family with the flat tire? Do you know that feeling you have when you served and gave back? That is what Law enforcement is to me. My heart is fulfilled in helping and serving. Selling a multi-million dollar house you see the financial benefits, people know YOU were the one that sold it. In law enforcement, no one knows that you were the person who solved that crime, collected that evidence, or helped out that person in need. You definitely don’t do it for the money, but for the heart gain and to me that is worth more than gold.

I feel so honored to be able to do it all, and teach my young children that they, too, can do it all! We can be moms, workers, wives, run companies, servants, and still live life! I choose happiness today and sometimes that comes in the form of work and other times it comes in the form of playing in the yard with my children and family!

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Pivot. To completely change the course or direction. I have seen many people pivot in life especially women after becoming mothers. Our entire direction was headed towards that career path, and now has changed to accomodate for that new life we are bringing into this world. Sometimes that pivot is met with hesitation, and sometimes it is valued and needed.

I had a turning point in my life and in my career and its when I was wanting to start a family. Law enforcement hours were not condusive to having a family (for me at least) and it was imperative that I be home some. So I continued in my crime scene/PI business but started real estate. Stupid me believed this would give me more flexibility, but in reality in order to be the best you have to work 10 times harder.

I knew the challenges that were ahead of me with multiple jobs and a new child on the way, but I was prepared, or so I thought. I am not sure any first time mom truly understands what it will be like when that child enters the world. We read, prepare, ask questions, but until that day I am not sure anything truly understands. It was a shock to my system, but what it did was put every single thing into perspective for me. I had to become more diligent at time management, friendships, my family, and my work. I was able to still do it all but I had to make sure I prioritized things as they came, and I also realized there were days my to-do list was not going to be done…..and I learned that, too, was ok.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

How do you grow your business? So in crime scene business happens when crimes happen, so you can imagine there is a lot of business a lot of the time.

In real estate, I was told the most successful agents promoted themselves non-stop, paid for leads, showcased all of their awards, etc. This struck a cord with me and I hated it. I would not now or ever become that person. I wanted to grow my business because of who I was.

There is not a person in the world right now (ok I am exaggerating) that says they trust real estate agents. Its like the used car industry. People think real estate agents are unethical, and guess what? Some of them are right….there are those bad eggs out there and I have worked with them and even lost business to them. But I wanted my real estate career to be different. My motto is “ethics above sales”. This goes to the core of who I am as a human being and also who I am in real estate.

I wanted to be the person that delivered, cared, and was there throughout the whole process even if the payout was 500 dollars or 50,000 dollars. The person behind the deal mattered, and that is where I believe a lot of agents go wrong. I was once mentoring a new agent and I remember her telling me “Stacey, I won’t ever work a deal under 1 million dollars because I am better than that”. I will let you know that agent never sold one house, and is no longer in the industry. Why? Because the focus was purely financial. I have always looked at it like this—I will help you buy that 10,000 lot because one day it will have a house on it that I will sell for 400,000. You never want to discount anyone in this industry and in return you will gain clients.

I believe that I have been successful in this industry because I have always been ethical in every single transaction I have done, and the referal business is worth more than any of the paid lead services. Sell your soul to the devil and you will become rich, but won’t be able to sleep at night. Make friends, serve your community, love on people, treat them right, and never lie to them and I promise your business with grow exponentially.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.StaceyDeville.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/StaceySellsATX
• Facebook: facebook.com/StaceySellsATX
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/RealtorinAustin
• Youtube: youtube.com/TownesRealty
• Other: I also have www.Tx4n6Investigations.com for my Forensic Company.