“I take it personally when people rent for $1,200 a month,” said Maceo Thomas, banging his fist on the table. “Part of me thinks that if I do not [find homes for these renters], no one will.” Yet it is abundantly clear when talking to Thomas that he did not go into real estate to make a quick buck, and that he still is still operating under the public sector service models he knows from previous work, not the for-profit business models utilized by most self-employed people.

Thomas, who is known to many readers of East of the River as the author of the “Meet Your Neighbor” column, has an extensive background in the public sector, from Baltimore’s housing projects, to teaching at a school for children with behavioral issues, to doing Peace Corps work in Senegal, and most recently, at Children’s Hospital, where he still works part time.

“I will vote for every teacher’s raise that comes across,” said Thomas. “It’s really a management job, and you have to be CEO of your own class,” he said, reminiscing about his own experience as a teacher.

“I tell people I am a social worker and a realtor. … I really see home ownership as a public health issue for first-time home buyers. We have a definition when we talk about health from a public health [perspective]: Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being – not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. That’s actually the World Health Organization definition. … To get to that state there are certain things that are important. Certainly housing in and of itself is basic and needed. … Home ownership is the surest way, for the common folk, to gain some wealth… [And] public health is often based on disparities that are related to wealth. The more money you have, the healthier you are; the less you have, the poorer your health outcomes are,” he continued.

For Thomas, part of being a realtor takes the form of career counselor. He teaches buyers about the buying process as well as helping them examine – and alter – their own personal finances. “If I have to read resumes to help [the customer] get a higher paying or additional job, I will do it. … I have a customer now who was not comfortable with her job, so I told her she had to find a new job. She did, and kept the first job as a part-time job. … My clients… are doing nonprofit or public sector work and not getting paid six figures,” Thomas explained. “It’s not necessarily a great business model to work with people for 1 ½ years to get them in the pipeline, but that is what I do. A lot of education has to happen,” he stated factually.

In addition to being a full time realtor and regular columnist, Thomas, who has a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and a master’s degree in public health, coordinates HIV prevention for adolescents at Children’s Hospital on a part-time basis. “We bring different parts of the community together to reduce HIV transmission in adolescence. … It is really about prevention and getting teenagers the support they need,” stated Thomas.

Thomas got his real estate license in 2005. “I had bought my first home (in Fort Dupont) and read the book, Rich Dad, Poor Dad, and it helped push me towards thinking about financial stuff. My background was in nonprofits. It was never about money, it was about service. The book was helpful … I never had anyone help me with a retirement plan. My background was all about service, not money,” he stated. Spurred on by the book and the purchase of his primary residence, Thomas decided to become a real estate investor, and thought the best way to get started investing was to take the real estate licensing course and exam. “It did not dawn on me until later that I could be a realtor. I am still working on being an investor. I am more conservative than I want to be.”

Thomas, a Ward 7 resident, loves the affordability and neighborly feeling found in many parts of Wards 7 and 8. “I come in contact with many wonderful people. … I really consider it to be a community of people who know each other and support each other. And it’s really quiet – there are no cars going up and down the street, and you can hear the crickets at night and the birds in the morning,” Thomas said.

“A lot of development is about to happen here … DOES (Department of Employment Services) is coming to the Minnesota Avenue Metro, and there will be new development around the Benning Road Metro. Services are coming, and the real estate market is still somewhat untouched in terms of potential value that people can realize. … People will be clamoring to get over here because it is inexpensive, but it is not always going to be like that,” Thomas stated.

And hopefully, many people will take advantage of Thomas’s services and build healthier, wealthier lives for themselves.

Maceo Thomas can be reached at 202-285-4529 or maceo.thomas@longandfoster.com.