Today we’d like to introduce you to Ruta Panomitros.
Hi Ruta, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I worked as an ICU registered nurse at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago and attended Law School at DePaul University College of Law at night.
I met my husband when he was a resident in Anesthesiology at the University of Illinois Medical Center while I was working extra shifts to pay for school. I told him no when he asked me out endlessly, but fate brought us together about 3 months later.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road has never been smooth. After I graduated from Law School and he finished his Residency, we moved across the country to Galveston, Texas for his new job. I flew back to Illinois to sit for the state bar exam, then flew back to Texas to take their state bar exam, as well. I passed both. I looked for attorney positions, but each firm wanted to know if I was planning on becoming pregnant soon, so I ended up doing casual consulting for friends. I ended up having my two daughters, so my husband and I decided that he would be the bread maker and I wanted to stay home to raise them.
When my youngest was 5, I set up a solo practice and was doing well, but my husband was offered a job in Charlotte, NC. In 2009, I shut down my firm and we moved there. At the closing table, I was offered a job as a real estate attorney, which eventually lead to helping a friend set up a big real estate practice in Charlotte. We grew his firm from 3 people to 16 employees, and that is when my husband suddenly got an elusive offer from Vanderbilt University in Nashville.
We moved to Brentwood, Tennessee, and I have since passed the South Carolina and Tennessee bar exams, in addition to obtaining my real estate license.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I currently work as a realtor at Luxury Homes International after working as a real estate attorney for over 20 years across 4 different states. I focus on luxury clients and offer complete concierge service.
I am an outgoing person and felt too confined to practice only law within Tennessee, which is why I am now exploring what I can accomplish on the realty end of selling and purchasing homes. I enjoy working with clients and helping them find their ideal properties.
I enjoy wowing people with outside-of-the-box homes that exceed their expectations.
Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I’m a first-generation Lithuanian-American and was the first of my family to ever pursue higher education. Not only did I become a successful nurse and lawyer, but I’ve also moved away from my family in Chicago to places across the country to settle with my husband and start our family in unknown places.
I am a calculated risk-taker in that some opportunities, such as my now becoming a realtor, simply can’t be passed up when they present themselves. I’ve learned by now to always listen to my gut when it comes to whether or not something is worth the risk because my gut instinct has never been wrong so far.
My passion is my honey bees. I keep about four hives and trap swarms. I give any honey away. I am there to support the pollinators. If the world or humans were as organized and dedicated as the simple honey bee, the world would be a better place.
Contact Info:
- Website: LuxuryHomesInternational.co
- Instagram: @RutaPano
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ruta.panomitros?mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/ruta-panomitros-6836ab148
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=lemYHdd-GZVVkeAMAarFBw
