Daily Inspiration: Meet Chuck Starks

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chuck Starks.

Hi chuck, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
From Rock Bands to Real Estate: A Journey Between Nashville and the California Mojave Desert

Fresh out of college, I crammed my life into a beat-up 1994 Chevy Blazer—$200 in my pocket, a drum set in the back, and a pile of clothes—and hit the road for Nashville. I didn’t even know where I’d sleep that first night. Somewhere along I-24, I started making phone calls, stitching together a plan as I barreled toward the unknown.

For five years, I pounded drums and wrote songs for Brenn, a rock band that carved out a modest name in the scene. We toured, recorded, hustled. But the grind eventually wore me down, and I traded the unpredictability of gigs for something more stable: a “real job.”

High tech became my world for the next decade. I’ll never forget seeing my name on an Excel spreadsheet for the first time—buried among hundreds of others. It was a gut punch, like my life had been reduced to a single cell in a massive grid. But that career gave me something music never could: financial security. It allowed me to buy a house in Nashville—an investment that turned out to be one of my smartest moves. As the city boomed, so did my equity. That equity became fuel for the next chapter: a property in the wide-open beauty of Joshua Tree, California.

The desert changed me. Joshua Tree’s raw, unfiltered quiet—especially during the stillness of the pandemic—pulled me back to songwriting after years away. Surrounded by sand, solitude, and star-soaked skies, I rediscovered the rhythm of creation. Music slowly threaded its way back into my life, this time on my own terms. I’m now recording new tracks and preparing to lay down songs with Kevin Ratterman, the Pasadena-based producer behind artists like My Morning Jacket.

And still, Nashville calls me home. Its songwriting soul, its energy—it’s in my blood. These days, I split my time between Nashville and the desert, bouncing between the two as often as I can. What’s surprised me most is the thread connecting them: a vibrant, cross-country community of creatives who find themselves drawn to both places. There’s a magic in that duality—city grit and desert stillness, plugged-in and pulled-back.

Over the past decade, I’ve helped several friends come up with creative ways to buy homes—sometimes when they didn’t even realize they could afford to. Watching their lives transform after stepping into homeownership has been powerful. Now, I’m proud to be doing this work officially as part of Exit Real Estate Experts East, under the guidance of April Harrington—an accomplished broker and entrepreneur who’s been featured in Nashville Voyager for her leadership and impact. Whether it’s a first home or an investment property, I want to help others take that same leap. Sometimes that one bold move can change your life forever.

I’ve always loved how many creative souls—musicians, artists, even full-blown rock stars—end up weaving themselves into real estate. I can think of several who are STILL full blown rock stars, and they do so well to bring organic stories into the world of buying and selling homes. They bring that same energy, passion, and creative fire into helping people find their space in the world.

I’ll always spend as much time in 29 Palms, California as I can – it’s such a wonderful artistic community. But my number one love will always be Nashville.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No way! Early on, I was drowning in student loan debt, slinging drinks at the Cheesecake Factory in Green Hills while doing the band thing. One time, while on tour with my band Brenn in Austin playing SXSW and Red Gorilla Music Festival, I got a call from a student loan servicer about a debt I didn’t even know existed. That was the wake-up call—I had to swap the music life for a steadier paycheck and start clawing my way out.

Even the wins these days haven’t come without a few curveballs. Take my Airbnb in Twentynine Palms, just outside Joshua Tree—getting it up and running felt almost too smooth at first. Pure bliss… until about a month after I closed on the property, when a sudden flash freeze caused a pipe to burst. Cue a $20,000 repair bill that hit like a freight train.

And that was just the beginning. I had no idea how much goes into keeping a desert property running—from supplies and backup systems to unexpected legal fees for forming a California LLC. Then there are the management fees, state-specific regulations, and all the nuances that come with doing business in California. It’s a lot.

But despite the setbacks, I’m still incredibly glad I took the leap. It’s a rewarding, humbling, and often hilarious process. Sure, there have been months when I’ve asked myself, “What was I thinking?” But I know I’m not alone in that. Anyone who’s ever started something from scratch—especially something a little outside the box—has likely had those same moments. It’s just part of the ride.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Real estate as an agent in Nashville, helping people find their dream homes in the best city for music in the US! I have been on a mission to help my parents find their dream home in Nashville for almost ten years… and we are about to close on their new home at the end of this month.

This past year, one of the things I’m most proud of is getting my Airbnb up and running near Joshua Tree National Park. The house is in Twentynine Palms, California—right by the park’s quieter entrance, which makes it feel like your own private gateway into that wild, otherworldly landscape.

It’s been such a thrill connecting with other Airbnb hosts, artists, and creatives out there. Everyone shares a common goal: keeping the authentic spirit of the area alive while supporting thoughtful growth. There’s been a surge of attention lately—even LA is catching on. Billboards have started popping up, calling Twentynine Palms the new “hip” desert destination. It’s pretty wild to see.

The area just oozes creativity. I always tell my Nashville crew—if you’re looking for a writer’s retreat, come stay at the house. It’s packed with inspiring views, endless quiet, Milky Way skies, and that rare kind of stillness that lets ideas pour in. Plus, the local culture is unreal. There are great open mic nights (The Palms in Wonder Valley is a personal favorite), and just down the road in Pioneertown, you’ve got venues like Pappy & Harriet’s, where legends like Paul McCartney have graced the stage.

If you’ve ever wanted to feel what the old west actually felt like—this is the place. There’s a reason I wear a cowboy hat and boots almost every day now… and it’s not just because I’m from Nashville. It’s because I got used to needing sun protection and tough boots while walking desert land—rattlesnakes are real out there, but part of the eco-system so there’s a big focus on keeping them safe and relocating them when needed. A local handler named Danielle Wall (who was just featured on Daniel Tosh podcast, Tosh Show) runs a non profit to help rescue and relocate the rattlesnakes.

The high desert keeps me rugged, real, and is a huge part of who I am. When I was a kid, I used to listen to a ton of Art Bell – remember him? Art Bell was a late-night radio host known for Coast to Coast AM, where he explored the paranormal and unexplained. His opening line every night was “From the high desert and the great American Southwest, I bid you all good evening, good morning, wherever you may be…”

When I was younger, I had no idea that late nights listening to Art Bell and flipping through CD jackets stamped “Produced in Nashville, TN” were quietly shaping my future. Now here I am—living in Nashville as both a realtor and musician, and spending creative time out in Twentynine Palms, California, nestled up next to Joshua Tree. These dream like things that once sparked my childlike imagination are now lighting my path.

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Oh my gosh—yes. Sometimes it feels like my entire life has been one big, beautiful gamble. Moving to Nashville with next to nothing? A huge risk. Touring the world in a band? Another one. Stepping into the tech industry might’ve seemed like the safer path, but let’s be real—in today’s world of AI disruption and mass layoffs, even that’s a wild ride.

Launching an Airbnb in the middle of the Mojave Desert? Definitely a calculated risk, but a risk nonetheless. And now, diving into real estate during an unpredictable economy? Yep, you guessed it—another leap of faith.

Then there’s the music—coming back to songwriting after time away. It’s emotional, unpredictable, and honestly, a bit terrifying. But it also feels like coming home. I was born into a musical family, so creating music is more of a calling than a choice. That said, guitars, drums, and all the gear don’t exactly come cheap!

I’ve always believed: no risk, no reward. I like living life with a little edge—I believe no creative type would ever tell you otherwise.

Pricing:

• see airbnb listing

Contact Info:

• Website: https://airbnb.com/h/milkywayheaven
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chuck.starks
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chuck.starks.nashville
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckstarks/

Image Credits
Please note his has changed since my last upload – Jeremy Cowart, Christy Parry Photography, Mojave Exposure