My Story
I have always been a dreamer. When I was five years old, I wanted to be Superman. When my grandmother told me, “You can’t be Superman because that’s not a real thing,” I found different dreams. We all have gifts and talents inside of us. Greatness is our ability to hone those gifts to share with the world.
I’m a Gulf War veteran, a former law enforcement officer, an entrepreneur, author and speaker, so I don’t sit still for very long. I’ve been in real estate for twenty years now, and there is no business venture that I have been involved in that I have been as excited about or enjoyed as much.
I grew up in an impoverished neighborhood in Austin, Texas. My mom did the very best she could, working two jobs, but it was a struggle. We had a roof over our heads, but we didn’t have our own home. In second grade, I was in three different schools because we moved around so much. We finally got Section 8 housing (a form of government rent assistance) and lived there until the end of high school.
Despite those circumstances, I was always a dreamer. I wanted to be Superman when I was five years old. When my grandmother told me, “You can’t be Superman because that’s not a real thing,” I changed my dream. I wanted to play football in the NFL. I had that dream until the age of 17, but had to give that up due to injuries.
I realized as I became older that I already had a real-life Superman in my life, my uncle. He was the first African American sergeant, lieutenant and captain for the Austin Police Department, and a real estate investor. When I looked at him, I saw success. I thought, if I can copy what he’s done, I can have that same type of success. So I enlisted in the military right out of high school. I spent three and a half years in the Army, including six months in Kuwait, Iraq and Saudi Arabia for Desert Storm.
After that, I became a police officer, and spent 21 years with the Denver Police Department, most of those years as a narcotics detective. I chose narcotics because I had relatives whom I had seen get caught up in drug addiction and illegal drug sales. I became passionate about trying to break that cycle for younger kids coming up.
I became a real estate agent in 2001. My wife at that time was already an agent, and what spurred me to join her was a major change in the law for city employees. For years, the law required that city employees had to live within the city limits of Denver. In 2000, that rule was rescinded, and a lot of people we knew were selling their houses and moving out to the suburbs. So it made sense for me to get my license and tag team with my wife to take care of our clients.
I retired from law enforcement in 2013 in order to devote more time to my coffee distribution business. I remained a part-time agent until 2017, which proved to be a life-changing year. My coffee business had failed, and I had two deaths in the family. That’s when I decided to go all in with real estate. I became a full-time agent, and I’ve never looked back.
I decided to write a book about that worst financial year of my life, 2016. I wanted to write about the fact that while all that chaos was going on around me, I was at peace because I knew that I was going to make it through. I put all my trust in God, and I was once again reminded that I have greatness inside me.
Greatness is our ability to hone those gifts and talents inside of us and share them with the world to inspire others. That’s how you ignite your greatness, and that became the title of my book – Ignite Your Greatness.
I offer concierge service to my clients. I provide all the real estate services my clients need, and I also know how to bring calmness into a sometimes chaotic and hectic process. I learned that as a law enforcement officer, utilizing those skills at homicide scenes and traffic accidents. I also maintain a list of vetted vendors for any need my clients may have, making the whole process much easier and more streamlined.
I believe strongly in community service, which is why I created the Overton Hero Program for first responders, medical professionals, teachers, coaches and retired and active military. I give a 15% rebate to those who have served others. This is simply my way of saying “thank you for your service.”
For me, family comes first. My wife Amy has been my number one cheerleader through my business ventures. It is a great feeling to partner in life with someone who is as driven as you, but not competing against you. We both want to see each other win in life and that's why we win in love. My children, Noelle and Jackson, are evidence that greatness exists within all of us. I’ve been able to witness them tap into their own gifts and talents. I feel blessed that I was chosen to be their father.
Sincerely,
Barry Overton
REALTOR®
