Mindset, Overcoming Adversity & Achieving Unimaginable Goals with Jayden Lee

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At just 24 years old, Jayden Lee is an accomplished realtor, homeowner and real estate investor in Chilliwack, BC. But more importantly, he’s a cancer survivor, philanthropist and inspiration using mindset and determination to overcome adversity in life, real estate and running. Jayden shares his story with us and announces his next big challenge: running 100 miles for BC Children’s Hospital!

Who is Jayden Lee?

I’m 24 years old from Chilliwack, BC. I’ve been selling real estate for five and half years now. I graduated high school in 2017 and started the real estate course at UBC, taking the exam in December 2017. I then got my real estate licence in February 2018 because I had to wait a few months until I turned 19 and was able to get my licence.

I remember my first open house. I looked like I was 12 years old and worried people thought I was the realtor’s kid. It took a while for me to build up my confidence.

What advice would you give to a young person trying to make it in the real estate business?

Confidence and knowing your stuff is key. Know how to answer questions and don’t just make things up. It takes a while to build up that confidence but it’s important.

A nice thing about starting young is that I was still living at home with my parents. My only bill was my cell phone bill. Because it takes time to build up a business in real estate, it was nice that I didn’t have to worry if I was bringing home a paycheque or not.

Why did you decide to go into real estate right out of high school?

When I was 16 years old, I got diagnosed with cancer and went through three years of chemo at BC Children’s Hospital. Before getting sick, I didn’t like school and always wanted to get the best job I could with the least amount of school. So I assumed I would go into construction or trades.

I was out of school for about a year and a half when I got sick, doing my studies online so I could graduate on time. After being sick, I was inspired to get back to school and wanted to pursue nursing. I saw what the nurses did for me at BC Children’s Hospital and wanted to follow that path.

So when I returned to school, I took all the prerequisite courses I needed to apply for a nursing program. But I also needed 75 volunteer hours. However, because I was still getting chemo, it was dangerous for my immune system for me to volunteer at a hospital. Unfortunately, that meant I couldn’t apply to the program.

My dad wished he had gotten into real estate. He always brought us to open houses and I’ve been interested in it. He encouraged me to try and get my real estate licence. If it didn’t work out, he reminded me that I could then get my volunteer hours in and apply for nursing.

If I didn’t get sick, I don’t know that I’d be doing real estate. It was a blessing in disguise. I signed up for the real estate program just to kill time before I could apply for the nursing program but it ended up being for me.

I tried to maintain as much of a normal life as I could when I was sick. They told me I could take a break from my schoolwork and just graduate a year later. But I wanted to graduate with my class so I did my schoolwork online. Anytime I was home from the hospital I would hang out with my friends and go to the skate park. I didn’t want to be treated any differently and I didn’t want to make any excuses.

Can you share how you found out you were sick?

I actually found out I was sick through running. I always used to come first in 10K runs in middle school. But in grade 10, I started feeling tired and couldn’t keep up. I thought I was just out of shape so I started going to the gym and eating better. But it got to the point where I couldn’t even run a single lap around the track.

My PE teacher noticed and my mom started asking if I was okay. After my PE teacher emailed my mom, she booked me a blood test. The hospital called at like 10:30pm asking me to come back for more tests. My mom didn’t understand why I had to go back that late at night so they told her I had cancer.

I was playing X-box downstairs when my mom came down and said we had to go back to the hospital. I knew something was up because my mom’s boyfriend was pacing like he had seen a ghost. Then my dad came over and he, my mom and I went to the hospital. I asked what was going on and my dad said, “Do you know what leukemia is?” That’s how I found out.

I went to Chilliwack Hospital and they told me I had to go to Children’s that night. I was in for nine days after that, home for a week, and then in for a month. The first year was intense treatment; I was living in and out of the hospital for about a year.

What happened after you went into remission?

After I went into remission, which was within the first year, I still had to do chemo for 3.5 years total. They caught it early but because leukemia is so dangerous, they continued chemo after I was in remission. So I did intense treatment for the first year and then had maintenance appointments. I took chemo pills every day and went into the hospital for IV chemo once a month.

I felt like I was walking around like a zombie that first year. It was a bit better when I switched to just the pills and monthly IV. But then when I finished chemo completely in May 2018, it was like a light switch went on. I felt like a new person.

I was really into extreme sports when I got sick. When I went back to the skate park after I was better, I couldn’t do any of the tricks. I had to relearn everything and regain muscle mass.

How has real estate changed your life?

It changed my life completely! Getting into real estate at such a young age really set me up for success. I did six deals my first year, 15 my second year and 41 deals in 2020 when covid blew up the industry. It’s been a great learning experience and I have a couple of properties under my belt too.

If I had gone the nursing route, I’d probably be graduating right now with $50,000 in debt. Life would look very different.

I sell residential real estate in Chilliwack and also invest there. I bought my first property in 2020; a 3 bed 3 bath townhouse for $416,000. I pulled the equity out last year when it was worth $700,000. I pulled out $200,000 and was able to buy my firstrental property.

Can you talk about how yourefinanced your property?

I bought my townhouse for $416,000 and a few years later it was worth $700,000 at the highest. The bank appraised it at $650,000 and will loan you 80% of the equity you have on your home. So they gave me a $200,000 line of credit on my home that I could use for whatever I wanted. You can buy a ferrari with it! Or you can use it to buy your next place.

So I used the $200,000 to buy a detached home in Chilliwack in February 2022. It was $1 million and I put 25% down, which was the $200,000 line of credit plus 5% of my own money.

What advice do you have for young people trying to get into the housing market?

It’s very hard these days with high inflation and high interest rates. I was very frugal when I was saving for my first place. I had multiple accounts in my bank and pretty much 90% of my income went into my savings for the down payment. It’s going to suck for a few years but will be well worth it when you can make that home purchase.

What do you attribute to your success as a realtor?

I’ve always been very motivated, even when I was sick and didn’t want to fall behind at school. It was hard starting out in this industry so young. But there’s a quote that says, “Your network is your net worth.” I have a lot of great people in my life. I surround myself with awesome people in the office.

My first year as a realtor, I only did six deals and probably wasted a lot of time hanging out in the office. But that was actually very beneficial. A 30 minute conversation with a mortgage broker taught me more than if I were out on my own.

Since all of my friends were just getting out of high school and not buying houses, I can’t rely on my social circle for sales. I’ve been doing four open houses every weekend for pretty much the last four years.

I’ve learned that life is so short. Not only from being sick myself but when my mom passed away in 2020, at 46 years old, from a heart attack out of nowhere. One of my close friends also passed away in a car accident while we were on a boys’ trip soon after. All of that has changed my mindset.

Now, I prioritize work-life balance because life can change so quickly. You can’t take money and physical stuff with you. It’s about your memories. That’s what’s worth it.

So even though you didn’t pursue nursing, you still wanted to give back to BC Children’s Hospital. How are you doing that?

After I got sick, I knew I wanted to do more and give back to Children’s. I was getting back into running at the time, partly as a way to get out of a rut after my mom died in 2020.

I saw a video on Instagram of a guy, Devon Levesque, doing abear crawl marathon which raised over half a million dollars for mental health research. I showed it to my friend, Cameron, and said we should do something similar for BC Children’s Hospital. He suggested I run from Chilliwakck to Children’s to raise money. But the most I had ever ran was 10K and this would be 100K!

The next morning, I went out on a 10K run and thought, “I could do that 10 more times!” So I called Cameron and we started training for it in 2021. My grandma was actually a marathon runner and made us a training schedule. We did little runs during the week and long runs on Fridays, working our way up. The longest run I did in training was 60K.

In October 2021, we ran from our office in Chilliwack to Children’s. We started at midnight, running 103 km in just over 12 hours, and raised over $125,000 for BC Children’s Hospital.

What was the hardest part of the 103 km run from Chilliwack to Children’s?

We were on Global News that morning. We had planned to raise $121,000 as a nod to Century 21, our office, so had already surpassed our goal before we even started running. It was all over the news so I had no option but to get there! I said, “No matter how long it takes me and even if I’m crawling across the finish line, I have to get there.”

My legs were still hurting from our past runs. My body was done by the time we got to Langley. But that’s when mindset and determination take over. That’s what got us through. And that doesn’t just apply to physical challenges. Any adversity you deal with in life or business can be overcome with mindset and determination.

Yes, we raised a lot of money and yes, we ran a long way. But the coolest part about it was giving the kids at the hospital hope. For them to see me and think, ‘This guy was in our shoes and now look what he’s doing!’ That’s what got me through.

How did you raise the money?

My initial goal was $20,000 but Cam told me to shoot for $121,000 and Century 21 would sponsor it. It blew up a bit when we first announced it and we raised $12,000 in the first week. There’s a lot of money in real estate and we have a lot of generous people in our lives, so that’s where we raised the majority of the money.

On the day of the run, it was on Global News, and that brought some traction. I set up a Go Fund Me page but it was really just word of mouth. We had some very kind people support us. One agent in our office donated $20,000.

How has that run changed the trajectory of your life?

I originally started running to get me out of a rut after my mom passed away. But I didn’t really deal with what I was going through. I just set this big goal as a bandaid.

A month after I did the run, we went on that boys’ trip to Texas and that’s when my buddy passed away. I hit rock bottom after that. I realized I needed to not just put a bandaid over my problems but find the tools to deal with adversity.

Looking back on the run, I can see the mindset and determination I used to get through it and use those in other areas of my life. I feel like I have the tools to deal with adversity when it comes.

I got to have a Zoom call with Devon Levesque, the guy who inspired my run with his bear crawl marathon, and we’ve kept in touch. He invited me down to do a half marathon with him in Maine and to a wellness retreat on his property in Texas. I stayed with him the entire week between the half marathon and the retreat. I learned so much from him and got to meet a lot of cool people. It set me on a health and wellness journey, prioritizing my mental health.

Do you see yourself continuing in real estate or do you have an entrepreneurial spirit that might take you elsewhere?

If the last year or two has taught us anything, it’s that real estate has its ups and downs. So I do want to diversify. I love selling real estate and it has gotten me where I’m at. But I also love sharing my story and inspiring other people.

I’d love to start my own podcast down the road and get into motivational speaking. I think there’s more for me than selling real estate in Chilliwack.

Tell us about your next big challenge.

I’ve learned that it’s always important to have a “what’s next” on the calendar and a big goalthat you’re working towards. When I was down in the States and telling my story, I had to keep converting 103 km into miles. But 64 miles doesn’t sound that cool. You know what sounds cool? 100 miles!

When you stop chemo, the highest risk for your cancer coming back is within the next five years. This October will mark five years since I stopped chemo. So I came up with my next challenge: After my final check up appointment at BC Children’s, I want to run 100 miles on a longer route back home to Chilliwack.

This run will start on October 6, 2023 at 3:00pm from BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver right after my final check up appointment. From there I will run 100 miles (161 km) back home and it will probably take me 24-29 hours.

I’m hoping to raise $150,000 but it’s not just about that. It’s about the people I inspire and for me to do this mentally for myself to close out my cancer journey. But I am collecting donations! A lot of people have connections to BC Children’s Hospital and know someone who has been touched by that place.

I have a donation page linked through the hospital where people can donate. I would also love to encourage anyone who wants to run alongside me to come out whether you run for 5K, 10K or the whole freaking thing! I want a lot of people to come to the appointment with me and send me off but I’d also love people running with me at the end when I need the motivation to finish.

The 5 Wire: Getting to Know realtor & philanthropist Jayden Lee

What is one book you recommend?

I’m not a huge reader but I’m reading The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday, which is a daily meditation. I post it on my Story every day and I’m really liking it.

What is one new belief, behaviour or habit that has most improved your life?

The running has been a huge one, but that might be stating the obvious. Other than that I’d say cold plunging. I know it’s a huge trend right now but it’s really great for my legs. In the winter, I was going to Cultus Lake every morning and staying in for four minutes. It boosts my mood and my energy levels. I love it!

Who is the most inspiring person you follow?

It’s two people:Devon Levesque and his business partner, Jesse Itzler. I only follow people who inspire me so when I’m scrolling on Instagram, it’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Jesse has a saying that you should “build your life resume” with memories and experiences you can look back on. 60 years from now I won’t remember how many sales I did but I will remember my 100 mile run for BC Children’s Hospital.

What is your favourite band or musician?

I was a big punk rock fan growing up. I’m a big Machine Gun Kelly fan now. He was a rapper but now he’s doing more punk stuff.

What is something you have purchased recently for under $1500 that has had a positive impact on your life?

The first plane ticket I bought to go down to the US to do the half marathon with Devon Levesque definitely changed my life.