Sanjog Gopal has watched dirt roads and dairy farms give way to amazing high-rise buildings and beautiful master planned communities. As he grew up, so did Phoenix. And now, he gets to present this wonderful city to his clients who want to make it their home, too. It’s the best feeling in the world.Sanjog moved to Phoenix when he was 3 months old and it oftentimes feels like the city and he have grown up together. There was a time when the closest four-way stop to their house was a dirt road and now it’s a major intersection in the middle of town. Dairy farms have turned into high-rise buildings and planned communities. His childhood home was the last subdivision on the outskirts of town and some of his fondest memories are of grabbing his bike and exploring the untouched desert around him with his friends. They would leave their homes when the sun came up and didn’t come home until dinner. They never could have imagined that the bike trails that they were blazing would one day become an integral piece of one of the fastest growing cities in the world.Just as Sanjog enjoyed exploring the desert and mountains around him, his parents always encouraged him to explore the world. Both of his parents are from India, so they used to go back there quite a bit when he was young. India is literally on the other side of the world, so they would always stop along the way to visit some place new. Now that he’s married with five children, he’s instilled that love of adventure and travel in his own family. They’ve not just been to all 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands; they have experienced them in depth. They have seen so many of the unique elements that every nook and cranny of our country has to offer and enjoyed experiencing the differences that make each place special and the similarities that tie us all together.When Sanjog went to college, he decided to study finance and accounting. He had always been a numbers guy, so these two majors seemed right up his alley. He became a CPA and, at 21, he was the youngest person to pass all four parts of the CPA exam in Arizona. Within a couple weeks, he found himself a job as an auditor at one of the Big 5 accounting firms. However, he soon realized that being an auditor was not meant for him. He oftentimes found himself in a position where he was creating stress in his client’s environment. Instead of a positive interaction where he was there to help, he was mostly having negative interactions where he was there to inspect and scrutinize. He quickly realized that he’s just not that type of guy. He wanted something different. He wanted to help.After his second son was born, Sanjog realized he needed to make a change. So, he switched career paths and got into the lending business, which eventually led him into real estate, and he’s been doing this ever since. It’s a career that he loves because he gets to bring happiness to people’s lives. Plus, his background in accounting and lending has really allowed him to be a well-rounded asset to his clients. Oftentimes, there seems to be a speed bump along the way when you’re buying or selling a home, but he loves figuring it out and making the journey as smooth as possible for his clients. He wants his clients to have a smooth and stress-free transaction, so he is happy that he can take care of the bumps along the way.When the recession happened, Sanjog faced challenges just like so many other families. But he has always tried to look at challenges as opportunities to learn and grow. He has always had a really positive attitude, and he tries to pass this behavior along to his kids. When they are going through something that might seem terrible to them, Sanjog reminds them that there are always people going through things that are so much worse. He tries to teach them to feel gratitude for what they do have, and the rest will work itself out.He also feels gratitude when he can help his clients find their new home. Sanjog loves to see his clients ecstatic when they get the keys at closing. And he always checks in with them six months later to see how they’re doing. It’s the greatest thing ever to hear them say how much they still love their home.Sanjog has always been a really positive person in the face of adversity. And gratitude is a big part of that.