"I thought I was going to be a lawyer," says Colin Panzi. 

Colin grew up in Ft. Dodge, Iowa, and went on to attend Iowa State University. However, after getting into it, Colin decided to major in Finance as well as Entrepreneurial Studies and worked hard enough to graduate early.

He expected to find an internship that would lead to a job going into his last semester. "What really led me to Real Estate," he says, "was getting turned down for three different internships my junior year."

"I think my dad saw my potential and thought I’d do well in Real Estate," he continues, "so he asked me to help him over the summer." That summer turned into nine months then into a full-time job after graduation.

That next year, 2007, Jeff and Colin brokered the largest Real Estate transaction in Iowa history, helping Clarke Companies sell their entire portfolio to Hubbell Realty for $87 million. Hubbell is now one of the largest apartment owners in the state.

"That was a pretty good year," Colin laughs. He was 23 years old.  "The next year, 2008, wasn't so great for anybody, though."

Then, in 2009, Jeff suddenly and unexpectedly passed away. Colin remembers, "I was 24 years old, still learning what I was doing, but not really knowing anything, and then the market came to a halt."

With the loss of his father, he felt rudderless. "I had a couple of years where I was only making around $12,000 a year," he remembers. "I didn't want to take another job because I wanted to stay in Real Estate and continue on with what my dad taught me."

Life took Colin to Fargo, North Dakota and, luckily, he found a perfect fit. "I began working with Heritage Homes. They were a fantastic company. I was able to sell Real Estate but they also offered a small salary with insurance and opportunities to grow my skills."

It only took a year before he felt like he hit his stride and got involved in unique projects. "That was pretty fun," he says. "We were doing really cool stuff —a home with a slide to the basement from the main floor, and even one with a plane hangar attached." Focusing on custom homes, he was involved in Extreme Home Makeover, too.

In 2011, during a Thanksgiving visit in Des Moines, Colin met his future wife, Ashley. Even though his business was growing in Fargo, one thing led to another, and he decided to move back to Des Moines to start his own family and a new chapter in his career.

"It was tough," he remembers. "I felt so secure in Fargo, and I knew what I doing there. Now I'm in a new city, getting married. Starting over, you know."

Colin notes that it took a while to get going again. But by 2013-14 he started getting busy.

"My dad taught me so many core values: show up on time, say please and thank you, do what you say you’re going to do, and finish what you started. My dad taught me the core principles of business, and to always do the right thing." He credits his success in Fargo to those core values.

"Working in Fargo...that also taught me grit." That quality added to his eventual success in Des Moines.

In 2014 Colin created Panzi Real Estate Team. Things were moving.

One day in 2019, Colin was approached by Travis Moulton, owner of ReMax Precision. "During that meeting, I said, 'I think I can build something great in Ankeny.' That became the first co-owned ReMax Precision satellite office."

Colin opened his new ReMax Precision office in Ankeny in December of 2019, “Covid 2020 was a challenge,” he says, “but by 2022 we had roughly 50 Realtors, did nearly 1,000 transactions, and $600 million in volume.”

"Another big change came in 2021," he says. "I partnered with Michael Hidder and we created Ankeny Real Estate Group."

"I knew that what I was doing on my own wasn't sustainable," recalls Colin. "I wanted to take my name off of it. What if I passed away unexpectedly like my dad? Panzi Real Estate wouldn't be Panzi Real Estate anymore. We wanted to build something bigger than ourselves and make it about the team."

"When I look back on my career so far... You know, life happens. Good and bad. It happens in transactions. Obstacles don't mean we can't figure out a solution, pivot, grow, stay true to who we are.

"Surround yourself with good people doing good things and those who share your similar core values, treat people the right way, and just keep swimming."