Bob Steedman was happy as a banker. His coworkers were kind and smart, and Wells Fargo was the type of company you could spend your entire career with. When Bob and his ex-partner adopted their first son, Zach, from Guatemala, it made sense for Bob to take paternity leave from Wells. After three months caring for his new son, Bob retired from banking to take on a more important role as stay at home dad. Soon, the small family of three expanded with the adoption of Elias, their second son. Bob got involved in the PTSA, school committees, and immersing himself in charity work, organizing supplies and funding for a local homelessness project. 

After eight years caring for his young boys and a divorce, Bob knew it was time to go back to work. Wells Fargo happily welcomed him back, but this time it was different - many of his previous coworkers had moved on and his job wasn’t the same as before. After a year, Bob decided it was time for a career change. Having always had a passion for real estate, his new partner, David, a real estate broker himself for 30 years, convinced him to take the plunge. It was Memorial Day Weekend 2012, and Bob decided to enroll in a real estate license class which started 3 days later on June 2nd. By July 2nd, he was fully licensed and started his career at Coldwell Banker in Capital Hill. He was officially on a new path! 

Barb Hindle, Managing Broker at Coldwell Banker Capital Hill, took Bob under her wing. She taught him the ins and outs of Real Estate contracts and negotiation. After about 15 months, Barb encouraged Bob to enroll in their management program. With his background in financial services and management as a former VP of Wells Fargo, he was uniquely qualified to be a Managing Broker. Before long, the President of Bain called Bob. He wanted to know if Bob would consider the Assistant Managing Broker position at their Bellevue Office. Terrified and thrilled, Bob took the job and got his managing broker's license within six months. For six years Bob built relationships with his brokers, listened, and helped guide them and the entire office to success. He loved his job, his brokers, and his staff, and had plenty of time for his family. 

In 2021, Lew Mason called. Lew was a legend in the Eastside Real Estate market, overseeing the top-producing Windermere office in the state. Lew was retiring and asked to find his own replacement as Managing Broker at the Yarrow Bay Windermere office. Bob had always admired Windermere as a company and the Yarrow Bay office, and always knew one day, he’d join that company. 

When Lew asked to meet for coffee Bob jumped at the opportunity and after a few meetings, was offered the role and has been the managing broker at Yarrow Bay since. He makes sure he is always available to all brokers—from the seasoned veterans to the ones only in the biz a few years. He loves his job, working with some of the most respected and successful brokers in the business. Bob makes it his business to return calls from his brokers as soon as possible, making himself as available as possible to help support them in their success. The collaborative spirit of the Yarrow Bay office is amazing; Bob notes that his brokers support one another as peers and coworkers. It’s the Windermere culture he nurtures and cherishes—his “why” statement when asked about his work.

When not bonding with his brokers and coworkers in Yarrow Bay, Bob enjoys traveling with his partner, David, also a Yarrow Bay broker. He and David make it a priority to get out of the country every September. They travel light— carry-on only— without a rigid travel itinerary. This allows them to live like the locals, leveraging local public transit, Ubers, and Airbnb to get fully immersed in the destination. They were in Edinburgh, Scotland when Queen Elizabeth passed away. They lived like Parisians in the third Arrondissement, and quickly fell in love with all things French. And in September 2022, they visited what quickly became one of their favorite cities in Europe thus far, Madrid, Spain. There, they enjoyed the history, the people, and the amazing food at “hole in the wall” and ancient restaurants scattered all over the city. They have visited eight countries, a few multiple times, and continue to tick off countries they have not visited.

Bob appreciates everything about his life; his wonderful family, his amazing annual travel, and a career in real estate that has fulfilled him and enabled him to flourish in the other aspects of his life as well.