Liz Foltynski didn’t like the direction of real estate when the market started crashing around 2006, and she decided to take a break from the business to focus on her family. 

“There were different regulations,” Liz says, “and there were a lot of agents lying and cheating.”

But a neighbor knew Liz had been a realtor, and she presented Liz with an opportunity too good to pass up: A part-time job working from home. 

Even better, the job had a connection to real estate.

Inspired by 9/11, Homes for Heroes was created to help firefighters, law enforcement, military (past and present), health care professionals and teachers. Since 2009, Homes for Heroes has helped more than 40,000 heroes save over $68 million on real estate transactions.

“I was excited to get out of the house,” Liz recalls.

Interestingly, when she started there, Homes for Heroes had an office in Coon Rapids — in the very same offices that now serve as the headquarters for Realty Group. 

Her position was a natural fit for Liz, especially since her husband had become a firefighter. Homes for Heroes eventually offered Liz a full-time job, but leaders there told her she shouldn’t accept it.

“ ‘You should go back to real estate,’ ” Liz recalls one of them telling her. “They gave me a good push and a great direction.”

In 2013, Liz returned to real estate, and her business quickly thrived, exceeding what she’d done before her break. Since then, Liz has given about $145,000 of her commissions to heroes, in addition to more than $25,000 to Homes for Heroes. She’s donated even more money, and she and her lender/ partner Shelle Page regularly provide gifts, food baskets and lunches to local heroes, including giant pies at Thanksgiving.   

“Anything we can to help,” Liz says.

By September 2020, Liz had already reached her goal for the year, and she’d given about $35,000 back to Homes for Heroes this year. Beyond the financial benefits, though, Liz reflects on the impact Ruth Johnson, the CEO and president of Homes for Heroes, had on her when she was working there part-time. 

“She was a huge Simon Sinek fan,” Liz says, referring to the popular motivational speaker who delivered one of the most-watched TED Talks ever, “Start with Why,” which also became a best-selling book. “In our weekly meetings and growth sessions, we really focused on our why, and I’ve never lost my focus on that.”

Liz says she feels great connection and purpose now, and she points to an experience with a client named Eddie, who had retired from the Navy. Liz helped Eddie sell one home and move into another through the program. But two years later, Eddie had renovated his home and decided to sell and purchase another one. 

"We are sitting at the purchase table, and I write down a number with his Homes for Heroes reward,” Liz recalls. “His eyes open and his mouth goes wide, and he says, ‘I get this again?’ ”

Eddie had no idea, choosing to work with Liz again purely because of her professionalism.

“I love real estate. It’s a huge part of who I am,” says Liz, the mother of three. “I’m a part of such a large movement that I really know is making a difference.”