Deonna Ruff

I am a second generation Phoenician and have lived all over the Valley as well as many parts of the country over the last 30+ years, practicing Real Estate and Banking amongst other things but has never called anywhere other than Arizona her home. As a child I grew up in a rural area, living in a farming community raising live stock, riding motorcycles, horses and enjoying the community and social aspects of 4-H. As a youth and teen participating in 4-H, I learned the value of hard work to earn a dollar. My siblings and I raised live stock throughout the year, kept them fed, groomed, exercised and healthy, all with our own earnings from the showing and sale annually of our livestock. I learned early on, that" you didn't get something for nothing", It took waking up early before school to feed and water, going out in the evening when I was already too tired, to do it all over again but the end result was always worth it, happy buyer! As an older teen I, as all of my siblings and cousins had to do, went to work in my family's small hardware store, after school and summers. This experience reiterated the value of a job well done, I worked in the store along side my parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, this was not a job standing at a counter waiting for someone to come to me...In a small family business, it wasn't going to get done unless you did it, no exceptions. Working with grandparents that lived through the depression, they always led by example, treat people/customers the way you want to be treated and no job is to big or small to do the best you have to offer. After I married and started a family, I started working for a nonprofit organization and quickly found that my passion was working with grant funds to assist low to moderate income families buy their first home, the American dream! I was taught that if you work hard enough, there is nothing you cannot achieve and believe that anyone that wanted to own a home but thought they never could, should have someone in their corner helping them make that dream come true. This passion led me into the banking world, working with homeowners on the verge of loosing their homes. I was given the task of finding solutions, that would first and foremost, let these families keep their homes affordably. And this "avenue" led me into the world of Real Estate, where I have found my true passion, it combines the all of the values and beliefs that I have for living in the best state in the US, ARIZONA!