Reagan Breaux, the Texas Doll of Real Estate: How Losing My Home Taught Me to Help You Find Yours

In March 2023, less than a month after I closed on my first home in Arlington, Texas, I was laid off.

I had moved back to the Dallas–Fort Worth area from Austin in 2023 to be closer to my family. I had finally bought a house. I was working from home in the technology industry. I thought I had done what I was supposed to do: found stable work, saved money, signed the papers, and started building a life.

Then, almost immediately, the ground shifted.

It was a difficult time to find another technology position. Companies were laying people off, and the competition was intense. I remember looking at the home I had worked so hard to buy and wondering how I was going to keep it.

For the next two years, I fought to do exactly that.

I learned homeownership the hard way

I drove for Uber and Lyft. I rented out spare rooms. I learned what it meant to manage a property, deal with tenants, handle landlord responsibilities, and make difficult financial decisions when there was no comfortable option.

I also learned that owning a home is not just about the moment you receive the keys. It is the taxes, insurance, repairs, maintenance, unexpected expenses, and monthly decisions that come afterward. It is the emotional weight of trying to hold onto a place when your circumstances have changed.

There were times when I was proud of myself for finding a way to keep going. There were also times when I was exhausted, frightened, and unsure what the next month would bring.

Eventually, after two years, I made the painful decision to sell the house. I used the money to go back to school, earn my real estate license, and start over.

I was almost 40 years old when I pivoted.

That was not the path I expected. But it became the path that brought me here.

Before real estate, I learned how to read a room

I grew up in North Texas, although I spent about a decade living and performing in Austin. I started working when I was 15 and spent 11 years in restaurant management. Some weeks, I worked as many as 80 hours.

Restaurant work taught me things I use every day as a Realtor. I learned how to read people, anticipate needs, stay calm when plans changed, and connect with people from very different backgrounds. I also learned conversational Spanish along the way.

Before I ever represented a buyer or seller, I already loved real estate, interior design, and architecture. I noticed how people used their spaces and how much a home could affect someone’s sense of safety, stability, and belonging.

My career later moved into technology, which brought me to working from home and eventually back to the DFW area. Buying that Arlington house was supposed to be a sign that I had arrived at a more settled chapter.

Instead, it became the experience that taught me how quickly life can change: and how important honest guidance can be when it does.

My recovery is part of my story

I want to speak openly about something else that happened after the layoff: I struggled deeply with addiction.

It was a very dark time. My world was crumbling, and I was not handling the pain well. Selling my home became part of my recovery because I needed a changed environment to rebuild my life. That decision was not easy, but it was necessary.

Today, I am proud to live a life firmly rooted in recovery. Rebuilding is not easy, but it is possible. I am thankful for every single day I have now.

During that period, I became friends with people who were facing homelessness because of addiction and other circumstances. Their lives, their stories, and their humanity stayed with me. They helped deepen my understanding of how quickly someone can lose stability: and how difficult it can be to find a way back.

My history does not define the limits of my future. Neither does yours.

That belief is one of the reasons I became a real estate agent. I want to help my LGBTQ+ family and community, but I also want to help people who are rebuilding after addiction, job loss, divorce, financial hardship, or any other major life transition. I know what it feels like to wonder whether your circumstances have disqualified you from the life you hoped to build.

They have not.

Drag built me — and I’m returning the favor

Drag was a huge part of my life for about 10 years. I was on stage six nights a week, hosted shows all over Austin, and performed throughout Texas and across the country. That chapter was about so much more than pageants, although pageants were definitely part of it. I was a former pageant titleholder, including Miss Texas Large and Lovely 2015, and I held other titles such as Miss South Central States US of a Newcomer, Miss Austin Entertainer of the Year, Miss Austin at Large, Miss Capital City Newcomer, Miss Capital City at Large, and Miss Austin Sweetheart.

Drag was also where I discovered my transness. The LGBTQ+ community, and specifically the drag community, helped build who I am today. It gave me confidence, resilience, and a deeper understanding of what it means to be seen, supported, and loved while you are figuring yourself out.

Performing taught me how to read a room, how to connect with people, and how to show up even when I was nervous. It also exposed me to the realities of earning income outside traditional systems.

As a performer, I experienced how difficult it could be to qualify for an apartment when my income did not fit conventional boxes. I did not have the standard documentation or a cosigner many landlords wanted. Qualifying for housing could become enormously difficult, even when I was working hard and earning money.

That experience is a major reason I care about nontraditional income and documentation today. A person’s income may come from performances, contract work, tips, rideshare driving, commissions, self-employment, or several sources combined. That does not mean they are irresponsible or incapable of being a homeowner. It means their financial story may require careful explanation and thorough documentation.

When I think about the work I do now, I see it as an extension of that same care. Real estate and community work are part of how I give back to the LGBTQ+ community that helped shape me, and part of how I help build the kind of community I always wanted to see more of.

Starting over led me to real estate

I earned my real estate license in August 2025. Finding my professional home with Texas Pride Realty Group | HomeSmart Stars has meant a great deal to me because the team reflects my commitment to inclusion and equitable access to real estate.

Today, I serve the Dallas–Fort Worth area as a transgender Realtor and help clients navigate a process that can feel intimidating even under the best circumstances.

I work with first-time buyers who need help understanding credit, financial preparation, lender requirements, down-payment assistance, and the true cost of owning a home. I help clients think through documentation when their income is not traditional. I help people understand their options without making them feel embarrassed for asking questions.

If you are preparing to become a first-time home buyer in Dallas, TX, you can read my guide to seven common mistakes and how to fix them. And if saving for the upfront costs feels like the biggest barrier, I also put together a guide to Texas down-payment assistance programs for Dallas–Fort Worth and Mid-Cities buyers.

Programs and requirements can change, so I always encourage buyers to verify current details with an approved lender. My job is to help you ask the right questions and understand what comes next.

I believe clients deserve an advocate, not just an agent

I have hosted charity benefit shows over the years and helped transgender women experiencing housing insecurity. I also serve as a Volunteer Deputy Registrar in Tarrant, Dallas, Collin, and Rockwall counties, helping eligible Texans register to vote.

I am a voice on the Flea Red State podcast, where I share real estate education, resources, and information affecting my community. Every part of that work connects back to the same belief: people deserve access to information, dignity, and a fair chance to participate in the decisions shaping their lives.

If you are searching for a queer, trans, gay, or LGBTQ+ Realtor in Dallas, you should find an advocate: not just an agent.

Whether you call me a Dallas queer Realtor, Dallas trans Realtor, Dallas gay Realtor, Dallas LGBTQ+ Realtor, or a transgender real estate agent in Dallas, what matters most to me is that you feel safe being honest about your goals and concerns. I want to create an affirming, judgment-free space for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, nonbinary, and other LGBTQ+ clients.

That includes clients relocating to Dallas, TX, families navigating a major transition, young professionals entering the DFW real estate market, and anyone who has been made to feel that their situation is too complicated.

Your story does not have to follow a straight line

My path to homeownership was not straight. I bought a home, lost stable employment, worked multiple jobs to keep going, rented out rooms, sold the property, entered recovery, went back to school, and started a new career close to 40.

I do not share that story because it is polished. I share it because it is true: and because I know many people are carrying stories they are afraid will make them less worthy of housing, stability, or a fresh start.

Your circumstances may require a different plan. Your income may need additional documentation. Your credit may need work. You may be recovering from something. You may be relocating, rebuilding, or simply trying to understand whether buying is even possible.

We can start with a conversation. There is no pressure and no expectation that you need to have everything figured out before you reach out.

If you are buying, selling, relocating to DFW, or just have questions, contact me here. I would be honored to listen, help you understand your options, and stand beside you as you decide what comes next.