His home town, Oklahoma City, was the starting place for his real estate career. He became a newly licensed agent at Abide, Inc. Realtors in early 1986 and a Broker Associate in 1987. That year, he also completed the Realtor® Institute program and received a GRI designation. In 1988, Mike applied for the position of Appraiser in Dallas, but the job was filled just before his interview. He finally became a Texan by Choice in 1990 – moving to the Lone Star State.