Today we’d like to introduce you to Rondré “Key” Brooks.
Hi Rondré “Key”, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I didn’t start from comfort or clarity; I started from pressure. Early on, I learned that nothing was promised, so I had to build leverage where I could. My journey began with a mix of hustle, curiosity, and survival instincts. I wasn’t handed a blueprint; I learned by watching, failing, and paying attention to patterns—especially where money, people, and opportunity intersect.
Real estate became my foundation because it forced accountability. If you make bad decisions, the numbers expose you. If you make good ones, they compound quietly. I bought my first investment property before I ever became a licensed agent, fixing it up myself, learning the hard way how systems work or don’t. That property taught me more than any book ever could. Over time, I moved from being hands-on in everything to building structure: brokerage, property management, marketing, and brand. I stopped chasing transactions and started building ecosystems.
Along the way, I made money, lost money, rebuilt confidence, and learned that success isn’t linear, it’s recursive. You revisit the same lessons at higher levels. I’ve sold over $50 million in real estate, but the real growth happened internally: learning restraint, learning patience, learning when to walk away. I learned that being busy isn’t the same as being effective, and that reputation outlives any single deal.
Today, I operate as an entrepreneur more than just a real estate professional. I focus on building brands, systems, and people… because those scale even when motivation fades. I’m still evolving, still sharpening, still uncomfortable by design. The goal was never just to “make it.” The goal was to build something that reflects who I’ve become and to leave proof that growth is possible, even when the odds say otherwise.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not even close.
The road has been uneven, humbling, and at times brutal, but that’s where the real education came from. One of the biggest struggles wasn’t external, it was internal. Early on, I had to unlearn the idea that working harder automatically meant moving forward. I burned out more than once, chasing momentum without direction, mistaking activity for progress.
Financial pressure was constant in the early years. Commission-based income doesn’t care about your effort, only results. There were seasons where deals fell apart at the closing table, months where the pipeline went quiet, and moments where I questioned whether stability was worth more than belief. I had to learn how to manage money when it came in waves, not checks. That forced discipline, humility, and long-term thinking.
People were another major challenge. Trusting the wrong partners, overextending loyalty, and assuming everyone values integrity the same way I do cost me time and money. I also had to confront my own tendencies of wanting to fix things, save people, or carry weight that wasn’t mine to carry. That lesson showed up in business and in life. Boundaries weren’t optional; they were survival tools.
There were emotional struggles too… navigating relationships, expectations, and the pressure of being “the strong one.” From the outside, things can look successful while internally you’re recalibrating, rebuilding confidence, or questioning alignment. I’ve had to rebuild myself more than once, not because I failed, but because I outgrew the version of myself that got me there.
It wasn’t smooth, but it was necessary. Every setback refined my judgment. Every loss sharpened my standards. Every uncomfortable season forced clarity. Looking back, the struggles didn’t slow me down, they trained me. And I wouldn’t trade that education for anything.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
At my core, I’m a builder, of deals, brands, and systems. My work sits at the intersection of real estate, entrepreneurship, and culture. I’m a licensed broker and investor, but more importantly, I specialize in turning chaos into structure. Whether that’s a distressed property, a scattered operation, or a personal brand that hasn’t been fully realized yet, my strength is seeing the long game and building toward it deliberately.
In real estate, I operate across brokerage, investment, and property management. I’ve sold and managed millions in residential and multifamily assets, and I’m known for being both strategic and hands-on. I don’t just chase listings, I help clients understand why a deal makes sense, how it fits into their broader goals, and what happens after the closing. I’m especially strong with investors because I think in systems: cash flow, scalability, risk management, and exit strategies. I’ve built teams, launched brokerages, and created infrastructure that allows business to function even when I step back.
Outside of real estate, I’m intentional about staying grounded in real life. Bartending became a recent addition, not because I needed a title, but because I value versatility. It sharpened my people skills, reinforced discipline, and reminded me how to operate under pressure in real time. I don’t see side hustles as distractions; I see them as leverage and perspective. They keep me humble, sharp, and connected.
What I’m most proud of isn’t the volume or the numbers, it’s longevity and integrity. I’m proud that I’ve been able to evolve without losing myself (because this year definitely tested me). I’m proud of the fact that I’ve helped tenants become homeowners, guided newer agents into confidence, and built businesses that don’t depend solely on my presence to survive.
What sets me apart is that I don’t perform success, I engineer it. I’m not interested in optics without substance. I ask hard questions, I think long-term, and I move with intention. I understand both the grind and the systems that eventually replace it. And I bring my whole self to the table—experience, mistakes, creativity, and perspective. That combination makes my work real, resilient, and built to last.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
One of my favorite childhood memories is realizing, without anyone saying it out loud, that I was safe in the moment.
It wasn’t some big event or vacation. It was the simple stuff: being outside until the streetlights came on, music playing somewhere in the background, laughter floating through the house, playing video games until my thumbs hurt, and the feeling that right now, nothing is required of me. No pressure. No performance. Just presence. As a kid, you don’t know how rare that feeling is… you just live in it.
What makes that memory powerful now is that I understand what was underneath it: family, resilience, and resourcefulness. We didn’t have excess, but we had enough. Enough love, enough structure, enough freedom to imagine a future bigger than our surroundings. That environment quietly shaped me. It taught me how to observe people, how to read energy, how to adapt.
Looking back, that memory matters because it’s the reference point I still chase, not comfort, but peace. That early sense of grounding is what I try to recreate now through my work, my discipline, and the way I build my life. As an adult, the goal isn’t to go backward, it’s to build something solid enough that peace can exist again, even with responsibility on my shoulders.
That memory reminds me why I do what I do. Not just to succeed—but to create moments where life feels full, steady, and real.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://NewWayDetroit.com
- Instagram: @brooksrealty365
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/keydiego1/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brooksrealty365/
