Even an acquaintance can make a tremendous impact in your life

As I scroll through the police reports it’s fairly common I see a familiar name.

Last week, as I read the Alaska State Troopers online dispatch I came across a report that left me speechless.

Scott Isaacs, a 49-year-old from Wasilla, had died as the result of a single-car accident the night before. I sat there for a moment stunned.t

I didn’t know Scott extremely well, but he played a key role in one of my biggest accomplishments so far in life. Scott was a local real estate agent who helped my wife and I purchase our first home.

I’ll be the first to admit, I didn’t make the best choices financially in early adulthood. I took on unnecessary debt and made some mistakes. My credit took a hit because of it. Even though my wife and I worked to improve my credit, we were renters for about the first 10 years of our marriage. The oldest of our two daughters is wheelchair-bound, and about five years ago we got to the point at which we simply could not live in our split-level rental any longer. My wife posted on Craigslist inquiring about ranch style rentals. Scott replied to her email and said he could not only help us find something different, but he could help us find a home of our own to buy.

We met Scott for coffee on weekend afternoon in April of 2015 at Valley Hotel. We sat in a nearly empty bar and Scott told us it is possible to put ourselves in the position to purchase a home.

He worked with us for more than a year. Scott set us up with programs for first-time homebuyers, and gave great advice on ways I could improve my credit.

In August of 2016, we were finally ready to start looking at home. Scott took us on what felt like a tour of Palmer, looking at prospective homes. At about the fifth stop, or what felt like the 50th, Scott sat at the kitchen table with my wife and I as we wondered if should hit the next home on my list.

It was sort of an overwhelming process, and I was not sure if I was up for another stop. But Scott convinced us to take a look at one more home. When we arrived the current owners were there cleaning out the garage. Instead of him giving us the tour, Scott asked the homeowners to show us around. That turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

As we worked our way to the back of the home, they showed us a suite that was off the master living room.

It was a fully accessible suite, including a handicapped accessible bathroom. I don’t always talk a ton about my personal life. But as I stood there with my wife and the former owners, it just sort of came out.

“My daughter is in a wheelchair.”

Cindy, who used to own the home, started to cry. She and her husband built that suite for their elderly parents, who were not able to stay in Alaska. Whatever your belief system is — God, fate or karma — that was one of those moments, where it was just meant to be. As soon as we left we asked Scott to put in an offer. Just more than a month later, we moved into our own home.

Scott worked with us for more than a year. He gave us great advice, and talked us off the ledge when we were ready to pull our hair out. He stuck with us throughout the entire process. But better than that, he never made it feel like he was only in it to make a sale.

There are people who will make a tremendous impact in your life regardless of how well or how long you know them. For my family, Scott was one of those people.

Rest in peace Scott. Our family will never forget what you did for us.

Contact Frontiersman managing editor Jeremiah Bartz at editor@frontiersman.com.