3 Former Professional Athletes You Can Buy Homes From In Michigan

When you think about it, real estate and professional sports take a lot of the same qualities to become successful. Both jobs are fast-paced and require a bit of competition.

Many former Michigan-based college athletes have successfully transitioned to real estate, but here are three who not only made it to the pros but also discovered a passion for selling homes.

Peter Vanderkaay

Per his bio, Peter Vanderkaay is all about helping tenants find their perfect space, along with working on sales and leases for property owners. He mainly focuses on land, retail, and office properties on the east side of Metro Detroit. Since joining the Signature team, he's been involved in over $50 million worth of real estate deals. Before that, he was in the consulting game in Detroit. But before getting into the real estate game, he was quite the athlete. He represented the U.S. at three straight Olympics and snagged two golds and two bronzes. Plus, he was a co-captain of the 2012 USA Men’s Olympic Swim Team.

Andy Dirks

Dirks has been busy as of late! If you're enjoying the Tigers post-season run, you've likely heard him in the broadcast booth alongside Jason Benetti. Dirks was drafted by the Tigers back in 2008, and made his MLB debut with them in 2011. He played all three positions in the outfield. Now, he's a part of the REAL Michigan Life team based in Clarkston as an associate broker.

Danny DeKeyser

DeKeyer is now a real estate associate at Jim Saros Real Estate Services based in Metro Detroit.

Before diving into real estate, he was a former student-athlete at Western Michigan University, he played for the Detroit Red Wings for a decade, earning multiple accolades, including Rookie of the Year in 2013-14. Like Dirks, you can find him in a broadcast setting from time to time for his former team. You will see him on Bally Sports Detroit this season as an analyst.

So, next time you're in the market for a new home, remember these former athletes turned agents! They’ve got the skills to score big for you (see what I did there?).