You could say Dave has been involved in real estate his entire life. He began working for his mother, who was a real estate agent, at the age of 10, delivering flyers in the neighborhood. While still in college, Dave started his real estate career during the summers, which helped pay for his tuition. An early innovator in the early 90s, when computers were not commonly seen in real estate offices, he built his own automated postcard marketing system to keep his clients informed about developments in the real estate market. By the age of 25, he won an international marketing award for his real estate advertising and was also ranked in the top 10% of his company, which was the valley's top real estate firm.

Dave studied real estate law and finance in college, giving him a solid understanding of contracts, mortgages, and titles. He also previously owned and operated a small mortgage firm.