It is easy to lose sight of things you enjoy about your job when the pressure for success is continuous while the opportunity for success rarely pays a visit. 

I got into real estate after a technology sales career of over twenty five years because I wanted to get back to those days when the right solution really made a difference in what people were doing.  In the early days of computing, the right computer loaded with the proper tools could let people do what they could not do before.

I saw real estate in a similar light.  Often people moving seek to change their lives for the better.  I have seen people coming to our area looking to a new home as base for doing things that they could not do before.  My own experience taught me that a warm coastal climate could make the out of doors a much bigger part of your life.

Still moving a problem from one location to another will rarely fix it, so part of the job of a Realtor® is to help a client move from the limitless possibilities that might at first appear when looking to move to the realities of an actual move.

As much as I talk about the great coastal climate, it is not a place where you can set the thermostat and the outdoor temperature will respond.  We have hot weather and some almost cold weather.  A lot depends on your perspective.  I try to help people have that perspective.

Yes we have lots of water for boating, but you also have to understand that boating along the shallow waters of the NC coast is not the same as boating in a deep water lake where you can go anywhere you want.

I think we all know there is no perfect home, but there are likely a number of homes that will do perfectly well if people approach them in the right frame of mind.  There are always tradeoffs.

When we got our last home, my wife really wanted a backyard.  In fact she has wanted a backyard for the last three homes.  We ended up settling for a home with a dock as the back yard, but I am positive that is not what she had in mind.  She has adjusted, and to me, it is just less to mow.

Even with all the technology available to us, it is hard for people to really get the feel for an area without getting in a car and riding with you.  That narrative you spin of the area, its features and even some things you hope will change for the better is a key part of helping clients make informed decisions and moves with their eyes open.

I just wrote a piece on Apple's iPhone and my thoughts are to why it might or might become an indispensable part of my job. In writing the article, it occured to me that I can get a little carried away with what technology might do just as someone might think they are moving to an area where the weather will always be perfect.

Somewhere between what we dare to dream and what we have already realized is the place where happiness can be found if you keep your eyes and mind open to it.

We had a great Memorial Day at the beach, and I had happy to report that things are back to normal with a weekend of stellar weather for those fortunate enough to be on the shore.