Why I chose Real Estate - The Wagon, Tomato, and Stairs Version

I chose real estate because it lets me indulge all the things I enjoy most about being alive. 

I get to work with people.

I grew up in a big enough family that there was always something going on to engage our curiousity. I like a lot of time to myself, but I enjoy the company of new acquaintances and enjoy shared conversations and mutual understanding. Getting to know new people is one of the hidden bonuses of this business. In most other fields, interactions are either perfunctory like a store clerk ringing up your sale or service oriented, but not personal. Most plumbers and roofers will be perfectly happy to get to know you, but real estate professionals have a lot more time to invest in getting to know their clients. In the picture to the right, I'm clearly showing my big sister Becky around the living room in the first of my red vehicles without tops.

I get to work with nature

This early photo of me in snazzy red shorts and suspenders features a garden filled with flowers and vegetables. Whether it's the gladiolus or the tomatoes, I'm clearly having a splendid time. Just like today.

The big difference with my gardens now is that flowers dominate. I can get great produce at the farmer's markets in Sonoma County, but the smell of fresh flowers isn't available at any store. You have to have flowers growing in profusion to get the wonderful scents that can perfume an entryway or patio. You may think my priorities for flowers over vegetables is crazy. Well, that's why we all have our own chances for planting what we like. You say tomato, I say petunia.

I work with a lot of country property in Sonoma County. Whether it's vineyard land, forested hillsides, or a former dairy, an appreciation for growing things helps me interpret the land for my clients. A particularly robust madrone might deserve a remark, or the color of the new growth on the redwoods might indicate a particularly rich patch of land with great water. The signs of life are all around us and an ability to read what they tell us makes us better able to serve our clients.

I get to work with the built environment. 

Sister Becky and I spent many mornings waking our grandparents as we slid down these stairs. I wouldn't risk my backside sliding down anything anymore, but I spent my young adulthood building enough stairs and walls and roofs to know when things are built well and when they're not.

Walking around buildings and interiors with my clients gives me an opportunity to point out excellent detailing and material qualities as well as situations where more care should have been taken to do something right. The difference between great flashing and a dry rot invitation isn't terribly hard to see, but you have to know what you're looking at. My childhood investigation of stairs and a heater vent was just the start of a life spent looking at buildings.

If I had to give a final explanation for why I chose real estate as a career, it would come down to some combination of the factors above plus a desire to stay close to home. I have done computer consulting work in the past and much of it required commuting or travel to projects far from home. I didn't like it then and I still don't enjoy travel for work. I live in one of the most beautiful places in the world and I want to spend most of my time here.

Add it all up and my love for people, buildings, nature, and home helped make my choice of occupation for me. Real estate lets me do what I love. That's more than enough for me.