My Realtor made a difference

Having moved to Wisconsin in 1968 to pursue a doctorate, I finally ended up teaching in teaching in Pennsylvania, a long, long, long way from Bainbridge Island, where I grew up. For too many years I missed the water, the tides, even the winter rains, and I finally gave up a secure future as a tenured professor to return. It took two more career changes to do it.

After renting a townhome, I walked into the first real estate office I saw. The agent on floor duty asked what I was looking for. I had done no market research (the Internet was not yet a part of either a buyer's or a Realtor's toolkit), had spoken with no lender--I just knew I wanted a small cabin on the water. When asked what I was able to afford (this is the year 2000), I answered firmly, "No more than $175,000." (A veteran doityourselfer, I vowed that nobody was going to trick me into paying too much for a house.) "Well," the agent said, "that might be difficult."

What an understatement! I might as well have tried to buy a share of Starbucks for a buck. I now live in a nice craftsman home (not on the water, alas, and more than $175,000, too) that another Realtor I later met helped me find (and find funding for). She and her business partner were incredibly patient with me. Their ethics, empathy, and efficiency impressed me so much that two years later I chose real estate as my career. I am grateful and have tried to live up to their standards for every client.