I was born in Baton Rouge, LA but have spent most of my life in Alexandria, VA. My interest in real estate is pretty all-encompassing--architecture, floor plans, spatial aspects--the lay of the land--the history of the development of the region, the price history, etc. My parents moved frequently within the area when I was young and it seemed we were always looking at houses and this sparked my interest. Numbers stick in my mind--I can recite the price paid and sold for all my parents' 15 houses from memory and I can mostly do the same for all the places I have sold and rented over the years.
When I was 22, I prepared a home seeker's guide for Fairfax County that was published by the Washington Center for Metropolitan Studies. One purpose of the guide was to level the playing field by making what was then closely held information available to minorities. The guide triggered an editorial in the Washington Post and a column by the late correspondent William Raspberry. And mixed praise and condemnation by realtors and neighbors.
To me, a realtor's responsibilities run deep. I view my role as sharing all my acquired knowledge of the market and shepherding my clients through the searching process, the negotiating process, the inspection process, the lending process, the settlement process, and all the stages and steps in between (and afterward for that matter). Each case and client is a unique journey and I am proud of the long-term relationships and appreciation that have ensued.
