Today marks the 30th Anniversary of my real estate career. February 15, 1989 to February 15, 2019. 30 years as a Realtor working exclusively with Coldwell Banker Bain Real Estate here in the fabulous Pacific Northwest. I am grateful for having so many of you work with me for so long.

Some History…

I was recruited in 1989 by Terry Miller, the Capitol Hill branch manager of William A. Bain & Associates (now known as Coldwell Banker Bain). We were located on 10th Avenue East at East Prospect Street near Volunteer Park. I learned the job quickly. My first my first sale in downtown Seattle at 2700 4th Avenue sold for $58,000! My first listing on Capitol Hill on Federal Avenue East sold for $239,000. I was named Rookie of the Year at our company in 1989.

Over the years there have been many milestones and accomplishments. I am very proud to have achieved my designations as a Certified Residential Specialist and a Certified Real Estate Brokerage Manager with The National Association of Realtors. I had the privilege of managing our Anacortes branch for five years, achieving Coldwell Banker National’s platinum award for the branch every year. Earning my Washington State teaching license enables me to train other brokers and offer clock hours for continuing education. And now, managing and working with our top notch WhyWeLoveSkagit team, this continues to be a dream job in a great location.

Some thoughts …

A shout out to Terry Miller and our other brokers who have been with our company all these years. It has been a pleasure working with and learning from you all. We are resilient.
Time goes quickly. I now know the exact length of a 30-year mortgage!
One of my most outstanding accomplishments is having helped so many of my clients to live well and build wealth and helping guide them while their life paths changed.

 

 

Some things I remember from 1989…

• My very swanky Acura Legend sedan with a huge “Car Phone” – and 99 cents a gallon at the pump.
• A new PC with dial-up 2,400 baud modem access, but no internet to dial up to and no MLS access.
• 12% interest rates, which seemed cheap compared to the 18% we had seen in the earlier 1980s.
• Many homes around downtown Seattle were still priced under $100,000.
• The very first “Skinny Homes” before the townhome explosion.
• “While you were out” phone messages from the receptionist at the office.
• Racing to photo processing for B&W photos to make property fliers and then spending lots of time at the copy center before open houses.
• Reagan just out of office, Booth Gardener as Governor and Charlie Royer as Mayor of Seattle.
• 500,000 people living in Seattle. Now we have 750,000 and climbing.
• Driving to homes late at night to meet buyers and sellers to get signatures on carbon-copy contracts. Then driving back and forth between the buyers and sellers with endless counter-offers.
• Giant metal MLS keys to enter giant metal keyboxes to get inside homes for clients.
• New listings published once a week in a big book. We were not allowed to give the book to the public.

Some advice…

As we race through the information age, just imagine how different it will be over the next 30 years. But from all the hundreds of transactions I have done over these thirty years, no matter how much things change, you should always have knowledgeable representation from trusted professionals when making buying or selling real estate decisions. It always matters who represents you. Your Realtor should be well qualified and care about the important work that they do for you. In making one of the largest financial decisions of your lifetime, your future depends on it.

Thanks again to everyone. I hope you are living where you want to and that you enjoy your time there.

George

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