I ran across this article today about this 82 year old REALTOR in Dubuque, Iowa by the name of Dorothy Culbertson. She’s been in the business for 50 years and was named REALTOR of the year by her local board – the second time she got that prize.

And it got me thinking – I am so lucky to truly LOVE what I do for a living.

A few days ago, I met a client at her house to take a look at what her house might sell for if she decided to put it on the market. She’s got two great dogs, and I found we probably spent more time chatting about things unrelated to San Francisco real estate than we did about real estate. When I left her house, even though we’d only met once before, it was just natural to give her a hug good-bye.

Yesterday, I met with another client who is in the process of getting his home ready for a sale – which means going through boxes upon boxes of items in storage. And most of these items remind him of the beautiful wife whom he lost to cancer a short while ago. Without her, he can’t keep the house. His move and the sale of his home are tough on him. But he’s being strong and doing what he has to do to move on – and he’s even fixing up the house while he’s at it. A former Boy Scout – his motto is to “always leave a place better than when you left it.” I checked in to see the progress he’s made in the last month or so, and it was amazing how much he had done, and I know he appreciated hearing that someone can see the huge dent he’s put in his “to do” list to get the place ready, and to move on. When I left, he gave me a hug good-bye.

I recently closed on a property with a young couple – first time home buyers that had fallen in love with this garden apartment. They had seen a bunch of places, but called me to check out the place pretty much right after they had seen it. It was perfect for them in so many ways. It was close to the places they loved to frequent including Golden Gate Park and their favorite sushi place. It had a great kitchen where the couple could cook, and it had a great space where they could entertain their friends AND it overlooked a beautiful landscaped garden and had a TON of light. After we closed escrow, we broke into a bottle of champagne (I tell all of my clients before we start working together that they MUST celebrate with me at closing- and I bring the champagne so it’s only fair!) and I watched as they walked around their new place in awe. When I was leaving, they walked me to the door of their new place and before they said their warm goodbyes, I got two huge hugs from the happy couple.

I have plenty more of these stories about the many amazing people I’ve met and the many incredible relationships I’ve developed with my clients, with other real estate agents and with mortgage brokers. They don’t all end with a hug, but they do end with an amazing relationship.

I got into the real estate business for many reasons – I love the challenges involved, I love the fact that I learn something new every single day, I love architecture and design, I love San Francisco, but above all else, I love people. I love the relationships I develop with them. And I love the fact that after all is said and done, I can truly say that most of my clients are now my friends.

I love San Francisco real estate because it’s made up of so many wonderful people. And in case you’re wondering, yes – the artwork (at least the pictures of the people) is original and done by me.