July 1, 2022

HARRY’S BI-WEEKLY UPDATE

A Current Look at the Colorado Springs Residential real estate Market

As part of my Personal Service, it is my desire to share current real estate issues that will help to make you a more successful and profitable buyer or seller.

 

 

An Ode to Friendship, Residential real estate and Patriotism….and why I do the things I do.

 

For those of you who read my bi-Monthly e-Newsletters, you might have thought I forgot last week.  On the contrary, I will never forget last week.

I’ve been in local Residential real estate for a little over 50 years now and it’s truly become a passion, as well as a profession.  Finding the right property that suits the wants, needs and budget requirements of my clients has required me to know them on a very personal level.  

Buying a home, either for personal use or investment, most often provides my clients with one of their greatest financial assets.  Therefore, it’s crucial for me to spend the time to make certain we find the right fit for that particular time in their life.

relocation has been a specialty of mine for decades, oftentimes corporate relo, but I actually look at relocation also as simply making a move to a new neighborhood or transitioning to a better fit for a growing or empty-nesting family.

I’d like to share a personal experience, and the reason my regularly scheduled e-Newsletter wasn’t published this week.  While it’s a personal story, it is also actually defines why I do what I do.

My best friend of more than 50 years passed away a week ago.  While it’s been tough to grasp the reality of it, I was also able to appreciate how my chosen profession is truly an advocation.

I met Dr. Gary Markewich in 1973 when he and his family were relocating here for a stint at Fort Carson, and I sold him his first home.  And then his next home.  And his next.  During that time, he became my closest friend, and his family became part of mine.  

When he left the Army, Gary went into private practice in the Springs and eventually left to open a practice in Las Vegas.  Our friendship didn’t change except for the fact that we had to hop a plane to have in-person visits.

Four years ago, he decided to move back to the Springs to be near his sons, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren.  I facilitated the sale of his Las Vegas home and was assigned the task to find a different kind of home for him here.

Gary had been diabetic for many years and, as you might be aware, symptoms can include neuralgia.  He knew he needed a home where he did not have to navigate stairs but being the larger-than-life guy that he was, he wasn’t ready for any type of “assisted” living. 

Lucky for him, he had me.  Not just as a friend, but also as a Realtor.  I spent time trying to understand exactly what was important to him in terms of location, as well as his personal mobility.  Several homes I considered for him were either a bad fit in terms of location and/or for his health issues.

And then, one day as I was talking to long-time clients/friends, they asked me to list a home for one of their parents who was moving into an assisted living facility.  When I saw the home, I knew it would be a great fit for Gary since it had all the “handicap” requirements he might need either then or in the future and it was in the perfect location for him.  

Sight unseen (except for photos), he purchased the home and lived there happily for the last four years.  It was also close to my home and that gave us the opportunity to reconnect in-person on a much more regular basis.  For that I will be forever grateful.  

When he passed away peacefully in his sleep in his own home last week, it gave me some peace in knowing that I had been able to play a role in that.

And that’s when it really hit me even harder than usual. 

 

What I do makes a big difference in the life of my clients.  

 

The time I spend getting to know each client provides me with the information necessary to help them live the best life possible.  Homes are our “safe havens” and finding the right one at the right time can make such a difference.

I had not spent much time thinking of how much of a part my profession played in defining one of the most important friendships of my life until this week.  Dr. Gary Markewich was one of the finest, funniest, most intelligent, generous, and caring people I’ve ever had the privilege to call “friend”.

The best way to honor that friendship is for me to keep doing what I do…. helping people to live the best life possible by finding them the “right home at the right time”.  A “safe haven” when the world is not always quite so safe.

Thank you for allowing me to share this story.  It’s helped me to put it down on paper.  

 

Wishing you and your family, a healthy, happy July 4th holiday and you will hear from me again next week with my regularly scheduled post.