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Maria and John get started

Once upon a time two crazy kids thought they wanted to own a beach house. But I’m getting way ahead of myself.

Maria grew up in Chesapeake, Virginia, spending several of her summers as a lifeguard. She has always loved the beach. I wasn’t so lucky.

I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and never spent any time at the beach. Unlike my parents or siblings, I despise the cold. I can remember walking home from the bus stop, trudging through the slush and snow, thinking, “I will not live here when I have a choice.” That mantra carried me home through a wide variety of inclement Cleveland weather. At the time I wasn’t sure where I’d end up, but I knew that it would be elsewhere. (No offense to the fine people of Cleveland, of course and go Browns, Indians and Cavs.)

I finally saw the ocean for the first time during a high school senior class road trip to Daytona Beach. I immediately loved the beach—and the warm water in April, but I wasn’t sure about the setting. (25 years later I wouldn’t want to have a 17-year-old me running around at all hours of the night playing loud music, but such is life.)

Fast forward a few years

Upon obtaining my Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Dayton, I immediately began a strict regimen of reading books, cooking and sleeping late—much to the consternation of my parents. So one day I landed a job at GE, in Sales. I was transferred to different locations, ostensibly to acquire different skill sets. My assignments included Chicago; Schenectady, New York; Roanoke, Virginia; and finally back to Chicago.

Maria graduated from the University of Vermont with a degree in Electrical and Biomedical Engineering. (She is by far the smarter of the two of us…she just has bad taste in men, for which I am grateful.) After a stint with a small company in the Boston area, Maria joined GE and proceeded to get assignments at the following locations: Boston; Schenectady; Roanoke; and then—you guessed it—Chicago.

Along the way—independently of each other—we both picked up a mentor/friend in GE who advised us on our respective careers within the company. Her name is Dina, and she would become an integral part of our success.

A wedding on the beach…love at first sight!

Maria and I were getting married and we decided upon an alternative (you might say “cheaper”) approach to a traditional church wedding. We thought, "Wouldn't it be cool to have a beach wedding?” For the sake of brevity, we were right—it was. We rented homes for our guests in Corolla, a neighborhood in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, since Maria and her family had spent many summer vacations in Kill Devil Hills and Nags Head (who names these places?). We invited the wedding party to stay and had a wonderful time with everyone.

It was here that we started dreaming of owning a house by the ocean.

Dina makes beach living a reality

Our friend Dina was living in Raleigh, North Carolina, and was actively looking at property along the southern coast. By “actively looking,” I mean that she would book a hotel room for the weekend to get a feel for the area, and to see if it was a place she would like. She would also look at property in the area to seek out good deals and beautiful locations. After many long weekends on the beaches from Florida to Virginia, she identified Holden Beach as a quiet barrier island where she could build a nice single family home. Being Dina, she would work with an experienced builder and rent it through a reputable property management firm. She drew upon her considerable experience—having built many homes throughout her career—as well as her flair for design and her usage of space to create a beautiful home.

Here’s where the story ends

We came, we saw, we bought a neighboring lot and built a similar home.

Epilogue

You don’t want to stop there? Well, okay…of course there were a number of factors that came into play when we were deciding whether or not we could afford the home, but I figured that most people would have become bored long ago with this saga, but for you, my most persevering readers, I will continue.

For us, it really came down to the fact that we took the time to get familiar with the area, the community and the specific site.

The area: When we came to the North Carolina coast for our wedding, we thought it would be a great place to live. As I’ve explained, we were lucky: A trusted friend did 95% of the legwork in evaluating many oceanfront communities.

The community: As soon as we crossed the bridge to get onto the island, we both had a feeling of coming home.

The specific piece of property: The location four lots down from our trusted friend was an easy choice to make. We’re delighted to report that, as our small community has grown, our other neighbors love the area, too.

Maybe your story should start here

If you’re thinking about writing your own beach tale, I’d like to talk with you about it.
Call, 1-877-833-8270, or email me.

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