Just a hello!

[Kay Winters]

Good Morning:

 I am much, much older than most of you (sadly!) - recently retired as is my husband.  I have been involved in real estate all of my life, it seems.  Because of my husband's profession we moved often - and I've had real estate licenses in Colorado, Florida and NC.  I currently live near Charlotte, NC.  Allowed my license to expire here and plan on retaking soon. 

I got my first real estate license in Colorado and almost immediately began investing.  Didn't have a CLUE what to be looking for but just knew that I wanted to have my name on deeds!  BIG mistake.  My husband used to say that I collected houses the way some people collect dolls.   We had the income to hold onto these properties but when my husband took the job in Florida it became apparent quickly that we had to sell.  This was before internet and even property management firms were not as responsive as they seem to be today.  Sooo, we sold everything we owned in Loveland, Colorado:  my dream home we had bought 7 months before the move; our previous house; a triplex; 3 starter homes and a home in Greeley, Colorado.  Yes, if I had kept them..........:)

We actually lived on both coasts of Florida and in between moved to Poland for a couple of years.  In SW FL I specialized in REOs and Short Sales - and could have done that forever - I loved the real estate process - however, we again moved to NC. 

We still owned a couple of places in SW FL and when Hurricane Charley hit - I went there to get the houses repaired.  And, of course, got involved in real estate again.  Living in FL for about 3 weeks and then NC for about 3.    I was there when things dropped as much as 70 percent in some areas.  And, again working in REOs and Short Sales I was positioned well to purchase - but, personal reasons brought me back to NC.

I never really bonded with real estate here...so, if I invest in this area I have a LOT of work to do. Because I've always worked in real estate and had that lockbox keypad - I feel unprepared to dive in without MLS access, etc.

Love this site.  Am surprised I never saw it until recently.  I've been reading old posts which I find immensely helpful.