Friends, Clients, Colleagues,
Loyalty is a thread that weaves a strong web.
So many of our clients at Lee Real Estate are referrals. Our renters become buyers, sellers migrate from one location to another, owners refer their friends and, evermore, there are cherished occasions where we get to work with the next generation.
Our real estate marketplace has changed a lot in my 30 years – multiple marketing channels and different platforms to see inventory. Many voices touting top producers and dollar volume. Lots of high-quality production in digital, video and print. May I say it’s exhausting? At Lee Real Estate, we probably haven't spoken enough about the strength and longevity of our firm. But the success of our sales has never been about us. It’s built on trust.
My time at Lee Real Estate is a story that owes homage to Jeff Lee. I was 25 years old when I started with Lee at the 58 Main Street office. I didn't know how far a future I had with Jeff, I simply saw he was smart and kind. Jeff supported his team and his clients with care. Lee Real Estate has always had a culture of commitment that goes beyond the sale.
Around 2001, Jane King, a client, blasted in the door to say she wanted to go back to work. She'd been a superstar in IBM mainframe computer sales. Briefly retired, she was too good at sales to stop. Jeff ventured his usual, "really?" and a few beats later Jane and I were partnered up.
Over the years, Jeff and Susan Lee included my parents and family in holiday parties and company dinners. Jeff granted space at my desk for my first dog Emma, and he welcomed my clients' kids into summer positions at the office. He shouldered my work when the hardest news hit – my father's terminal cancer diagnosis in June 2006.
I love Father's Day for my husband and our kids, but it's still a heartbreaker for me.
Twenty years ago this week, I flew from ACK to PHX to be with my dad. He was gone within three months. I made multiple trips that summer. On the last one, I was supposed to return to handle a sale on Sesachacha Pond. When I called Jeff to say I needed to stay, he responded with, "take as long as you need."
This kind of kinship was familiar to me long before I entered real estate.
Steadiness of character, competence and conviction, steadfast and loyal. These aren't tag lines of a brokerage. They are the ethos and echoes I’ve heard my whole life.
The military ring is real. My father was a Marine. Captain E. Ronald Durand Jr., Ronnie to his family, was the oldest of six kids. He was a mix of orderly and mischievous. His code was trust and loyalty was his north star.
Camp Pendleton, LeJeune, MCB Quantico – the base names I know, but I never experienced this part of my family history. My dad's time in Vietnam was possibly the heaviest quiet I'll ever know. What he carried into civilian life was inborn kindness and earned valor. He had zero tolerance for maligning. He oriented us to see the difference between dedication and self-serving.
The motto of the Corps, Semper Fidelis, is steadfast for me and my siblings. We are loyal.
As Father's Day approaches, Semper Fi, Dad.
As another season begins, thank you to Jeff and Susan for three decades together. Thank you to Jane for sparking my career. Thank you to the colleagues who have stood beside me, and to the clients who have entrusted me with some of life's biggest decisions.
Houses change hands. Markets rise and fall. It’s trust that endures. Thank you for yours.
I'm here if you need me.
