by Eileen George, Broker | Reliant Realty ERA Powered

President | Sumner Realtors 2026

Over 40 years as a REALTOR®, the biggest perks aren’t always the closing; it’s the relationships and the unexpected full-circle moments.

A friend of 30 years recently became a client. I helped him buy and sell a home, and over the years I’ve come to know his family as well. One day he shared that his dad was ill and that he would be inheriting his father’s villa. He asked if I would take a look at it and give my thoughts.

Here’s the part that caught me off guard: after all these years, it suddenly clicked; his dad had the same last name as the physician who first cared for me when I moved to Lebanon over 50 years ago. I had never connected the dots.

When his father passed, I attended the funeral, and in that tender moment, I found myself reconnecting with other professionals I’d known through referrals and community ties. It reminded me that real estate is more than property; it’s people, history, and the quiet ways our lives intertwine.