"I love the village character of Blowing Rock," says Sue. "Here we are permitted to come to know a variety of wonderfully interesting people over a long period of time. Real estate clients become life-long friends, and that is how it should be." Sue began her real estate career in 1971 "up North" just after graduation from the University of Michigan and a four-month sojourn in Mexico, Central America, and Venezuela. She has been active in local real estate since she moved to Blowing Rock [...]

"I love the village character of Blowing Rock," says Sue. "Here we are permitted to come to know a variety of wonderfully interesting people over a long period of time. Real estate clients become life-long friends, and that is how it should be." Sue began her real estate career in 1971 "up North" just after graduation from the University of Michigan and a four-month sojourn in Mexico, Central America, and Venezuela. She has been active in local real estate since she moved to Blowing Rock in 1972. Sue is a strong advocate of professionalism and professional education. She achieved her GRI (Graduate of Realtors' Institute) designation in 1976 with the highest cumulative score in her class after 90 hours of classroom instruction that focused on residential and general real estate skills. In 2001, she received her CCIM (Certified Commercial-Investment Member) designation after hundreds of hours of intense coursework in commercial and investment real estate, again achieving an almost-perfect test score. In 2010, she achieved her CRS (Certified Residential Specialist) designation, a designation held by less than 4% of all licensed Realtors®, awarded on the basis of experience, education, and sales production. In 2011, she earned her CRB (Certified Real Estate Brokerage Manager) designation, the National Association of Realtors designation for real estate office management, held by only approximately 7,000 Realtors world-wide.  In addition, she has attended post-graduate business and urban planning classes at Appalachian State University in Boone, seminars on tax-deferred exchanges, real estate office management, electronic marketing, and website design offered by the National Association of Realtors®, and classes on conservation easements and stewardship offered by the Land Trust Alliance and local land trust organizations. For several years Sue served on the Board of Directors of the Blue Ridge Rural Land Trust, which has now become the Blue Ridge conservancy (highcountryconservancy.org). Sue's interests are varied and include hiking, rafting and skiing! "There is so much to do here!" Sue says. "Some of the most gorgeous scenery in the world is in our backyard! There are miles and miles of wonderful hiking trails. And, in fifteen minutes I can be on the local ski slopes!" Sue also enjoys collecting art. She notes, "Interesting people who have come to Blowing Rock have allowed art, music and culture to flourish." Sue is an avid art collector and has served on the Board of Trustees for the Blowing Rock Art and History Museum (BRAHM) (www.blowingrockmuseum.org). Sue also enjoys traveling. She frequently travels with clients who have become friends. Her passion, though, is the study of ancient Mayan hieroglyphic writing from Mexico and Central America. "Strange and mysterious, but absolutely fascinating!" she says.  Because of that interest, Sue has been involved with a non-profit organization that assists indigenous Maya scholars, helps them attend conferences and education functions, and offers workshops in ancient Mayan hieroglyphic writing.  She is currently a Board member of the Friends of the Maya/(MAM) Mayas for the Ancient Mayan organization ( http://discovermam.org). "The real joy of the mountains is the people who elect to be here. Mountain life seems to appeal to those who appreciate their own individuality and have respect for the individuality they see in others. What fun!"
BROKER SINCE 1972 ("I was a mere child..."):

1976 GRI Designation (Graduate of the Realtors' Institute)

1983 Avery-Watauga Realtor® of the Year

1995 President, Avery-Watauga Association of Realtors®

2001 CCIM Designation (Certified Commercial-Investment Member)

ABR (Accredited Buyer Representative)

CRS (Certified Residential Specialist)

CRB (Certified Real Estate Brokerage Manager)

Former MLS Chairman, Former Education Committee Chairman

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS:

National Association of Realtors®

North Carolina Association of Realtors®

Avery-Watauga Association of Realtors®

CCIM Institute

North Carolina CCIM Chapter

Real Estate Brokerage Managers Council

Council of Residential Specialists

OTHER ORGANIZATIONS:


Blowing Rock Art and History Museum (Former Trustee)
Blue Ridge Conservancy

Blowing Rock Historical Society

Land Trust Alliance

Conservation Trust for North Carolina

Pre-Columbian Society of Washington, DC

WAYEB (Society of European Mayanists)

University of Pennsylvania Museum

Mint Museum of Art

Hickory Museum of Art