My Story

Growing up at family cottages around northern Michigan, I had the opportu nity to spend time fishing, boating, hunting and exploring in nature on a regular basis.  This fueled my passion for the outdoors and my dream of eventually living Up North from our home in southern Michigan.  A career in the hospitality industry gave me my chance when I was recruited to manage The Boathouse Restaurant in Traverse City.  My time in the restaurants was invaluable in learning how to connect with people from just about any background and personality.  80 hour work weeks and holidays away from family were simply not going to cut it, however, so I got engage (to my wife Mandy), quit my very stable restaurant job and decided to follow my dream of becoming a fly fishing guide.  

I worked at The Fly Factory on the Au Sable River in Grayling where I spent time in the shop, guided anglers on the river and tied flies commercially.  It was in that shop where I met most of my first would-be clients.  People were always comign in the shop asking if we knew of any properties for sale and I made the realization that real estate would probably pay better than the $6.50/hour and $10/dozen I was making on my flies.  Fortunately I learned the shop owner, Steve Southard, had maintained a broker license and I dove in head first.  My wealth of knowledge on the local rivers and my shared passion of fly fishing with the clients allowed me to quickly build a successful real estate business tied to what I loved.  

After a few years I was invited to start a brokerage with two more senior agents and we together founded 45th Parallel Realty in Elk  in 2004.  After three years and with the internet beginning to shift the landscape of real estate, the decision was made to sell our interest there and create HomeWaters Real Estate.  That was 2007 and happened to be the same year Zillow, Trulia, and a number of other now gigantic real estate entities were founded.  By focusing on our web presence and parterning with only the most professional, ethical agents available, we now find ourselves behind the wheel of the most viewed brokerage website in northern Michigan and have 17 incredible agents and brokers representing our firm across northern Michigan.  

My wife, Mandy, and I are both licensed REALTORS and we work together to ensure that our clients receive the highest level of professional services available in today’s real estate market. With three active daughters ranging in age from 12 to 20 there's never a dull moment.  They've grown up on the water and in the woods right alongside of us and we continue to enjoy as much time outisde together as possible.  It's with this background in mind that I share my personal experiences and passion for the region to help our seller and buyer clients acheive their goals.

We look forward to helping find your Home Waters in Northern Michigan.  Please contact us at your convenience if we can offer any assistance.