Foundational ChangesPatricia Feager and Lew Corcoran are hosts for the July 2025 ActiveRain Challenge: Change. They are asking bloggers to share how we have changed from our humble beginnings. This is my second entry for the July Challenge.We are changed by education and experience. Before I even finished high school, my family observations provided some good ideas about acquiring, financing and managing residential and commercial properties. We lived in Cradock, a planned community in Portsmouth, Virginia and most of the family investments were within our home community or in nearby subdivisions. I observed many interesting transactions. One that comes to mind was a residence on the nearby highway (Rt. 17) that my father acquired. I watched the negotiations to build and lease a service... 07/16/2025

Education Changes Perceptions and OpportunitiesPatricia Feager and Lew Corcoran are hosts for the July 2025 ActiveRain Challenge: Change. They have asked us to share how we have changed from our humble beginnings. This is my fourth entry for the July Challenge.All of know that we need to continue to educate ourselves to keep up with changes and to create opportunities. I will share some education examples from my early career in real estate that proved to be meaningful.AppraisalsUnderstanding market value is an important element for every real estate professional involved with listings and sales. I took several appraisal courses to expand my knowledge and qualified to become a VA appraiser. That activity helped me to better understand the market conditions, to develop relationships and ... 07/17/2025

From Law Student to Business OwnerPatricia Feager and Lew Corcoran are hosts for the July 2025 ActiveRain Challenge: Change. They have asked bloggers to share how we have changed from our humble beginnings. This is my third entry for the July Challenge.I opened my first real estate and insurance office in the summer of 1961 after finishing law school at the University of Virginia. At the age of 23, I was a member of the state bar and licensed as a real estate broker and insurance agent. I had never practiced law or worked in a real estate or insurance office. In fact, I had never before worked in any office other that the office I occupied as a staff member of the Virginia Law Weekly newsletter as a law student.Even though I had no experience as a business owner, I did have family suppo... 07/17/2025

A Youthful Changing of PerspectivePatricia Feager and Lew Corcoran are hosts for the July 2025 ActiveRain Challenge: Change. They have asked bloggers to share how they have changed from their humble beginnings. For my first entry, I will write about the changes of my though process while I was a youngster, living at home with my parents.My parents owned and acquired rental properties while I was growing up in our home community, Cradock, in the suburbs of Portsmouth, Virginia. My first home was one side of a duplex that my parents owned for their lifetimes. When I was about four, my parents build a new home that had an upstairs apartment.As a kid, I had the normal activities with the boys in the neighborhood but at home, I had the daily exposure of property management activities. I had ... 07/15/2025