S
tanding on the deck, I gaze across the endless blue of the Pacific, the full moon’s silver reflection dancing on the waves. My wife Carla and I have chosen to splurge for our 46th wedding anniversary, a milestone that feels as vast as the horizon before us. It’s a moment that reminds me how the same principles that sustain a marriage also underpin a career in commercial real estate.
We began our marriage in the early 1980s, during the Carter administration, and the years that followed have taught me that the people we love shape our professional lives. Carla’s patience, wisdom, and encouragement have been the foundation of every success I’ve had in brokerage. From this partnership, I’ve drawn lessons that apply equally to love and to the market.
**Commitment beats market swings**
Marriage demands staying the course through highs and lows, just as real estate requires steadfastness amid interest‑rate spikes, the savings‑and‑loan crisis, bubbles, and recessions. I’ve learned that honoring commitments to clients, properties, and processes yields long‑term rewards far more than chasing short‑term gains.
**Communication is the lifeline**
Even after 46 years, Carla and I still misread each other at times. We’ve learned to keep talking, listening, and clarifying. In real estate, deals collapse when communication falters. Clients value honesty over perfection; a simple call explaining a setback preserves trust more than any clause.
**Patience pays dividends**
No one reaches 46 years without patience. Raising children, building careers, and managing finances felt overwhelming at times, but trusting that small investments of time compound helped us persevere. Likewise, real estate transactions can drag on; negotiations stall; entitlement processes seem endless. Patience, coupled with persistence, often separates a failed deal from a successful close.
**Shared values align paths**
Carla and I built our life on faith, family, and integrity. These values guided where we lived, how we raised our children, and how we faced hardship. In brokerage, aligning with clients who share your values—fairness, transparency, long‑term thinking—creates smoother relationships and more rewarding work.
**Adaptability is survival**
Marriage is a continuous process of adaptation. Careers shift, children leave home, new seasons arrive. We adapted to these changes without abandoning our core. In real estate, a strategy that works in one cycle may fail in another. Brokers who survive adjust while holding onto their foundation.
Looking out at the Pacific, I see a steady, timeless presence, yet the ocean is always in motion, waves breaking and reforming. That rhythm mirrors marriage and real estate: a balance of commitment and flexibility, patience and action, values and adaptability.
Celebrating 46 years with Carla reminds me that no career is built in isolation. The relationships that anchor us at home provide the resilience and perspective needed in business. Success in life and in real estate depends not only on the deals we close but on the people who walk with us through the journey.
Allen C. Buchanan, SIOR
Principal, Lee & Associates Commercial Real Estate Services, Orange
[email protected] | 714.564.7104
