Real estate provided her with flexibility to say involved with family
Published in the Oct. 16, 2013 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Staff Report
Gretchen Merrick
When Gretchen Merrick and her husband Dan bought their first home 25 years ago, she worked as a plan check engineer for the city of Morgan Hill. Commuting to work from their house in Holiday Lake Estates to City Hall, she only encountered one stoplight on the entire length of Dunne Avenue. As the city has grown since then, there are many more traffic lights, she’ll quickly note.
When son Ford and daughter Emma came into her and Dan’s life, she realized raising a family is a full-time job so she decided to leave her city government work. Twelve years ago as the kids got older, she decided to start a career in real estate. She wanted something with flexibility so that she could still be involved with her family’s lives. Once she got started in real estate, she was hooked.
Why do you enjoy helping people find a home for their families?
I love working with interesting and diverse people. I get to help them accomplish their dreams. It isn’t so much about buying and selling real estate as it is helping people change their lifestyle. The change can be for the first-time buyer, the family that wants to buy a house with a big backyard for their kids, or a couple who is ready to downsize.
What nonprofit organizations are you involved with?
When my children were smaller, I was very active at Morgan Hill Parent Child Nursery School co-op and then on the Nordstrom Home and School Club board and served on the Nordstrom School Site Counsel. Now I am involved with the American Association of University Women. I am also involved with the American Cancer Society and with the Fistula Foundation. Fistula is a terrible condition that affects child-bearing women who do not have adequate health care. The Fistula Foundation, which is based in San Jose, provides funds for repair surgeries and for the equipping of medical facilities in the third world.
Why is it important for you to be involved with these groups?
It’s important in life to help causes that a person feels are important and it is rewarding to do something that helps people.
What simple advice would you give people in finding a real estate agent they will like to work with?
Find an agent you are comfortable with. It is important to be clear about what you are looking for but also have an open mind to consider other directions that, in the end, may lead to the best solution.
What simple advice would you give people in purchasing a new home during this market?
Be patient. Inventory is low and sellers have ridden the wave of rising prices. Be willing to step up to the plate when the right home comes on the market. If you know the neighborhood and type of home you’d like to buy, ask your Realtor to pro-actively find that home for you — whether it’s on the market or not.
Location: 175 E. Main Ave., Suite 130
Call: (408) 201-0170
E-mail: [email protected]
Visit: www.interorealestate.com
How would you describe your style of serving your customers?
My tagline is “Serving You with Intelligence and Integrity.” That’s what I try to live up to every day. My clients trust me to be honest and have their best interest as my main priority. My return clients and their referrals are the core of my business and I believe this is because I work hard on every transaction.
