David first visited Hilton Head Island in 1984 with his wife Jerri and another couple John and Edie Summey who were friends and Professors at SIU Carbondale. John & Edie grew up in the south and knew one other couple here on the island.  This couple will play a crucial part in David & Jerri’s move to the island. The four were here to spend spring break at the beach; however, mother-nature was not kind and it was cold with temperatures only in the mid 50’s that spring.

At the time of their visit, David was the owner/ manager of David’s Rib Place in Murphysboro Illinois. He quickly realized he could start a David’s Rib Place on Hilton Head Island! So by the third day, David started making plans to come back and do some market research. David returned and started the new concept restaurant opening process. Because the Town of Hilton Head had been incorporated earlier that year, he could not open till after the 4^th of July.

That fall the couple, who were friends of John & Edie’s, who just happened to be on the school Board, called to say, “The grade school art teacher on the island is not coming back.” My wife Jerri was an art teacher, so this became the perfect job opportunity for her!  Jerri drove down from Murphysboro, interviewed and was hired in a couple of days!  That was it!! We were now Hilton Head Island Residents!

Unfortunately, David’s Rib Place did not survive the second year. For some reason no BBQ restaurant, survived for many years on the island.  Because of Jerri’s teaching job, and because David had been in the restaurant business for 20 years, he decided it might be time to get into something else.

David decided to get his real estate license. After taking the required courses, he began his real estate career in May 1986.  David’s focus on teaching and learning are the direct driving forces of his real estate business; however, because real estate is as much an emotional business as a logical business, Toastmaster’s and Neuro-Linguistic Programming were two concepts that would affect his growth and his career.

You might ask what does Toastmasters and Neuro-Linguistic Programming and Meta-States have to do with the field of Real Estate?

First Toastmasters: David got into Toastmaster so he could help people make good decisions.  Also, he wanted feedback on his presentations.  David helped charter the Hilton Head Island Toastmasters Club 3380 in October of 1987. Then, one year later, he helped charter The Fast Trackers 7199 . This Club still meets every Friday morning at 7:45 AM. Twelve years ago David created the Home School Toastmaster Club.  This club meets every Friday at 9 AM.  You probably wonder, what David learned and why is he still attending meetings? Every Fast Trackers meeting is like 3 original one act plays! He is constantly learning something new or reminded of a principal he already knew and needed to be reminded of. More importantly, learning to listen and help give feedback to his fellow members and his home school children from grades 6^th  to 12^th  grade. David says, “One of the most helpful things I can do to help buyers and sellers of real estate is to listen carefully to what people are looking for in a home here in the Hilton Head Island and Bluffton area.”

Then, Neuro-Linguistic Programming and Meta-States: These terms can be Googled, but I asked David to share why he became interested in these fields of study and how he had benefited from that research.  First, NLP is the result of the study of 2 great therapists Fritz Pearle and Virginia Satir. These two extraordinary human-beings, seemed to help people overcome their phobias and fears almost like magic!  After some careful study and review of their videos, some common denominators were observed and thus the field was created. David got into the field from attending a Tony Robbins program that involved bare foot fire walking!! He wanted to overcome his fear of rejection in the real estate field. Walking across fire wood coals barefooted did not immediately have that effect. It did however introduce him to the field of study.

Over the next few years David invested time and money in NLP. In June 1994, he received his Practitioner’s in NLP. In Sept 1996 received his Master Practitioner’s in NLP.  What David learned was more than just how to pick up the phone, place the call and ask if a person wanted to move to Hilton Head. He learned what his rules where and how they determined how he allowed himself to be happy. Also, David learned what his rules where that allowed him to be unhappy, mad or irritated. David learned a lot about listening! What do people’s words mean to them? He learned that listening was the true way to help people decide whether having a home in the Hilton Head Island and Bluffton area was right for them and their family members.

David found what was most important was to help the purchasers be happy! Purchasing a home on Hilton Head Island is much more about the life style and less about the actual home they choose. The home is a vessel to enjoy that lifestyle! David’s training helped him learn that by being focused on helping people learn about the Hilton Head/Bluffton area, the community/lifestyle choices, and how those choices match up to what they and their family really feel is important is the ultimate way to ensure purchasers find the perfect home and community!  If David helped them figure out which community best fits, then his job is done and done well.

Visit the comment section on my fan page for testimonials from just a few people he has helped. Many people David has helped find their perfect home/community said, “David seemed to know what I wanted before I knew myself! He has been in this area since ‘84 and has seen many ground-breakings for new communities. No one knows the Hilton Head and Bluffton real estate market better than David! ” In response, David says, “All I did was ask questions and listened and ask more questions and listened. Then, I showed them some homes/communities and asked more questions and listened. No rush. No hurry. I am just helping people get what they want.”

 I help people make great Decisions. Can I help you make one today?