When I got to college I had no idea what to do with my life. Like a lot of young people, I did not have a clear path. I took anthropology and science courses and then realized a little late in college that I may be unemployable as an anthropologist. The joke at the time was that Harrah’s (casino) was hiring. So I switched gears and went to a business school where I took accounting and business courses. But still, I had no direction.
There was one true thing that I had always known. I may not have a clear idea of what I wanted to do but I was certain that I knew where I wanted to live. I finally gave into my longing for Tahoe and the mountains and I decided I would do whatever it took to be here. Like a lot of my friends at the time, we took jobs in the ski industry and loved our lives.
Along the way I set up and managed a small hotel as well as a ski shop. I also took a job with Northstar and was the Northstar Rental Manager for 8 years. That was a difficult job! I dealt with power and gas outages, extreme cold that brought frozen and broken pipes to my rental properties. But one thing became clear to me in that job, that people would do anything to get to the mountains. Sold out of available rentals at Christmas time, I was offered money to get families into a home. Frozen out with no heat, I was amazed to find that people would do anything to stay, including being in a property with NO heat. What really became clear to me was how much people loved being here!
I met many good people during my years as Northstar’s rental manager. I was selling a “product” that allowed families to enjoy wonderful times together. I wanted to be a part of that so I became a Realtor. One family bought a property from me, sold it while their children went to college, and then returned to buy again with grandchildren (including triplets) in tow. What a great thing! In all of my years (25 plus now) of selling mountain homes, I had one seller who came back to me and said that it wasn’t what he wanted. The majority of my clients have been thrilled with their properties and I relish seeing them happy and content in their decisions.
Over the years, many business clients became good friends. We all revel in the joy that our mountain lives bring to us. How blessed I have been to find an occupation that allows me to enjoy my work and my environment… at the same time!
Ann McBride
530.386.4001
