Bob Carter: Looking back at life as a North Shore realtor

Bob Carter bought a house on County Road 14 in 1999, working with Realtor Sue Hakes with Red Pine Realty. After getting settled in Grand Marais, he began exploring employment opportunities in the community. His realtor friends pointed him in the direction of real estate and the rest, as they say, is history.

When he announced his retirement this month, WTIP’s Rhonda Silence reached out to Bob to talk about his career here on the North Shore and the changes over the years.

Bob got his realtor’s license and hit the ground running, selling somewhere between 200 and 300 properties over the years—a few places more than once. He worked for Red Pine Realty, Sue Hakes Realty, and most recently Coldwell Banker North Shore. Bob jokes that he is a “job hopper.”

Jokes aside, Bob said it is wonderful that the local realtors communicate and work well together. “I can honestly call every realtor in the county my friend. I’m going to miss that,” he said.

Bob said the real estate business is very, very good right now, but it is quite stressful. He said in the past a realtor would contact a client about a property that just came on the market. The buyer would come to visit in a week or 10 days. Bob said that is not possible at this time. Properties are sold within days of being listed.

Another change, he said, is that it used to be uncommon to have multiple offers on a property. Lately, every property gets numerous offers, including a recent one with 23 offers. That is hard, said Bob, as that means one happy client—and 22 others who are disappointed.

The internet has definitely changed the real estate business with the ability for buyers to take online tours of homes. Bob said more and more people are buying a property sight unseen. That is something he is not really comfortable with, said Bob. "I think people really need to visit and to ask, 'How do I feel in this house?' "

So, it is time, said Bob, to retire. Although he will be keeping his license and continuing to work with current clients. But he won’t be taking on new clients.

The very good news is that he and Helen, aside from leaving for a few months in the winter, are not leaving Cook County. “We’re not going anywhere,” Bob said, “Cook County is our home.”

Click and listen to WTIP’s Rhonda Silence speaking with Bob Carter about all this and more.