About us
Blake is a real estate professional with a lifelong penchant for animals, travel, and the outdoors. Raised in a stone house from the 1700s on a large horse farm in the panhandle of West Virginia near DC, she grew up caring for a menagerie of animals both domestic and wild. After graduating from college and a year abroad at Oxford, Blake settled in Winston-Salem, NC and summered at a beautiful home she built in Newport Rhode Island. Along with her real estate business she owned an art gallery for 15 yrs. Her gallery was a critical pioneer in transforming what was then a derelict area but is now a bustling arts district in Winston-Salem's downtown. Now a busy professional who brokers investment real estate deals for large trusts, Blake uses her spare time photographing wildlife and traveling as time permits. She has traveled to over 16 different countries in Europe, Asia, and North and central America not including the many caribbean island territories.
I (Don) was raised in many different parts of the states as a youngster but eventually settled on the family horse and cattle farm in western Tennessee after high school. Similar to Blake I was dedicated to my animals ranging from the aforemetioned horses and cattle to pot bellied pigs and peacocks. After managing the farm for a few years, and some travel of my own, I went on to college and an MBA ultimately moving in to a corporate career and working for several Fortune 500 companies. I have been told by many that I'm pretty much the quintessential "Jack-of-all-trades". I can fix just about anything you throw at me and I absolutely live to learn new skills. In my spare time I restore vintage motorcycles, and adventure tour offroad on my more modern BMW R1200GS motorcycle. Being an amateur musician I've built my own musical instruments, and most recently I've joined a volunteer team here in Nashville wrenching on the restoration of a 400,000lb mainline steam locomotive from the 1940s. Like Blake I too am a licensed real estate broker, as well as a licensed general contractor in the US in two states.
How we roll
Blake and I are lost without adventure. We love the sights and sounds of a new place. And both thrive on new challenges. We have been in Nashville, TN for a number of years now and are ready for some newness in our lives. We arent sure yet about retirement as a strategy, so we've begun our house sitting adventure as a way to get our toes wet while pursuing new experiences at the same time.
Having no children of our own, when our cat of 24 yrs left us recently we were devastated without her love and presence in our lives. We considered being adopted by another companion but ultimately decided that "rental pets" as we call them were a better fit for us while we figured out how best to pursue our passions while we were still younger. So now instead of having one pet we have many! Our neighbors love us. Haha. Currently our neighborhood dogs Lola and Julliette, both labradoodles, are our frequent pets and love sponge extortionists. Albeit undeeded and temporary.
Blake and I, both fit and non-smokers in our early 50's who love to exercise. We are emotionally sturdy and dependable adults without any skeletons in our closet or other weirdness going on. In a word normal. We have personally known the good and bad of travel as well as the trials and tribulations of managing primary residences and second homes. Rest assured that together Blake and I can be that link between you and your sanity when it comes to the security of your home and pets. We will care for your property and pets as if they were our own.
What we prefer
A non-smoking home, wifi to keep in touch with you if/as you desire, climate control (AC/Heat) and possibly some form of transportation if needed. The rest we'll figure out.