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AGENT SPOTLIGHT
Tricia Keane
Navigating the World of Real Estate
After 40 years of marriage, Tricia Keane & her husband Donald Wagner know the secret to success!
I have always had a sense of adventure and traveling is my favorite hobby. I have been all over the world and was lucky enough to experience visiting places like the magical Machu Picchu and the tropical Amazon Jungle in Peru and climbing the Great Wall and visiting the Terracotta Warrior Museum in China. Now my husband and I have decided it is time to travel the USA so we purchased a Mercedes Sprinter Camper and we are hitting the road and exploring and visiting National Parks when we can sneak away from Real Estate.
I met my husband, Donald Wagner, during spring break in Florida when I was still in college and we married when I was 21. Donald is from Maryland so we lived in downtown Baltimore and bought our first home for $1.00 from the City of Baltimore. The city initiated the Homestead Program to encourage “Urban Homesteaders” to renovate derelict properties. Donald and I renovated our home on Welcome Alley ourselves forging a lifelong love of renovations and home design.
Our house in Baltimore was only 9.5 feet wide and too small for kids, so when I became pregnant with our first child, Ryan, we moved back to Massachusetts. After my daughter, Allison was born, I got my Real Estate license and sold real estate for 10 years in Newton, Wellesley and Brookline Massachusetts. Donald and I renovated and flipped over 10 homes during this time, before HGTV existed. I think now we could have had our own tv show!! We enjoyed our time up North but the cold winters, cost of living and traffic were taking a toll and the desire to move south was paramount. We spent 5 years researching and visiting areas from North Carolina to Florida. The first time we visited Wilmington, we knew it was right for us… tons of restaurants, an airport, the University of North Carolina Wilmington, the Wilson Center, Thalian Hall, pristine beaches and warm weather! We were in love with Wilmington so we quit our jobs, sold our house and moved ourselves south. I even ran out of gas on I-40 in the moving truck!
Real Estate has always been a part of my life. Growing up in the suburbs of Boston my Grandfather, Marty Keane, worked as a Real Estate Agent. As a young girl, watching him make deals and selling homes made an impression and my interest in Real Estate was ignited!
As the middle of five siblings, our household was always busy and loud and I had to make myself be heard. I‘ve always had an outgoing personality and can easily relate to everyone. This is a gift in the Real Estate World and has helped me in my career. Another trait which helps in Real Estate is that I never give up. Tenacity is the name of the game and I go the extra mile for my sellers and buyers.
When we landed in Wilmington we built our dream home on the ocean in Carolina Beach. With a boat, boat slip and an in-ground pool we lived the dream for the next 17 years! I worked as the Executive Director of the Child Advocacy Commission for several years and then Donald and I opened a 7 store chain of shoe stores called “Comfortable Soles”. Our kids graduated from Cape Fear Academy and went off to college, married and made us so happy with 4 Grandchildren. After an 18 year run as retailers, we sold our shoe business and went back into real estate full time and have been top producers ever since!
We love putting all our years of experience into helping our clients when making the largest financial investment of their lives, buying or selling a home! We enjoy working with first time buyers, families on the move and particularly clients heading into retirement, either moving here from the North or West to escape high taxes, cold weather, or selling their home in this area to downsize. I have my Senior Real Estate Specialist (SRES) which is a designation from the National Association of Realtors which gives a Realtor the knowledge and expertise to guide homebuyers and sellers over the age of 50 through major financial and lifestyle transitions. Also, having run an antique business, on Castle Street in Wilmington, I also have connections to help my clients get rid of stuff! As our grown children will tell you, “We don’t want anything.”
A few years ago we downsized and sold our home on the ocean in Carolina Beach and bought and renovated a condo right in the middle of downtown Wilmington. We absolutely love being able to walk everywhere… restaurants galore, live music, plays and the Fourth Friday Art Walk. We know what it’s like to make a huge transition as we moved from a single family home of 5,500 square feet to a 1,500 square foot condo. We have learned with every season of life we have different needs, not only in housing, but in our lifestyle as well. What better place to retire and relax near the beach than in beautiful Wilmington, North Carolina. We are ready to guide and help you make your dreams come true!
