John McGowan
Sotheby's International Realty
Montecito Office

If I’d known then what I know now, I very well might not have gone into the real estate profession.

Then was 1980 when I thought that the combination of my background as a stock broker and business owner, matched with a native-born knowledge of Santa Barbara would put me in a position to help people find and negotiate – fairly and honestly – a home to call their own in a place like no other, a place I grew up in and loved.

What I know now is that, while those where valid-enough reasons and credentials at the time, it also takes years of ongoing education and experience to produce an agent seasoned enough to understand that just because a transaction is completed, it’s not just good-bye and good luck.

Maybe it was, in part, my tour of duty in the Marine Corps that instilled in me the importance of honor and integrity in all walks of life.  It shaped my personal code as a professional, which is that every client is an individual who deserves utmost respect and attention not just for the short-term deal, but also for the long-term association.

What I also know now is that my cumulative experience as a community activist for many charitable organizations, as a member of the Professional Standards Committee of Santa Barbara Realtors, and as an involved parent of three college-age adults, has reinforced the notion that this business is helping people successfully navigate the increasingly complicated process of buying or selling property

If you asked me today, nearly three decades later, if – all things being equal – If I would have picked the same career path, the answer is an unqualified “Yes!”

I love what I do and I hope it shows as well as the properties I represent.