This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Bill Miller, 82, who works as a real-estate broker and part-time as a forklift driver in North Carolina. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
I got my bachelor’s degree from Cornell and a master’s degree from Indiana State. I worked on a Ph.D. at NC State, though I never received a degree. All my studies were in biology and zoology.
I was employed by Penn State on a NASA grant for a couple of years and taught ninth-grade biology for 10 years. In 1978, a friend asked me to join him in the real-estate business, and I decided to do it.
I gave up a salary-based teaching career and entered a strictly commission-based business. I started in upstate New York and moved to Asheville, North Carolina, in 1983. It was emotionally stressful at first, but financially, it was much better to go into real estate.
I’m still working in real estate now at 82.
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I came down here and started from scratch
My wife and I have been very fortunate and have done very well financially. I started in March 1985 with the firm as a residential broker, and I’ve been with it for over 40 years.
I haven’t branched into commercial real estate. I focus mainly on residential real estate and land. We used to play detective. Someone would say they wanted a house with this, this, and this, and we would find half a dozen that fit their needs and then show them the house.
In today’s market, people are finding houses and coming into town, saying they want to see this one and this one. What they need us for is guidance in the process, such as information about the market or an analysis of the property.
We stay very busy
My wife is 77, and she’s also very active in the real-estate business at the same company. We’ve been able to do anything and everything we’ve ever wanted to do within limits.
We’re not rich by any means, but we’re comfortable in our old age, and we’re not lacking for anything. We’ve been able to raise four children, put them in college, be scuba divers and underwater photographers, and travel the world.
A few people at the company are still working into their 80s. I’m the senior guy here, and when I’m in the office, people come to me for advice.
I’m pretty well respected among the younger generations. My wife and I tend to hang around with people who are younger than we are because they’re busy and active like us. They’re full of energy.
I have a side job working for a guy who has a business that needs forklift and backhoe drivers
I can run a backhoe, a tractor, a forklift, and a scissorjack. I started over three years ago. I work there between 15 and 20 hours a week, early in the mornings, and then I have the rest of the day free for real estate. I don’t need the money, and I’m often paid in benefits. I’m not as active in real estate as I used to be because I’m having too much fun driving.
Every day is different. Some days, I’m loading trucks with steel with a forklift, and other days, I’m covered in grease doing manual labor.
The guy I work with is younger than I am, and he and I have been fishermen for many years. I’ve also been helping him clean up his seven-acre property. It’s evolved into a really good relationship, almost like father-son.
My wife and I have a low-maintenance condo, and we own everything
We don’t have any loans other than a mortgage, no credit card debt, and no car payments. We could live on what we have from Social Security and money in the bank, but neither one of us is ready to sit on a couch and become a vegetable.
We’ve had times way back when we’ve had to borrow money. In 2008, we owned two houses, and we had to put them both on the market because we couldn’t afford to keep both of them. We decided that whichever one sold, we would live in the other one.
I’m very active as a volunteer at United Way, Habitat for Humanity, and Transformation Village. I’ve always felt that if I earn my living in a community, I need to give back to that community.
I have four kids, all of whom are married and college-educated
Some of them are much better off than I am. Three of the four live in the Asheville area, and we see them on a regular basis. My oldest son and I are competitive sporting clay shooters. I’ve got six grandchildren.
My health is great. I smoked for many years, and even though I haven’t for 30 years, my cholesterol is high. I could probably watch my diet more.
I had a heart issue 20 years ago, so I’m on a beta blocker to control my heart rate, but it doesn’t affect my performance. I’ve never had any internal surgery.
I really don’t have any regrets
I didn’t complete two things: the Eagle Scouts and my Ph.D. I never went back and finished my thesis, and in hindsight, I probably should have. Other than that, I wouldn’t change a thing.
I’m going to work until they tear me out of there with a black bag. I’ve had too many friends retire at home, sit down in front of the television, and just vegetate and die. As long as I’m physically able to get up, get dressed, and go to work, I’m going to continue that.
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