Today we’d like to introduce you to Linda Garrity.
Thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
It’s been 15 years since I loaded up a 1977 Chevy Cheyenne pick-up truck and my daughter and moved to the North Shore. Life in the cities was a bit chaotic for me as a single parent so I decided to seek a calmer life, close to woods and water. We moved to a log cabin in the woods in Lutsen, MN, (thanks to some wonderful & helpful friends who made that possible) and bartered work on the cabin for more affordable rent.
From inner city to absolute privacy! It was during the 2008 market, too, so a move was risky as it related to my work as a real estate agent…but, we did what we do best and punted! We started over. Work/career, lifestyle, school, daycare…all of it. Along with my real estate career, I also started a property management/caretaking business to make sure I had an income while trying to build up my real estate clientele.
I clearly remember the feeling of my first “side job” involving chainsawing trees out of a driveway so the property owner could get to their cabin! Cut them to chase…I have started my real estate brokerage and vacation rental business (Songbird Realty MN), my daughter has graduated and is off to journalism school at Madison and I am fortunate enough to have been able to enjoy an incredible life on the shore. None of this would have happened without fantastic and appreciated friends and family along every step of the way!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Nothing smooth about it! Hour-long drives each way to daycare, 200+ miles behind a windshield every day going from client to job site, from client to job site. Finding balance in a life on the shore is challenging as one has to work very hard, and long days to be able to build a life here in the first place.
Housing, daycare/school, snowfall, securing a supply of firewood, getting your vehicle repaired, driving 2 hours to Duluth for “supplies/materials”, driving 1.5 hours to get that gallon of milk you forgot. The North Shore also is very spread out and learning how to find a client’s property in the “middle of nowhere” took a little while!
One must make a very intentional decision to live remotely as it’s a life full of strategy, planning, and ultimately, nothing but worthwhile.
Thanks – So what else should our readers know about Songbird Realty MN?
I’ve been either employed in or self-employed in the world of real estate for 30 years! After working for various real estate brokers and builders over these years, I decided that it was time to branch out on my own, get my broker license, and start my own real estate company.
Songbird Realty MN came to be in April 2022! I was able to purchase a building in downtown Grand Marais and open my office, complete with an adorable Airbnb upstairs, along with space for another business to open its doors. I am a creative, diligent, and experienced realtor and property manager/business owner and have worked solely off of referrals my entire career. Not only do I represent clients in and around the North Shore area but I also help and work for clients in the Twin Cities Metro area.
Guiding clients successfully and carefully through the unique process of purchasing and selling properties has been not only exciting but I’m honored every time somebody chooses me to be a part of their journey. Over the past 20 years, my daughter and I have also bought/remodeled or rehabbed, lived in, and sold 18 homes. We have been a mother/daughter remodel team through these years and have both acquired. A healthy set of skills and a nice inventory of tools!
What do you like and dislike about the city?
The North Shore truly has been a dreamy and surreal place to live and the sense of community and care is unsurpassed.
The doors are wide open to those who want to create opportunity for themselves and others and it’s been nothing short of rewarding to be a part of it. I could do without the black flies that rear their biting heads in May, however!
