Chris and Diana Hill have enjoyed a long history together, having been married for 42 years while working together nearly 30 of those years. Today they share three grown children and five grandchildren, as well as ownership of Windermere Mill Creek, and couldn’t be happier. I recently caught up with Chris to learn more about their journey into real estate and the keys to their success.

Chris and Diana met in their twenties while on vacation in Kona, HI, and quickly fell in love, but he was living in Seattle, and she was in Spokane. When Chris said he wasn’t interested in making it a long-distance romance, Diana moved to Seattle, and they were soon married. Chris had a B.S. in Business Management from the University of Phoenix and a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University and was working for Boeing at the time. Diana had her sights set on teaching with an A.A. in Early Childhood Development from Spokane Falls Community College.

However, while searching for their first home they met and befriended a real estate broker who suggested Chris get into the business. “It sounded like a cool idea, so I quit Boeing and got my license,” Chris says. Diana had been working as a stay-at-home mom to their three children, but in 1996, decided to join Chris at Century 21. “When that company consolidated and closed the branch in 2002, Diana decided to check out a nearby Windermere office, and we’ve been with them ever since,” he says.

Today they have 40 agents working out of the Mill Creek branch, with Chris acting as Designated Broker/Owner and Diana acting as Branch Manager/Owner. When asked what personal strengths each brings to the business, Chris says, “It’s funny. When we were younger, we weren’t as confident, bold, or friendly because older people intimidated us. Over time, though, we built this confidence to where we could work with anyone.” As their skills progressed, the two discovered their strength was being face to face with people rather than conversing via emails or phone calls. “Through attending networking events, joining networking groups, and going to any kind of event where we could be face to face with people, we really blossomed,” he says. Being married didn’t hurt either, as Chris knows Diana’s strengths and she knows his, so they let each other run with it. “It just works,” he adds.

Aligning with Windermere has proven another big key to the couple’s success. With the strength of the Windermere brand being founded in its pursuit of excellence and customer service, it continues to be the number one real estate brokerage firm in the Puget Sound region. As a company, Windermere also prides itself on giving back to the communities it serves, and Chris and Diana take that very seriously. “We put on a big car show every year through the Windermere Foundation, with the proceeds going to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. With Windermere matching whatever we raise, we double our impact,” says Chris. “We also donate a lot to the Mill Creek Food Bank and do auctions at Christmastime with proceeds going to the Windermere Foundation and the charities we choose through that.”

Specializing in residential real estate, Chris and Diana know the competition is fierce and are constantly working to ensure their clients receive the best in customer service. With over 35 years of real estate experience, the two bring a real estate broker’s perspective to the table and pride themselves on being an ownership team that is ‘hands on’. “We are always available to answer questions and help find solutions for our brokers and offer training classes on various topics nearly every day of the week,” says Chris. “Yet we are most proud of how close knit and collaborative our office is, as that is not always the case. We encourage our agents to help one another, and that teamwork has really benefited our team and our clients over the years.” Most of their agents live in the surrounding community as well, making them valuable resources for new homeowners needing recommendations on doctors, schools, shopping, restaurants, and more!

 As for his thoughts on today’s real estate market, Chris says, “We haven’t experienced a ‘normal’ market in probably the last 30 years, but if these rates hover where they are now, we will finally see a more predictable market as far as how many sales and how much work is out there for us, and that excites me.” He also sees inventory increasing as people get tired of waiting to sell and buyers get tired of waiting for rates to go down. “Our Windermere economist recently shared a 10-year projection showing interest rates remaining around 6% to 7%. That said, buying a home will always be a sound investment!” he concludes.

If you are in the market to buy or sell, don’t hesitate to reach out. Visit: WindermereMillCreek.com