These past several days I’ve had several very interesting conversations with professionals who are likely in their 40’s. The first conversation was with two brothers who were here to finish getting their mother’s property ready to place on the market. I didn’t expect the meeting with them to be so long but I was glad that it was, because I yet again became aware of how much we the residents of Mason City take for granted in the goods and services that are provided. They wanted to meet me at my office so they had an opportunity to see what has happened with the downtown since they were here last. I was delighted to find both of them commenting on how the downtown has evolving into something more than they had ever expected. The most memorable comment came from one of the brothers who lives in a metro area that said in closing, “Joe, when my wife and I retire, you’ll be helping us relocate to Mason City.”
Now that was quite the statement.
This afternoon, I ran into a researcher who does civilian contract work for the federal government. About six months ago I did a market analysis on her home and she said that if she did get the promotion that she was interviewing for, she would list her house because she would have to re-locate to a very large metro area. Well today I heard the rest of her story. She said she got the job, and she decided not to put her house on the market until she found something that suited her needs. She believed she found the condo she could “live with” and during the negotiations she said to herself, “I can’t do this.” After ALL things considered, she believed getting a lower salary and living here in Mason City was what was the best for her. In talking to her today, I can tell she is very happy with her decision. These are just two examples of very educated people making calculated decisions about their lives going forward.
