L O O K I N G B A C K
Real estate business is in my blood. My grandfather Oliver Williams started out as a Minister of the Church of the Brethren, and when he retired he became a Realtor for more than 20 years. He specialized in orange groves from Anaheim to Pomona. He put in the roads, subdivided the land, and sold off the lots. I remember him taking me around the orchards and cutting fresh oranges to snack on. He also built apartments.
My dad, Hillis Williams, did small development as a side business before we moved to California. He took large, older, three story homes near the University of Missouri, and he remodeled them into triplexes. He put in the extra kitchens and baths that it took to make them apartments. He designed and built both of the two houses that I grew up in.
I remember growing up around construction in my home town of Columbia,
Missouri.
Dad was a scene designer and drama instructor at Stephens College in Columbia. He created and built all of the stage sets for more than 350 play productions. When we moved to the Bay Area in 1968 Dad continued this work at De Anza Community College.
I inherited architecture and stage set production ideas from my dad. In my real estate business, I strive to make each home look special with staging.