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Bob Duff saw an ad promoting careers in real estate back in the 1990s and thought to himself, forget it. "There's no way I would ever get involved in that." He remembers the moment with a laugh. Today, he's sitting in his office at William Pitt in Norwalk, surrounded by the awards he has received for being one of the region's power performers in the often brutal business of moving Fairfield County homes."My first six months I was top producer in the office, became rookie of the year, and since then it's been great. I really enjoy it."
How did a guy who had worked on political campaigns and done substitute teaching end up in real estate--especially when he'd concluded he wouldn't like the field? "I'm not one to sit behind a desk all day and I like making up my own schedule and being entrepreneurial. So I like being a real estate agent. We can work the hours we want, we're flexible, which means some weeks we work seven days a week--most weeks, actually--but some days you can take a morning off or meet your kids at school for lunch."
Duff, who's serving his third term in the state Senate representing Norwalk and Darien, can best be described as a committed multi-tasker, balancing real estate and public service--and often blazing a lot of miles between home and Hartford. How can he do both--and do them well? "I get asked that all the time, and I really have no answer except to say, it all works out. I joke that I don't watch a lot of TV. And with today's technology, I can stay accessible wherever I am. (That's good for both professions)"
Then there's the terrain, another of Duff's home field advantages in both careers. "I'm somebody who's a fifth generation Norwalker. I know the town like the back of my hand--I feel very comfortable not only selling the town but marketing the town as well." Duff does it every day--selling homes, and selling Norwalk. At times, he's done such a good job of showing off the city that companies such as Pepsi and UBS have asked him to host bus tours for employees moving into the area. "It's very easy for me to do that. My family's history here goes back a long time. There's so many exciting things about Norwalk."
Will he ever hang it up and focus full time on politics or other endeavors? Probably not. "It's very hard to get it out of your blood. Once you're doing it, you're doing it."
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