New Agent Takes To the Skies

It’s not often that an anonymous window washer provides the impetus to take up a hobby, but that’s just what happened to Rick Shelman. “I had a lot of model airplanes in my office,” he explained. “The guy washing my windows noticed them and asked if I was a pilot.” Rick told his wife, Mary Anne, about the conversation and she asked him why he didn’t go ahead and become one. That was the only encouragement he needed. He booked his first lesson the next day and officially soloed on May 6, 2006, a date etched in his memory.

At the same time as he took to the skies, Rick decided to turn his back on the 27 years he’d spent as the CEO of a computer supply business, and focus on a longterm interest – real estate. “I’d been buying and selling homes for investment in several states since the 80s,” he said, “And I decided that I’d like to work full time in the residential real estate business in my home town, Westport.” Acknowledging this is not the best time to get into the business, Rick is optimistic about his future as an agent. “I’m at a different open house every Sunday,” he said, “and I take as much floor-time as I can. I’m meeting all sorts of people who are looking for new homes.”

Rick and Mary Anne have lived in town for 25 years and their three (grown) children went through the public schools. Mary Anne works at Janie and Jack, the children’s clothing store on Main Street. “We’ve lived in three different homes in town, and when my youngest went to college we downsized. Now we live near the beach and I love it,” Rick said. “Why did I wait so long to move to the water?!”

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