Today’s post is going to pretty different from your normal stuff on Myrtle Beach Real Estate. So if you are here looking for content on The Golden Mile, Gated Home Communities in Myrtle Beach, or golf course condos, you aren’t going to find it in this post.

Instead, today we are going to reflect on 9/11/2001. They say everyone remembers where they were on the day it happened, and I know I surely do. On 9/11 I woke up early in the morning and had a tremendous nervous energy this Tuesday morning. Why? Today was the day I was going to be officially announced as part of the Blanton Team and joining my father selling real estate.

I remember the morning vividly as I drove from our condo over to the Myrtle Beach Convention center and entered a room full of strangers with my father. My father at the time was with one of the large companies on the beach that had close to 300 agents at the time and today was their quarterly company wide meetings.

The meeting began promptly at 8AM and honestly, I had no idea what 80% of the information was about that was being shared. I had just passed my real estate exams and got my license. They were talking about all this different stuff and I had no clue what it was about.

Halfway through the meeting, they got to the new agent introductions where they called my name and shared “This is Jeremy Blanton, and he will be joining his fathers team.” I stood for a brief second waved to the crowd and then sat down. After the meeting, a few congratulated me on joining his team and then I left to hurry home.

I was still in college and had to hurry home to change out of the dress code shirt & tie into something more comfortable to get to college by 11AM for my first classes of the day. As I walked into the house, the phone was ringing and I answered it to hear my father frantic on the other end saying

Turn on the TV! Tell us what is going on!

In 2001, social media did not really exist yet, so I turned on the TV to see a plane has just crashed into the World Trade Center. I shared the horror with him on the phone and he told me how he had just hung up the phone with someone in NY who saw it happen out the window of his office.

I remember sitting on the sofa in silence and not moving for probably 25 minutes as I was just left speechless. After a few hours I was able to compose myself enough that I got into my car and drove to college to find that all classes had been cancelled the rest of the day.

This was my introduction into real estate. I remember over the next several months as I began to try to help people buy property here how one of the fears was what if another attack came and this time was here in Myrtle Beach and someone decided to fly a plane into one of our oceanfront hotels. Luckily over time those fears subsided.

So today marks 18 years since this tragic event and 18 years since I began in real estate. It’s hard to believe it has been that long ago as I can remember the events so vividly from that day like it was yesterday. It is definitely an event I will never forget. As you go through today, take time to hug someone’s neck, let them know you appreciate them and tell someone you love them.