Fatherhood and Foundation: Celebrating the Dads Behind the NC REALTORS® Housing Foundation Board
June is a time to honor the fathers in our lives, the ones who show up, stay present, and lead by example. This month, we’re celebrating three NC REALTORS® Housing Foundation Board members who do exactly that, both at home and in their professional lives. Tim McBrayer, Mark Lindsey, and Preston Miller have each spent decades pouring into their families, and in doing so, have become stronger professionals and leaders because of it. Here, they share the lessons that have shaped them most.
Brunswick County Association of REALTORS® | REALTOR® for over 8 years
Mark Lindsey is the father of three: son Ben, 28, daughter Rebecca, 26, and bonus daughter Holly, 24. His children were grown by the time he entered real estate, but the values he instilled in them, and himself, have guided every step of his career.
For Mark, integrity isn’t situational. “No matter what you do, do it in a way that will always reflect sound judgment, wisdom, and integrity, whether or not anyone else is watching you,” he says. “Always assume that they are.”
He credits balance as the key to it all and wishes he could remind every busy parent of something simple but easy to forget: “Before you know it, they will be grown and moving away from home, and you will never get that time back.”
Some of his fondest memories with his kids involve the outdoors: camping trips, hiking, fishing, and exploring the woods behind their house. His daughters Rebecca and Holly are now scattered across the country, calling in from Guam and Wisconsin, but the closeness they built during those early years has never faded.
His message to fellow REALTORS® and leaders: “Demonstrate unconditional love and let your children know how important it is to always be available and willing to help others. Don’t do things just to check a box, do them because you feel truly led. The best way to teach that is to let them see you living it.”
Raleigh Regional Association of REALTORS® | REALTOR® for over 19 years
Tim McBrayer is the proud father of two daughters, ages 34 and 36, and this June he had the profound joy of watching his oldest get married in the Austrian Alps. “It was an amazing and emotional time,” he says, still glowing from the celebration.
Tim will tell you that fatherhood made him a better REALTOR®. “It taught me patience, to listen better, and to realize that sometimes you have to be the stern parent, or the straight-talking agent, to help people understand the consequences of their decisions.”
His advice to his daughters mirrors the guidance he gives himself: be honest, do the right thing even when no one is looking, and practice the golden rule. “Life is short,” he reflects. “Make the most of it and see the glass as half full.”
To parents juggling careers and kids, Tim offers this gentle reminder: “Savor every moment because they grow up so fast. Don’t let cell phones and television replace time with your children. Take them to the park. Just be with them, because before you know it, they’ll be off building lives of their own.”
As a leader, Tim believes success comes from humility. “You never have all the answers and you’re not always right. The best leaders build trust, stay committed, and inspire people to do more than they think they can.”
Tim recently celebrated surrounded by both daughters and three young men he’s known since birth who call him his second father. A full house, and a full heart.
Raleigh Regional Association of REALTORS® | REALTOR® for over 25 years
Preston Miller is the father of Savannah, 31, and Sam, 26, and he’ll be the first to tell you that real estate has given him something invaluable: the freedom to be present.
“Being a REALTOR® afforded me the flexibility to be a father,” he says. “The hours are long, but the ability to work from home and be there wherever ‘there’ needed to be is true flexibility.” Carpools, after-school games, late-night negotiations, Preston found a way to make it all work.
His work ethic philosophy is one his kids have heard more than once: “Work is a four-letter word to be embraced, not feared. Work hard and play hard.” Some of their best memories together have been built around travel and Carolina Hurricanes hockey, equal parts adventure and family tradition.
On leadership and fatherhood, Preston keeps it refreshingly real: “There is no typical father. Be like Mike. Just Do It!”
The NC REALTORS® Housing Foundation is grateful for the dedication of these board members, as fathers, as REALTORS®, and as community leaders. Here’s to all the dads in the NC REALTORS® family, we see you, and we celebrate you all month long.