I’m writing this month’s column from San Luis Obispo, where my daughter and I are spending a few days touring Cal Poly.
It has been one of those simple trips I’ll always remember. Just the two of us. We drove up on Tuesday and will head home on Friday. Somewhere along the way, it struck me that this may very well be our last college tour together. Like so many milestones in parenthood, you don’t always recognize the “last” until you’re living it.
Needless to say, I’m treasuring every minute.
My daughter and I have a funny habit on road trips—we like to estimate big things.
How many pizza restaurants are there in the United States? (About 75,000.) How much annual revenue does a single Erewhon grocery store generate? (Roughly $25–30 million.) How many people have ever lived on Earth? (About 117 billion.)
It’s amazing how often you can get surprisingly close by starting with something small that you know and then building from there. More than anything, it’s just a fun way to pass the miles and spark conversations we probably wouldn’t have if we were staring at our phones.
As we talked, we imagined what it might be like for her to live in San Luis Obispo. She’s lived in the same home in Nellie Gail Ranch since she was one year old. We talked about everything South Orange County has to offer—employment opportunities, internships, beautiful beaches, and easy access to both Los Angeles and San Diego. While I know going away to school is all about new experiences, I found myself appreciating just how fortunate we are to call this area home.
Sometimes you have to leave home to appreciate everything that’s happening there.
South Orange County is quietly entering another exciting chapter. The Laguna Hills Mall redevelopment, the Dana Point Harbor revitalization, Hoag’s plans for the Ziggurat campus, and dozens of smaller projects are reshaping our communities. Even in today’s difficult real estate environment—where high interest rates, rising construction costs, and compressed development returns have slowed new investment—the long-term outlook remains remarkably strong. When financing becomes more attractive again, these projects will accelerate, and new opportunities will follow.
Our road-trip game reminded me that estimating big things usually starts with understanding the smaller pieces. The same is true in real estate. Rather than trying to predict every twist and turn in the market, start with your own goals and work backward. Where do you want to be five, ten, or twenty years from now? Once the destination is clear, the decisions become easier. Like our road-trip conversations, meaningful outcomes often begin with a few thoughtful assumptions, a simple plan, and the patience to let time do its work.
Like estimating big things on a long drive, life’s biggest decisions rarely require perfect certainty. They begin with a direction, a few thoughtful assumptions, and the patience to let time do its work.
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