Craig, a retired Marine Corps combat engineer instructor, has always been an outdoorsman. His family was in the farming and fishing business in coastal North Carolina, and his most dreaded punishment as a child was his mom making him stay indoors. Nothing much changed as an adult – his free time revolves around clamming, hunting, dirt biking, hiking, camping, traveling, and anything else to enjoy being outdoors.

As he started approaching retirement, he knew he didn’t want to end up in a tiny condo in a building full of old people. He wanted to be where he feels the happiest – on a beautiful piece of property with great access to the outdoor adventures that he loves.

So, about 6 years ago, he started looking for a retirement property in upstate South Carolina, a beautiful location a bit warmer than his home in North Carolina and somewhere that palm trees grow. Then, life happened, and his focus shifted to going back to college, dealing with personal health problems, the death of a parent, selling of his family home, and the death of a niece. After so much turmoil, he began wondering what was going to be next for him and his wife.

That’s when he saw the ad on Craigslist for a property for sale in his dream area of South Carolina. He had so recently returned from another trip that his bags were still packed. But, undeterred and with a newfound sense of hope and excitement – he and his wife jumped in the car to make the 7.5-hour drive to go see this beautiful South Carolina property that was meant to be theirs.

Craig remembers when they arrived how excited and giddy his wife looked as they walked to the top of the hill on the property that now belongs to them. They both knew that this was their spot – that this is where they would build their dream retirement home.

So far, they have cleared the property and are planning to build an 1800 square foot ranch-style log home. Along with having his retirement home in South Carolina, Craig dreams of traveling around the United States both for fishing and land investing. He wants to leave his kids something to connect them to him, something more valuable than money – an inheritance that is a reflection of his life and spirit as an outdoorsman, traveler, adventurer, and lover of life. He hopes that one day his children can follow the footprints of his travels around the country and stand on the land that he has left to them, admiring the beautiful views, and remembering him as the great lover of the outdoors.