Hey, I'm Dylan
PhD turned realtor, Boston transplant, volleyball player, early morning runner, and your unofficial guide to making Asheville home.
The Journey to Asheville
I spent years in academia - got my PhD from UF studying dietary therapy for chronic intractable epilepsy, worked at Harvard on public health research. I loved the research, but it consumed everything. When a family member suggested real estate, I thought they were crazy. Turns out, they were right.
I became rookie of the year my first year in real estate. Who knew that the same curiosity that drove research could help people find their perfect home? The parallel is real - in both careers, I'm helping people find their "why."
After living in Boston (congested, intense, but culturally rich) and growing up in Gainesville, Florida (suburban, international, university town), I was searching for something in between. I wanted Boston's walkability, food scene, and culture, but with breathing room. With mountains. With a pace that let me actually enjoy life.
I found all that in Asheville in 2019. This is the first place that truly feels like home.
Why Asheville Works for Me
The Perfect Size
Asheville is "comfortably large" - big enough to have real culture, food, and community, small enough that you can escape to nature in minutes. It's the Goldilocks of cities.
Just Be Yourself
I can wear my jewelry to the office. I have gay neighbors everywhere I've lived. Nobody blinks at Pride flags. It's comfortable here in a way I've never experienced before.
Real Community
It took about a year, but I found my people through volleyball at Highland Brewing. Now I play multiple times a week with folks who feel like family. Community is real here.
Daily Joy
My morning routine - 5:30am run on the RAD greenway, cortado at Summit Coffee truck - sets the tone. Every day I see the mountains and think "holy shit, I live here."
My Asheville Life Now
Daily Routine
- 5:30am wake up (early riser by nature)
- Morning run - RAD greenway or Bent Creek
- Cortado at Summit, Hi-Fi, or Rowan
- Real estate work - showings, meetings, coffee shops
- Evening volleyball or running group
Neighborhood Journey
- Started: West Asheville (walkable, loved it)
- Then: South Asheville (suburban, needed space)
- Now: East Asheville (leafy, quiet, perfect)
- Why: 10 minutes to downtown, feels like mountains
I absolutely love living here. The volleyball community, the coffee culture, the way seasons actually change (though January/February are rough for this Florida boy). Asheville gave me the life balance I couldn't find in academia or big cities.
Why This Site Exists
When I was researching Asheville before moving, everything I found was either tourist fluff or locals complaining about transplants. I wanted real information - what does it actually cost? Where do people like me live? How do you build community?
As a realtor, I help people find homes. But finding a home is more than just the house - it's finding your neighborhood, your coffee shop, your people. It's knowing where to get groceries, which trails to run, where to play volleyball on Thursdays.
This site is what I wish existed when I was moving here. It's honest (flood maps matter!), specific (here's where I get my cortado), and welcoming (Asheville needs diversity of people and thought).
If you're considering Asheville, especially if you're LGBTQ+ and wondering if this mountain town could really be home - I hope this helps. And when you're ready to look at actual homes, I'd love to help with that too.
Ready to explore Asheville? Let's grab coffee (I know all the best spots) and talk about what you're looking for.