Swarmore – After more than 40 years in commercial real estate, Brian Dickens Barabi feels he’s seen and heard it all — or at least a good part of it. Describing himself as a “people person,” Brabe said that the nuances of human behavior never cease to amaze him. He would often share stories of his humorous and unusual experiences while talking to others and noted how listeners could delight in his true, often bizarre tales being told. The Swarthmore resident decided to expand his audience by compiling 81 of those short stories into his first-ever book, Confessions of a Realtor.
Released by Dorrance Publishing Company in March, the 277-page book is a collection of unusual real Barrabee stories and notes, though it gave the real characters fictitious names. The author says that the real estate business is essentially a business of individuals, and that seeing where people “place their nest” gave it a unique perspective, often not seen by many.
“You can learn a lot about people by observing how and where they live,” Prabi explained, rationally. “We hope readers will see that we are all so flawed and it is important that we see the humor in our human follies. My collection of memories is humorous, and some of the stories are inspiring.”
The author was born and raised in Asbury Park, NJ and graduated from Asbury Park High School in the class of 1959 and then attended a graduate program at the all-male Peddie School in Heightstown, NJ after majoring in political science and graduating from the University of Delaware in 1965, along with Classmate Joe Biden, sixth grader Paraby school system in Camden, NJ. He moved to Newtown Square after taking a job in investments at Philadelphia brokerage Robinson and Co, where he lived for 40 years, before moving to Swarthmore in 2011. Barabi is a father of four and has six grandchildren.
While working for Center City and the University City departments of Philadelphia, Brabe saw the personal investment opportunity to purchase and manage residential buildings and commercial real estate and gradually began adding them to his own investment portfolio. Eventually, he left Robinson and Co and went to work in real estate full time, owning and managing over 50 properties at the height of his career.
Divided into short, easy-to-read chapters, the book proves once again that truth – and reality – is stranger than fiction. Funny chapter titles such as “The Hot Dog Graveyard,” “The Humming Flashlight,” “Memories of a Kleenex Cleanup,” “Orange is the New White,” and “There’s a Ninja in My Bathtub,” draw readers into wanting to hear the story. next.
The semi-retired Barabi said that writing the book made clear in it a quality he had not previously developed or even thought possible.
“I’ve never been too academic,” the author said. “But this book made me realize how much I really enjoy writing.”
The first-time author has two more books coming out this spring, “Confessions of an American Man,” humorous stories about life as a male in America, and “Confessions of a Working Man,” which contain short stories about men at work. He said “Confessions of a Realtor” gave him confidence as an author and encouraged him to keep writing.
Because the stories in each chapter are brief, ‘Confessions of a Real Estate Man’ is an ideal book for readers who enjoy a short interest or if they are looking for something to read before bed, on the bus, or in the bathroom,” Brabe said with a smile. Not only working in real estate, property management and landlords, this book will be enjoyed by anyone who needs a good laugh!”
For a copy of “Confessions of a Real Estate Man,” also available for Kindle, visit http://amazon.com, http://dorrancepublishing.com or http://barnesandnoble.com, $19 in paperback To contact the author regarding a book signing event, call 610-550-9899 or email [email protected].
