G
eraldine M. Barry, who
was an icon in the
techbased and fiercely
competitive Bay Area real estate
investment world, left a great
hole behind when she passed
away recently...but she also left
all of us with a challenge. I will
get to the challenge later, but
first, let me illustrate the hole
that has been created with her
passing.
Real estate investment, when
successfully done, is both an art
and a science. Communication
skills will get you far but you
must also have business savvy,
the ability to make sense of
industry research and regional
trends, and the confidence to act.
Geraldine truly was the perfect
mix of expert communicator,
savvy businesswoman, and bold
liontamer to stand out in the
traditionally maledominated
world of real estate investment
at a time when few women were
making such big leaps.
Not happy to rest on her
laurels as an accomplished
investor in her own right, she
also founded, and for many
years served as president of, the
Bay Area’s premier real estate
investors association SJREI
(which, in many ways, set the
pace for investing associations
throughout the nation). Even
more importantly, Ger was a
devoted mother of two, a friend
throughout all kinds of weather,
and I really think this says it all:
a woman who emigrated from
Ireland to the Bay Area with a
dream and just $500 in her
pocket.
Though Geraldine often
credited her goal mindset and
accomplishments with her love
of green tea and how her father
taught her to wake up at 5 AM
every day, how she did all she
did in a single day, let alone in
her lifetime, will forever remain
a mystery…
Geraldine was a lion chaser,
and a great one.
For Ger, it did not matter if
the lion ran into a den, she
followed it right in and would
come out victorious. She went
boldly after investments, she
brought speakers of the highest
caliber to SJREI and wouldn’t
settle for anything less, she
connected people, she offered
nononsense advice on not just
business but on living your best
life, no matter what. She had a
gift in finding out what people
needed and connecting them with
the person that could help.
Everywhere we went she would
always say “let me introduce you
to…”.
My own life has been profoundly
impacted by meeting Geraldine. I
first met her in the early 2000’s
when I was interested in beginning
real estate investing. I had been
doing some development in
Texas and really wanted to find a
community in which I could
network, learn, and advance. As I
was new to her club, she took my
hand and introduced me to fellow
members and did one of the
things she did best: made me feel
like part of the SJREI family
from the very beginning.
Over the years, I followed her
to the different locations such as
Monterey and Pleasanton.
Eventually, I asked her if she
would start a club in Morgan Hill
for the South Bay. As she knew
her limits and bandwidth, she
declined but eventually we
decided I would start an investing
club and it would be a mutually
beneficial relationship. When I
reflect back today, I can see that
this was the beginning of how I
eventually became the
predecessor to take the helms of
SJREI, which I now am proud to
run today.
"She was also the friend who always was
available to anyone in pain or in need:
she would open her house, bring them in,
and give them a hug."
86