Susan Swift

My interest in real estate began as a child when my parents renovated our home in the early 70s. They had all of the walls removed in the double living room and dining area of our two-story, traditional home in the small town of Benton, WI. This open concept, mostly unheard of at the time, made me think of houses in a completely different manner. I began to understand how space makes a difference in the way a person feels in a home.

When I left my small hometown, I was on my way to UW-Madison, a campus whose population was 50 times the size of my little burg. I loved it. In the Mad City, I studied theatre and earned my secondary education degree in theatre and English. After college, I came to Dubuque and began my thirty-five year English teaching career. Here, I bought my first house, one of the oldest in Dubuque on W 11th St. I was thrilled to own my own home, and ever since, I have been actively checking real estate. Back then, it was just the newspaper as a resource, and I would comb the columns of home and sometimes even go to open houses simply out of curiosity. 

As my family grew, we moved to what was formerly known as the O'Brien house on the corner of University and Centerplace, and what a wonderful place it was to raise children. During those years, I taught at Senior High School and received my Masters degree in American Literature at Loras College. I furthered my teaching career when working at Jefferson Junior High and achieving National Board Certification. After I later transferred to Hempstead High School as the English department chair and educator, I soon took up residence in Forest Hills in Asbury, which was a convenient drive to work. Now I reside in the Stone Ridge Community Townhouses whose quiet, park-like environment suits me just fine. Each phase of my adult life has been accompanied by a shift in where I call home. The variety of living spaces I have experienced help me understand that people desire different types of homes for their changing needs.

When the pandemic hit and I was retired from teaching, I decided to make my longstanding dream of being a real estate agent a reality. I took classes, studied, passed the exams, and landed upon the threshold of Ruhl&Ruhl Dubuque. I have enjoyed the support of many experts in this office to help me learn the many facets of this business. All of those enjoyable and satisfying years of teaching have served me well in this position. Like education, the most meaningful real estate encounters have to do with building trusting relationships and putting the needs of those you serve, first.