Some people were born to do what they do. Diane Moyer is one of those people. This 73-year-old Bath resident has been selling houses in the Midcoast area for 33 years, and she doesn’t plan to stop any time soon. “It would be fine with me if I dropped dead while showing a house,” she quips, revealing an irreverent streak that has served her well. “I express my opinion, even though it’s not always solicited.”

Diane grew up in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where she met and married her high school sweetheart. “I was a majorette and he played football” she says. The young couple moved to Bath in 1965 as her husband was with the Navy, and she’s lived there ever since.

Diane describes Bath and the surrounding areas as, “filled with an overwhelming spirit of generosity,” and she, herself, has exemplified that spirit. Active in the theater at Allentown High School, she got involved in local summer stock theater and later served on the Founding Board of both the Young People’s Theater and The Chocolate Church.

In addition to her theater activities, she’s been a board member serving the Bath- Brunswick Mental Health Association, on the Advisory Panel for the United Way, on the Friends of Maine Maritime Museum, on the Bath Board of Education, and a Corporator of Midcoast Hospital. She’s currently on the boards of Oasis Health Network, Senter’s Place and the YMCA. In addition, she’s involved in Bath Backpack a volunteer group that takes food to schools on Fridays to distribute to children of families in need.

After her older child went off to college in 1983, Diane decided to try selling real estate to help pay the tuition bills. She started on a Wednesday and made her first sale three days later. “I took to it like a duck to water,” she laughs, and she’s been a natural ever since. In a typical year, she sells 60 to 75 houses with a retail market value in the 15 to 20 million dollar range. Diane works for RE/MAX Riverside out of an office at the Bowdoin Mill in Topsham, and she consistently earns recognition for her outstanding sales record.

Obviously, Diane Moyer knows what it takes to succeed in real estate sales. “You have to be a good listener,” she says, “to find out what people are really looking for in a house. And you have to tell the truth. Don’t say anything just to make a sale as that will backfire.” She also notes the importance of staying in touch with clients and following up promptly.

Diane loves what she does, and she derives special satisfaction from helping a young couple buy their first house. She tells a story which explains why she’s been so successful. “This young couple just couldn’t bring themselves to commit to buying a house. They kept waffling, and then backing out. We had found this great house for them, and the husband — a young lawyer — just couldn’t say, ‘Yes.’ So i went to his office and went up to him and said, ‘This is a perfect house for you, and you need a Jewish mother to say, ‘Buy it.’’ So I’ll be your Jewish mother.’’ Diane’s creative urging sealed the deal.

She also has some unusual stories to tell, such as the time she fell down the cellar steps while showing a house and had to be carried out on a stretcher. A survivor of bilateral breast cancer, Diane is not the type to let a little mishap like falling down steps crush her spirit.

Diane has sensible advice to offer to people on both sides of the house sale equation. For sellers:”Price it properly and get rid of the clutter.” For buyers: “You won’t find the absolutely perfect house. Be prepared to put in some additional money or sweat equity. And remember: location, location, location.” As she admits to both buyers and sellers, “I’m good, but I’m not a magician.”

No, Diane, you’re not a magician, but you’ve made a magical impact on the Midcoast community.

David Treadwell, a Brunswick writer, welcomes commentary and suggestions for future “Just a Little

Old” columns at dtreadw575@aol.com.