What Won’t You Find on Zillow? Your People. (approx. 3.5 minute read)

Growing up, I thought I had the whole “friendship” thing dialed in. I’m the sixth of twelve kids—yes, twelve. So I was basically born into a squad. Friends weren’t something you went out and found, they were already in your house, stealing your snacks and your clothes. Making friends felt easy. Automatic. Like breathing... or fighting over the toy in the cereal box.

Fast forward to adulthood, and suddenly forming new relationships felt like trying to run a marathon in flip-flops. Which, funny enough, is not far off from how I started running. (More on that later.)

Luckily, I’ve held onto amazing friends from high school and built meaningful connections throughout my career, but there’s still a weird energy around meeting new people as an adult. Small talk makes me break into a light sweat. I can’t remember names to save my life. And eye contact? LOL, no.

It wasn’t until I hit a point where I literally couldn’t go to a yoga class alone that I realized, I wasn’t as comfortable putting myself out there as I thought. I sat in my car for 10 minutes before finally walking in… only to be told I was too late. Excellent.

Then came the half marathon. A friend at work convinced me to train for the Detroit Half. This was the same year I lost my mom and really needed an outlet. That’s when I found Running Lab. Technically, it’s a shoe store. But really, it’s a tribe disguised as retail.

It was there, surrounded by people who were all different in age, size, speed, and background, but somehow the same in our love (using that term loosely) for running, that I found a whole new version of community. It’s also where I met Meghan (RBF soulmates, matching shoes, destiny). And over the miles, sweat, and way-too-personal chafing stories, we built a friendship rooted in vulnerability, accountability, and inappropriate laughter.

That space made me braver. More grounded. It reminded me that people are the point.

And now? I still don’t love “networking,” but I do love connection. The real kind. The messy kind. The “I’ll save your treadmill because you’re always late but I love you anyway” kind.

So when Meghan and I started dreaming about what Zoll Homes would stand for, the answer was easy: community.

That’s why we’re not just here to help you buy a house. Because, hot take incoming, a house isn’t enough.

We’ve seen it firsthand. Just recently, we had clients who’d been in their house for two years, and still, it didn’t feel like home. The structure was right. The finishes were Pinterest-worthy. But their people weren’t there. They were missing that connection. That spark. That village.

On the flip side, I just got off the phone with a client yesterday, who made the move from a lakefront home into a subdivision—with kids. Wild, right? But he told me it was the best decision they’ve ever made. Because now, they’ve got neighbors who feel like family. Playdates in the driveway. Ice-rinks on the pond. Friends down the street. A built-in support system. That’s what turned their house into a home.

And if you're like, “Yeah, but does community really matter?” Let me hit you with some science:
People who feel more connected to others have lower levels of anxiety and depression, higher self-esteem, and even stronger immune systems.
(Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Turns out, finding your people isn’t just good for your soul, it’s good for your health.

At Zoll Homes, we believe where you live matters, but who you live around? That’s everything. It’s not just about square footage and countertop choices. It’s about community. It’s about finding your people. Ask yourself, are you surrounded by those that bring out the best in you? If the answer is no, or you’re looking for a place to put down roots, host block parties, or just borrow eggs from someone who won’t judge your pajamas, we’ve got you.

Come for the houses. Stay for the humans.