Peter Locker

The bad news was that Peter Locker’s guitar instructor, the man who shaped him into an accomplished classical musician, was leaving the area. The good news was that he was going to arrange an audition for Peter with Aaron Shearer, the director of the guitar department at the renowned Peabody Conservatory of Music.

Naturally, Peter was thrilled. He had been studying guitar since age 11 when his late father’s guitar was handed down to him by one of his three older brothers. Now the 19-year-old faced the most important performance of his life. When the day finally came, Peter was ready. He played one piece, a study by 18th century guitarist/composer Fernando Sor. When he finished playing, Mr. Shearer walked over and struck a string with his index finger producing a sound of booming resonance that Peter had never heard from his guitar. Peter panicked. What had I missed all these years? Would it mean starting from scratch? "Just refinement," Shear assured him. At the end of the audition, Mr. Shearer encouraged him to move to Baltimore for more intense study.

On many levels Peter did have to start from scratch. As a result, his appreciation for classical music grew profoundly. He initially took four lessons a week and his talents developed wonderfully. Peter learned many lessons under Shear's tutelage, but none had more impact than this: thorough knowledge and training allow intuition and emotions to flow appropriately. The actual plucking of the guitar strings reaches the highest level of musicianship only when considered with the finer details. The alignment of the body. The position of the wrist. The precise combination of fingernail and finger that touches the strings to create just the right tone. These are the greater things that separate a real musician from "just a guitarist."And these are the points that struck a chord in Peter's mind.

After five years of study in Baltimore, Peter came to an important realization: only a hand full of classical guitarists make it as performers and, although he was very good, a virtuoso career was probably out of his reach. Rather, Peter decided to look for an arena in which his newfound appreciation for the finer details could be melded with his sincere desire to work with others. Knowledge and intuition would be transposed to another profession.

Peter‘s grandfather had made his mark in the world through real estate in Manhattan and Peter had always been intrigued by that vocation. Thus, it was a natural fit for him: he was a lifelong resident of the area and he saw an opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives. Real estate, he knew, would draw on his knowledge and intuition. Today, more than 4 decades later, Peter never regrets the day he made that decision. Like Shearer did with him, Peter has been able to strike a chord with his neighbors helping them with real estate decisions – making that important difference.

Peter still loves to play guitar. In fact, time away from the real estate often finds him engrossed in striking the right chordson one of his three beautiful instruments, including two handmade seven string concert guitars. "Music is the perfect respite from my real estate career." he says. "I feel very fortunate to have that balance in my life."

Peter is quick to point out that while playing guitar is still a passion,he is equally passionate about his clients achieving the results they deserve. In fact, Peter views selling real estate as another art form by focusing on the right details in attaining results. "I like to think of my clients as patrons of the arts when buying and selling real estate through me," jests Peter.

Whether your personal real estate goals entail buying or selling, moving up or down, Peter is confident he can strike a beautiful chord in your life. And that’s music to anyone’s ears.