Business & Tech

Meet the Owner: Mary Adams of Century 21 Adams Real Estate

Babylon Village's own real estate agent says the community is unlike any other town.

If you have ever bumped into real estate agent Mary Adams around Babylon Village and talked about the area, she might have referred to the village as "my Mayberry," referencing The Andy Griffith Show's fictional setting.

While the comparison between an ideal 1960's American town and the current Long Island village might not strike at first, Adams offered a simple answer as to her nickname for Babylon: "Community."

"There's just such a sense of community here," Adams repeated. "It's a rare find in here... and I've loved it since I moved here."

Adams originally grew up and lived in New Jersey, working as a secretary before her job eventually led her to Babylon Village. She recalled driving here, noting the village's name referenced in the biblical stories of Sodom and Gomorrah and planning to find a new job before even arriving.

Then she was here for a week, then a month, she recalled.

"I stopped looking pretty quickly," she said. "I just loved it."

Adams' father was a real estate agent when she was growing up, eventually influencing her to get her own real estate license and learn the business. Adams opened her Century 21 office in 1995 and has been a mainstay along East Main Street ever since.

"I never thought I'd love it as much as I do, but now it's my way of life," she said with a laugh. "It's not so much the selling, but really the relationship I develop with the clients here... it's heart first, money later."

Adams said she has sacrificed a lot of her life for the business, but also noted how much she had fallen in love with what she does.

"There's not a greater feeling, to me, than helping a person who really needs your help," she said.

While real estate is her first love, Adams can also be found at other village functions and organizations. She currently serves as interim chairperson and treasurer for the Babylon Tuna Club, which has annually held popular fishing derbies for both children and adults that bring the best fishermen on Long Island to the village.

"I feel like I have 60 brothers there," she said, laughing. "My time there is therapy for working here so much. The community stuff is the best... and we're always trying to give back."

Adams also serves the Village of Babylon government as a member of the Architectural Review Board, helping the village keep its beautiful look.

Since October, Adams has also been a strong supporter with the local organizations supporting the victims of Hurricane Sandy. Adams, whose home in Fred Shores was flooded during the storm, has been a member of Neighbors Supporting Neighbors Babylon and done her best to convince neighbors to stay in the village after the destruction brought by the hurricane.

"I'd never leave here," she said. "This is home."

And that's what Adams continued to say about Babylon Village – the community just feels like nowhere else to her.

"I love selling here, it's a special place to live and work. I can walk in any where here and get home service... there's nothing like walking into the Bean or Bunger [Surf Shop] and having them know who you are."


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