Don Harris

Born in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Don moved with his family to Durham, NC in 1967. He then moved to Wilmington in January 1973 as a sophomore at UNC-W to study Marine Geology and Marine Biology. After a few years as a Seahawk, Don left school to enjoy the coastal lifestyle at Wrightsville Beach. There he held several jobs including managing a Dive Shop, Restaurant Waiter, & lastly as a News Photographer for WECT-TV 6. This position led him back to Durham and a position with WTVD-TV11. It was here that he became enthralled with Broadcasting, and he transitioned to the University of NC at Chapel Hill and earned a BA degree in Radio, Television, & Motion Pictures (RTVMP) in 1988.

After his graduation he moved to Lynchburg, VA, obtaining his VA Real Estate License, to work with Patten Atlantic Timber Company where he sold large acreage land tracts in the mountains of western Virginia. However, in 1990, the call of the ocean and Wilmington brought Don back to ILM where he now says joyfully that he is “toes up” in the Port City.

He returned to Wilmington to join the sales team with WJKA-TV26 (now WSFX). Following a successful career there and marriage to his wife, Lynn, he joined the sales team at ADT Security Systems where he became a system designer and sales engineer, designing Access Control, CCTV, Intrusion Detection, and Fire Alarm systems for large & small commercial businesses in Southeastern NC. In January of 2003 Don was on a sales call when the building exploded and changed his world forever.

He returned to the real estate industry and, after almost 10 years with another firm, Don made the move to Intracoastal Realty in December of 2012 and has never looked back. He feels that IRC provides him with all the professional tools he needs to represent his buyer and seller clients and to be a well-informed consultant on real estate investing.

Since 2003, Don has immersed himself into the Real Estate profession and his local community. He is a past National Association of Realtors® (NAR) National Director, where he was fortunate to travel the United States representing North Carolina Realtors® and learning about issues that directly affect property rights and home ownership. Don was also the 2016 President of the Wilmington Association of Realtors® (WRAR), now Cape Fear Realtors® (CFR). He remains active in all National, State, and Local Real Estate conferences and meetings. He is currently the 2021 Chairman of the North Carolina Homeowner’s Alliance, a grassroots organization created to promote & enhance private property rights by monitoring the NC Legislature on issues important to homeownership. https://www.nchomeownersalliance.org/

Don has served his community and the City and County in several volunteer positions including the Wilmington Golf Course Advisory Committee, The First Tee Golf Program Board of Directors, the New Hanover County Citizen Advisory Committee, the NHC Board of Equalization & Review Board (Chairman 2011-2012). This is the appellate Board for NHC citizen property tax appeals. Currently Don is a County Citizen appointee to the Ports, Waterway, & Beach Commission.

Don and Lynn, a graduate of NCSU, have one son, Clay, also a NCSU graduate. The family enjoys all things at the beach, snow skiing, boating/fishing, & golf.