Experience is priceless when it comes to appreciating the value of home.
Life has taken Carl “Sonny” Harnish to many different addresses over the decades. Once he settled in Marion County, he knew he’d found the place to call “home” for good.
Although he was born in Santa Monica, Sonny’s family left California before he turned 5.
“My dad worked with the intelligence community, so we lived overseas in multiple countries while I was growing up. The longest stint was in Panama,” says Sonny.
At 19, he moved back to the States to attend college and graduated from Florida State University in 1973 with a degree in finance.
“From there I got recruited to work for Continental Bank in Chicago,” says Sonny, who spent the next 30 years working in banking and finance, including starting his own registered investment advisory firm. He holds a Series 65 license and continues to do consulting and contract work as managing director of The Harnish Group.
A prime advantage of living overseas while you’re young is that it’s easy to learn a new language.
“Whatever country we were living in, we went to the public schools, so I learned the native language pretty quick,” says Sonny, who speaks fluent Spanish, as well as some French, German and Portuguese.
As an adult, he got plenty of practice with his Spanish doing his consulting and contract work, including living in Panama again for a few years.
“I developed a love of Peruvian Pasos when living in Panama and had some while living there as an adult in the 1990s.”
Although he traveled extensively for work, he and his wife Rachel Metz bought a home in Naples, Florida.
In the early 2000s, when Rachel began attending weekend horse medical education courses in Ocala, Sonny made it a point to fly home so he could accompany her. Prior to that, he’d only driven through Ocala, but those weekends in horse country convinced him this was the place to be. He’d always ridden as a kid, so he already had a love of horses.
“I developed a love of Peruvian Pasos when living in Panama and had some while living there as an adult in the 1990s,” he says.
Sonny and Rachel moved to Marion County in 2006 and bought a 25-acre farm where they still live.
“This place is a dream come true. We opted for Ocala because it’s a horse paradise. If you’re going to have horses, there’s no better place to live,” he notes.
“This place is a dream come true. We opted for Ocala because it’s a horse paradise. If you’re going to have horses, there’s no better place to live.”
Their first equine purchases were an Appendix Quarter Horse and Tennessee Walker riding horses, but it wasn’t long until they were breeding and raising Thoroughbreds to race.
“I bought my first Thoroughbred in the late ‘90s and now have nothing but Thoroughbreds. We have our own and also board some for a friend, so there are 21 horses on the farm now. We only breed Florida-breds and always try to keep 1 to 2 horses at the track,” says Sonny, who is very hands-on and does the majority of farm work and horse care himself.
Right after moving to Ocala, Sonny got into real estate. As a registered investment advisor, he already had numerous connections with people who were interested in moving to Florida. It made perfect sense to expand his options, so he took the course, passed the exam and became a licensed REALTOR®.
Sonny joined the Showcase team after Valerie Dailey became owner and broker of Showcase Properties of Central Florida, Inc. in 2013.
He specializes in farm properties, and his own first-hand experience provides vital knowledge and insight when working with buyers and sellers.
“Real estate is in my blood. I love meeting people, seeing properties in the area and having the chance to be involved,” says Sonny, noting that speaking fluent Spanish has proven quite helpful with some transactions.
“Real estate is in my blood. I love meeting people, seeing properties in the area and having the chance to be involved.”
Sonny got his pilot’s license back in his twenties and has loved flying ever since. He currently holds commercial, instrument and multi-engine licenses through the FAA. The passion must be hereditary as both his daughter and his granddaughter are also pilots.
“I’m still flying and have owned a variety of planes through the years, but I don’t have a plane right now,” he says, noting that playing golf and following college football are also interests.
“The most important things in my life are God, my family and my health, so I’m a pretty happy camper. Life is what you make it. I count my blessings every night. That’s been the source of my happiness,” says Sonny.
Living in the Horse Capital of the World®, he’s found that the perfect ending to a day on the farm is sitting on the deck and watching the horses peacefully graze.
“It’s like yard art,” he says with a satisfied smile.
– by Cynthia McFarland
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