Bill Mullen began learning about Chapel Hill real estate before he began learning to drive a car. Bill moved to the middle of North Carolina at the age of four, his family following his father’s career as a journalism professor. His mother soon began entertaining the children by shuttling them among construction sites and open houses on Sunday afternoons, making games out of understanding floor plans or appreciating the differences in construction materials and methods. This peculiar adolescent sport stuck with him: After studying architecture, Bill ran a landscape-and-construction business with his brother for nearly two decades, obtaining in the process not only his real estate license but also his enthusiasm for Piedmont topography. A quarter-century later, few know the literal lay of this land so well—or are so enthused about sharing that knowledge.

Though Bill has extensive experience buying and selling homes and condos in the heart of North Carolina, he joined Boro Realty for the chance to pair his insight into exquisite land with buyers in search of property that’s unique. No project is too ambitious—Bill knows how to put parcels together to fit a buyer’s specific needs, how to conceive of designs that highlight the property’s majesty, and how to link buyers with area artisans who can make their dream home as unique as the property on which it sits. “I want to help people figure out, strategically, how to take advantage of the landscape’s natural beauty,” says Bill, a conservation advocate who loves the area’s rolling, verdant splendor and wants to preserve it as much as possible. To wit, in his spare time, Bill is renovating an historic farmhouse on a scenic byway outside of Chapel Hill, hoping to turn it into a hub for outdoor adventure enthusiasts exploring central North Carolina. “When I see land,” he says, “I see opportunities for people.”