About Matt Downing

 Matt and his wife, Dr. Lori Downing, moved to Raleigh in 2001 but Matt considers himself a North Carolina native having lived in both Wilmington and Hendersonville as a child. Matt was raised in his early years in Wilmington and recalls his time along the N.C. coast fondly. His family relocated to Hendersonville, North Carolina while he was in elementary school. His father, Reverend LaRue Downing, worked at Kanuga, an Episcopal conference center in western North Carolina. Matt loves to brag about his first job as the first (and only) boat manager at Kanuga. He still enjoys the family's annual trip to Hendersonville for Thanksgiving. When an opportunity arose for Matt's father, his family moved to Augusta, Georgia. Matt enjoyed working and attending the Master's tournament in his last few years of high school. After high school, Matt found himself craving new adventures and enlisted in the United States Coast Guard. He was blessed to have been stationed in Honolulu, Hawaii onboard a 378 foot ship. The cutter's mission was to patrol United States fishing interests from Alaska to the western pacific. As a result of living onboard a ship for 2 years, Matt enjoyed extensive nautical and scuba diving adventures. From there, Matt transitioned within the USCG to aviation operations and excelled as a trained aviation electrician and flight mechanic. In addition to mechanical responsibilities, he flew on search and rescue operations and looks back on his time stationed in Miami proudly. Matt is pleased to join Coldwell Banker HPW. He used Coldwell Banker HPW's connection with USAA and their relocation services to relocate to Raleigh in 2001. He and his wife were pleased and grateful to have worked to find their perfect home. Matt hopes to work with other service members, through USAA, as they relocate to the triangle area. In his spare time, Matt loves to keep a small vegetable garden to can and pickle seasonal vegetables as they become available. He enjoys nothing more than the time he spends with his 7 year old daughter and is proud to call himself a "part-time stay at home Dad." If Matt is not in Raleigh, you can be sure to find him on the pontoon boat cruising Lake Tillery and enjoying the family's lake home. The Downings love living in Raleigh and support many local organizations including CSA's, the ASPCA and Wake County Animal Shelter. They happily share their home with two rescue dogs, Saylor and Tanner.