Building Real-ationships

Good Day Friends and Welcome Home! I am so happy spring has finally arrived and the snow is gone aren't you?  I see the trees blooming and the air has all those great spring smells (ok the allergies don't like them all) but isn't it great?!!  I am looking foward raking and gardening and general spring clean up around the yard with my family.  What are you looking foward to in the coming weeks ahead?

Over the last couple of weeks I have been working on my Tuesdays in Templeton facebook page and also the corresponding blog and meeting with business owners, people from around town, asking questions about our history and hearing some great stories.  I have many more people to meet and questions to ask, but I am on my way and very excited about developing these relationships with our local historians, businesses and neighbors.

Relationship building takes time and is so rewarding and eventually you come to call them friends.  Isn't it great when you go to your local coffee shop and you don't have to tell them what you want~they just know? Isn't it nice when when you go to the local bank and you are a name and not a number?  I bet you can think of other places you like to go to because you feel great when they greet you and care for your needs.  I am certain those relationships did not come over night~it takes time to build that kind of rapport and trust. I am so happy when I can walk into my coffee shop and they know exactly what I need and I start my morning off right! How about when I go the bank and they help me with not just my bank deposit but refer other services I am looking for and I trust in that.  These things have come to mean alot to me because of my job as a Realtor and how I want my clients to feel when they choose me to help them find or sell their home. How I want to develop that relationship over time and not in just a few minute phone conversation with such a large investment.

Finding the Right Team

Welcome Home my Friends!

Real Estate news comes in all shapes and sizes these days and it can be overwhelming for all of us Realtors as sometimes it seems that everything is looking up and then other reports make it sound very depressing. There is advice, commentary, statistics, editorials, critics, graphs and charts; I am sure you can see my point.  I can only imagine how the consumer must feel about who to trust, where to begin or end and how to go about weeding out the good and maybe not so good information.

Many informative pieces written give the consumer the right tools and, in my opinion, most times the advice given is right on the mark. However, I have come across many articles lately that fall short and today I would like to write about just one that recently came to my email from a local lender I have supported for many years and do business with personally.

Courage and Determination

Courage~ also known as bravery and heart. Determination~ also known as purpose and strength.

I have been watching the Olympics over the last couple of weeks and have seen triumph and disappointment, spectacular athletism and then great tragedy, almosts and certains, and medals won and medals lost by milliseconds..... But, the athlete that touched me the most was Joannie Rochette of Canada, Women's Figure Skating, and her great courage and determination while facing the sudden passing of her Mom. She mourned her loss in front of millions and was so uplifting and inspirational to many; most definately to me.

What Being Home Means To Me

I'm going home, I'm on my way home, I'll see you at home, I will be home at.., you are at home doing what? (just kidding) ... those are the many things I may say with the word home in them, but taken at just face value it just means I'll be at the house at a certain time or something is going on at the house. I have been thinking about "home" and that is why I titled my blog Welcome Home because it is more than just a word for me....it's a place I honor for my family and really for my business in a figurative sense as that is what I do for a living...real estate ..."homes".

House Hawker or Trusted Advisor...Hmmm

I was reading the above article that my good friend HeyAmaretto posted from InMan.com and was dismayed at the way the information was presented for Realtors. I loved that Diane posted this but it steams me up to say the least. I have posted a link to the article for reference. http://www.inman.com/buyers-sellers/columnists/roberthahn/house-hawker-or-trusted-adviser

The article started out with a quote: "Well if you ask a Realtor, then it's always a good time to buy." This comes from some of the recent adverstising from NAR and others and to a certain degree I agree with that, but he goes on to state that consumers just don't trust real estate professionals to tell them the truth. On this point I disagree. There are unprofessionals in every industry to say the least, but to lump everyone together thoughout the article is just plain wrong.