2010 Wrap-Up

As 2010 comes to an end, I'd like to take some time to look back on it, and share some of my experiences.

It certainly hasn't been a boring year!  January and February I more or less waited for the phone to ring... which, in a market like the Valley, doesn't work for a new agent!  Now that I tried that, I know better for this years winter months. 

In March I made the big move to Royal LePage Atlantic, and what can I say - I couldn't be happier!  Being a member of the largest Valley Real Estate Office is amazing! Everyone here is so helpful and willing to talk about what has help them succeed.  Did I mention I even have my own office, with four walls and a door?!  It's the perfect place to realize my potential, and there's even a training program to help accelerate that.

The Spring and Summer months were an exciting time, I had listings and sales lining up often, and I was fortunate enough to  carry that into the Fall!

December was a very busy month for me in the office.  Each year we sponsor a family for Christmas through the Salvation Army.  We supply their food for a Christmas dinner, a breakfast, and everyone is invited to donate money and items for their gifts.  This year I took on the responsibility of doing the shopping for their gifts.  It was so fun!  And I'm a pretty good shopper, so we really got as much stuff as we could for the amount of money we had.  Christmas morning in my own home, I couldn't help but imagine how exciting of a time it must have been in their house, and it felt great to know that I was able to help bring them that joy. 

One of my most favorite experiences this past year was working with someone who bought a house as a surprise for his partner.  Initially, she knew about the entire thing, but the first deal didn't come together, so when she thought that they were going to take a break, and let it sink in for the Sellers, he was meeting with me to draw up a new deal.  The only bad part was that when the sold sign went up, he was out of town, so I got a tearful call from her, who thought she had lost the house to someone else.  But, SURPRISE!  He bought it!  What an amazing thing to do, I don't think I'll ever forget that!

I found I worked with a lot of first time home buyers this year, and just as a friend who had been in the business a long time said, FTHB's are the most rewarding people to work with.  Though there's a lot of questions to answer and worries, once closing day comes, there's no better feeling handing them the keys, knowing that you did your job well, and they're going to spend a good part of their lives making memories there. 

I wish you all a very Happy New Year, and thank you for 2010!

Family fun during winter months

When pent-up kids need a diversion, cut out bread into stars with a cookie cutter and toast it. Let the kids mix up tuna salad out of mayo, dill, and mustard and spread it onto every point.

If the kids are still bouncing off the walls, mix up some fake Play-Doh: 3 cups of flour, 1.5 cups of salt, 6 teaspoons of cream of tartar, and 3 cups of water. Mix the dough until it balls up and can be handled. Then set the "energy bunnies" to sculpting animals and little cars. If you are the brave type, add food coloring.

Stay tuned as I will continue to add to this list!