Wayne Raulin

Happy New Year to everyone. This decade should be huge for all of us. We will see so many new beginnings, new techniques and new possibilities. With an open mind and a wide open heart our goals in this business of ours will be met and surpassed.

This holiday season was so busy for me that it took a little longer to read SEX AND REAL ESTATE, and give the book the attention I wanted to give it in order to review same for Active Rain members.

Finally having finished the book, I thought, is that all? I wanted more.

When our customers are buying their homes, they get so many different feelings in their minds and hearts . We certainly can relate those feelings to those we would have for our loved ones, our partners, our friends. Some homes give us the warm fuzzies. Some would definitely make us feel like we have to take a shower after seeing them. This is just scraping the surface.

One of my favorite sections of the book is the part of 2nd homes. Second homes to people can be investments or for vacation, or both. Some second homes can be a place to escape to from a relationship. They can be a place to hide a new relationship, like a mistress. The second home itself can be that mistress. I can totally relate to this concept. My family had a second home on the waterfront of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland that was passed down from 2 generations that was an escape for all of us, singularly or together. The sigular aspect was to definitely get away from the rat race of everyday life, or to share with a "friend."

Enough about me. I highly recommend the book for relating Real Estate to our customers feelings and impressions when in the process of finding them their next home, be it a 2nd home, practical living quarters, or a dream home.

There will be no contest for the next reader in this blog. My broker is an avid Active Rain blogger and is waiting to read the book. I look forward to hearing what he has to say about it.

Again, here's to a huge 2010 and the new decade to all of us.

Wayne Raulin RE/MAX Services Boca Raton, FL showing29@aol.com

THAT'S MAD IN A GOOD WAY! Well, we came in the top 5 for the Hope Floats Christmas Parade float for American Cancer Society's entry in the Boca Raton Holiday Street Parade. We are very proud. You can see more photos on Bocaraton.com if you want to see the masterpiece. It was really cool being yelled to from the viewers. I had an open house sign pointing to the relay for life tent. Of course the Re/Max open house sign had my name and number on it too. The American Cancer Society people insisted that I advertise. Amazing how small a medium sized city can feel when you get involved.

Everyone, have a wonderful Holiday and remember, the more you give, the more you get back!

Cheers.

This photo is first in a series of photos we should be getting in from all of our wonderful volunteers who helped create this masterpiece. What a beautiful night we had and so much support.

I am exhausted today. I used to do the floats for all of my daughter's school parades. That was in my early 40's. I am feeling my age now. I am.....years old and know that I should have let the volunteers put this float together and I should have supervised and observed.

Nah. I had a great time with great people and we were able to pull of a magnificent concept.

I will let you know if we won "Best Float"

Well folks, today is the day that Hope Floats! All of this work on the HOPE signs and the banners and the painting and the sawing and the trying to get business done in the midst of chaos, will be over soon.

What a powerful week it has been. We were jilted by our first person who promised us a nice big trailer to set up our float. No reason, just, he didn't come through with his commitment.

I got on the phone with the American Cancer Society and a volunteer had just walked in. The secretary at the ACS handed him the phone and together we figured out that we could use a huge, brand new flatbed tow truck. This truck is so shiney and new. It's never even been on the road yet. I just feel we were so blessed at that moment to find the exact volunteer to walk in those doors. Our minds and hearts were open to possibilities and they happened even larger than we could ever have imagined.

I will be taking lots of pictures tonight. I will share the best ones with Active Rain members this week.

People, just have an awesome and powerful rest of your week and remember! HOPE REALLY DOES FLOAT. I can prove it!

Wayne

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EVERYONE!

Well, today I am trying to work, showing a property to a buyer in a couple hours, painting a couple of 4'x 8' signs for the Holday Parade here in Boca Raton, more Real Estate, preparing for a meeting tonight in Fort Lauderdale. Whoa... hold on....Painting Signs?

Yeah. I volunteered to make 2 whopping signs to go on the Float for the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life that will be in the parade this Wedneday. The signs are all built, now I am priming them for Purple Paint. I will be showing properties with primer on my hands. Fine!

I will have to take some pics of these signs when they are on the float for a future post. This float should be impressive. The trailor is 29 feet long, being towed by either a Hummer or a Suburban with my RE/MAX banners on the vehicle. The float will depict a Relay for Life scene with a Tent, Luminarias, several High School Kids, and the huge HOPE signs.

Time's a wasting now. Back to priming.

Any of you local to Boca, please show up at the parade and cheer us on.