Eric Webster Grand Rapids, MI, Five Star Realty

In the grand scheme of things, I don't exactly consider myself an 'old dog', but I realize that I could be deluding myself a bit as I look in the mirror.

Last evening though, I proved to myself that I can still adapt to new (er) technology to communicate with the next generation of clients. I'm pretty geeked! And, I'm Eric Webster, and I aspire to BE a geek! (crowd in the background says "HI Eric!)

A nice young couple who now live in NYC contacted me at the advice of one of my past clients. They're preparing to move to West Michigan in the early summer and want to get the ball rolling. We e-mailed back and forth and planned a time that they would both be at home in their East Village studio so we could talk about the process, their wants and needs and get to know each other a bit.

Then Mr. Buyer asked "Do you Skype?" And because of my daughter's Peace Corps Romania time, I DO Skype. So it was set.

I dragged my web cam out of the file, bought a new microphone (the old one was very poor quality). I took a look at what would be behind me in the webcam and realized that I needed to clear the decks on my file cabinet and I played around with the lighting so I didn't look like I worked in a cave.

Last evening at 6:15 we connected, turned on the video and had a delightful 45-minute conversation about a wide variety of topics. Some related to real estate, others not so much.

For me, it was nice to get more of a sense of who these people are, more than is possible by phone or e-mail. I would hope that for their part, it added to the comfort level they had with me by being referred by their good friend.

My concern that it would be uncomfortable and stiff went away almost immediately. It was not totally unlike having them across the desk from me in my office.. except they were across the country in their own home.

I guess I will start to put my Skype id on my website, in my blog and on my marketing materials. It's a new world. Happy to be taking baby steps in a good direction.

(If you want to Skype me- I'm EWebs0608.)

In a few hours, I'm delivering a talk entitled "Thank You, Thank You Very Much" at a Sunday night service that I regularly participate in at The Coptic Center in Grand Rapids. The focus of this talk is obviously gratitude, and leading up to Thanksgiving week, it seems appropriate.

We live in a world that feels pretty upside down and uncertain at this moment, but I believe that before long the dust will begin to settle, we'll hopefully have learned some large and small lessons about how we brought about this mess, so we may steer a different course that leads to a different outcome.

Despite the disarray that's evident in our world, there is MUCH to be Thankful for, EVERY DAY.

I recently heard a sermon by Rev. Larry Farris who was a guest preacher at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Grand Rapids. Larry told the story of a guest lecturer when he was in seminary, a Rabbi who challenged the group to give thanks EVERY DAY for 100 BLESSINGS. He said that if you couldn't come up with 100 every day, it was likely you weren't playing quite enough attention.

Part of my talk today will include the concept of giving THANKS for 100 Blessings a Day. SO I thought I'd share 50 of mine from today in case it might cause you to think about how blessed you are.. and maybe be a catalyst for a new or renewed commitment to thankfulness in your life.

50 Blessings I'm Thankful For Today

1. A beautiful sunrise, a beautiful sunset
2. A good night's sleep
3. Strong coffee in the morning
4. My family
5. The love and support of dear friends
6. The long beautiful fall we've enjoyed
7. The magnificent beauty of winter to come
8. My limitless Universal supply
9. The sight of young couples in love
10. The sight of old couples in love
11. The promise of someday me being part of a couple in love
12. For Beethoven's 9^th
13. For Mozart's Requiem
14. For laughter
15. For tears
16. For the emotional excavation that large life course changes bring
17. For excruciating decisions that lead to great outcomes
18. A baby's smile
19. An elder's wisdom
20. For abundant synchronicities
21. A daughter who makes my heart swell in pride & my eyes well up in love
22. A son who is following his passion and has been a great role model for me
23. Uplifting books
24. A well mixed vodka martini
25. The view from my patio
26. The angels in our path who show us the way
27. Crosby Stills Nash and Young
28. Broadway's "Rent"
29. Singing at the top of my lungs going down the road
30. Movies that make me laugh
31. Movies that make me cry
32. Butterflies
33. Hummingbirds
34. Hawks
35. AHA moments
36. Lake Michigan
37. The joy of spending time in my own head
38. The energy of this place
39. Each of YOU!
40. Insights
41. Heartaches
42. Heartbreaks
43. Radiant good health
44. Meditation
45. Inspiring words of the Masters
46. ....of Sages
47. ....of Friends
48. Grilled Salmon
49. A peaceful heart
50. Being able to share my thoughts and beliefs with you.
51. There. I have spotted you 50- you come up with your 50- to make the 100.

There is certainly room in my life for more blessings, more business, more friends. But I believe that if I'm focused on the amazingly long list of blessings that I already have, I pave the way for more to slide on in easily.

Oh, I'm also thankful for the AR community and having a forum to share thoughts, insights, ideas.

Have a Blessed Thanksgiving.

Thank You, Thank You Very Much!

What are YOU thankful for?

Eric

I was recently asked to Guest Write the President's Message for our Grand Rapids Association of Realtors' Newsletter. As I read it, it seems that there could be a nugget or two that applies beyond my market area, so I offer it here for your 'for what it's worth file'.

As you read it, feel free to substitute the name of your Association, Your Company or even Your Name. We can choose to grow and adapt so that we will thrive and survive. Or we can make other choices that may lead to less grand outcomes.

Please join me on the high road.

GRAR President's Message
Guest written by
Eric Webster
Board Secretary

I was honored and surprised when our Association President Jim Fase invited me to write this President's Message. Then as the month rolled by and I considered the message to share with you, some remarkable things happened. I've learned that if I'm listening, the answers to my questions are generally provided.

I have had the pleasure for the last three years of serving you as a member of the GRAR Board of Directors. I've discovered this opportunity of service to be a wonderful gift FOR ME! To sit at the table with professionals who have committed to sit with their competitors in search of that which is for the highest good for our Association and EVERY MEMBER is a wonderful thing to behold. Know that every issue is carefully examined and has undergone thorough and passionate discussion before any action is undertaken.

Whether you realize it or not, your professional life is much better than it would be, were it not for these volunteer leaders who collectively donate THOUSANDS of hours every year in a sincere attempt to make life better, easier and more profitable for YOU. You are also blessed with an Association Staff who are hard-working, professional and the envy of most Associations far and wide.

Recently at our Annual Planning Retreat, where the Directors set the GRAR course for the following year, incoming President Greg Carlson invited a variety of non-Director Realtor members to join the process. These brokers represented small, medium and large firms and shared their experience and wisdom generously. Their participation helped us greatly as we charted our new and exciting course.

In preparation for the retreat we read a thought provoking book entitled A Whole New Mind- Why the Right Brainers Will Rule the Future by Daniel H. Pink. (If you've not read it, I highly recommend it) Then, Jeremy Conaway, a consultant who works with Realtor Associations and brokers nationally helped to facilitate our retreat. Over the next two days we worked to draw the concepts of this book into the real estate industry to discern how GRAR can best help keep Realtors essential to the real estate transaction and relevant to their clients in a rapidly changing world.

The image that Jeremy used to describe our current situation as an industry was that of a boat at sea in a heavy storm. We are on that boat and are concentrating on the waves that are crashing over the bow, worrying that we will be swamped and sink in the storm. This is certainly a valid concern. But he suggests that we may not be noticing that in addition to those waves, there are strong currents washing us into unfamiliar waters. If our focus is ONLY on the crashing waves of the storm, we may find ourselves in seas we don't know how to navigate once the storm subsides. Know that this storm like every other will subside.

So the challenge we face as an industry, as an Association and as individual members is to look at the big picture to see where the currents are taking us and to define the environment we will likely find when the storm subsides. Then to go about doing the work to make certain that when the skies are blue again, we're not washed up on shore as irrelevant driftwood or storm savaged debris.

It is with that image in our heads that we looked at the BIG PICTURE of the industry and to find the best direction for GRAR. Step by step we identified the services and functions that GRAR can undertake to be of greatest support and to make it easier and more profitable for you and your broker to do business in West Michigan. I'm confident that as the implementation plan is developed, you will be hearing much more about the exciting steps that we are undertaking. Much of what we discussed may require you to stretch out of your comfort zone a bit. I encourage each of you to do just that!

I suspect that you will see many changes within your Association in the months to come. I would strongly encourage you to view them with an open mind, to embrace them and whole heartedly support them! Human nature sometimes has us preferring ‘the way it's always been' to anything new and different, even if our very survival requires something new and different.

The old rule was "If you keep doing what you are doing, you'll keep getting what you have been getting." I would suggest to you that this model is no longer valid in real estate (and likely in every other area of our lives). The new rule might be: "Keep doing what you are doing and you will become irrelevant, invisible and extinct."

Make no mistake, we live in extraordinary times. The advances that have been made and the challenges we currently face will impact us as individuals and as an industry for years to come.

Much of what we deal with today is more difficult, stressful and frustrating than any time I remember, and I've been a GRAR member since 1989. For some, hardest of all is how much of it is seemingly beyond their control. If find, that if I allowed myself to, I can become a seething ball of rage most days. But I discovered that to be very counterproductive and probably dangerous. I believe that it's only a minor adjustment within my brain to get to a point where I focus on the things I can control or positively impact, and to let the rest go. Each day I ask: "Please don't let me be the problem today, let me be part of the solution!" When I'm faced with a frustrating situation, I strive to remember that there is NO situation that cannot be made worse by behaving badly about it. While there are many things I don't control, the one thing that I CAN CHOOSE TO CONTROL is my response. Several times a day, I'm reminded of a Sai Baba quote that helps me remember how I can choose a better outcome. "Before you speak, ask yourself, is it kind, is it necessary, is it true, does it improve upon the silence." I share it, in case it can help you as you go through your week.

I would encourage you to look in the mirror each day and ask yourself if you made the situations you encountered that day better or worse by your reaction. Then remember how your choices impact you outcomes.

While part of your focus will likely need to be on the waves that are crashing over your bow, if you can, try to pull back and look at where the currents are sweeping you in your life. I believe that this storm could require mid-course adjustments not only in business life, but also in broader life course adjustments. If there are actions you can undertake now that will reduce the damage, or put you on a more scenic course, I hope you'll embrace them. Are there ways that you can improve/update/upgrade your approach to your real estate business? I would encourage you to spend some time each week working ON your business rather than IN your business. Just as a serious storm leaves uprooted trees and damaged homes, the market we are experiencing has already caused many Realtors to leave the business in search of calmer, more profitable waters. I hope that with a new focus and renewed commitment to excellence, those of us who have made it this far, can ride out the storm and enjoy the beautiful sunrise and calm seas that lie ahead. May we all be able to one day look back on these times as times that helped us grow in ways we never knew we could!

Last evening I had the pleasure of attending the Member Opening for theRichard Avedon exhibit at the Grand Rapids Art Museum. Nigel Barker- (a judge on America's Next Top Model and Photographer) delivered a very insightful lecture about the life and work of Avedon, who was a mentor and inspiration for Barker.

The exhibit was sponsored by the generous patrons who have put Grand Rapids on the map with other cultural events, and GR was out in force. The exhibit runs through January 4, 2009 and features 80 amazing photos of the famous and the unknown.

Daughter Kirstin is a volunteer at GRAM and had a Peace Corps friend in town for a visit. So Jon and I attended while Kirstin tended to her duties. Here's Kirstin (in the black dress) tending to the crowd waiting to meet Mr. Barker.

I'd not been to an Art Museum opening before. It was a nice event. I ran into many more people that I knew that I suspected I might and it had quite an excited feel to it.

The photos are amazing! With very neutral backgrounds that make the photos about the subject rather than the location, he manages to really capture the essence of his subjects. Even if you think you're not familiar with Avedon's work, if you click on the link at his name, I'm sure that you'll recognize many of his very famous, groundbreaking photos.

What a cool thing to have a treasure like GRAM here. It's a LEED certified building-the first museuem to boast that in the world. They are bringing in world class exhibits and really making a wonderful contribution to the quality of life in West Michigan.

If you find yourself within driving distance of Grand Rapids, you will want to make a point to visit this exhibit. Call me if you come to town, we could have coffee and I could give you "THE GRAND TOUR".

Grand Rapids, what a great place to call home!

I'm pretty excited today, there's good news in Grand Rapids, MI. According to the Today show, Best Life Magazine has issued their Top 100 best places to raise a family and Grand Rapids is #35! The only Michigan city ranked higher is Ann Arbor at #30.

Best Life is confirming what we knew in 1989 when we selected Grand Rapids as our new home town. At the time, I was in the restaurant business in Bay City (a place where at least at that time, quantity was more important than quality). We were in GR for a food show and as we sat at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel looking out over the Grand River at the Gerald Ford Presidential Museum we thought... wow, this would be a great place to live and raise the family.

A little over a year later, I started in Real Estate in Grand Rapids, and our belief turned out to be 100% accurate.

It doesn't matter what you are looking for, West Michigan/Grand Rapids has it. Art, Culture, Sports, great public and private schools, Lakes, Bike Trails, Restaurants, short commutes without gridlock, less than 1-hour to several State Parks on Lake Michigan, lots of colleges and universities, outstanding health care, and an economy that has certainly taken some hits, but given the number of cranes in the air downtown, is going to come out just fine in the end.

For a look at the wide range of activities available in this TOP 100 town, click here for my link list. We also have a community calendar so you can pick what you want to do when you come here to check out your new home town.

If you'd like the Grand Tour, let me know. I've provided it to many transferees over the last 19-years, and would be happy to show you around.

When you're ready to move up to a Top 100 city, I'd be happy to help you find your perfect new home in your exciting new hometown.