Jeannine Willis

Many years ago, I had received a kitten as a present. This kitten, Grady, was fond of shiny objects such as my necklace. One day as he playfully pawed at my necklace, he poked me. Several weeks passed and one day I realize that I have a painful lump under my armpit which grew within 6 hours. Momentary panic sets in and then I decide to see what I can find on the Internet. The first thing I learn is that cancer (in the lymph nodes and breast) is slow growing and that I could gratefully eliminate that as an immediate threat. As I continued searching I happened upon Cat Scratch Fever. Naively innocent, I thought that was only a song title. Nope, it is a bona-fide medical diagnosis. I decide to make an appointment with my doctor to be on the safe side. I shared with her my research and she confirmed it. An ultrasound is ordered to be double sure and all was fine.

In real estate, buyers and sellers also do their research on the Internet. And while some of the information they may find out there is correct, there is also the chance that it may be incorrect. And when they consult with their [awesome, competent] real estate agent, they will know that they are getting the whole truth (good, bad & ugly).

A word of caution, don't believe that because it is on the Internet, it is factual and true. Combine your research with a professional and you'll get the best of both worlds.

Today I met with a [great] group of people. The spot chosen for our gathering was a large restaurant that specializes in buffet dining. I had never been there before. I never had any desire. Here I was and I was going to make the best of it. I paid $8 to eat whatever I wanted. And I got what I paid for. Being a healthy eater, I struggled to find enough to eat. The soup had too much salt. The coffee was thin. The beets were pickled beyond recognition. The best thing was the soft serve ice cream.

As a homeowner looking to sell your home, ask yourself if you want to go it alone (selling it yourself), go with a discount broker who may work half as hard and charge you half as much or choose a full service agent?

Remember, you get what you pay for.

I had the occasion to get together with a dear friend who I don't get to see very often b/c she lives many states away. She thanked me for a time in her life when I made a huge impact. Funny thing is that I do not recall what I did. And it doesn't matter. I know that she is grateful and I am happy to have given her that moment.

In real estate, that's exactly what we do. We make a huge impact on our clients lives in ways that we may not realize or remember. Yes, we helped them in the process of buying or selling their property. And yet it goes beyond the transaction. And when they take the time to thank you many moons later, it gives us the oomph/energy/mojo to face the less-than-glamorous parts of our careers.

That's why I treat each of my clients with the utmost care and responsibility, because I never know when or how my state of being is impacting them.

Cheerio

Nina

I was in deep discussion with my husband tonight. I was sharing all the transformational ah-ha's I have been experiencing as part of my continuing real estate training. He struggled with trusting when he cannot see the outcome or any reason to trust. I have always been the Fool (from the tarot card deck) who is gazing upward while seemingly stepping off of a cliff (with the trusty dog by his side). I blindly trust and have had an amazing & fulfilling life. Yes, I've had my bumps, bruises & scrapes. Yet the rewards have been so great that I can barely remember the stumbling.

In my class, I am trusting that those that are wildly successful will teach me something that will transform my real estate business. Those leaders want to share their success methods with me (and anyone else). And they don't call them "secrets" because they are not hoarding or hiding them. These leaders want me to be as successful as they have been. They come from a place of abundance and gratitude.

And again, who benefits? My clients! & me, of course. In a way, I am envious of my clients because they have such an amazing real estate agent... me!

Tonight as I fall asleep, I will be counting my blessings. Among them will be the choice I made to trust, blindly & happily.

Cheerio.

Nina

The other evening, I had the opportunity to do some team building. We started off with a game of Dodge-ball and then moved onto a less punishing game of kickball.

Oy Vay! Dodge-ball was so much easier when I was 8'ish. I could bob & weave and avoid the hit. Now some 40 years later, I took some for the team. Ouch! I forgot the rules and how challenging it really is.

Once I caught my breath and got into the rhythm of the game, I realized that what I could do was to feed the ball to our power throwers and do my best to not get hit. Our team won again & again and I realized that I had some skill after all. In kickball, those power players tried to hammer the ball and ended up fouling out. The rest of us used our finesse on the ball and were able to get on base (& in my case, I batted 3 runners in!).

As I limped through the next day (my obliques were killing me), I realized the lessons I learned from that simple game. I adapted my strategy as the game progressed. I saw the strengths and weakness of the players. I knew when to sub out after my knee screamed "enough" and a fresh team mate came in. We strategized on the fly and in the end were victorious.

And that's what we do in real estate (& in life). As Real Estate agents, we are bobbing & weaving... choosing the right course of action, knowing that we may have to change midstream if we are going to be effective for our clients. On our teams, we have all sorts of colleagues and together our respective talents get the job done.

Hats off to all of you! Thanks for letting me be a part of the Team. The Real Estate Sales Agents Team. Together, we help the world achieve their dreams.