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Maria Gilda Racelis-"Realtor in CT" "Connecticut Lakefront Specialist"

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You can Attract More Bees with Honey than Vinegar

03-12-12
Maria Gilda Racelis-"Realtor in CT" "Connecticut Lakefront Specialist"

In real estate, there are instances when diplomatic gestures work more effectively than aggressiveness. I learned to apply this idiom even in the most trying personal experience.

Scene Example:

Being the only parent of my children, I have the tendency to become overprotective because it is only "me" they got.

After a week at PS 101, Queens, NY, my son who was just transplanted from the Philippines for barely a month, was watching tv when I came home. His five-year old sweet and loving face looked at me with a smile but as a mother, I knew something was bothering him. He was bullied by a kid in school.

I called my doctor employer that night and told her that I would be late to handle domestic problem. That morning, I accompanied my son and his septuagenarian sitter on their way to school.

Once we got there, I told my son to whisper to me who the boy was by pointing his finger in a discreet manner. He reluctantly pointed his finger to a taller and bigger black kid ( no discrimination intended-just laying out the fact).

I approached the kid with my most friendly smile and handed my hand over to shake his. "Hello, young man. I am the mother of that child, pointing to Chad who stood like an angel by the school's fence. He is a very nice kid, you know and I think you, yourself are quite nice too. Do you mind watching out for him--for me? I think both of you will get along well. Can I count on that?

His eyes stared at me--his attention focused. Then his lips parted to show his white teeth while forming a big smile. I extended my hand back to shake his hand and asked him to come with me so I can introduce him to my son.

I ushered him to where my son was standing. They shook hands and from that day on, he became Chad's best friend.

I was not sure what approach I would use but my mission was clear and steadfast. To stop the child from bullying my son. I utilized the friendlier and civil tactic.

And it worked.

In our profession, bullies abound too. We heard about different people, different strokes. True. But generally, we can always attract bees with honey than vinegar.




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These Persona Non Grata, Scammers and Vermins, Etc., are Changing Web Venues

03-11-12
Maria Gilda Racelis-"Realtor in CT" "Connecticut Lakefront Specialist"

It was in 2008 when I almost fell prey to one of the scams coursed through Trulia. Trulia was deluged by comments and postings by realtors from all over the United States who shared similar to-good-to-be-true experience.

Today, I received another farcical lead from another website: Homes.com.

For everybody's information, here is the full content of the e-mail.

First Name: Mr Donald
Last Name: Yamamoto
Phone: 818-967-8958
Email: donald_yamamoto@w.cn

Question/Comments: Dear, mr Donald Yamamoto i Live In Japan, i Want To Buy a Property So i Can Relocate My Family To Your Country. Please Send Me Some Property List.contact Me Via My Email:donald_yamamoto@w.cn regards mr Donald Yamamoto..

Domo Arigato Mr. Yamamoto for a weekend amusement.

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A Testimonial from a Fellow Realtor!!!

03-01-12
Maria Gilda Racelis-"Realtor in CT" "Connecticut Lakefront Specialist"

One of my first few blogs on Active Rain as a newbie several months ago was entitled "Active Rain Rocks." What prompted me to write this was the tremendous support and sincere advice I received from the members. When it Rains, it Pours, don't you agree?

First, I feel the synergy and dynamism germinating within sprinkled by the postings of professionals who genereously share their technical expertise. Admittedly, they keep me busy figuring out the technical tips and advice without losing my sanity. I launched a pilot project--- a video--which needs more tweaking. But it was a good start. And it felt good. As Lao Tzu said," A journey of a thousand miles begin with a single step."

Second, I get to meet and keep some brilliant and warm professionals from this community whom I would have not come across if it were not for AR.

Lastly, AR gives us the opportunity to attract business from other realtor members.Now, let me share with you my very first testimonial from a referring agent from Rhode Island to prove that

ACTIVE RAIN:


Maria Racelis was chosen to assist in the sale of a condominium in Connecticut. Maria did an outstanding job right from the start, she went ahead and touched base with the sellers and got the ball rolling. There were many obstacles to contend with as there were some health issues with the seller. Maria proceeded to deal with a difficult tenant and still did an outstanding job assisting my seller. Maria found a qualified buyer in less than 2 months, I could have not asked for a better Realtor to handle this difficult transaction.

I know we all work together as a team and that is really what it is all about. Active Rain was a big role in all of my decisions to utilize Maria.

Deb Grimaldi/Re/Max 1st Choice

Hurray to Active Rain!!!

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The Oops Moments and Social Blunders courtesy of Technology

02-28-12
Maria Gilda Racelis-"Realtor in CT" "Connecticut Lakefront Specialist"

Technology reminds me of Dunkin Donuts commercial, "America runs on Dunkin." Isn't it the glaring fact. Even infants have their own share of the social trend with the invention of Baby Einstein.

The splurge on smart phones, I-pad and tablets makes us feel cooler and "IN." Communication becomes quicker and faster. You can be reached anytime and anywhere. And you can respond anytime, anywhere.

However, the fast-mode advantage of the tech tools can lead to awkward, damaging and irreversible OOPS moments: Here are some examples from unintentional eavesdropping, my personal and other people and friends' experience.

TEXTING OOPS

  • DANGEROUS MOVE:You get pulled by a policeman while driving and texting. RECKLESS OOPS
  • SENDING IT TO THE WRONG RECIPIENT: You sent a woman a quick note "Just came home from a meeting. I am tired. I will talk to you tomorrow." Then after a few minutes, you sent another message to the same person,"Tonight was fun. Sleep well.We will talk tomorrow". BUSTED OOPS
  • AUTO-FILLER ERROR: Someone who is following up on an important document texted you. And you texted back, " I will get it to you by the end of business day. I am bust. The confused recipient, asked back," ????." You checked your text and realized that instead of typing BUSY, the auto filler typed BUST. And without checking, you hit reply instantly. AWKWARD OOPS
  • TYPING ERROR: You intend to send "I don't mean to piss you." However, you typed "puss." instead. Then hit send. Remember, i and u are next to each other on the keypad. EMBARRASSING OOPS.
  • ABBREVIATIONS: IRL(in real life), IDK (I don't know), WTF (what the @#$%),ROTFLMAO (rolling on the floor laughing my $%& off), etc., need to be sent only to recipients who speak or are familiar with the same language. MILD OOPS-since the receiver may not know or care what you are talking about.:)

EMAIL OOPS and NETIQUETTE

  • CAPS and Lower case: Use CAPS sparingly. Do not write a sentence with each words capitalized unless you feel the need for emphasis. For instance: PLEASE SEND ME THE DOCUMENT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Although you use the word please , it does not offset the resounding result as if you are SHOUTING. Use lower case after each capitalized word
  • Do not hit REPLY ALL especially if the email is sent to hundreds of recipients. Just imagine how many e-mails you will get if everybody who is copied on the email hit REPLY ALL.
  • Double check the recipient's e-mail address before sending. For instance, your friend Michael White's e-mail is mwhite@cox.net. And another realtor's email on your database is mwwhite@yahoo.com. It could lead to a very serious and irreversible damage. What if your email is about your frustration, disappointment and joke about that realtor.
  • Spell check before sending: The most common misspelld words I have seen are the words definitely (misspelled as definately, spontaneous(misspelled as spontanious) and the words with Is and Es next to each other. Remember the rule I before E except after C. Examples are the words receive, receipt, etc. However, there are exceptions to the rule as all rules are: ie after c: ancient, species, science,sufficient, society: ei not preceded by c: seize, weird, eider, either, height, foreign, leisure, counterfeit, forfeit, neither, their, queueing,Keith, reinsure.(source of exceptions: Wikipedia)
  • Do not plagiarize: Plagiarism is a serious offense. It is considered stealing. Give credit to whom the credit is due. If you borrow someone else's words, "quote." There is nothing wrong with borrowed words as long as you recognize that it is not yours.
  • Write professionally: If we have to show we are professionals, we need to write professionally. My biggest peeve is getting emails without a pause. A new sentence has to begin with a capital letter and end with a period.
  • Do not forget to put a "Subject Line." I admit that I have been guilty of this offense.
  • Change the "Subject Line" if you intend to send a new message. Most of the time, we just keep on sending and forwarding messages to the same person with the same subject line even though the message is totally irrelevant and one-month old because of laziness. This could happen when we forgot to save the recipient's e-mail address or when the auto-fill does not function. Typically, we use the find or search option for the name; pick the most recent e-mail from the inbox; resurrected the archived e-mail; then type the new message from there.
  • Don't respond when you are angry. When we get response from our fellow realtors which ruins our mood or day because of its nasty or unprofessional comments, it is only normal to get irked or angry. Hello. We are only humans with sensitivity and sensibility. Before you tap on your keyboard, it is advisable to walk and breath first before you respond. We tend to write back instantly because of our ignited emotions. Cool down and respond when your emotion is subdued and your mind ---- clearer.
  • Proofread: Make sure that the content is indeed what you want to convey. Check for grammatical errors and wrong spelling. Use the spell-check and review function when in doubt.

In case you committed one of the damaging and embarrassing irreversible Oops -- the message received by the wrong recipient whose subject is the recipient--- try to repair this situation by calling the recipient. Be civil, honest, open and apologetic. It might lead to a better relationship with that person.

Please take note: I am not a fool-proof writer and 100% social blunder-free. But we can always try to improve ourselves daily with our social interaction using the technology tools we can't live without.

HAVE A GREAT DAY EVERYONE!!!

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Do You Need a Morale Booster Today?

02-23-12
Maria Gilda Racelis-"Realtor in CT" "Connecticut Lakefront Specialist"

There are times when things do not work out how we want them to be. There are moments when our temper is about to burst because of relentless and petty exchanges with fellow agents (I just had this:)) There are days when our mood lacks energy and enthusiasm. And there are nights when we feel the world is on our shoulder. When you have one of these down moments, take a breather--take a pause---then read this:

“When you think things are bad,

when you feel sour and blue,

when you start to get mad...

you should do what I do!

Just tell yourself, Duckie,

you're really quite lucky!

Some people are much more...

oh, ever so much more...

oh, muchly much-much more

unlucky than you!”

― Dr. Seuss

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