Nevada

Oxymoron Diaries|Comfortable Stilettos. I'm just back from a meeting in Las Vegas and boy, oh boy, was it ripe with oxymorons. First on my list is Comfortable Stilettos. Hard as a tried, my feet were a hurtin' from the git go.

I needed to wear heels for my meetings so I had no choice. And my new blue suit was a bit conservative and the length on the skirt was about an inch too long. The only thing I could do to change that quickly was to up my heel height, right? Yeah, right. Ouch.

Believe me when I say these suckers were 5 inches if they were an inch. Only a three quarter inch platform though. They looked fantastic. My legs were gorgeous. Problem was my toes were fire engine red when I took them off.

You would think I'd learn my lesson, but no. Heaven forbid I hit the Strip in comfortable shoes. Not with all those long legs, micro mini skirts and sky high shoes going on all over the place. I refused to look like I was from Ohio.

So, pair #2 looked like this ... even higher and with a 1 inch platform. Plus peep toes, so all that height made my toes try to squish out the little peep toe. Double ouch. Double red.

I finally resorted to my foldable flat ballet slippers that I never leave home without. I looked like a dork, but I wasn't screaming and wincing with every step I took. I did, however, put on my favorite cap so no one would recognize me looking like a dork. If I had been wearing capri jeans or a skirt I could have pulled it off, but I had on long flared brown dress jeans and had to tuck three inches of fabric into the back of the flats. "Dork" was probably an understatement. The people I was with made me walk in back of them ... way in back of them.

My only relief before I resorted to foldable flats was to sit down and try my luck at the penny slots. Hence, my next post will be titled ... Oxymoron Diaries|Frugal Gambler.

I did notice at the airport on the way home that pretty much everyone, every man, woman, and child had flip flops on and their toes were fire engine red. So I don't feel quite so stupid or vain.

Stay tuned for Frugal Gambler, Delicious Buffet, and perhaps a few other Oxymoron Diary entries.

Later ... I gotta go soak my feet.

1. Develops expert knowledge regarding mortgage financing, the neighborhoods, schools, and all issues regarding homeownership.
2. Provides high-level fiduciary needs analysis and coordinates a time-efficient home search process.
3. Consults with clients to ensure fiduciary service of the Real Estate transaction from initial contact through contract to close. (Coordinates with the Transaction Coordinator.)
4. Effectively negotiates for all buyer clients.

• Buyer Specialist will only do 1/3 of the transaction. (3 Parts = Lead, buyer to contract, Close)
  
  
• Buyer Specialist will only do the 2^nd part – Getting buyer into contract
  
  
• Per transaction after team referral and company dollar $1000 - $2000 for "average" team price range. Mega Agent (Lori/Richard Ballen) will pay for all marketing and lead generation costs, lock boxes, signs, business cards, office supplies, required systems. $50,000 - $75,000 probable year although potential to increase with volume.

Today I took a class from Pablo Wong, the head of a title company. His mother was Guatemalan & his father was Japanese. He grew up in Guatemala with a mixed culture family. I had an opportunity to learn from Mr Wong about working with the two fastest growing groups, the Hispanic & Asian home buyer.

When working with these two groups in particular there are some cultural differences to consider, explained Mr. Wong. These tips are in general yet will give the real estate professional some in-site:

Culture -

• they may feel at a disadvantage & uncomfortable being that they speak little English
• Family usually includes grandparents, aunts, uncles, compadre, madrina & padrino. Consider this when showing homes & signing at escrow. Think ahead to make enough space for everyone
• Loyalty is important
• important that they feel respected
• having a social relationship first before a business relationship is important.
• if they invite you to a social event, attend! and if you go out to eat, PAY!
• they are "value conscious". It's not that they are cheap, it's their culture. In their culture price is a starting point to negotiate
• a head nod does not mean they are in agreement, it simply means they hear you
• If they use two hands to present something to you, such as a business card, receive it with two hands. Acknowledge something about the card & never write on the card as that would be disrespectful
• They are family oriented
• May times the entire extended family will pull resources to come up with down payment

NOTE: As a whole, Asians have the highest income & are the highest education levels of all ethnicities

• therefore, their children's education is important

DO's

• Radiate Warmth & hospitality
• Be humble
• Value social relationships
• Talk about family
• Exhibit Sincerity
• Learn their culture (by the way, this is the year of the DRAGON)
• 

DON'T

• Be Aggressive
• Refuse invitations
• Embarrass or put on the spot
• Raise voice or point finger
• Assume their English is not proficient
• Correct their words or make fun of accent

More than anything, use common sense, we are all human so be good to each other. I love working with people and my goal is to treat my clients the way I'd want someone to treat my mom.

Christin Griffin

ChristinGriffin@gmail.com

This Saturday, March 17, 2012, Reno celebrates St. Patrick's Day in fine fashion, as usual. As they say, everyone's Irish on St. Patrick's Day. Even if you're not keen on green beer, there is sure to be an event here in Reno that you will want to attend. Some of the fun things planned for St. Patrick's Day in and around Reno include:

Rocky Mountain Oyster Festival and St. Patrick's Day Parade
Delta Saloon Parking Lot (18 C Street), Virginia City - After watching the marching Leprechauns and all things green march through Virginia City in the St. Patrick's Day parade, head on over to the Delta Saloon parking lot to sample some of the entries in the Rocky Mountain Oyster Festival. If you're unaware, Rocky Mountain oysters are a "delicacy" comprised of beef or sheep testicles. While they sound rather unappetizing at first, you'd be surprised how good they can taste. The contestants in the oyster fry will be vying for Most Creative, Best Presentation, Best Booth and Best Overall Taste prizes. So, if you've never experienced a Rocky Mountain oyster before, this is definitely the place to give it a go!

St. Patrick's Day Beer Crawl
Club Cal Neva (38 E 2nd St), Reno - From 5pm to 11:45pm, Club Cal Neva is offering a special Beer Crawl around the bars located inside the hotel/casino. For just $10, you get a shot of Irish Whiskey and a 16 oz Bud or Bud Light from the Front Bar, a Killian's Red from the Keno Bar, an Irish Car Bomb (Guinness stout, Bailey's Irish cream and Jameson Irish whiskey) from the Cabaret Bar, a 12 oz bottle of Harp (Irish lager) and a well shot from the Top Deck and a Melon Bomb and 16 oz Bud or Bud Light from the Skyway Bar. Prizes for Most Traditional, Most Outrageous and Most Sexy costumes will be awarded at the Cabaret Bar. You must be 21 to participate.

St. Pattys Parties
Eldorado Hotel Casino (345 N Virginia St), Reno - At 10pm, the BuBinga Lounge will be hosting a St. Patty's Celebration with sounds by (((xmfreddie))), Roni Romance & Jessica the Ripper and special visuals by VJ A-Jay. Listen to live dance music by Alias at The Brews Brothers while sipping on your favorite Irish libations. You must be 21 to enter. To make your reservations, call 775-391-9079 and speak to Danielle.

St. Baldrick's Celebration
Reno-Sparks Livestock Center (1350 N Wells Ave), Reno - The Northern Nevada Children's Cancer Foundation will be holding its annual St. Baldrick's Celebration to help raise money for research into finding a cure for children's cancers. The NNCCF challenges you to join the more than 770 other people in Northern Nevada who have shaved their heads over the last six years in the name of finding a cure for these courageous kids. After all, it's only hair! All money raised goes directly to the Children's Oncology Group hospitals in the Northern Nevada area. To register, please visit their website.

As you can see, Reno is gearing up to celebrate St. Patrick's Day in several different ways. Whether it's family fun, raising money for a great cause or drinking the night away (responsibly, of course), there's something for everyone to do on St. Patrick's Day in Reno! If Irish's finest whiskeys and lagers are your choice for this Saturday evening's entertainment, please remember to have a designated driver with you. The life you save really might be your own. Erin go braugh!

Charlene Hamilton, Certified Distressed Property Expert, Helping Reno Homeowners Avoid Foreclosure

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