One of the things that I found most appealing about long form blogging back in the day was the ability to tell full stories, to create complete word pictures, and to convey complete concepts. In a world of sound bites, click bait titles, twitter feeds and short attention span theatre, the idea of writing in paragraphs was (and is) quite appealling. In the 8 years since I have regularly written on the blog, that has not changed.
I still enjoy it immensely.
But other things have changed. While I can (and do) still mix it up with people when needed, I have found that I enjoy now more than ever seeking out examples of the BEST in the real estate industry as opposed to examples of what NOT to do. In short, there is no shortage of the negative; no shortage of opinions and criticism. What there is a shortage of is uplift and positivity. It is a good thing to point out the positive of main street, rather than only focusing on the battles with wall street. So I am going to try to write the positive that is so scarce vs the negative that is so prevalent.
I am going to be posting weekly about people from around the world of real estate. Friends of mine. People who attack the business from all different sorts of angles. These will all be main street types. People who are on the street selling. People who have overcome obstacles. People who serve their clients and differentiate based on value instead of just price. People from whom you can draw some inspiration.
Come back each Saturday morning. (Yes. I am giving you a time so that I force myself to hit the PUBLISH button.) Want a taste of what is to come?
Great. Here goes.
Right about the time that I was leaving California (over 20 years ago now) to move to Indiana another family was immigrating to the United States and specifically to the East Bay. Rama and Sunil have lived the American dream in an amazing way. Rama became a REALTOR and they have built their business together and done it well. It has required tenacity and grit. But their story is one that needs to be told and they give me a smile on my face and inspiration.
Another coming attraction:
I live next door to the rust belt here in the midwest, and sometimes we think we have it tough. (Sometimes we are correct.) I am going to introduce you to Jenn and Jodi. One is a REALTOR and one sells mortgages in Fort McMurray Canada. These ladies know tough times (Think an oil market that collapsed (their main source of jobs), a fire that destroyed much of the homes in the city, and a flood that caused more havoc.) and more importantly, they know how to handle the tough times, keep serving others and grow their businesses in the face of all of that. In Jodi’s case she has expanded to several new markets in Red Deer and Grande Prairie.
Another example:
Brandon is the quintessential example of an entrepreneur with drive, but a heart to give back. He sells real estate in the research triangle of North Carolina. His approach to serving others, a dogged work ethic and his savvy approach to online marketing is bolstered by his generosity. I got a call the other day from him with something he had found and “just wanted to share”. This world needs more of what he does, and I cannot wait to share his story with you.
Do you think I can string 52 of these people together for the next year, one every week? I do. I celebrate achievement. I howl about the positive. I love it when the little guy carves out his place and says “Mine.” My desire is for the people that truly do the work to get seen.
The inside the real estate bubble folks are fine, I suppose. But many are better at getting attention than they are at actually owning their hometown. There is a never ending supply of incredible people in this industry who work and sell everyday that make it run. I think it is time that their stories are heard.
I am already having a blast in writing about these people (they are friends.) and they are giving me a needed emotional boost towards my own goals in helping to power the hometown brokerage I work for. I hope they have the same uplifting effect on you.
Have somebody that I should write about? Comment away. (I already have a list of 20 or so on my content calendar, but I am happy to meet new people!)
