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Look Ma- I am in REALTOR Magazine!
It is no secret that I am a big fan of all things social media and technology in real estate. Using location-based applications is no exception. I have been using applications like Brightkite, Foursquare and Gowalla for a couple of years now in Western MA and have spent a lot of time thinking about how I can utilize them to help with exposure in the local Western MA real estate market.
Last summer I wrote a post on this topic for Agent Genius magazine geared toward sharing some of my thoughts on how location based applications like Foursquare can be used in a marketing and branding sense to expose real estate agents to a new market.
I was beyond flattered when REALTOR Magazine emailed me and asked if they could use some of my post as a quote in an upcoming article on the same subject. Yesterday my broker presented me with the magazine and when I saw the article I was even MORE excited because I shared space in the story with Todd Carpenter, NAR’s social media manager. Todd and I have had the opportunity to meet a few times and I am so honored to be quoted in the same story!
If you want to take a look at the REALTOR Magazine story, click here. I am so proud to see my quote followed up by says Lesley Lambert, a sales associate with Park Square Realty in Westfield, Mass!
If you are interested in learning more about social media, technology or location-based applications you can contact me. If you want a REALTOR who is using new media techniques to help her clients achieve their home-ownership dreams then definitely contact me!
Park Square Realty Awards Breakfast
Today was the Park Square Realty Awards Breakfast at Tucker’s Restaurant in Southwick, MA. Agents from both the Westfield, MA and Feeding Hills, MA Park Square Realty offices were honored with awards for production, loyalty and some special awards for all kinds of amusing reasons.
One of the reasons that I like working for Park Square Realty is that in addition to being a group of high producing, hard working professionals – we know how to have fun, too!
I was proud to have met my 2010 goal and to have placed in the Platinum Circle and top 5 agents in the company. I also received a loyalty award for five years of working for Park Square Realty.
I made this video to share with you so you can glimpse the inside of Park Square Realty…there is a reason we are number one in our area!
Homeownership is Emotional : a REALTOR’s take on Miranda Lambert’s “The House that Built Me”
In reading a recent REALTOR Magazine I saw the interview with Tom Douglas who wrote the lyrics to Miranda Lambert’s hit “The House That Built Me”. I am not much of a country music fan, so this song had gone under my radar, but his answers in the interview intrigued me to go find the song and give it a listen.
You conceived of the song during the housing boom times, but it wasn’t released until 2010. Did the dramatic changes in the market affect the song’s meaning in any way?
Douglas: A house is not simply four walls or a financial investment. It becomes your heart. It’s still the dream for most people, regardless of whether the real estate industry is booming. Having our own home is what we aspire to, whether it’s a trailer or a mansion on a hill.
Home ownership is so emotional and Douglas gets it right when he points out that it isn’t four walls. We all bond with our homes for different reasons. People often choose a house because it “feels like home”. Over the course of my 23 years as a real estate professional in Western MA, I have seen this time and time again. For reasons unknown to me, one house speaks to the buyer and gives them that “warm and fuzzy” feeling that tells them they want this to be home.
I grew up in Southwick and Westfield, MA and still drive by my childhood homes to catch a glimpse of my youthful memories. It is amazing how imagining my homes at certain points in my life is evocative of so many emotions. When I drive by I see the lilacs that my grandfather planted and the pool I loved to swim in. I see the lawn I mowed each week as a teenager and the spot where I parked my car. I remember the family room that hosted so many slumber parties and my lavender bedroom with the most expensive carpeting in the house. Just thinking of these spaces brings back a rush of memories and my mind’s eye can see things the way they were.
As Miranda Lambert sings her song, I realize that we all share those attachments to our homes and I am humbled to be part of the process that puts people into their home.
Here is the video for Miranda Lambert’s “The House that Built Me”…enjoy!
Update on Westfield Family in Need
First off, thank you so much to everyone who has already helped Thomas Skrodzki and his family. As you may know, they lost their home and everything in it to a fire this past Saturday. I had written a post requesting specific clothing items and within days there were bags of donations arriving at Park Square Realty at 44 Elm Street, Westfield
I was with two other REALTORS in Westfield who are working to help Tom and his family and we all agreed that at this point a donation or a gift card might be the most useful for the family as it is becoming difficult to track what items have already been donated. If you are willing and able, perhaps a gift card to somewhere like Sears, Walmart or Target would be good as they can use it towards both clothing and household items. Additionally, if you know someone at a restaurant or store who could work out a company donation for food or vouchers, that would be terrific, too!
Tom had this on his Facebook page today:
Once again our continued thanks and appreciation go out to everyone’s generosity and kindness with the donations and help while we go through this adjustment period. Several have requested they wanted to donate financially so an account has …been setup with Citizens Bank at Stop & Shop in Westfield. Donations can be made to the “housing fund – Skrodzki’s”
I am very proud to be part of a community that rallies and bands together to help a neighbor in need.
We truly feel blessed by everyone’s support, these have made this time much easier on us and our children. We thank and give praise to God as well everyday that no one was hurt in the fire and as a family we are safe.
