Western Mass Homes Lesley Lambert

Blog

My Blog is Working for Me!

I switched to an ActiveRain outside blog several months ago after a totally positive AR experience and Brad Andersohn’s hands on assistance. (And Thank You once again Brad for being so patient!)

I find this platform to be:

-simple (nothing new to learn, just click outside blog and away we go)

– clean (I get compliments on the appearance often)

-EFFECTIVE (now pay attention!)

My outside blog has brought me TWO CLOSED SALES and today I was just contacted by a first time home buyer who read one of my first time homebuyer stories and wants to hire me.

She sent me a great email that included:

“Hi Lesley!

I stumbled upon your blog about adventures in the day of a life of a buyer’s agent when googling “buyers agent” Springfield , Ma. I am a young healthcare professional looking to perhaps buy a condo, and I like your sense of humor, so I figured I’d drop you a line…”

OK so let me get this straight:

She wants to buy a house.  She is asking me to help. She thinks I am funny AND then…

She follows me on Facebook and Twitter.

CAN YOU ALL HEAR THAT?  IT IS THE SOCIAL MEDIA REAL ESTATE ANGELS SINGING!

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh such a lovely note

 

Here is the thing….I spent my “quiet winter time” (read no sales) gambling on social media.  I read AR blog after blog and asked for help from twitterfriends and anyone that knew a thing about SEO.  I created three new blogs and started writing regularly. I wasn’t getting paid and no one at my office knows what a blog is, never mind the rest.  I put it out there on a hunch that I would reap the rewards and HOT DIGGETY! I WAS RIGHT!

So, thank you ActiveRain, but especially the members, for your generosity of spirit and your willingness to be fresh and new.  What I have learned on AR is changing my life exponetially (another blog here about personal growth too!) and I cannot wait to see what happens as I continue this exciting journey!


 

 

 

 

Why I Want To Help.

We are all familiar with the concept of paying it forward. This blog is a small thing that I can do to try to alleviate some of the stress that occurs during difficult housing transitions.

A bit more than two years ago my husband asked for a divorce. The financial fallout that occurred on the heels of this decision was epic to me. Even being in the business doesn’t help when you are staring foreclosure in the eye.
Processes OF Pre-Foreclosure

I had two mortgages (my home and my investment property) that were both in and out of pre-foreclosure for the better part of a year while I attempted to sell on the front end of a recession.

The phone’s ring was acid burning my ears, the mailbox might as well have been filled with vipers. The “help” lines at the mortgage companies were staffed by soulless bots and if I stopped to consider my situation the panic would swell to breathtaking levels.

Slowly, painfully, I made one decision at a time (drop the asking price again, accept the low ball offer, etc.) that started to lead me towards resolution.

I often had to call upon a lesson I learned while skiing in the Alps. I was a third year, very intermediate skiier. I spent the morning riding lifts, cable cars, rope tows and puma chairs up and up and up. After lunch you start back down.

Vista d'alçada / Panorama from 3800 m.

I looked out and DOWN and totally freaked out.  My mind churned with frothy panic caps: “I can’t ski this! I will NEVER EVER get off this mountain!”   A friend turned to me and gestured that she was about to start down and saw the blind fear on my face.

“Don’t think of the whole thing,” she said.  “Pick a  point just a little ways from here.  Call it our destination.”

So, I picked a grove of trees not far and ventured off to my first stopping point. After arriving there she turned to me, “So that wasn’t scarey, was it?”  I shook my head.  “OK, so today we are going to ski what is in front of us.  Nothing more, just from here to the next stopping point.”

During my transitions from large home to condo and from married mom to single, I would return to that lesson often.  The words became my soothing mantra: ski what is in front of you Lesley.  Nothing more.  Ski what is in front of you and you will get off the Alps.

I share this so that you know that there are people out here that know what it feels like to be afraid of an envelope.  Keep breathing, call upon your support systems, return to things that bring you peace in damaged times and remember:

Ski What is In Front of You.

If you need me, I am here for you.
I wanna hold your hand

marketing

Yesterday I met with a friend who is trying to sell their house in CT. I am not their REALTOR (I don’t work in CT) and he expressed that their agent is a friend who has wrked hard on their behalf.  His frustration with the home’s failure to sell wasn’t focused on blaming the agent, which I found so refreshing, but simply the stress of owning two homes.

I experienced that same stress just over a year ago when I was in a situation where I HAD to sell my home to downsize and I could sense his emotions fraying over the issue.

Being the nosy person that I am, I started asking some detailed questions.  I wanted to know:

1-is the home staged

2- is the paint fresh and neutral

3-details on the kitchen and baths

4- details on garage

After getting these answers I started in on the marketing and discovered that it appears that his agent is doing absolutely no intenet marketing for his house.

 

I am here for you!

If you are someone who needs help getting a housing issue resolved, this is the resource for you. I have lived through financial difficulties and divorce which led to pre-foreclosure and short sale. I understand how emotionally charged these transitions can be and I am here to help.

This blog will focus on: foreclosure issues, divorce, short sales, overvalued property and the emotional and financial decisions required in these difficult times.

I am an empathetic resource for you and would love to help you if I can.

TwitterQueens On Parade…Bound to Be a Royally Good Time!

Announcing new Disqus new comment and discussion system

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! This is a royal proclamation announcing that TwitterQueens, Inc. and the lovely Queens themselves will be making several royal appearances over the next few months!

TwitterQueens, Inc. is a proud sponsor of RE Barcamp Philedelphia.  We are also volunteering at the breakout sessions and will be attending Beer With Bloggers the night before.

We are also a proud sponsor of RE Barcamp Boston. 

Our own webite is boasting a retinue of fabulous tweetups, gatherings and most importantly:

TwitterQueens NYC!

This fabulous event will boast fantastic breakout sessions with powerhouse presenters and content.  We are also very excited to share our Website MakeOver Contest!  See my blog on TwitterQueens site for full details of this great opportunity!

We hope that we will have the opportunity to meet many of you in person at these wonderful events and for those of you curious about the mission of TwitterQueens, Inc please visit TwitterQueens and take a look around…we would love for you to join us!