Western Mass Homes Lesley Lambert

lesley lambert

Map Monday: Growing Family in Southwick, MA? Four BR Homes for Sale in 01077

Welcome to Map Mondays! Each week I will create and highlight a google map featuring homes for sale from different towns or in different niches. Today’s map is for the Buyer with a need for four bedrooms in Southwick, MA 01077.

Are you a homebuyer looking for a home in Southwick, MA with four or more bedrooms? This map shows the homes for sale that have at least four bedrooms in all price ranges in Southwick, MA 01077.

Finding the right home is an important process and I love to help. I host a series of videos on real estate. To see the videos visit my YouTube Channel.

If the search shown above doesn’t fit your needs, I can help you to get the information you need. Please don’t hesitate to ask, I am here to help! You can call me at 413-575-3611 or use the interactive card below to reach me via social networks, email and more!

Old school opens the door, new media closes the deal!

One of my newer listings came to me in a very interesting manner and I have been intending for a few weeks to write about it, but have been experiencing a time deficit!

Earlier this summer I received a phone call asking me to come over to present a market analysis and marketing plan for a house in Westfield, MA. The home owners were ready to move and would be interviewing several real estate agents in the area.

While on my initial visit with them I inquired how they chose me to interview for the job and they pulled out a letter that I had sent them FIVE YEARS prior!

2008.11.12 - The letter

Opening the door…

At that time I was returning to my real estate career in the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts after a maternity leave. As part of my campaign to generate leads I sent hand written letters to homes that had recently become expired listings. This couple decided to stay in their home for a few more years, but kept my letter and when they were ready to put their Westfield home back on the market, they remembered that Lesley Lambert of Park Square Realty had sent them that personal letter.

Closing the deal…

When I returned to meet with them for my presentation, they had already met with the other REALTORS that they were interviewing. I gave my full presentation highlighting my new media and internet marketing plan for homes for sale in Western Ma.

After discussing how I use video, blogging, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, single property web pages, Google maps and a ton of websites like Trulia, Zillow and Craigslist to market my homes for sale, they were impressed and decided to use me as the real estate agent.

Moral of the story?

I will be hand writing all of my expired letters from now on.

Second moral?

I will continue to focus my attentions on internet based marketing and will be exploring for fresh new ideas to bring to the home sellers of Western Massachusetts to get their homes sold!

REALTORS Federal Credit Union on Blog Talk Radio

This was brought to my attention by my boyfriend, Morriss Partee, who many of you know is a credit union professional and social media teacher.

From their blog talk page: This week we visit with Tom Glatt of Realtors Credit Union, the Virtual Credit Union. He will give us his insight on the the CU marketplace going forward and what CUs have to do well to become part of the new banking marketplace, not a victim of it.

While intended for credit union professionals, I thought it might be of interest to us REALTORS and that some of my colleagues may want to listen in or participate in the chat room or even call in discussion.

I have been looking at the REALTOR’S Credit Union as an option to my existing bank, but have been on the fence. I plan to listen in to see if there are insights that convince me to use their services.

Taking down time : a REALTOR’S quandry

To Do ListLast week I traveled with my family to our first national dance competition in Providence, Rhode Island. As a top producing real estate agent in a busy company like Park Square Realty, it is very difficult to take time off, even when I so very much need it. I always worry that my clients and customers in Western Massachusetts will think less of me for taking time or that a huge issue will crop up while I am away.

HOW CAN I TAKE TIME OFF, I AM TOO BUSY RIGHT NOW!

I spend days before departing in a frantic rush trying to ensure that everything is covered. I deliver sign riders for new listings, email paperwork, call everyone to remind them I will be away and check all of my files. The hectic pace and endless tasks use up most of my preparation time and I end up packing who knows what in a last minute flurry.

After a few more minutes worrying about leaving, I go. Put the car into drive and head to Providence with my daughters in tow and my boyfriend leading the way in his car. As the miles go by, I start to remember what it means to unplug from work. I crank some fun music and hit cruise control. Sure there are the interjections from the back seat as my daughters (9 and almost 6) get into squabbles, but we are on our way.

After a stop for a picnic at a perfect spot found by my boyfriend we arrive at our hotel and descend upon the pool. I have my Blackberry and am prepared to write emails and make calls, but everything is quiet and I start to relax and retreat into my mind.

I NEED THIS DOWN TIME

Within one day I realize that I really need to check out of computer land for a few days. I don’t log onto Facebook, I don’t chat with my Twitter friends, I don’t want to be connected right now. Sure, I handle the “must do” business and respond to certain phone calls and emails that are time sensitive, but everything else can wait. I need this down time.

I spend the time talking with my boyfriend about important things and watching the girls swim and play with their friends. I sit and chat with friends and read a bit of my book. I stare into space and then I watch some amazing talent at the dance competition. I am totally unproductive and I am glad.

Suddenly I realize that it has been the better part of a week that I am mostly off the internet and I am not sad. I wonder how my friends are doing and I know it will be nice to sit down and write a couple of blog posts, but mostly I decide that until I step back into my home (where I work much of the summer break), I am going to preserve my downtime.

Why do I share this with you? Well, we all need to give ourselves permission to take downtime. Whether it is a part of a day or an entire vacation, we all need to chill out and unplug sometimes or else we risk burn out. I am home now and will greet tomorrow with more gusto that I had a week ago because I gave myself this time off.

Look out Western MA real estate, I am recharged and ready to rock!

A day in the life of a REALTOR

You know what? Being a REALTOR isn’t easy and it demands a lot of time and attention that most people might not think about. A lot of people that I chat with have an impression that real estate isn’t a “real job” because we don’t work traditional hours.

I happen to know first hand that a full time real estate agent works a lot more hours than most people realize. In addition to going on showing and listing appointments we have a lot of running around, phone calls and computer time that can absorb a day. I thought I might use my day today as an example of what a full time, hard-working real estate agent goes through.

8:30 am – coffee while reading emails and real estate news
9:00 am – gather up my kids (it is school vacation) and head to the office. Thankful that Park Square Realty in Westfield is family friendly!
11 am – drop kids at play date and head out to deliver purchase and sale agreements to listing in Chicopee for signature
1 pm – present marketing and pricing plan to potential listing client in Westfield, MA
3 pm – back to Park Square Realty’s office to check messages, emails and prepare for evening showings
4 pm – pick up my kids and work from home for an hour. Work on website marketing for listings and start editing video for a virtual tour.
5:30 pm – head back to Chicopee to show three properties to some first time home buyers
8 pm – home to research recent comparable sales because buyer is considering making an offer, write this blog post, write a blog post for my column at Masslive and another for Agent Genius Magazine.
10:30 pm – finish emails and blog posts – ran out of steam and will have to finish that virtual tour tomorrow.

During the course of the day I am answering calls and emails on the go…thank goodness for smart phones!

All of this costs my household something though, and I know other agents pay the same toll….

The laundry is piled up, the dishes need doing, dinner is late and sometimes not so healthy and don’t even get me started on the garden!

Ah well, it is all worth it when a buyer signs for a house that they love and a family selling their home is able to make their next move!

photo courtesy of Robbert van der Steeg on flickr