Jesus, Sara, and the GPS

So, since last Sunday, I think I've told at least one person a day how much my life has been changed for the better. My favorite line in this discussion is usually, "Seriously, there's Jesus, my wife, and the GPS, and the 3 are getting closer every day!"

Finding a convenient restaurant to meet a client at? No prob. Need to rearrange a showing tour in a county I'm not that familiar with? Easy. Talking on the phone with the lender while having a serious conversation with clients about their options in one of the more important decisions of their lives, even while driving to several locations spanning several towns? Massively simplified. I've probably saved a large tree, half an ink cartridge, and at least an hour a day (partially due to the fun-filled "Detour" button when coming up on traffic) thanks to my new favorite possession. How I survived as a Realtor for a year and a half before getting myself a GPS, I have no idea. (Well, I guess I do have some idea...but it was a lot less fun.)

The sad part is that I tried to go a little over the top in the last two paragraphs for the sake of humor, and there is nothing funny in those paragraphs because it bearly exaggerated how much I love my new toy. I seriously have not felt this much like a little kid about something in a very long time. :)

As far as everything else goes, I'm rounding out my first "million in a month," which is cool. Some of my colleagues have really impressed me lately; others have made me scratch my head and just wonder how they exist in this business (fortunately, this feeling was more common for me last year than this year). One of my clients from last year was robbed and another is having some serious HVAC issues, so that is worrisome and I'm trying to help both of them as I can. Sara is back to the studying-grind, which is...well...what it is. This week is a little bit insane, as I've planned my days to pack 7 days of work into 4 as Sara and I are heading to Las Vegas with my parents this upcoming weekend.

So, on that note, I am off to get a couple of things done and then get some sleep.

Thanks for reading!

Peace,
Greg

My next letter...

So, I never heard back from our buyer friend. I actually tried to send him a brief third e-mail wrapping everything up, but his e-mail address bounced it back to me (was I put on some sort of block list??).

In the three weeks since I've posted, I've worked very hard, my wife got home from her overseas excursion (malaria research in Malawi), I did manage to log one 35-consecutive hour session of poker (sick, I know, but it was lots and lots of fun :) ), my house got reorganized (thanks, honey), and Sara and I did manage to see a few good friends that we hadn't seen in a while. Business is better than ever, with over a million in real estate transactions logged since the last time I posted, and with a good chance of doubling my business to date for this year in the next 3 months alone; definitely no complaints here.

Well, it's late, and I think I may have exhausted my creative capabilities to write any more.

Thanks for reading!

Peace,
Greg

P.S. Below is the letter that I am sending out to my "sphere of influence" (my database of clients, past clients, friends, family, and misc. business contacts) by the weekend; if you get my Service for Life newsletter, you can just read it then, but I thought others might be interested in what I wrote (some of which is an echo of items written above, but most of which is new), so here it is:

*I should point out at the top of the letter that I don't really address this letter to "Sphere of Influence Dude," as I mail merge all my letters to the person's first name. While I don't buy into what I call a "hyper-professional" image, and while I think it entirely okay to refer to my entire database as "Sphere of Influence Dude" for a post like this, it would probably be a bad idea to address everyone in my database as such. :)

Dear Sphere of Influence Dude,*

What’s happening in the world of real estate: Well, I’ve officially sold more real estate already this year than I did all of last year (when I was Rookie of the Year for one of the premier real estate offices in the state), and I could easily double what I’ve done so far this year in the upcoming few months with what I’ve got scheduled. To be able to exist in the intersection of doing what I enjoy, doing what I am good at, and doing what I am successful at is something that I am beginning to appreciate more and more and, as I have said often, I couldn’t have gotten to this place without the continuing and growing trust and support shown to me by so many people. Thanks! From a market standpoint, we are in that time of year in which families that want to sell quickly before the school year gets here are agreeing to give buyers large amounts of seller help in exchange for shorter settlement periods and modified home inspections (no nit-picky stuff allowed :)). Coinciding with this, there has been a wave of price reductions. As I’ve said before though, the Maryland market is extremely strong at the core and we are still really in more of a “normal market” as opposed to a “bad market”; every market goes through cycles, and the projection for the future of the Maryland market over the next 5 years includes healthy appreciation rates based on the simple dynamic of supply and demand.

On the personal front, Sara and I managed to readjust to living with each other again rather quickly, and I can honestly say that she didn’t come home a day too soon; my life was getting a little too out of balance without her influence. :) Since she’s been home, we’ve had some great opportunities to reconnect with some friends before she started classes again. At the end of this month, we are going to be joining my parents out in Las Vegas for a few days, so I’m definitely looking forward to that, especially since I’ve never been. :)

Finally, I want you to know, Sphere of Influence Dude, that you may call me for any reason. And please let me know if a friend, family member, co-worker, or neighbor needs a caring, competent real estate professional to help in buying or selling.

I truly appreciate your friendship and referrals. Enjoy your included issue of my Service for Life Consumer Newsletter!

Sincerely Yours,
Greg