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My entire life I wanted to be a singer. Not so much a professional singer, as just a person who could sing.  Carrying a tune is not one of my strong points and I am admonished by my family son Max all of the time for singing.  My mother's admonishment comes in the form of her turning down her hearing aide.  Can you imagine being told not to sing?  "Don't sing when my friends are in the car".  "Mom, I can't hear the TV, please stop singing".  I am constantly reminded of a quote I read long ago that said something like if the only birds in the forest that could sing well were the only birds singing, the forest would be a very quiet place.  I'm sure I've written about this before but it's still not out of my system so I am equally sure I will be writing about it again.  And again.  

My second passion in life is words.  Some writers have such a way of stringing words together that I take the time to reread the sentence just to savor the quality of the sentence.  I'm reading (or rereading as the case may be) a book by Richard Russo called Straight Man.  Mr. Russo is a very funny man and some sentences are laugh out loud funny.  The human condition is something we all have in common and to have someone put something you've been thinking into far better words that you could have imagined is an exciting thing to me.

Today I am thankful for the gift of words.  Because I may not write as well as some or sing as well as most, I am thankful for the gifts that are given to those who do it so well.  

Carpe Diem!

This is my all time favorite photo of my little dog.  He spends all of his waking hours looking out all of our windows, trying to catch a glimpse of the cat next door.  She's an indoor/outdoor cat and JJ never tires of looking wistfully out of the window.  When he sees her, he goes absolutely batty and races to the door.  Once outside, he races around the house, barking madly as the the cat smiles snidely.  Eventually, JJ gives up and comes back in, only to resume his vigil at the window.

Could he be looking for love?  Is the cat next door his Valentine?  

We'll never know.  Happy Valentine's Day!

Last night brought news that Whitney Houston has died.  Whitney was only 48 years old.

I spent a good bit of time last night perusing YouTube and listening once again to that magic voice sing beautiful songs.  Such a bright and beautiful woman with a magically angelic voice; gone at such a young age.  I'm not sure if her addiction killed her or her smoking, I had recently read she had emphysema.  Whichever, it's a sad commentary on society that there are people on Facebook debating the merit of mourning her loss because she was an addict.  Anytime a bright light gets extinguished too soon or even at an advanced age, the world is the worse for the loss.  Bobby Brown or not, drug abuse or not, Whitney's smile, her lovely face and that voice are a loss.

This Sunday morning, I pray that she's at peace, at last.

I read a magazine article this morning entitled Voluntarily Happy in November's issue of Good Housekeeping.  First of all, yes, I stole the title for this post from the magazine article.  Secondly, lest you worry that I have become overly domesticated, no worries.  I do not subscribe to this magazine, while I think it's a good one.  My little momma does and she only passed it on to me because there's an article about none other than "my Antonio".  For people that know me, Antonio needs no further introduction.  For the uninitiated, he's Antonio Banderas,  

The article in Good Housekeeping is about volunteering and offers these statistics:

• About 1/4 of all Americans volunteer.
• About 1/3 of those volunteer more than 100 hours a year. 
• This, while sounding like a lot of time, only equates to about 2 hours per week. 

Aside from the fact that I truly believe all people should give back to their communities, studies show that a habit of helping others boosts happiness.  I am a firm believer in working very hard to be as happy as possible.  It doesn't happen by accident, you need to be mindful to be happy.

Some people hold the opinion that Real Estate Agents are a bunch of greedy money grubbers, only out to make a buck.  While there are bad apples in every profession, I know far more that do good work for others than you might think.  I am a people pleaser by nature and that extends from my personal life into my professional life.  I am a helper and real estate is the natural progression of doing what I love, which is helping people. My other passion is feeding people and I get to do that through my volunteer work for Meals on Wheels.  I know many agents who work hard at their profession of helping people buy and sell homes and then spend countless hours helping others through the various charities and causes they champion.  What follows is a short list of only some of the endeavors that real estate agents across our country support either through their time and talent, or with monetary donations, or both:

Meals on Wheels.  This link is for my local chapter.  Meals on Wheels organization provides warm and nourishing meals for shut ins.  My favorite place to volunteer. 

Mothers Fighting For Others.  This organization provides orphaned girls with a loving and nurturing environment and a quality education, so they can learn, thrive and achieve their highest potential.  Starting in Kenya, the goal is to build orphanages all over the world.

Our Special Place.  This organization was founded by two special families with a mission to enrich the lives of children with special needs by providing a variety of professional services in a nurturing and therapeutic environment.  You can read more about this here.  

Mobile Loaves and Fishes.  Provides food and clothing and promotes dignity to homeless men and women.  You can read more about this here.

Habitat for Humanity.  Is a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian Ministry founded on the conviction that every man, woman and child should have a decent, safe and affordable place to live. 

Children's Miracle Network Hospitals.     Dedicated to raising funds to improve medical facilities and health-care for sick and injured children. 

I had the pleasure of being on the beach earlier this week.  I glanced up and saw a formation of birds crossing the sky.  It was truly beautiful and the birds were flapping their wings for all they were worth, working up momentum so that occasionally, they could glide.  I often dream I am flying, soaring and gliding through the air, getting from one place to another.  It's so real that when I wake up, for a second or two, I just lay there and relive the sensation.  That day on the beach I realized that in all of the dreaming I have done in which I could fly, I was always gliding.  I wasn't working up to gliding, or pumping my wings furiously so I could glide, I was simply gliding.  

It occurs to me that most of us who say we would love to fly are really thinking we would love to glide, not lead up to gliding with hard work.  Just another lesson nature teaches us.  Rarely will we exceed without hard work and perserverence.  Without these two important ingredients, we will never truly experience the sensation of soaring through the air that birds do when they've reached a point in their work when they can glide.

Hoping your Sunday is spectacular.  

I'm working with a nice buyer who brought a friend along yesterday to look at houses with us.  While we were driving around and chatting, the friend asked us where we met.  We looked at each other and we both responded at once... "on the internet".   It sounds funny.  It sounds like computer dating.  In fact, it's very similar.

I often have clients reach out for the first time via email to inquire about looking at homes.  In this instance, and in the past, I always suggest we meet at the office to sit and talk.  I think this a great way to see if we are a good fit to work together.  At that time, I explain how things work, I explain agency and I take the time to figure out if I can, indeed, help the buyer. 

Some folks aren't interested in this arrangement.  They simply want to meet me at the listing, view it, and go on their way.  Realtor safety has become a hot topic and I try never to meet strangers at listings.  It's not safe and it's not doing the seller/client any favors either.  On the rare occasion that I break this rule, either because the home is just too far from my office, or because the buyer is very insistent, I request that the seller stay home for the showing.  

Looking to buy or sell in Chester County?  Check me out on the internet! I have a Facebook business page; I'm on twitter, realtor.com and many other places.  Google my name.  You'll find me!

And it will be a funny story we can tell the kids!

So, where did you two meet?  On the Internet!

Thinking of selling the family home?  I'm not a stager; I am a busy real estate agent.  I am also a mom, a gardener, chief cook and bottle washer, a dog and cat lover and an avid reader.  My house, at any given time, and given our schedules, is messy.  I try.  I do.  But my house is also "the house" where my sons bring their friends, where my friends stop by for ice tea, hot tea, a quick chat or a home cooked meal.  

But my house is not for sale.  

My house is decorated with things I love.

The bookshelves have tons of family photos and things that make me laugh; 

or that make me happy.

 My pets make me smile and my dog leaves more toys laying around than my sons did as toddlers!

But my house isn't for sale.  

I do not agree that families need to completely depersonalize their homes before they list them for sale.  I think some buyers enjoy knowing that a happy family lives in the home they are considering.  Some personality, in my opinion, is a good thing.

I do think that a general de-cluttering is in order.  I think some stuff needs to get packed and put in boxes.  Maybe the new buyer doesn't need to know you have a wine fund.  Or that your refrigerator has a pro-choice magnet.  As an avid reader, there are books everywhere in my home.  If my house was for sale, I'd pack some of them up and make the shelves look more spacious and artistic.  I'd hire a top notch cleaning person and have him/her scrub my home from top to bottom.  Nothing shows better than a sparkling clean home.  

If you are thinking of selling your home, invite a real estate agent to visit and get an opinion of just how much de-cluttering and putting away of personal items needs to be done.  But don't make it look like an empty furniture showroom.  Personality and happiness sell too.

I'd like to dedicate today's Thankful Thursday post to Margaret Rome. Margaret Rome is a successful real estate agent and a successful author of a great book called Real Estate the Rome Way.  

My first encounter with Margaret was about 2 years ago and it was on the telephone.  I had made a funny comment on someone's blog and within minutes, my phone rang!  We laughed and chatted for a few minutes, I subscribed to her blog and went on with my life.  I would read her blog occasionally, comment at times and I grew to like this lady who was always so generous with her advice and I loved the way she marketed her listings.

Fast forward to this year and while surfing around on Active Rain, I found out on Margaret's blog that she was hosting an Active Rain get together in Baltimore.  I'm a homebody, but in the post I found out that not only was Margaret going to be there, but two of my all time favorite bloggers, Kate Elim and Rich Iarossi were also going to attend.  I commented on the blog that I would go to mapquest to see just how far it was from home.  Within minutes, my phone rang again!  "It's not that far at all", said the voice on the phone.  Margaret Rome, of course.  So it was decided.  If it didn't snow again I would make the trip south to visit with friends.

It was pouring rain up here in West Chester that day and Margaret called to say that it wasn't raining that hard in Baltimore, so I headed out.  Margaret knew I was uncomfortable driving in heavy rain so she called me again, to make sure that I was safe.  When I got there it was like meeting an old friend.  Margaret is a gracious and lovely woman.  She has a lovely relationship with her husband and it was a pleasure to see them together.  It was a real treat to meet Kate and Rich as well!  Margaret, who had quite a crowd show up for the luncheon even picked up the tab!  

A few weeks later, I wrote a post about a book I was reading.  In the book the author suggests that adult Attention Deficit Disorder is really just disorganized, daydreaming procrastination.  This was a diagnosis that I could really get behind as I have struggled all of my life to keep clutter under control, stay on schedule and not put off things until later.  I was very happy to be diagnosed with DDPD!  Once again, my phone rang!  I love that Margaret doesn't just leave a comment on a blog.  Nope.  When she wants to tell you something, she picks up the phone!

"You don't have DDPD", she said.  "You are just a type E personality"!  She took my address and in a few days her book, Real Estate The Rome Way arrived at my home.  In the beginning of the book, there's a brief explanation of type E personalities.  Well, who knew?  I scored a 26 out of 30 on the type E personality quiz.  The biggest surprise for me was the part about small talk.  I hate to make small talk. As much as I like to talk and be with people, I like to talk about real things.  I have always said that I have a very small reservoir of small talk and I run out of it very early on in settings where people are making polite chit chat.  This is one of the traits of a type E personality.  

The book is an easy read and it feels like I'm sitting down having a conversation with Margaret as I read it.  I highly recommend it for new agents and experienced agents alike.

So today, Thursday, 3/3/11, here is a public thank you to Margaret Rome for her generosity and her friendship. Thank you as well to Active Rain for the friendships I've made on this forum.  

Carpe Diem!

Whenever I do a top ten list, I get comments that JJ is listed before anyone else.  JJ, for those that do not know me, is my little dust mop of a dog.  He's with me all of the time, unless I am working, and he is truly the best part of every day.  When I first got the dog, my friends quickly tired of hearing the excuse that I didn't want to go out dancing because I didn't want to leave my dog.  My husband, a lifelong "I won't have a dog in my house" person, is seen sitting nightly with the dog on his lap, or right next to him, a contented smile on his face.  So, if JJ is listed first, it's because he's the giver of love and tenderness and the taker of nothing you don't want to give him.  He's pure joy and devotion and if you have never had a dog, then I am here to tell you, you have never been truly and purely loved.  Sure, your children love you.  Your spouse, well I hope he or she loves you.  But they do not adore you no matter what.  They do not want to kiss your face all of the time.  They do not greet you with unbridled enthusiasm every single time you walk in the door.  They do not long to sit in your lap, day in and day out.  They do not want to take a ride in the car every time you pick up your car keys.  Just my humble opinion.

Today, 10/7/10, I am thankful for lots of things, and here are 10 of them, NOT NECESSARILY IN THE ORDER OF THEIR IMPORTANCE OR HOW MUCH I LOVE AND AM THANKFUL FOR THEM.

1. J.J., my little dog.  
2. My family, both immediate and extended.
3. My girlfriends.  All of them.  Every group.  They make life lighter and more fun and I couldn't live without them.
4. My brokers.  Mike Santoleri and Mike D'Adamo.  They have created an office that is fun and professional and I have every tool I need to be successful there.
5. Iced tea.  I love it.  Specifically Lipton's Cold Brew.  
6. Fountain Coke or Pepsi.  Preferably Pepsi and not diet.  I have not been drinking as much of this as usual and I have lost a few pounds.  But for a real treat, I get a real fountain soda.
7. Closings!  I'll be honest.  I work hard because I need to earn a living and closings are a real estate agent's pay day!  
8. Soft Philadelphia Pretzels.  Hot from the oven.  With spicy mustard.  Throw in a good fountain soda and I am good to go.
9. Red wine.  For medicinal purposes only!  :-)
10. Warm summer breezes scented with flowers.  The season for this is far too short and coming to an end in our area.  I know for a fact that if it lasted all year long, just like most things, we would cease to notice. 

There you have it.  I am thankful for these things and so much more.  What are you thankful for?

Carpe Diem!