Ask and well, you know... Now, introduce yourselves...

[Inna Hardison]

Hi guys and gals. I am Inna and I am sticking to it:-) Your turn-

[Fiona Payne]

OK, I'll go!

"Hi!  I'm Fiona, and "I'm a real estate agent!"   

What else?  I'm 28, married, and have two beautiful children - a daughter who will be 8 in August and a son who had his first birthday in April. I live in Delano, MN, which is a third-ring suburb (aka "out in the country" but close enough to commute) about 30 miles west of Minneapolis.

I got my real estate license in November of 2004, closed two transactions in 2005 (one of them my own first home purchase!) and have been sitting on my butt ever since...so, I'm basically a newbie with three years of continuing ed under my belt. I stumbled over Jennifer's AR blog a few months ago, and it was like a lightbulb going on.  Success in real estate without cold calling, door knocking or "farming"?  Sign me up, please!

Fun facts about me:

*In addition to two wonderful kids, I have two cats and a horse. You could say horses are my "thing" - I've ridden since I could walk, basically. A good portion of my SOI is made up of people who move in the same "horsey" circles I do. Unfortunately, since I've met most of them during my "hibernation," a lot of them don't know I'm in real estate.  Yet.   

*IRL, I'm an introvert.  Really!  (People who "know" me online are always shocked to hear that, but I haven't figured out how to translate my keyboard outgoingness into real life.)  I'm great at public speaking, but small talk terrifies me.

*I love to read.  I'll read anything.  My book collection numbers in the hundreds and I keep buying new ones.  Drives my husband crazy, but I figure if I borrow them from the library I'll end up paying the retail price in late fines anyway, so I might as well eliminate the middle man and get to keep the book.     

*I'm terrifically anal and detail oriented and perfectionistic about some things and totally scatterbrained about others (the bit about library late fees applies to video rentals, as well).

*My professional background is primarily in the administrative field.  My favorite job prior to real estate was as the office manager for a property management company - one that manages HOAs rather than apartments.  Very cool (except for the part where I fielded calls from cranky agents who didn't want to cough up our fee to get the HOA docs).

*I was a Mary Kay consultant for 5 years before getting my real estate license.  Clearly I have some sort of entrepreneurial bent!

*I'm addicted to office supplies.  Pens, notepads, planners...if you can buy it at Staples, I either have it or wish I did.   

*As if I wasn't busy enough with a husband, two kids, a horse and a real estate career to launch, I also work very part time keeping the books for my parents' business (cheap labor for them and a steady paycheck for me) and I'm taking classes online toward a degree in Marketing.

*Last but not least, "The Seduction of Your SOI" is my favorite real estate book of all time. 

The self-proclaimed introvert will stop talking about herself now...

[Liviray]

Me~ Oh Gosh- How do I describe me?

Midwest house wife, very grounded, slightly insane and now working for the first time in 14 years...( O.K.~ Its not like I didn't work, I worked my fanny off...between fund raising, kids, horses, dogs shows and taking care of my mother..I had plenty of work)

 I love to live life, excited about re~entering the world of business. Im really thrilled to be here~ to meet all of you in a virtual scene and share our story's, challenges, and highs~ Cause we all need a little encouragement!

[lisa4902]

Hi:

I'm Lisa in the Phoenix area. I had to return to the work force last Summer after my divorce and found it difficult to re-enter my career field. After a year of "office work" at the urging of my own realtor, I got my license in June 2008.  Now, I'm still working my day job and helping her evenings/weekends/lunch hours etc.  She works mostly with buyers. I would like to learn with her while building my own client base of sellers (and buyers but mostly sellers if possible).  Being a single mom, it will not be easy to do both jobs, but I cannot yet afford to give up the steady paycheck.

My SOI isn't that large, but I'm committed to making it work. I refuse to cold call and bother people at home. I hate it, so why would I do it to others?

Nice to meet y'all !!

   Lisa

Single mother of a wonderful 4-year old, 4 dogs and 2 kitties!

[Kelly McDonald]

Hi All!

I'm Kelly McDonald, Real Estate agent extrordinaire in the Louisville KY area. I live and work in Oldham County which is one county away from the Metro Louisville area, but I know the area like the back of my hand.

I've been in real estate for about 2 1/2 years - began in April 2006.

In my free time (what is that?) my husband, daughter and I do medieval recreation with a group called the Society for Creative Anachronisms (SCA.org).  I like to think I'm crafty, but have never really stuck with any of it - I have done basket weaving, soap making, and other crafts. My favorite by far was the soap making, but boy is homemade soap hard on your plumbing!  Since I discovered that, I haven't made anymore. Bummer!

Anyway, that's me Looking forward to getting to know everyone here!

[Heather Oberhau]

Hi, I'm Heather and I'm a Selling with Soul devotee.

I'm 36, married 10 years, and I have 3 children - two wild boys (7 and 5) and a crazy daughter (15 months).  I've been selling real estate for around 5 years with various schedules, but my "part-time" usually quickly unfolded into FT.  I've been committed FT for about 3 years (I pay for daycare and everything)

I sell in Bucks County, PA, around an hour outside of NE Philadelphia.  I love junker homes, and have sucessfully done 4 fix and flips.  I'm seeming ot hit my stride this year where the bulk of my business is SOI/Referral and it's a wonderful feeling. 

Some random things:

*I'm an introvert.  I hate parties.  We have a routine in our house where I always try to back out of a party at the last minute and my husband just sighs and continues to get ready while I throw out crazy excuses. 

*One day, I'm going to write trashy romance novels.  I love blogging because I really enjoy writing, but in "real life" you rarely have a reason to write on a regular basis (How's that for alliteration? Am I gifted or WHAT?)

*I hate shopping for anything other than baby girl clothes.

*My kids think chicken nuggets and french fries are a "home cooked meal."

[Ed Schneider / DC]

Hi, I'm Ed and I'm a blogaholic.

I've been an agent in the District of Columbia (city motto: Taxation Without Representation) for the past five years and am very much enjoying it.

Prior to this, I had various sundry careers. I came out of college as a photographer but quickly shifted gears and became a graphic designer, starting out freelance, then building a design firm/ad agency, then closing that to take a FT job as the design director of The Washington Post Magazine. After five years, I tired of the politics and went back into business, eventually building another ad agency/design firm until I burnt out.

I took that opportunity to switch gears. My wife, Rita, and I had just finished a screenplay which got an ICM agent's notice. She took us on and I spent the next ten years writing more scripts, never selling a one. After a series of agents and managers, each progressively worse than the previous, I had a big realization: What does an agent do?  I asked myself. He reads and vets scripts then touts them to producers and development execs (commonly called "D-Girls," no matter what sex they may be). I could do that. I knew our scripts were top quality. I read the trade papers and had subscription to The Hollywood Creative Directory, and I had the ability to create rapport over the phone.

So I became a Hollywood agent. Within days, I arranged for a Beverly Hills phone number that remote-forwarded to my home office in DC, and had designed the letterhead, script covers, etc. that I'd need. Oh, and I created an alter ego -- Brian Overland of Overland Literary Management -- because there were already quite a few people in the business who's read scripts bearing my real name and I needed a buffer.

I was Brian for five years. I sold several screenplays and the film rights to a number of books. But I never managed to sell any of our work. To this day, there are more people in this country who know me as Brian than as Ed. (Email me privately if you want more details.)

At the same time, I also worked as a freelance journalist, writing newspaper articles on non-exotic travel (Hershey PA, Cassadaga FL, Ocean City MD), competitive Tiddly-Winks, and other non-noteworthy topics which were my forte.

A few years ago, when selling speculative screenplays became less and less possible, and my wife was about to take early retirement from The Washington Post, I retired Brian (mostly) and got my RE license.

And here I am today, a former photographer, designer, screenwriter, journalist, ad man, Hollywood agent Realtor with a heavy blog habit.

In no particular order, here are some of my other life highlights:

• At six, won roller skates in a coloring contest. Made major life decision to become a painter. (A house painter.)
 
• At fifteen, won a cheap wristwatch doing the lindy hop in TV dance contest. Watch later stolen by losing couple. Gave up dream of ballroom dancing.
 
• Taught creative writing at American University. Discovered adjunct pay stinks.
 
• Climbed ruins of Venetian fort and former leper colony on islet of Spinalonga off Crete. Spectacular view of Aegean.
 
• Stood by, baffled, as a Greek car rental clerk attempted to explain the workings of an incomprehensible gear shift that protruded from dashboard of Citroen “garbage can.” Rented a Fiat instead.
 
• Got stuck on an eighth-floor hotel balcony in Nice with only a glass of Champagne and a packet of peanuts. Vowed never to close a sliding door again.
 
• Snowmobiled through Yellowstone (when it was still allowed). Ate a sandwich by Old Faithful while Bison strolled by.
 
• Plowed through heavy surf on a Zodiac boat to explore caves at Na Pali coast on Kawai. Thrilling.
 
• Motored on a small boat in heavy storm to see puffins on the Treshnish Islands off northwest coast of Scotland. Puffins are cute.
 
• Sailed on a three-masted schooner to the Galapagos Islands. Snorkeled with sea lions and green sea turtles. Iguanas are not cute.
 
• Became extremely minor producer on a feature film set in New Mexico. If it ever gets made, the movie will be shot in Scotland(?!). Might get another chance to see puffins, I guess.

[Sue Gabriel]

I'm Sue from the Cleveland, OH area. I'm 48 going on 28 (nope...I'll never fully grow up) and have been waiting my whole adult life to take the real estate agent plunge. Which I did one year ago! July 24th was my 1-year anniversary!

Jennifer's book back in April of 2007 turned my life around. So here I am!

I have one husband...2 kids...5 cats. Ok, so it's more accurately 4 cats and one kitten. The "spoiled little one" named Ellie.   

My first 6 months in the business weren't financially profitable, but I learned a ton...and am still learning every day. Since January, I have 4 closed sales (3 buyers and 1 seller), one rental and one pending rental. Several buyers I'm working with and 2 new listings.

I switched brokers a month ago and couldn't be happier!

Life is good. 

[Mary Beth Bonacci]

I just intro'ed myself on the Savvy Prospector side, so I'll just repeat it here . .


I'm Mary Beth Bonacci from Denver (a native -- rather rare in these parts!)  I'm fortysomething, single and proud spinster aunt to Anna, Brian and Audrey, who are 5, 3 and 1.  We spent today at Elitches (a local amusement park) where I decided that the best thing about a Blackberry is that I can work at Elitches.  And the worst thing about a Blackberry is that I can work at Elitches!

I've been selling real estate since January of 2005, so I'm in my 4th year.  Before that, I was a speaker and writer (working primarily with Catholic teenagers, parents and single adults) for 20 years.  My unofficial real estate slogan has been "If I can sell chastity to teenagers, I can sell your house!"  I don't use it very often, but it's good for a laugh once in a while.

Anyway, I couldn't stand the travel any more, so I hung up my "amateur" real estate status and went pro.  It's going great, and I love pretty much everything about it.  I still write a couple of syndicated columns and give the occasional talk.  Actually, I give local talks for free because I've found they're great for real estate marketing!

I left Denver when I was 20 to go to college in San Francisco.  I lived there for 9 years, then in DC and Phoenix for a while.  I've been back in Denver since '99 and have no intention of leaving!

Can't really call myself an "introvert", but I'm am that peculiar sort of not-quite-introvert who still loathes attending social functions alone or introducing myself to strangers.  I think "socially lazy" would probably be a good description. And 20+ years of public speaking has made me quite content to relax on my sofa, so I need a good kick every once in a while to put on some makeup and show my face in public.

I've had lots of fatigue issues, exacerbated by the travel, so I talk a good game about eating healthy.  My sister just opened an ice cream shop here in town, but everything is all natural -- no chemicals or trans fats or hydrogenated oils or anything.  So it's easy to rationalize!

Anyway, looking forward to all of this "savviness"!

[Jorge Espinosa]

Hello,

My name is Jorge Espinosa. I am from Brownsville, Texas. I have been licensed since 1997. I also have a mortgage license. After doing a couple of loans, I decided to concentrate on the real estate side. I was a part-time agent until 2 years ago when I decided to give it a shot and become a full time agent. It's been tough because of the market. I am always looking for ideas to be a better agent. I stubbled into Jennifer on Amazon.com and I fell in love. I want to Seduce my SOI and I feel Jennifer is the right person to help me with this part of my business. Anyway, it's a pleasure to meet you all. I look foward to learning from each and everyone of you. See you on the other side.

[Denise Sewell]

Hello All;

I'm Denise Sewell, Realtor in Marin County, California which is a more stable market than most, but still slow. I started a year ago and have been really enjoying it. In April I left a corporate agency to join Bradley Real Estate, a local company with a big presence in my area and I'm much happier.

In addition to real estate, I have a background in graphic design and have designed a coffee table book, lots of ads and brochures and a few websites. My husband and I also own and manage several rental properties in the Bay Area. The strong rental market balances out the slow home sales market.

On the personal side, I've been married 14 years and have a 13 year-old son and a 12 year-old son. We also have a greyhound dog and a bengal cat.

I found Jennifer on Amazon.com when I purchased her Sell With Soul book. I also participated in her last forum. I want to keep doing real estate the "soulful" way because it's working for me and it is true to my nature.

[Jeff Dicks]

Well I'm Jeff Dicks

A transplanted Canadian living in Wake Forest, North Carolina. I spent 28 years working for Syncrude Canada(Oil Company) and at 46 years of age with a lovely wife and two young children ( Daughter 3 1/2 and a son 21 months today) I basically turned the page and moved south almost a year ago. Recently licensed (March) I have to say I love Real Estate. One closing down 999 to go more or less. I too not a fan of the cold calling, etc. etc. But I will say our first opportunity has represented themselves. A REFERRAL Network of Savvy Prospectors>

All the Best to Everyone

Jeff Dicks

[Sarah Ford-Schmidlin]

• Got stuck on an eighth-floor hotel balcony in Nice with only a glass of Champagne and a packet of peanuts. Vowed never to close a sliding door again.

Ed -I think this is absolutely hilarious - how long were you out there?

I was in a bathroom yesterday adn the lock on hte door was a little sketchy, and I thought I was going to get locked in here... and then i remembered your story and had a little chuckle to myself.

[Mike Lefebvre]

Hello All!
My name is Mike Lefebvre (la-FAVE) and I feel lucky to be a last minute addition to the Savvy Prospector group. I first "met" Jennifer in a spirited blog debate we had over at Real Estate Radio USA about real estate agents and appraisers. Read the history here: http://www.realestateradiousa.com/blog/2008/07/01/an-appraiser-bites-back/ (does that hyperlink thingy work?) I am both an agent and an appraiser, so I kind of bring a unique perspective to the topic. I've been a raving fan of Jennifer's ever since our throw down. 

The short version of my life story:
Raised in a small town in Upstate New York. Disappointed my parents by insisting on attending Berklee College of Music in Boston despite more prestigious academic options that were available to me. At 21, actually graduated from Berklee (rare), was handed a diploma by Phil Collins and jumped in the back of a Ford Econoline van to tour the world with the band. Spent the next nine years pursuing the rock-n-roll dream and played music in 48 of the 50 United States and up into Canada. Started a small independent record label, got reviewed in Rolling Stone, flirted with success (ok, more like winked at it shyly from across the bar) and turned 30. Yikes.

The lead singer's girlfriend got pregnant and the rest of us all realized maybe it wasn't meant to be, so I headed to Europe with my (at the time) girlfriend with nothing but a backpack, a Eurorail pass and a one-way ticket from Boston to Madrid. Six months later, completely out of money and maxed out on credit cards, I flew from London back to Boston with my fiance. Carried that damn ring around Europe for 5.5 months waiting for the "perfect moment". Still can't believe I didn't lose it! The "perfect moment" turned out to be after a long night of too much drinking on the island of Naxos in Greece. We probably should of died stumbling out into the crashing tide to the Temple of Apollo, but instead we ended up engaged. That was just over eight years ago. Today we have a beautiful daughter who is 5 going on 17 and a son who turns 3 today!

Professionally (and I use that term VERY loosely), I've started a retail tea company, owned an ice cream shop, had a "real job" in IT, sold advertising for radio and eventually got into real estate appraisal. I've been an appraiser for six years and own a small residential appraisal firm in the Boston suburbs. I just had my first birthday as a real estate agent and am currently juggling appraisals and sales and struggling to do less appraisals and more sales.

Earlier this year I won both the ActiveRain Video Contest and the Century 21/You Tube "Dig the Digs" Video Contest. Here's a link to the winning video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WFV3S44Y6g I love all things technology and I am an admitted social networking junkie. Link up with me online here: http://www.retaggr.com/Card/RealtorLefebvre

I recently got recruited away from Century 21 to a new Sotheby's franchise in the area based on my online presence and apparent "perceived potential" (certainly not for any "Top Producer" status...I'm honestly just trying to stay in the business!). I'm super excited about my new brokerage and ever more jazzed about being involved in this course.

And that was the SHORT version?? Geez Louise....

[Jennifer Allan]

What a fantastic story!!!!! And I thought you were just a feisty appraiser-turned-real estate agent! Thanks for sharing!

Happy 1st year anniversary - let's think about using that in your Reconnection Letter, coming up in a few weeks...