Real Estate for Gamers and Techies!

   Looking for the perfect home in the techie Northwest? Relocating to work for Nintendo, Monolith, Microsoft, Bunjee, Sierra, Cranky Pants, Midway Games, ArenaNet, Surreal Software, etc?  Need a Realtor who understand that sometimes it easier to talk about your home search at 2am on World of Warcraft?  You have found the right place.

   I am a real estate agent specializing in the Seattle- Eastside with experience in relocation, and a level 42 gnome warlock (0; .  I have experience with Buyers, Sellers, Relocation, Foreclosures, Short-sales, Investments, and Cities of Heroes and Villains. If you are looking for an agent with interests similar to your own who posses an in-depth knowledge of the area and the real estate market please contact me.  You are welcome to call or email, or search listings and contact me via my website at www.mynwhomes.com .

Website Feedback

I recently posted a blog asking for advice about which web hosting company to use. I research all of the suggestions and decided onrealtysoft.com. I value the feedback form Active Rain members and would love input on my website, and search engine optimization.  Feel free to take a look at the preliminary version of my site and offer suggestion for making it more valuable for my customers and easier for them to find. I would also ove to see links to other members websites. My new site is www.mynwhomes.com

Thank you all, I love your input!

Creating the perfect New Home listing agent?

Through Makeover2Takeover I have recently been challenged to choose an area of Real Estate in which to specialize. I am a relatively new agent, but my background has been in design and New Home Construction.  I am most  interested in listing new homes and working with builders, but need some advice.  I am curious what builders are looking for in terms of service that may make me the agent for them.  I have a background in design and advertising and green building and am happy to offer my assistance in those areas.  I would love to hear from home builders or agents who work with home builders on how they would design the perfect listing agent for new construction.

Real Estate Signs Everywhere...

   I have reach one of those "Just Jump" moments in my life. For the last 5 years I have worked as a  builder rep for a paint company. This job has taught me a great deal about home builders, sales , green building ,design, and of course paint. I have enjoy the position because it is ever changing and each new project opened a new set of topics to learn about and explore. So several months ago I got my real estate license and have, until this point attempted to do both.

   I feel like I am off to a good start but I have quickly realized that I LOVE REAL ESTATE! And working 2 jobs just isn't practical.  Many people have talked about the current real estate market creating more part-time agents as many people are picking up another job to make ends meet. I just feel like I would be cheating myself if I didn't give my new career my full-time effort. I have never had a more compelling and fulfilling job.

   So I've made the decision to jump in head first and quit my salaried position to devote myself fully to real estate.  As soon as I made this decision things started happening that made me feel like I was moving in thr right direction.

I talked to my previous employer about my decision and hung up the phone feeling a little uneasy. I went to check my email and  found a client has emailed to see if I could list her home.

I filled out my resignation and got a call from another agent sending an offer on one of my listings.

I hesitate and get 3 BPO requests. 

As Brian Tracy says "You become what you think about, most of the time".  I am excited for this next chapter in my life, and I think getting started in the current market will force me to be a better agent in the long run.

Powerpoint, Flash and Corrupt Presentation files, Oh My!

What a week...

   While the database challenge was time consuming and required examining where I want my business to go, this week's electronic listing presentation was a lesson in patience for everyone involved.  We elected to put together a presentation in power point with embedded videos and convert it to a pdf? At this point I'm not even sure I uderstand what we did, lol.  Then after all of the work... the files corrupted. So, thanks to technology, my trusty mentor and I were back to square one with little more than 48 hours left in this weeks challenge. 

  I must admit that I am a little behind the curve when it comes to technology, but I say this with the most heartfelt gratitude. My mentor's experience saved my butt, and I know have an electronic listing presentation (again) that I am happy to put my name on. I hope the other M2T teams had a smoother road this week.  I can't wait to see what they have in store for us this week!

Introducing Team Brio!

Before even beginning the challenge of building our business through the Makeover2Takeover Competition we were challenged to build our teams. I am fortunate enough to have Jessica Horton as my mentor. Jessica and I sat down to discuss our team name and we came up with a number of creative ideas. Some good, some bad and some that would have generated a lot of questionable comments on Active Rain (my goofy sense of humor). After it all we have made our decision...

Introducing TEAM BRIO!

While this happens to be the name of our real estate company, we also thought the name was fitting because of the meaning, and the challenge we have undertaken.

Definitions:

"Brio - quality of being active or spirited or alive and vigorous"

Synonyms:

"A lively, emphatic, eager quality or manner: animation, bounce, dash, élan, esprit, life, liveliness, pertness, sparkle, spirit, verve, vigor, vim, vivaciousness, vivacity, zip. Informal ginger, pep, peppiness. Slang oomph. "

 (My favorite is oomph!)

The goal of the competition is to breathe new life into our careers as Realtors(r), to be active and spirited. So Jessica and I are here and we brought our sparkle, vigor, zip, pep and oomph along for the ride.  Thanks to Active Rain and the other participants in makeover2takeover for providing this opportunity!

Help! I need a website!

With one tranaction under my belt and one current listing, I'm well on my way to being a real live agent! Now I need a website. I've purchased my domain names at godaddy.com and have looked at different companies offering web design and hosting from $25-85 a month. I want my site to allow clients to search the mls, and ask them to register so I can capture leads. Active Rainers I am leaning on your expertise. Can someone direct me toward a relatively affordable web design and hosting company to build this newbie's website?

Charming North Seattle home on .33 acres!

Ann Casey | Brio Realty | (425)368-8855 12729 17th ave NE, Seattle, WA Make this park-like 1/3 acre your new home! Close-in Pinehurst neighborhood. Existing home features a wood-burning fireplace, new double-paned windows 2BR/1BA Single Family House offered at $349,950 Year Built 1948 Sq Footage 820 Bedrooms 2 Bathrooms 1 full, 0 partial Floors Unspecified Parking 1 Car garage Lot Size 13,303 sqft HOA/Maint $0 per month see additional photos below PROPERTY FEATURES Fireplace Living room Dishwasher Refrigerator Stove/Oven Basement Laundry area - inside Balcony, Deck, or Patio Yard COMMUNITY FEATURES Garage parking Guest parking Laundry on-site Storage space(s) OTHER SPECIAL FEATURES Double-paned windows, new plumbing. ADDITIONAL PHOTOS Seller contact info: Ann Casey Brio Realty (425)368-8855 For sale by agent/broker Equal Opportunity Housing Posted: Apr 25, 2008, 7:50am PDT

Active Marketing: Combining Passions

   As we all know, the life of a real estate agent can be stressful and include long hours.  It is important to maintain a balance in our lives to keep us at our best.  For my health, and for my sanity, I devote time each week toward maintaining my fitness goals, but I realized I could probably find a way to tie my passions together. I just found the group "Active Rain Fit Club" and liked the idea of combining these aspects of our lives. Fitness and Real Estate. 

  My current activities include horseback riding, hot yoga, running and the occasional bike ride, or racquetball game.  I currently post my real estate postcards at my gym and the barns where I ride, but it occurs to me that there could be more I could do. I could start a networking fitness group, market through local running, riding or yoga organizations. With the time that I spend on these activities competing with the time I spend on my real estate career I am looking for a way to allow my passions to compliment each other.

If you have any great sports or fitness related marketing ideas, please leave me a comment and I will update this blog with your suggestions.

MakeovertoTakeover: Team Brio! Jessica Horton & Ann Casey

Jessica Horton has agreed to be my mentor! I am a newbie in the real estate industry and am so excited to jump start my career in the right direction. MakeovertoTakeover is an awesome opportunity for me to grow my budding real estate career with the guidance and advice of our industry leaders.  Whether mentor, apprentice, or spectator there is no way to lose when we are all focusing on improving our businesses. I have submitted our entry for the competition and can't wait to hear back!