Recently I was fortunate to pick up my first Land and Acreage Listing. Go me! But after 2 hours of hiking through the heavily forested, wild hog inhabited land with 2 people I JUST met... I began to wonder if this was the last scene of my life! Here I was, over a mile into human unpopulated undergrowth, with 2 strangers I was trusting to lead the way. How had this happened? How could I put myself in such a vulnerable position? My IPhone can do a lot... but I've yet to discover the App that will turn my phone into a weapon. I could practically feel the bars on my phone slipping away.

My 2 new "friends" were chatting away; I was trying to dig my shoes deeper into the ground to leave tracks... next to the tracks belonging to an oversized killer deer. (They have those here in Texas I'm sure). Was I sweating from the hike? Or was that my adrenaline kicking into survival mode. Why hadn't I paid more attention to that discovery channel special!

Why hadn't I done a background check on these two? It was a mother and son, a son who looked like he had been putting in some overtime at the gym. I could take the mother if I had to... wait no... there is no weapon iphone app.

Could those months of phone calls been an elaborate plan to take me here, leave me for dead and rob me blind? How long before I was found? I wish I had eaten a bigger breakfast, how long would I be without food? That's being optimistic and thinking I survive this. Should I run now? No one told me real estate was this dangerous! I thought I would be like that woman from American Beauty, successful, ok a little bit crazy... but she wouldn't have found herself alone in the woods with a bunch of crazys!!!

Ok I survived... this is not my final blog written from deep in a remote location with the last battery cells of my phone. Turns out, really nice mom and son. Not there to kill me, but so happy I was there to help sell their land.

However, major lessoned learned. We agents don't realize the risks we sometimes take. Putting ourselves in extremely vulnerable situations is something we do a lot. I hold open houses every single weekend. These are advertised to the public, and there is no saying what could happen. We show homes to people we have met only a handful of times, we go into isolated areas with the hopes that the world is not as scary as portrayed on TV.

The lesson is, we need to be careful. My dad tells me at least once a week "Be aware of your surroundings" and "speed kills" (not relevant here but still a good lesson). Make sure you tell someone where you will be, don't be afraid to ask someone to come along with you, hold your open house with another agent. The world of real estate needs us, and I don't want the next lifetime movie to be called "A Walk in the Woods, and Not a Walk Out: The Danielle Childers Story."

Dear Homeowner,

My you look lovely today! Your home is amazing! Did you decorate this all by yourself? The color scheme, the curb appeal, all I can say is, wow.  So, let me be frank, I need to sell your house. My family needs to eat this month, and by family I mean me my husband and our three dogs, but my husband eats enough for a small... large army.

Did I mention you look fantastic today? Here's the deal, with your impeccable knack for design, I am sure you can make any home look as gorgeous as this one. In fact, I will find JUST the home that you didn't even know you were looking for. Then you can put this work of art that you made, you so wonderfully made, on the market. Seriously, you have outdone yourself here. You can give someone else the opportunity to admire your work, and pay you too! You've been wanting to move right?

See, the way I look at it... you get a brand new project, someone else gets a beautiful home, and I get to use one of my new fancy name riders. It's a win-win...win! So, here's my card. Call, email, text, skype, come over. Either way, lets get your house sold! Don't listen to the news or media, with their... agendas! It's time to move, you know it... your spouse has that tired look in their eyes, it's there... you've seen it.

Well, hope to hear from you soon! Don't worry, obviously ill stop on by if I don't hear from you.

Your new best friend,

Danielle Childers,  AGENT

It's strange... they were brand new, a perfect fit... and now I cant find one of them. The story of socks... and now my clients?

Where'd they go? I just had them on the phone. The time had been set, schedules cleared, houses ready for their entrance, car rid of dog hair(most)...  the perfect showing setting.

The time comes... and nothing. It's ok, leave a voicemail... "Hi, it's me! (we are already at that level ) Just wondering if we were still going to see those houses! Maybe I got the time wrong (I'm type A, I did NOT get the time wrong). Well, give me a call. My number is (speed dial 5)."

Don't panic, it's ok, people get busy... run behind, they will be here I know it. Voicemail 2.... "Umm, hi it's me, again, just making sure everything's ok. Give me a call, maybe we can reschedule for later?"

Starting to feel a bit defeated... pacing a bit, reapplying my lipgloss. No they are definitely coming, it's only been 30 minutes. I am an awesome real estate agent!!  I talked to them last night, we were excited! Well, I was excited... maybe they weren't. Doubt has arrived.

Voicemail 3... "Hi again, it's me... er Danielle. Danielle Childers? with Weichert? (ooo I've doubted my own existence) Just wanted to know if you were coming in to see those houses? Just let me know if you want to reschedule... (thought I already said that, yeah I did) Either way, give me a call..... Again it's Danielle, with Weichert... 281-224-7298(shameless blog plug)."

The paranoia has set, I check the local news to make sure aliens haven't abducted a family of 4 visiting from out of state. Nothing.

As I called to cancel on those poor beautiful houses, that wont be sold to any of my clients today, I wonder how this happened to me again. I thought everything was great, the fit was perfect. How had I managed to get stood up again?

Never have I experienced such highs and lows in a business. Of course I remind myself of all the clients who HAVE showed up for me. I'm an optimistic person so I'm sure whatever reason for the missed appointment , it was not because I am a bad agent.  Sometimes, no matter how new, or perfectly fitting the pair may be... those socks and clients just don't find their way back to you. Better luck tomorrow.

As I watch my agent friend sip coffee from her mug, and by mug I mean her FACE printed coffee cup, I think about how vain we must look to non agents! We plaster our faces on websites, business cards, the side of our cars, billboards (now that's a REALLY big picture of yourself!), burning the imprint of our smiling faces or in many cases, that tough-guy/girl look, into the mind of consumers. Is this even necessary in the newer virtual world??

I can only imagine how I'd look driving down the street, sipping water from my face printed water bottle, with my face and phone number stuck on the door underneath me! Someone should call me to tell me how ridiculous I look!!!

Seeing my co agent inspired me to ask other agents if they ever have a "wow, are we vain" moment....

Have you ever thought, oh god, why would my client want to drink their morning coffee from MY MUG??????  What is the most, dare I say narcissistic , thing you have seen other agents do?? Let me know while I browse YouTube for MY videos...

I'm a young agent in Houston, and being young may have a few disadvantages, but I think my technological savyness is an absolute advantage. However, are all of my gadgets and new age ideas too much for the average consumer?? I would never sacrifice "old-fashioned service" Nothing beats a hand written note over an email, even in 2008.

Yet, is making myself that available at all times to whomever finds me on a search engine, taking away from my services that could be called Personable??I claim to be a New Age Agent... but with this comes the territory of New Age Clients. I want to be able to show my clients new technology and how it can improve our relationship and make things run smoother, But I don't want to push away people who just want good ole me and nothing else.

I guess the point of my blogging (which was inspired by finding myself on CNET for way too long today researching every new gadget out there) is to make sure that no matter how much new technology I incorporate in my business, I need to keep myself in check. Not everyone is interested in me giving them their own fax machine throughout the transaction. I need to ask first if texting is OK. And most importantly, I need to match THEIR needs, and not enforce iphones on everyone!

When it comes to new age, what happens to old fashioned??

So, does putting money into your blog always pay off?? Answer after a day of research: No

Does putting up a catchy title that is FREE draw more attention to your blog? Answer TBD

Attempt 2 at this blog:

As you know, when homebuyers look for houses on the internet, after about 50 or so houses with the same landscaping and same frontal view, they can start to blur together. This of course is not a good thing for us! We want our home, our amazing home, our better than any other home, stand out from the bunch... What are you doing to set yours apart?

A trend we are seeing here in Houston is the Night Shot. If done correctly, the home is lit up by all outside lights, the sun is almost gone in just the right position, and if you are really good you will wet down the driveway to make it shine. It is not necessarily a new idea, but the trend is growing, and I must say those nighttime shots really stand out against the normal daylight pics, at least until EVERYONE is doing night shots!

It makes me curious to other ways agents use that first photo... the first impression to really stand out against the rest. I would love to be in an area where I could use snow in the winter to showcase a home, but seeing as I'm in Houston I might have to make a hayman (like a snowman just a little dry) I'd like to hear some creative ideas and get us thinking about new trends!

This picture is a DONT for night pics!

Well I could not be more excited about my trip to my homeland, Boston, this weekend. Well OK I'm from Frankllin, Massachusetts, but Boston sounds much more exciting! Ill be there to attend a good friend's wedding and seeing all of my friends and family.

As I packed, I was thinking about what it would be like to sell real estate in Boston. I have only been in real estate since I moved to Houston TX, so in a way, my familiar home will be seen quite differently. As I now see through the eyes of a real estate junkie. I cant wait to see how different the land is in New England compared to Houston!

To be honest since I've been in real estate, I crave to know what it is like to sell in all parts of the world. Imagine being an agent in Alaska, or Costa Rica. I love how ActiveRain can bring so many agents from such diverse areas together to discuss our common interest, but I have to admit how jealous I am of Hawaii Realtors!

So lets hear it... If you could be an agent anywhere in the world, where would you end up??

I think as many of us professionals stay busy, especially in the summer months, we tend to forget just how important a DAY OFF can be. In a career that requires our time at the needs of others, we have to remember that someone else needs our time... US!

Remember what your spouse looks like??

It's hard to sometimes imagine taking a whole day off to do... well, nothing real estate. I'm sure at some point, even on your days off, you will take a call, or reply to an email, or... BLOG!! But, there is nothing like returning to work refreshed and ready to tackle the week because you finally got some rest and reconnected with your family.

Even if you are so busy that a day off is out the question, maybe try to make it home for dinner with the family a few times a week, or make morning coffee with the spouse a ritual. I know for me, taking the dogs (yes three of them) for a long walk at night is the only time I do not have real estate on my mind. We actually walk at 11 pm or later sometimes! Its OUR time and that is just as important as those meetings with our clients!

OK you overachieving, hardworking ActiveRainers, lets hear your favorite ways to unwind, relax and for just a little bit, not be thinking about real estate! 

Ok maybe that's a strech, but after my recent experiences with my new CPA and possible new best friend, I no longer cringe at the word "April"

I, like many other self employed agents, never realized how little I knew about my TAXES! Even with all the deductions I can think of, and paying quarterly I still dreaded what my CPA would tell me in April. That is until I met my new CPA, a former Supervising IRS auditor. Not only did she cut my tax liability more than HALF, but she taught me how to keep it that way.

Many of us get caught up in the up front costs and lose sight of the big picture. Lots of self employed people including many agents I know would rather spend $500 to any CPA who will "do" their taxes and thats that. I definately paid a good amount, but with her saving me more than I could have imagined, and actually spending HOURS with me, teaching me and showing me how I can minimize my liability... it was absolutely worth it.

I wanted to share my experience with you in this short blog, just so you too can do exactly what I did. Find a CPA who will teach you, and care about your money. You WILL pay more up front, and you WILL spend much more time with your CPA, but come on... this is your hard earned money!!!

When it comes to your money, who's getting the return???

Believe it or not, Britney Spears inspired me to blog today. Whatever inspires you right? Well I watched her on the "news" today looking at real estate. Not a big deal, "celebrities" need home too (ok ill stop with the quotes) However, it was her Realtor that caught my eye. A guy no older than 30, showing multi-million dollar homes.

Now, I couldnt help but feel a bit annoyed. I know I will get grief for this, but for the first time I understand the feeling that people who own larger homes feel about paying our commissions. What extra and more involved work goes into selling a million dollar home than a 100 thousand dollar home?

Trust me, I can defend my commission, and I dont think realtors who sell multi-million dollar homes dont deserve all that they make. But when I work in an office with an average home sale of 200k, its hard for me to watch someone make quite a bit more money than I do who does the same thing. That Realtor is probably the best Realtor in the country and worked his way up to that level, but he looked so young!

Ok let the comments fly, and please note I am not angry about this, just a tad envious! Does anybody else ever feel this way (or at least admit to it)?

When we want to make millions... how do we meet Britney Spears?