Kimberly Fowler

Our Crazy Christmas... How to find good in even the strangest gatherings

Kimberly Fowler (Heart Of Texas Real Estate Group, Keller Williams Waco, ) — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 00:17:12 -0600

Our Crazy Christmas 2008

All of us have our special Christmas memories, don't we. I have to say, since my parents divorce 27 years ago, ours have been very unusual. They usually involve a lot of people that are not really our family. But they are kind of' adopted by my Mom, "the missionary", and we all have grow to appreciate them in their own special ways.

Usually Christmas is not very much fun for my brother and my kids and I because we are all private people that like to live our lives based on the motto... "Be civil with all, social with many but known to few." But my mother is the opposite.

Each year she has included more and more into our family events. Our small family of 4 is now a family of more. This year was our best, yet. I am very please to say, my mother really was able to make our entire blended families feel like one.

In spite of the girl that showed up stoned on I think speed and the friend that loves us with all the class of a big city girl, and the extended family member of my brother that has a hard time saying a sentence without cussing. We managed to have a great time.

For years, I dreaded these events of my mothers. But this year, the Lord helped me to love my mother for what she is, and not what I wish she was. I guess that is why I enjoyed this year.

May God Bless You All And Merry Christmas Next Year!

1005 Telluride Drive, Woodway, TX 76712, Midway Independent School District

Kimberly Fowler (Heart Of Texas Real Estate Group, Keller Williams Waco, ) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 09:19:42 -0500

1005 Telluride Drive in Woodway / Waco Texas 76710 Is in Midway school district, and is close to what's convenient, schools, daycare, shops. Low upkeep, big value, picture- windowed living room, covered patio, rear entry garage. Act Fast! Call Today! Family Relocating and wants to sell soon.

http://www.heartoftexasrealestategroup.com/Listing/VirtualTour.ashx?listingid=1995749

View 1005 Telluride Dr Waco Tx

MLS # 129007

Address 1005 TELLURIDE DR Woodway State TX Zip 76712

Asking Price $174,353

Bedrooms 4 Baths 2

SqFt Range 2001-2500

Age Range 6-10

County McLennan

CONSTRUCTION Brick Veneer EXTERIOR FEATURES Covered Patio/Deck Sprinkler System Garden Area FENCE Wood FINANCIAL TERMS FHA VA Texas Veteran Conventional Cash FIREPLACE Wood Burning FLOORS Carpet Vinyl Tile/Terrazo FOUNDATION Slab GARAGE Attached Rear Entry GARAGE CAPACITY Two HEATING/COOLING Central Heat Central Air Electric HOW OCCUPIED Vacant INTERIOR FEATURES Garage Opener Ceiling Fan Security System KITCHEN Built-In Range Built-In Oven Electric Island Pantry Breakfast Area Ice Maker Connection Built-In Dishwasher Refrigerator LEVEL 1 Story MASTER BEDROOM Isolated Separate Closets Dual Vanities Whirlpool Tub Separate Shower POSSESSION Negotiable ROOFING Composition ROOMS Breakfast Family Room/Den Formal Dining Room UTILITY ROOM House Separate Room WATER HEATER Electric DOCUMENTS ON FILE Seller's Disclosure Act Fast! Call Today!

ADDITIONAL PICTURES

DISCLAIMER

This information is deemed reliable, but not guaranteed.

In this market... "Be still and know that I AM GOD." Psalm 46:10

Kimberly Fowler (Heart Of Texas Real Estate Group, Keller Williams Waco, ) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 14:00:17 -0500

What do you think about this real estate market? I live in Gatesville Texas and work the Waco and Temple areas. I have not seen a decline in home selling or home buying. Business is good in the Heart of Texas. But the media, scares me almost everyday. So I cut the TV off and remember this scripture. "Be Still and Know that I Am God." Psalm 46:10. I remind myself that God is in control and as long as I keep my focus on doing good, and loving Him, He will take care of me. What helps you get up and keep going?

"My Mommy is a Real-Estater"

Kimberly Fowler (Heart Of Texas Real Estate Group, Keller Williams Waco, ) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 13:39:57 -0500

...and my son said, "My mommy is a real-estater!" This group is for Moms and Dads who are also, Realtors. How do you do it? How do you balance both a career and children? We are looking for positive comments and advice. ...I have included my story and why this is an important subject to me, and explained how this groups name was born...

When I started in real estate my two children Cody and Brooke were very young. My son Cody told everyone he met that I was a Realtor in the most enthusiastic and remarkable way. My son was so excited and loved to tell people about how special his mom was, because she was a Realtor. I never knew why he was so happy for me to be a Realtor, or how he know he was supposed to tell everyone he met about his mom's new career, but I did know that I would use his quote, someday.

Today I read a blog about a mother/Realtor who mentioned her children, and that is when it hit me. My son's quote, "My mommy is a Real-estater!" With great joy I smiled and thought about the ups and downs of being a "Real-estater." A few years ago, I sat down at my kitchen table and just cried and cried. Surely there was someone that could help me. How could I put a career above and beyond my children's needs. I couldn't. I had to be with my children and not miss those important times in their life.

The important times, for me, were and are still, taking them to school, picking them up after school, sporting events and church events. It became so hard for me be a successful realtor because if I was making a lot of money I was missing my children grow up. So, I would slow down my business to spend more time with my children and then my husband would want me to make more money, so I would have to hit the business hard again and make good money and then when I began to miss my kids I would slow down the business again and it has gone on like that for years and years. I lived a "yo-yo effect" of making money or making memories. I guess I should mention that I love Real Estate; it is my life's greatest passion as far as work goes.

Well, I wiped my tears and sat up straight and decided that I would have to make one the most important decision of my life, and I needed to do it soon. You see, my husband wanted me to quit being a Realtor and get a "Real Job." But how could I do that? I needed the freedom that being a Realtor gave me. Or did it? To be honest it seemed to me like if you were going to make money as a Realtor you lost your freedom. Oh, I know what some of you are thinking, TIME MANAGEMENT. Well, I took that class and it isn't that easy to do, if you are a stand alone agent. Or at least it wasn't for me. Back to the kitchen table, I decided to call the Texas Association of Realtors and the National Association of Realtors and ask for help.

I thought for sure with all the Realtors in the World that they would have some group or book or something about how to cope with being a Realtor and a Mother. No, nothing, not a thing, they did not have any advice for me at all. No resources, no books to read or any help at all. I felt I needed a specific book. about a being a Mom and being a Realtor. After I cried a little bit more, I made a big decision. I was going to stay in Real Estate because I loved the job and I loved my family, too. My decision was to go part-time Realtor, full-time "Real-Job." But I was only going to try this for one year, just to make my husband happy, and to see if he was right. And it made him happy, but I became very depressed. So I made another very important decision.

I was going to find a way to be a success at Real Estate, make money in Real Estate and raise happy children. I vowed that some day I would help other parent Realtors cope with balancing business and family. Today I found my opportunity on AR. I hope you don't mind if I mention one more life story. I thought it was interesting that I couldn't find a Realtor or a Realtor's family member to give me any good advice. I have asked a lot of Realtors and nobody wanted to share with me how they balanced happy children and success in Real Estate. How were all these Realtors having successful careers they loved and raising happy children? In 7 years I found one person who was honest. He is the husband of a top agent in our market. He was the only one that would give me a real answer. This is what he said, "Yes, Kim. Our children hated growing up with Realtor's as parents. But they sure love all the trips we pay for them and there kids now, like Cancun." He smiled and then he walked away.

That was an answer, but not really the one I was hoping for. I wanted to hear that their children loved it and that they never missed any of their children's life changing events. My answer to not having my children hate having a Realtor parent, was to not be that successful. Even if it meant I couldn't send my son and daughter and their families on fancy trips. Last year I hired a coach and started a team. I believe my coach is the best in the nation.

Finally, I am getting some balance in my life and I owe much of it to God first, my family second, my coach third, and my new "Family" of Realtors at Active Rain. I hope you join my group and share as much as you want to help all us young up and coming Real-estater's. Have an awesome day! Kimberly, Heart of Texas Real Estate Group

1918 Casa Linda Waco TX 76708

Kimberly Fowler (Heart Of Texas Real Estate Group, Keller Williams Waco, ) — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 17:10:42 -0500

Madi-Gras Tile Floors, Granite, 8 French Doors and Custom Screens make this 3 bed 2 bath home a must see. It will sell quick at only $144,753. The family is relocating so hurry and close on your next home.

Christian Realtors

Kimberly Fowler (Heart Of Texas Real Estate Group, Keller Williams Waco, ) — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 21:18:00 -0600

I heard a statement the other day. Someone asked an associate of mine what it meant to be a Christian Realtor. I know there are a lot of us Christian Realtors out there. I let everyone know I am a Christian, if it comes up. But I never elaborate on my beliefs. I don't say "no" to working with someone because maybe they don't believe the way I believe. Is that what you do in your line of business. Whether you are a Realtor or a Waitress, or a laborer. How do you let your Christianity affect your relationship with your co-workers or clients. Share your ideas, and bible verses that help you maintain your Christian life at work.

Killeen, Temple, Waco, Gatesville, Austin, Round Rock, excellent areas to buy a home in Texas

Kimberly Fowler (Heart Of Texas Real Estate Group, Keller Williams Waco, ) — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 20:49:45 -0600

"Killeen, Round Rock, Austin, Texas: Killeen has the lowest average home price in any market in the nation while still maintaining quality. Round Rock and Austin have seen incredible job growth and very stable home prices despite the downturn nationwide. Jobs continue to grow here -- a factor for keeping inventory low and prices stable. " by Daniel Babb and Entrepreneur.com

Follow this link to read the ad...

http://finance.yahoo.com/real-estate/article/104278/Best-and-Worst-Places-to-Buy-a-House

Daniel Babb also says, "The housing crunch and the excessive inventory -- exceeding 10 months on resale homes -- continues to take its toll on housing prices. But over the long term, housing is still a good investment. In fact, it's more than an investment; it's a home. Plus, you're not really saving anything by renting, as the costs of renting and owning are about equal (well, owning may be a little more). The tax benefits of home ownership far outweigh renting, too. With good housing prices in many great areas, this may indeed be the time to buy."

Daniel Babb comments, "So now that I've convinced you this is a good time to buy a home, the next question is, Where do you buy one? No matter where you look, you should check out some basic economic fundamentals before buying. Is job growth stable in the area? Is income keeping up with inflation? Is crime above the national average? Is there a higher-than-average rate of foreclosures? These issues and others play a factor when deciding where to buy a house."

I believe Waco and Temple and Gatesville, all being so close to these markets are excellent areas to buy, also.

So come on, lets buy a house. Help boost the economy. The interest rates have gone down 2 times in the last 11 days. It sounds like a great time to invest in a home.

And remember, Kimberly Fowler, REALTOR, specializes in these areas.

Www.HeartOfTexasGroup.com

Texas Real Estate - How are homes selling in the Waco Area?

Kimberly Fowler (Heart Of Texas Real Estate Group, Keller Williams Waco, ) — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 01:19:57 -0600

Information provided by Kimberly Fowler

www.HeartoftexasRealEstateGroup.com

Lets track what has listed and sold in the Waco Area since January 1 till the end of the year. This report will not contain any listings that were listed or sold before January 1, 2008.

However, for those of you who are curious, at the end of December 2007, there were approximately 3700 residential listings in 2007. 1781 of those listings did sell. 1367 are still on the market at the time of the year. 183 were still under contract by the end of December. 209 of 2007 listings expired or did not sell. 353 were withdrawn from the market or leased.

January 1 -January 29, 2008

Waco CMA Summary Report

300 people put their homes on the market with a Realtor since January 1st, 2008. A lot of listings, don't you think? I do. You will notice on listing sold in 18 days and it was in Woodway on Ramada. 16 Realtors were able to get their listings under contract with an average days on the market for 8 days. Let's hope the loans close and see if next month will be better. Do you think the lowered interest rate, helped. As you look at this information notice that 3 of these home sellers decided not to sell. So you home buyers give us Waco Area Realtors a call. You have a lot of homes to choose from. In fact you have 280 fresh (less than 30 days) listings for sale in the greater Waco Area.

RESIDENTIAL - Active

Total Listings						Avg	Avg	Avg	Avg	Avg
300						14	$145,009	$77

RESIDENTIAL - Sold

Total Listings						Avg	Avg	Avg	Avg	Avg
1						18	$159,000	$89	$159,000	$89

RESIDENTIAL - Under Contract

Total Listings						Avg	Avg	Avg	Avg	Avg
16						8	$102,706	$63

RESIDENTIAL - Withdrawn

Total Listings						Avg	Avg	Avg	Avg	Avg
3						5	$152,100	$73

RESIDENTIAL Summary Statistics
	High	Low	Average	Median
LP:	$575,000	$14,999	$143,004	$117,500
SP:	$159,000	$159,000	$159,000	$159,000

The information for this report is deemed reliable, but not guaranteed.

700 Wood Ave, Waco TX 76706 Baylor Area Real Estate

Kimberly Fowler (Heart Of Texas Real Estate Group, Keller Williams Waco, ) — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 05:04:18 -0600

This is a great property if you want to buy a condo within a couple of blocks to the baylor campus and seventh and james baptist church. It is priced at $67,000. We have 4 units for sale. You may purchase them as an investment deal as a package. The owner will consider trading for a home in the waco area. It is a 2 bedroome loft and a 2 bath with side parking. Spiral Staircase. Open kitchen/den. View on www.HeartOfTexasGroup.com or www.TheBearsDenGuide.com Or Call 254-339-9883 Kimberly Fowler, Realtor.

Buyer's Blog Waco Texas

Kimberly Fowler (Heart Of Texas Real Estate Group, Keller Williams Waco, ) — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 23:54:15 -0500

If you have a buyer that can't find what he is looking for in the Greater Waco Area of Texas, post what they want on this blog and if you are a realtor that has that property listed that would meet that buyers needs. Then just email the Realtor and Sell, Sell, Sell! Remember, do not post the buyer's contact information, only your contact information.

10 Questions to ask before buying into an active adult community...

Kimberly Fowler (Heart Of Texas Real Estate Group, Keller Williams Waco, ) — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 17:35:21 -0500

10 Questions a Baby Boomer Should Ask Before Buying into an Active Adult Community

RISMEDIA, June 1, 2007-Legions of baby boomers are checking out retirement communities around the world as a possible next move. In addition to sizing up real estate options they are carefully evaluating the golf courses, tennis courts, marinas, landing strips, and yoga ashrams offered in the glossy brochures. But since buying into a retirement community involves more than just amenities, the editors of www.topretirements.com have prepared a list of the top 10 questions to help boomers make a more informed decision.

Most active adults either stay in their own homes or move to a smaller place when it comes time for retirement. But for the hundreds of thousands who move to an active adult community each year, a mistake can be expensive and draining. The Topretirements questions were developed as a guideline to help boomers improve their chances of making a good community fit, along with minimizing any financial risk.

The Topretirements' questions assume that the new retiree has already researched the area in which the active adult community is located for climate, economics, recreational and cultural opportunities, and political compatibility.

10 Questions to ask before buying into an active adult community

1. Who owns the land your home sits on?
2. How solid is the financial situation of your developer or association?
3. Is there a sinking fund for maintenance?
4. What type of assessments have there been?
5. What is the reputation of the builder/developer?
6. What is going to happen with adjacent property?
7. Can the community handle future growth?
8. What kind of rules (and how many) will you have to follow?
9. What is the political atmosphere of the community association?
10. What are your new neighbors like?

For more information, visit http://www.topretirements.com/.

RISMedia welcomes your questions and comments. Send your e-mail to: realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com.

Does your child/grandchild/neice or nephew want to be a NCAA Athlete?

Kimberly Fowler (Heart Of Texas Real Estate Group, Keller Williams Waco, ) — Tue, 22 May 2007 09:29:40 -0500

I just wondered if there were any other Realtors who have children involved in NCAA, NAIA etc. Or that are trying to help there child get recruited.

I live in a very small town and my daughter dreamed of playing college basketball. Last month her dream came true. It was very difficult to get her noticed. Especially since she goes to a 3A School in a small Rural Texas town. We had to have her involved in AAU or MAYB etc. since the 7th grade. Our summers and springs were consumed by weekend events so she could play and get better. Some of her coaches were bad and some were good. The money we spent was more than I could really afford. We have a book full of stories and memories that I won't bore you with. But her senior year, her most critical year she was not appreciated by her summer or her high school coach. So when we thought she had to have awesome stats to get recruited, it turns out she didn't. I sent her video (which wasn't that good) to as many colleges as I could think of and finally I found a college coach that liked her defense and said she could walk on to the team. I used other avenues to help get her name out and now a basketball magazine wants to do a story on her. She received more than 30 letters from college coaches.

If you have a son or daughter, gradson or grandaughter or neice or nephew who wants to be a NCAA athlete. Contact me. I will share our secrets and if I get enough response, I will start a group for us.

Have an awesome day!

Ten Ways to Follow up Seven Times

Kimberly Fowler (Heart Of Texas Real Estate Group, Keller Williams Waco, ) — Thu, 17 May 2007 08:13:37 -0500

I found this and loved it. I thought you might like it and find it helpful in your business.

Ten Ways to Follow up Seven Times

By Joe Cooke

Conventional wisdom and industry experience indicate that we have to follow up with a potential client at least seven times before we expect to stick in their minds enough for them to call us when they need us.

Whether your database is a thousand strong, or a mere dozen, you can ramp up your follow-up campaign right now. Follow-up will build a small database into a powerhouse, and it can whittle a large, cumbersome database into a focused, income-producing asset.

Before you launch any kind of follow-up campaign, stratify your database. Start with your very best clients and give them some kind of sorting label, such as "hot" or "gold" or the traditional letter "A." These are your repeat customers. They send you referrals, they buy and sell with you exclusively, and they may be investors, friends and family members (but don't count on those last two categories.)

Any client who is on your list as being ready to buy or sell, but who does not quite rise to the gold level then falls into the silver category. These are the warm leads, or the letter "B" clients.

Everyone else is bronze or "C" for cool. You may create a fourth category later-"D" for delete or call them iron or lead or even slag (the crusty formation of impurities on the top of molten metal-it is skimmed off and thrown away.) The bronze category tends to be the largest and the toughest to consistently contact.

1. Semi-Monthly Marketing Update
For your Bronze leads, try a marketing update. Send it once a quarter, or once every two months. For your snail-mail recipients it could be a postcard. There are companies that will manage these postcard campaigns for you-you just upload your information to their web site and they produce and mail the postcards. For an e-mail version, just use the exact same data, in the same format. The entire message should fit in the average "preview" pane of an e-mail browser.

Try something like this:
"Lower Lost Valley Real Estate Update"
# of sales in the last 90 days: 210
Average sales price: $225,000
Average days on market: 95
Average sales price this time last year: $195,000

Two warnings:
- Don't try to sell them anything. The point is to stay in contact. If they are no longer interested in your market, they will tell you eventually. If your bronze category is large, you may not have the time or energy to do anything more than an e-mail contact twice a month. For the post card portion of your campaign, you will have to follow up with a phone call. Simply say, "Hi, Jane, this is Bob Smith with Lost Valley Real Estate. I'm just checking in to see that you've been getting the marketing updates I've been sending, and to see if you have any questions."

You may get a "Yes, keep them coming," or a "Don't bother sending them anymore," or some variation. Whatever it is, just say "Thank you" and leave it at that. Unless, of course, they say, "Hey, I was just getting ready to call you." That will actually happen more often than you expect.

- Find a system to send out individual e-mails rather than "spam" type mass e-mails or messages to "undisclosed-recipient" or "no-reply" or other impersonal recipient lines. A system like Constant Contact can send personalized e-mails to your database, even including a "Dear Jane," at the beginning.

However, avoid the temptation to send a fancy HTML e-zine. As pretty as they are, they are likely to either (a) go unread, or (b) end up in the spam box.

2. Personal Notes
Regardless of where someone falls in your database, one of the most powerful gifts you can give someone still costs only a few dollars. Keep a stash of note cards handy, along with stamps. Send a note anytime someone helps you, calls you, helps someone else, is mentioned in the news or even if you simply notice something in the news that you think they should know about. This is one of the most powerful business building tools we have, and hardly anyone uses it.

3. Newsletter
Newsletters are a great way to stay in touch. Everyone has some interest in the market, whether they just bought from you recently or are thinking about buying or selling in the near future. Keep your newsletters focused on the market and real estate issues. Keep any sales pitch subtle and to the point. Don't talk about yourself.

4. Mailings
Different than newsletters, mailings are informational flyers. Many agents use these for their silver and gold clients, since the per-unit cost can be comparatively high. These work best if they are a single page with a cover letter. Try to rotate them, one month sending useful information on real estate, such as how to stage your home for sale, and the next month sending something of general interest, such as how to cook a Thanksgiving turkey.

5. Coupons
Try approaching your favorite furniture store, paint store, flower store or other local business, offering to mail out a discount coupon to all your clients. You'll find that soon, businesses will be waiting in line to get a coupon in one of your mailings, and your clients will love the thoughtful gift. Unless your database is largely out-of-towners, avoid Internet businesses and national coupons. Real estate is a local business, and your clients want to do business with the people in their own town.

6. Hud-1 Forms
Keep a copy of every closing form and send them to your clients in November when they are (hopefully) doing their tax planning. Even if they haven't misplaced their copy, they will appreciate the thoughtfulness.

7. Drop-Ins
For your very best clients, schedule a time to come by. Bring a small gift. My wife always made the very best molasses spice cookies. We packaged them up and I dropped them off to friends, business owners and even my media contacts. In the spring, you might try small potted plants. Whatever it is you choose to give, always attach a "thank-you" note.

8. Phone Calls
Phone calls are less effective than a personal note but still appropriate. Call on a client as you would call on a friend. It could be just to say "Hi," or it could be to tell them about a sale at Macy's or a great new golf course that just opened up across town.

9. Personal E-Mail
As opposed to the short e-mail market update, tailor a personal e-mail specifically to the client. If you have an out-of-town client that has been watching the market for a while, or is interested in a certain type of property, make sure you are updating them regularly with new market information, even if your update is telling them that you have no new news. The point is to stay in touch. If you don't, someone else will.

10. Special Occasions
Our insurance agent sends each of our kids a correctly sized polo shirt on their birthdays. A local business owner who is a client of mine sends me a birthday card every year. Obviously, they have us in their database, along with our kids, all of our birthdays and other special occasions. If you really want to stand out from the crowd, make it a point to remember the names and ages of your client's children. If you can't do it in your head, find a field or two in your database where you can track that kind of information. Track and recognize wedding anniversaries, move-in dates, graduations and any other important life events.

Finally, it's been said that the metaphysical interpretation of the number seven is "many," and that the phrase "seven times seven" as used in the Bible actually meant "as many as it takes." Whether or not that is true in the Biblical sense, it certainly is true in real estate. The real rule of thumb for follow-up is just that-touch base with your clients as many times as it takes to take them from bronze to silver to gold.

RISMedia welcomes your questions and comments. Send your e-mail to http://mail.biz.rr.com/agent/MobNewMsg%20realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com.

Realtor and Parent

Kimberly Fowler (Heart Of Texas Real Estate Group, Keller Williams Waco, ) — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 19:03:17 -0500

...and my son said, "My mommy is a real-estater!"

This group is for Moms and Dads who are also, Realtors. How do you do it? How do you balance both a career and children? We are looking for positive comments and advice.

...I have included my story and why this is an important subject to me, and explained how this groups name was born...

A few years ago, I sat down at my kitchen table and just cried and cried. Surely there was someone that could help me. How could I put a career above and beyond my children's needs. I couldn't. I had to be with my children and not miss those important times in their life. The important times, for me, were and are still, taking them to school, picking them up after school, sporting events and church events. It became so hard for me be a successful realtor because if I was making a lot of money I was missing my children grow up. So, I would slow down my business to spend more time with my children and then my husband would want me to make more money, so I would have to hit the business hard again and make good money and then when I began to miss my kids I would slow down the business again and it has gone on like that for years and years. I lived a "yo-yo effect" of making money or making memories. I guess I should mention that I love Real Estate; it is my life's greatest passion as far as work goes.

Back to the kitchen table, I decided to call the Texas Association of Realtors and the National Association of Realtors and ask for help. I thought for sure with all the Realtors in the World that they would have some group or book or something about how to cope with being a Realtor and a Mother. No, nothing, not a thing, they did not have any advice for me at all. No resources, no books to read or any help at all. I felt I needed a specific book. about a being a Mom and being a Realtor.

After I cried a little bit more, I made a big decision. I was going to stay in Real Estate because I loved the job and I loved my family, too. My decision was to go part-time Realtor, full-time "Real-Job." But I was only going to try this for one year, just to make my husband happy, and to see if he was right. And it made him happy, but I became very depressed.

So I made another very important decision. I was going to find a way to be a success at Real Estate, make money in Real Estate and raise happy children. I vowed that some day I would help other parent Realtors cope with balancing business and family.

Today I found my opportunity on AR.

I hope you don't mind if I mention one more life story. I thought it was interesting that I couldn't find a Realtor or a Realtor's family member to give me any good advice. I have asked a lot of Realtors and nobody wanted to share with me how they balanced happy children and success in Real Estate. How were all these Realtors having successful careers they loved and raising happy children?

In 7 years I found one person who was honest. He is the husband of a top agent in our market. He was the only one that would give me a real answer. This is what he said, "Yes, Kim. Our children hated growing up with Realtor's as parents. But they sure love all the trips we pay for them and there kids now, like Cancun." He smiled and then he walked away.

That was an answer, but not really the one I was hoping for. I wanted to hear that their children loved it and that they never missed any of their children's life changing events.

My answer to not having my children hate having a Realtor parent, was to not be that successful. Even if it meant I couldn't send my son and daughter and their families on fancy trips.

Last year I hired a coach and started a team. I believe my coach is the best in the nation.

Have an awesome day!

Kimberly, Heart of Texas Real Estate Group

http://activerain.com/groups/realestater