Ok, let's face it, I'm living in San Antonio, Texas...a place known for the Alamo, the Spurs, Sea World, Fiesta Texas and blasting temperatures in the summertime. I don't know if this is some type of record in this town, but I feel that we have been enduring 100+ temps for the past month (I'm sure there was a 98 in there somewhere, but where?)

Today I was out showing houses in the heat and I discovered that my make up (or what was left of it) was melting down my face. Gone was the realtor of old, the one with not a hair out of place, make up right out of the Lancome counter at Nordies...I looked into the reflection of the pool in the backyard of the home I was showing to clients and seriously contemplated jumping in....then my client looked at me with a knowing glance and said "I'm thinking the same thing!"...if you are wondering if we took the plunge, the answer is no. It was tempting to say the least. We placed the key in the lockbox that almost burned my fingers and headed to our air conditioned vehicles.

We headed to the first place we could find to buy a large tea and re-cap our adventure. The day ended up with us not re-applying our make-up (it was a lost cause). We just decided to call it a day and next time maybe pack a towel in the back and try it again tomorrow! Don't worry, your clients pools are safe with me!

Now I know how the agents in Phoenix feel...I'm ready!

I've had several occasions lately to ponder "How can the right message not be received?" With our real estate careers, it's much the same as dealing with our children. If the message you want conveyed isn't delivered in the right manner, the message (however well-meaning) is lost.

If messages are delivered in a threatening, demanding way, how can one expect for the message to be received willingly? And even pondered at all? Even if the point is well-made, the message can be completely lost in frustration and irritation of the receiver, if delivered in the wrong way.

We need to give careful consideration to how all our messages are delivered to our clients as well as our families. I have a favorite line from a movie "Robin Hood, Men in Tights" where the evil Sheriff comes back to the king after quite a whallop from Robin Hood and proceeds to tell him what happened. After a brief moment, the King declares, "Maybe if you tell me the bad news in a good way, it will help" The Sheriff proceeds to laugh and be jovial about how he and his men just got the stuff whipped out of them". The message was delivered and the King actually paid attention.

Our delivery to our clients as well as our families should be much the same. Given careful consideration upon how we want to deliver the news. Good or bad, news needs to be conveyed in a way that is clear, concise and to the point. In addition, we need to make sure that we are calm, collected and have a plan for their reactions ahead of time. Take a minute to look at how they might react and how you might be able to make it easier on them, or to see it from their point of view. (Trust me, we have five teenagers and I've had practice!)

I can't tell you the amount of times that an agent has called me hysterically, spilling out terrible news and had not taken the time to problem solve before he/she made the call to me. It was an after-thought. When a few minutes is taken to ponder our delivery, it can save time, expense and value relationships in the wake.

Next time we make the call to deliver good or bad news, we need to step back, take some time to review our delivery and consider reactions ahead of time. And remember, we are all in this together!

I've recently changed brokerages and the change has required that I review each file and sort through mounds of paperwork and deliver only needed items to the new RE/MAX Access office.

Recently, I've been working on my "Green Designation" and it gave me time to pause while I was shifting through my mountain of paperwork. How can I be a "Green" Realtor, when I can't seem to streamline my files? The answer seemed daunting. Even my teenage children shake their heads when they enter my office. I've never considered just taking the extra step to scan a paper and email it. I'm always on the run and just place it in the file...and the file continues to grow. I think I might have been keeping old paperwork as a badge of honor...after all, my brother's office looked this way and he's a broker...I must be doing it right! After feeling overwhelmed and somewhat discouraged, I decided to make a change...but how? How do I tackle this Paper Monster? The answer?....One step at a time.

It was a cleansing experience to spend my week scanning photos of listings, scanning pdf files and creating a more inviting environment to work in. I've noticed that I'm scanning more and printing less. Maybe this was a great way to begin a more paperless society (at least within my own office). I can't tell you how many dead trees I must be responsible for. The guilt is overwhelming!

In the long run, I have a task ahead of me. But considered this....if we each take a few steps to scan more-print less, we might be able to view a few more trees on the horizon at the end of our hectic day!

I've been a member of Active Rain since March of this year, but this is my introduction to blogging on AR. I'm grateful to each of the members that are so willing to share their experiences and knowledge with the "Newbies" on AR.

I've just joined RE/MAX Access in Garden Ridge, TX with Sheila Moran and Kristin Moran (the best bloggers I know!)...so I decided now was the time to get blogging. I've previously blogged on my website at www.LesleeMartz.com and am sure that I will be sharing some of those with you in the future.

Sheila and I have been friends since I moved to Texas over 5 years ago. We spend time together with our spouses and other RE/MAX agents last year on a cruise to Mexico. After spending time with Sheila and recognizing her vast knowledge of real estate and appreciating her work ethic, I began entertaining the thought of joining her at her office in Garden Ridge. I am so happy I have made that decision and can't wait to work with Sheila, Kristin, and their office staff.

I look forward to reading your blogs and hearing from you after writing mine! I enjoy writing about the happenings in the area and helping my clients to get to know the area after moving here! We have so much to learn from one another. Now, if I can only keep up with Sheila and Kristin's blogging! I'm ready!!

Call me at (210) 240-7596 or email me at LesleeMartz@remax.net

It's all Good!!