Hello, hello .... is there anybody out there?

Hello, hello .... is there anybody out there? My name is Melissa Ford and this is my very first blog! I have been hearing over and over, that blogging is the thing to do. I have a very good friend, Susan Mangigian that has been blogging for a while now. In fact she is the #1 blogger on activerain in Chester County PA. She loves this forum and has actually gotten business from doing it, but I don't think that is the reason she does it. Blogging has given her a "voice", a connection to the big wide world. She has made many friends and developed tons of relationships with people all over the country through her blogs. I recently attended a real estate convention. I was walking through the convention floor and saw a vendor setup for Activerain. I stopped and spoke to a nice young man and asked him to explain just what Activerain was about, and how does one go about blogging. So, you know the end of that story .... here I am. I'm not sure that I have anything very profound or different to say, but apparently, I am going to say it.

I was born and raised here in Chester County, and have been living in the borough of West Chester for the last 8 years. I have been a Realtor for almost 18 years. I started out in sales in Paoli and after 5 years in the business was offered a management position. I managed an office in Exton for 3 years and then was recruited by another firm to open an office for them in West Chester. After managing for them for 5 years I needed a change, actually that is putting it mildly. One day I told my boss to take a flying leap and I quit. Management is a really tough gig, extremely stressful. I was fried, burned out, midlife crisis, you name it, I had it. So, back into sales I went. Not very great timing on my part, going back into full time sales just as the market was crashing, but that's what I did. And you know what? It's been OK. In fact, it's been better than OK. I don't make as much money, but I have the 1 thing that is most important. I have time, time to reconnect with my family, with my friends, with my clients and with myself. I remembered what it was about Real Estate that I fell in love with, why I got the "Rising Star" award my first year in the business. I really like helping people. I love the excitement of the first time buyer. I love the look on the faces of the move up buyers who now have the big yard that they have been dreaming of. I'm excited for the downsizing folks who are closing out a chapter in their lives and starting a new one. I have met so many wonderful people through Real Estate and some not so wonderful ones too. With each new transaction, I learn something, and I don't mean about termites or septic systems. I learn about human nature, about life, about what is important to people. What I think I bring to my clients is the sum total of my life experience. I've always said that Real Estate isn't about houses, it's about people. At the end of the day, what is important about a home, isn't the sq. footage or the gourmet kitchen. It's the size and the quality of the life and the love that went on inside it.

Well, there it is my very first blog. What do you think?