I have been MIA for a few months....  but I`mmmmmmmm baaaaack!

I want to start by saying a GREAT BIG THANK YOU to all of you wonderful people that supported my trek to Realtor-dom! I did it... I got the licesnse. Then I got that taste of reality.

I am a single mom and had no source of income at the time. To think I could make a living selling Real Estate right out of the gate was a pipe dream. I had no back up plan!

I ended up having to get a real JOB.

But the story is really just now getting started!!!

I found a job working in wireless phone sales that I really love. I really like the company I work for and have a bright future with them in Management. I am currently the Store manager for Russell Cellular in Van Buren, Ar.

But it doesnt fullfill my longing for freedom.

I want to fly like an Eagle...

The only way to be totally free is do what you love and find a way to turn your passion into a paycheck. To work once and get paid over and over. To help others find their passion and help them achieve their goals and get paid on their efforts as well.

I hope those of you who followed my journey to becoming a Realtor will now follow me on my one way trip to FREEDOM!

Now you may be asking yourself what does any of this have to do with Active Rain - Real Estate - or you. Well if you will continue to stay tuned in.... I will be sharing with you the tips and tricks I have learned over the years to create successful client lists with the compaines I sold for in the past. I will share ideas on how you can set yourself apart from the crowd and turn your clients in lifelong friends who will refer new clients to you for a lifetime. I will show how an age old technique put touse can transform your relationships and your paycheck.

If that sounds like something of interest to you.... stay tuned in!

This is going to be fun!

Mother nature struck again in Van Buren on Fathers Day Sunday night June 15th... I was sitting at home alone watching the telie and I heard it start to rumble very loud and deep in the near distance. I don't normally watch the news so I was not aware we were due to have storms. In fact, it had been a beautiful day. I had just got through mowing my yard a few hours earlier.

About 11:10 PM the storm came down like a raging bull. The winds were extreme and the lightning was like I have never seen before. I have been through a few storms and even witnessed a tornado from a few miles away but I was very uneasy and scared about this storm.

We had just started to finally recover from the storms we had in April that caused Van Buren and many other cities to be deemed disaster zones. I wrote about those storms in my blogs:

FEMA offers assistance to Crawford & Sebastian County residents

A cry for help ......

Scary night in Fort Smith and Van Buren... continued

Scary night in Fort Smith and Van Buren

The electricity kept going on and off every few minutes and it became quite eerie. Just when I decided I better tune into the news the power went off and stayed off. It was beyond black in my house except for the lightning flashs. I stayed out on my porch for some stupid reason... I actually felt safer watching the sky and watching what was happening. I could hear the trees moaning and creaking and the wind was just crazy. I really thought a tornado was going to rip through town or a tree was going to break and fall on my house.

I heard a loud creaking and then a snap and a crash... my neighbors tree was down in the street. Then a few minutes later the same thing happened across the street, and just caddy corner to me a tree fell on someones roof.

I was on and off the phone with my daughter who was at work and my grandkids and their other grandmother who were all in Fort Smith. They still had power so they were keeping me up to date on the storm.

I really thought the tornado sirens would go off at any moment but they never did. The storm lasted for about 45 minutes to an hour and then it was over. A few times I almost hid in the closet but it was so dark and the thought of a tree falling on the house was too scary. I felt I was safer where I could at least see what was happening. That was probably stupid now that I think about it!!!

I finally tried to go to sleep hoping the power would come on before morning. It was hard to sleep though because there was no electricy to power the fans and it was hot and humid and the sounds of police cars and fire trucks and the street dept was out with chain saws trying to clear the roads from all the trees that had been blown down.

I think I finally fell asleep about 3:30 in the moring. I woke to the sound of chain saws outside very early. It was 7am. I looked outside and it looked like a war zone. Tree limbs littered the yards and the streets.

After I got out and cleared my front yard of the debris, I decided to go see if I could get a cup of coffee somewhere. I had no power so I wasnt sure how much of the city had been hit. The street were lined with people and police cars and utility trucks and trucks with beds and trailers full of tree limbs.

I snapped a few picture with my cell phone but I didnt have much battery left amd no electric to charge it up. These were just a few of the sites I saw driving around my neighborhood.

These are were just a few of the pics I took trying to save my battery.

Long story short here...... The storms came through on Sunday night and power went out about 11:20pm that night. Fast forward until Wendesday afternoon about 3:00 and we finally got the power back on. Everything had to be thrown out of the fridge and freezer.... I had just went grocery shopping over the weekend. We had to eat out for 2 and a half days and we finally rented a hotel roon on Tuesday night when we realized we wou;ld be without power another night. I had bought some flashlights and a little lantern and a battery powed fan for the second night but Tuiesday night I had my grandkids back at my house and it just wasnt working to not have power or food or cool air. All toll this storm cost my at least $500 out of pocket that I didnt have to spend.

Many homes and vehicles were damaged by downed trees falling on them.

Today is Thrusday and they have finally started to get the majority of the tree damage cleared out, but there are still a number of homes with a ton of tree debris to be cleared out. It will take awhile to recover from this latest storm.

Say a little prayer for all of us!

In Part 2 of working with leads from an Open House, I am going to share how I took this lead from prospect to client in less than a week.

In part 1 of Working with leads from Open Houses, I shared about meeting a couple at my Open House that were pre qualified with a USDA ~ RD loan.

You can read more about it here http://www.activerain.com/blogsview/545447/Working-with-leads-from .

I held the Open House on Sunday and on Monday I called the couple to let them know that I had found some houses in their pre approved range that I thought they would be interested in.

On Monday I invited them to the office to come look at them and the wife ended up coming in by herself. We spent 2 and a half hours looking at homes in the MLS. We narrowed it down to about 7 homes. She called me on Tuesday to let me know she had narrowed the field down to 5 homes.

I scheduled to show the homes the following day and we went out and toured the property. The wife came by herself. I was a bit concerned about the husband not touring with us because I felt I would have to retrace my steps if she liked the houses.

Well, she narrowed it down to 2 homes that she liked. She wanted me to set up another appointment so the husband could see the homes. I was busy all day Thursday but she wanted to see the homes after I was not busy which was around 6:00 pm. I called her after I got out of Realtor class and she had found other homes she wanted to tour. There was only 1 home that we could see that night so we decided that we would just add it into our tour on Friday.

Her and her husband showed up at my office on Friday and we toured 4 properties. They hit on 2 of them. I brought them back to the office and we drew up contracts on both houses. I submitted the 1st one that night and should hear back on Saturday. If this house doesn't fly, then on to the next one which I know will sell as we offered full asking price. The first house they low balled the offer and I am afraid it will be rejected. But we do have the back up home so I am fairly sure I will have my 1st sale soon!

So... for those Realtors that don't think Open Houses are worth while, I say phooey!

I am not counting my chickens before they hatch but I feel that out of the 2 offers we will have one that works.

I will keep you informed!

Welcome to my Double Celebration.....

My 75th blog post and swearing in as a REALTOR®!!!

I thought it fitting to be able to celebrate my 75th blog post by blogging about swearing in as a full fledged REALTOR® today! I attended the new agent orientation at the Fort Smith Board of REALTORs® today and I am very excited and that I received my REALTOR® pin.

I will wear it with pride!

I worked hard for this and it is very gratifying to have finally achieved this goal.

I just want to say Thank You to all the great Rainers who have supported me and encouraged me along the way. Your encouragement has meant the world to me. Thank You again for all your kind words.

I am proud to be one of you now!

Contact Susan Davis, Realtor®, Exit Realty Fort Smith. Licensed Realtor® in Arkansas at 479-806-6390 to list your property for sale or to purchase a property in Van Buren, Fort Smith, Alma, Barling, Greenwood and the rest of Crawford County Arkansas and Sebastian County Arkansas. I am currently accepting referrals.

Contact me by email if you prefer by clicking on email me on the right side of this page under my profile.

Disclaimer:The information provided herein is supplied by several sources and is subject to change without notice. Van Buren Real Estate and other stuff Blog does not guarantee or is any way responsible for its accuracy, and provides said information without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. Entries on Van Buren Real Estate and other stuff Blog represent the opinions and ideas of the author. Van Buren Real Estate and other stuff Blog does not express the views of Exit Realty Fort Smith or those of the broker.

When the sun sets......

The sky changes hue

The air cools

day turns to night

creatures come out of hiding

humans go to sleep

Gods shows His creative mastery

When the sun sets.....

I am taken to a place of peace...

of wonder

of Gods amazing grace...

The sky becomes a huge canvas for God to show the many beautiful colors that make up our world.

And I am grateful for His mercy and grace and never ending love.

I just wanted to share these beautiful sunsets with you. The post was inspired by Mike in Tucson`s blogs, especially the one he wrote here: Capture Life! Always Have Your Camera Nearby. 

The top sunset was taken on the way to take my son Alan to Baker University to enroll in college. This was on the interstate in Kansas.

The bottom sunset was taken just coming over the bridge across the Arkansas river into Van Buren from Fort Smith. If you look at the top of my blog you can see the bridge I am talking about across the river.

Both pictures were taken while driving with my cell phone camera out the window! Not bad if I say so myself!!!

Thanks to Mike in Tucson... I am finding myself being more tuned into my surroundings and taking time to look around and see just what life might have to show me if I look.

Contact Susan Davis, Realtor®, Exit Realty Fort Smith. Licensed Realtor® in Arkansas at 479-806-6390 to list your property for sale or to purchase a property in Van Buren, Fort Smith, Alma, Barling, Greenwood and the rest of Crawford County Arkansas and Sebastian County Arkansas. I am currently accepting referrals.

Contact me by email if you prefer by clicking on email me on the right side of this page under my profile.

Disclaimer:The information provided herein is supplied by several sources and is subject to change without notice. Van Buren Real Estate and other stuff Blog does not guarantee or is any way responsible for its accuracy, and provides said information without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. Entries on Van Buren Real Estate and other stuff Blog represent the opinions and ideas of the author. Van Buren Real Estate and other stuff Blog does not express the views of Exit Realty Fort Smith or those of the broker.

This is Part 1 in a series about working with leads from open houses. I have held an Open House every Sunday since receiving my license. I held one this past Sunday at 1520 Saratoga Drive in Van Buren`s Heritage Heights Community . I only had 2 couples show up for this one but out of them I found a qualified buyer ready to buy a home.

This couple in their 60`s didnt even want to come inside the front before they asked how much the home was. I invited them in out of the heat and we stood in the entry way. The husband was very standoffish. He said he didnt want to waste my time because the house was more than they had been approved for.

Ahhh Haaa!!! Light bulb moment!

I knew at that moment that I had a lead and if I worked it right, I could turn them into a client. I immediately asked them what kind of loan they were appoved for and who their lender was and also if they were working with a Realtor yet. I explained I was also a Licensed Loan Officer and that helped break the ice.

The husband kept trying to get out the door but the wife had chimed in with the answers to the questions I was asking so I started to direct my attention to her, while giving the husband an occassional nod for good measure.

I invited them in the house to sit down and talk about their loan and what options they had available to them. I offered them some fresh baked cookies and they sat at the kitchen table and enjoyed their snack as I continued to ask more questions to qualify them.

I proceeded to dig deeper into what they were looking for and trying to keep the conversation flowing that direction. The husband is a piece of work! He has story after story to tell about his life, politics, religion etc. I gave him my attention and interjected a few times, but mostly I let him tell his stories and affirmed him when I could.

The wife keep trying to get him back onto the business of finding a home. She proceeded to show me her House Hunter book. It was a compostion book with pages full of clippings from the newspaper and RE magazines. She shared with me that they have looked at about 20 homes and they have worked with at least 1 other Realtor. This Realtor did not get a BBA and the wife confessed to me that she didnt like "taking up so much of my time". She felt guilty for having ONE Realtor show her all around.

I saw my opening to explain Agency to them. They were not aware that is how Realtors work.

Clue...... Educate your customers! 

It is all about asking questions, listening to your customers, not backing down when they say they dont want to come in., and following up with them.

After an hour and half went by... mind you they didnt even want to come in..... they left shaking my hand and me telling them I would search for some homes for them.

I called them the next day and set up an appointment for them to come into the office. Only the wife came and we looked at what was available on the MLS. We narrowed it down to 7 homes and made appointments to tour them tomorrow.

I will be picking them up and you can bet I will have my BBA ready to get a signature.

I will do more posts as this process continues to share how it goes with you. I hope this will help someone along the way!

This post was birthed out of a post by our own Broker Bryant about BBA`s and also Brett Noel`s blog about Open houses.

Stayed tuned and wish me well!

Contact Susan Davis, Realtor®, Exit Realty Fort Smith. Licensed Realtor® in Arkansas at 479-806-6390 to list your property for sale or to purchase a property in Van Buren, Fort Smith, Alma, Barling, Greenwood and the rest of Crawford County Arkansas and Sebastian County Arkansas. I am currently accepting referrals.

Contact me by email if you prefer by clicking on email me on the right side of this page under my profile.

Disclaimer:The information provided herein is supplied by several sources and is subject to change without notice. Van Buren Real Estate and other stuff Blog does not guarantee or is any way responsible for its accuracy, and provides said information without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. Entries on Van Buren Real Estate and other stuff Blog represent the opinions and ideas of the author. Van Buren Real Estate and other stuff Blog does not express the views of Exit Realty Fort Smith or those of the broker.

Prestigious Luxury Home in North Van Buren $359,900

Location: Beverly Hills Estates

Luxury home in the Beverly Hills Estates development nestled in the Ozark valley a wooded half acre in North Van Buren. Features include 10 & 12 ft. ceilings, 4br 3.5 bath, spacious country kitchen with gourmet range, large great room with electric fireplace, Master bedroom has large walk in closet that is also a concrete safe room. Relaxing screened in porch with a beautiful, scenic view. Only 2 homes on this hilltop cul-de-sac with space for 3 more.

Open for viewing Sunday June 1st 2-4

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Contact Information

Susan Davis

479-806-6390

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Asking Price: $359,900

Property Location

5902 Skyview Circle West
Van Buren, AR 72956
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Features

Bedrooms: 4

Bathrooms: 3.5

Year Built: 2007

Subdivision: Beverly Hills Estates

Lot Size: .660 acres

Garage Size: 3

School District: Van Buren

Square Footage: 2748 heated

Agent Name: Susan Davis

Broker: Karen LeRosen

MLS #: 501027

Attributes

Appliances

Range/Oven

Dishwasher

Sink Disposal

Microwave

Central Vacuum

Trash Compactor

Interior Amenities

Fireplace

Hardwood Floors

Kitchen Island

Vaulted Ceilings

Attic

Concrete safe room

Granite countertops throughout

Exterior Amenities

Patio

Grass Lawn

Secluded setting

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VFLYER ID: 1688211

This beautiful home located at 5902 Skyview Circle West in Prestigious Beverly Hills Estates in North Van Buren will be open for viewing on Sunday June 1st from 2-4pm.