Blogging, NAR Meetings, Referrals and Such – It’s ALL About the Relationships

There was a mini-meet-up of AR bloggers yesterday in Washington, DC. - I got together with Margaret Rome (Baltimore, MD), Jay and Monika McGillicuddy (New Hampshire), Pat Kennedy (Washington, DC) and Emily Link (Thousand Oaks, CA). Most of us were in town for the NAR and CRS meetings, but Margaret decided to come visit because, well, she could and she wanted to. 

You can read about it in posts by Pat Kennedy and Emily Link. 

This is soon to be followed by a more formal, planned gathering tomorrow night at Yanni's Greek Taverna at 3500 Connecticut Avenue, NW at 6:30 - thanks to Pat Kennedy for coordinating. I had great fun with Pat today, touring some higher end Washington, DC homes on broker tour. We had a great conversation, saw some beautiful homes, and of course made a stop at a home that was serving lunch...we're REALTORS, rights? 

Powerful relationships and friendships get built on AR - it was abundantly clear today. There is, of course, the common bond of blogging on AR.

Some have more points than others, or are more involved or consistent in their blogging  

Folks have different business models, philosophies, and niches 

But something magical happens when you step out from behind the computer into the real world and touch reality with a fellow blogger, well known to you or otherwise. 

Points are irrelevant. Rank in your state is irrelevant. Whether you are a buyer agent, listing agent, or part of the administration of a local or state board or other professional organization, or not, is unimportant.

What IS important, and of the greatest value, is the relationship being forged, and certainly the learning and sharing that comes naturally from these in-person gatherings. A desire to learn from others, to seek their opinions, gain their support, and share stories. 

We all shared some ideas with Emily who is on a panel later this week on Agent-to-Agent Referrals for WCR. That sort of dialog is much more powerful than on-line. 

And I had an extra hour or so to talk with Margaret before she headed back to Baltimore - shop talk about listing homes, on-line marketing and marketing ideas, and many other topics. That is special time to be treasured. 

Are relationships built on-line valuable? Indeed. But don't miss out on the chance to take these relationships to a higher level in person. They will serve you well in more ways than you can imagine. 

My camera was dead so I let everyone else take pics. Enjoy them on their posts noted above!

Gotta go - heading off to Yanni's Greek Taverna for more fun with AR friends.

Cheers