I have recently branched out on my own and am so excited...Selling real estate is oh-so-fun and I've re-framed some of my business models to fit with my ethics and morals - so if you know from before - watch for changes currently in the works.

New Paradigm One: Creating a way to effectively work in this business while mainting respect for, and stuardship of, the environment. The amount of paper we go through - business cards, flyers, mailers, contracts, information books etc. is so sad! Whatever happened to the paperless office?? Well, I can tell you that it hasn't found MY office! So, instead, I am converting all of my material to either hand-made paper and/or post-consumer paper and soy-based ink using a local company (cut down carbon emmissions) which embodies Bellingham - local, environmental, creative, FUN and unique! This is only one small way in which I will look to alter my business practices and if anyone has suggestions - send them my way!

New Paradigm Two: While this was a philosophy of mine before, it will now be a cornerstone of my business: I WILL NOT PRACTICE DUAL AGENCY! For those of you who don't know what that means, I will not represent both the buyer and the seller in the same transaction...I just won't do it! It's totally legal, and agents like doing it (double the money) but it's not in the best interest of my clients. What does that mean for sellers - Isn't my job to SELL their home? Well, yes, and I will work hard to procure a buyer but I will refer them to another agent if they wish to make an offer. I'm a firm believer that this philosophy allows for the greatest protection of my clients, while allowing me to do the job I wish to do.

New Paradigm Three: My new business cards will likely NOT have my photo...Hmmm - a Realtor without a picture of themselves??? The reason behind this is two-fold: One - in order to utilize the handmade papers and soy-ink press, I can't have gradient images (i.e. pictures) and Two - The idea of being "hired" or not based in part on my picture is, well, odd. In the US, real estate is the only industry I can think of where puting your picture on your business card is considered normal. This is an experiment - we'll see if it works - but I sure hope it does!

Watch for my new business cards, web-site and information.

Putting Down Roots...
-Emily Cross