Originally from Scotland, but born in Africa, my diverse background includes living on four different continents and traveling extensively around the world.  From singing the Zambian national anthem on the side of the road as President Kaunda drove by to bartering with street vendors in the bustling city markets in Hong Kong, and from doing the highland fling at high school dances in Edinburgh, Scotland to shouting "Goooooooo Dawgs" from the student section at University of Georgia football games, I have had a myriad of unique experiences! 

With a professional background in journalism, education and real estate, I have combined my writing, marketing and business experience into helping others with their marketing needs.  As a former Realtor I know well the trials and tribulations of marketing -- a necessary evil in the life of busy Realtors!

I sold real estate in Nashville for 10 years before my family transferred.  During that time I was associated with one of the top real estate companies in Nashville, received several awards, and served on many committees for the Greater Nashville Association of Realtors. Since our move several years ago, I have stayed in touch with many of my Realtor friends and kept up with both the Nashville and national real estate markets.

Although I enjoyed my career in real estate, my favorite part was the marketing -- designing brochures for my listings, making each property I listed come alive with words, and anything else that involved cutting, pasting and creating!  I often had to remind myself that I only got paid when I actually sold a house and not when I created a beautiful brochure or postcard!  My least favorite part about being a Realtor was selling myself -- I didn't want to talk about myself or feel like I had to "convince" anyone to use me as their Realtor.  I wanted people to immediately like and trust me!

Fortunately, early on in my career I went to a conference where I learned about a marketing tool which I think is probably the reason I not only stayed in the business, but was able to achieve a balance of success and happiness.  This one tool enabled me to use my cutting, pasting and creating skills to my advantage by positioning me as a knowledgeable, personable and trustworthy Realtor ... and I never had to talk about myself!  I was able to market myself in such a way that people wanted to hear from me, and at the same time I established myself as an expert and trusted advocate.  This one simple, but amazingly effective, tool is a client newsletter.

When my family moved from Nashville a few years ago, the market was still declining and I decided the time was not right for me to build another real estate business in a small New England town where I knew no one!  Having created newsletters for myself for almost eight years, I decided to create a monthly newsletter for other Realtors.  Marketing is such a time consuming, expensive, and often difficult task for many real estate professionals -- yet it is essential to building and maintaining your business.

My concept is very simple -- affordable, accessible and affective.  I hope you have enjoyed learning about me and would be honored if you decide to use House & Home newsletter as part of your client marketing program.

Best of luck and stay in touch, y'all!