When I was a brand new agent, back in 1998, I started out working for a boutique firm that specialized only in horse properties. I am a lifelong horse lover, and used to breed and race thoroughbreds, so this spot seemed like a natural for me. I soon learned, however, that buyers for these kinds of properties--which at that time were primarily large equestrian boarding stables with indoor arenas and vast parcels of land--didn't come along too often. The niche was going to be too narrow for a new agent without an established client base.
What to do? I didn't want to abandon my yearning to work with properties that could support horses, and with people who wanted a rural lifestyle, so I decided to broaden my calling card to include country estates of all sorts: horse properties, grand antique mansions on gorgeous manicured grounds, and simpler homes with open vistas or woodsy trails. In short, the kinds of places that I'd like to live, and that I knew I'd never tire of working with, whether on behalf of buyers or sellers. And after 16 years, these remain the kinds of homes and places that still stir my soul.
I've been calling myself "Your Country Property Specialist" for several years, but for this contest, I thought I would revert back to my original slogan, which seemed to better capture the allure of beautiful open spaces that nurture people and their animals. It was:
For people who live in the country. . .and those who want to
But after further consideration, I've realized that the fresh, vibrant, and even meditative feeling of "country" isn't restricted to manses with extensive acreage. It is something more intangible than that, which can exist in light-filled contemporary homes on verdant quarter-acres or be captured in soothing vistas from modest picture windows. With this in mind, I am trying on a new tagline:
Specializing in Properties offering Peace of Place
If I were a prospective buyer or seller, those words would intrigue me, and I think I'd want to know more.
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Thanks to Richie Alan Naggar for challenging us to think more deeply about who we are, what we have to offer, and what we do best.
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