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"Benefitting" from an Open House Tour

By
Real Estate Agent with Century 21 Clemens & Sons Realty

Hello everyone! 

Talk about a successful open house! Last week, I sponsored a benefit for The National Theatre of the Deaf by hosting a private estate tour of a lovely home-- 41 Stonefield Road, in Farmington/Avon, Connecticut.

                                           

During the tour, six talented neighbors presented their works for everyone's enjoyment, and as we walked throughout the home, everyone could see its beauty and feel the warmth of living there. It was a beautiful, sunny evening, and when the sun set at dusk, everyone felt the hush and enjoyed the magic.  

We had bountiful trays of hors d'oeuvres from Carbone's Ristorante on Franklin Ave in Hartford-- marinated salmon, tomato bruschetta...  Menus on www.carbonesct.com;

We listened to Pam Fleming from Perennials Plus (860-693-2313) speak about the lovely gardens, their individual flowers, and the special needs of landscaping in the Farmington Valley;

We were delighted to hear Rennie McQuilkin, Local Poet Laureate and founder of the Sunken Garden Poetry Festival at the Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington, recite several of his own poems, and watched as they were translated into American Sign Language;

We relaxed as we listened to Joe O'Donnell play classical piano pieces and favorites from Billy Joel-- fantastic! And what's more-- it's not his day job-- he's even better as owner of an IT company, Data Security Solutions, www.PCSwat.net.

We looked at many beautiful oil pastel original art pieces painted by Kim Zimmermann who had created and exhibited "Meow Cow" for the Cow Parade last year in West Hartford Center. Now that they have met each other, Kim and Renny may collaborate on a book of poetry to be published soon-- www.AntrimHouseBooks.com;

Finally, we topped off the evening with a wine tasting of several fine vintages provided by Paul LoCascio of The Farmington Gourmet Wine and Spirits Shop located across the street from the entrance of the UConn Health Center on Rte 4 in Farmington. Fine wines at lower costs--- who knew!

I didn't have to go far to find such talented neighbors-- the power of our local community shined-- Thank you to each one. We enjoyed every moment.  

 

Our tour wrapped up with a special introduction to The National Theatre of the Deaf by Aaron Kubey, its current Executive Director, and a heartfelt thank you to all who had come. The National Theatre of the Deaf combines the spoken word with American Sign Language to present classic literature on stage. Their mission is to help unite the hearing and the non-hearing worlds. Their headquarters are located at the American School for the Deaf on North Main Street in West Hartford, CT, and their next event in that area is in September, 2008. More information about the theatre can be found at www.NTD.org.   

All of the proceeds from the admission fee to attend this open house went directly to The National Theatre of the Deaf, and they were pleased to receive over $1000. All of the folks who visited were delighted with the tour and our special guests. It was hard to say good-bye at the end of the evening, and I thank each and every one for their generous support to such a fine organization. I've heard back from many of the visitors, and I'm so happy that you all had such fun! 

Of course, for me as a Realtor, I was more than happy to show off the home that I have listed for sale, and to learn that these visitors were going to help me spread the word about it. I was told to think outside the box when marketing luxury real estate, and so I am.

More than an ordinary open house for more than an ordinary home.

 

    

Show All Comments Sort:
Dwayne West
Atlanta Real Estate - Canton, GA
Canton Georgia Real Estate

Welcome to the Active Rain community. You have chosen a great site with tons of information you can learn from.

Aug 09, 2008 08:48 AM
Keith Elliott Jr
KEIRE Realty Group - Manassas, VA
Principal Broker/Owner

Hello Debbie,

Welcome to Active Rain and congrats on your first post! The opportunities to learn and network are incredible here. Best of luck to ya!

-Keith

Aug 09, 2008 08:54 AM
Angelia Garcia
Pure Realtors - Dallas, TX

Sounds like a great turnout. Hopefully a buyer is just around the corner.

Aug 09, 2008 09:06 AM
Bill Kennedy
Keller Williams Greenville Upstate - Greenville, SC
Homes For Sale Greenville SC

I wanted to personally welcome you to active rain!  This is a great community for learning as well as sharing.  Join some groups, check out some blogs, and enjoy!  If I can be of assistance, I'd be happy to help.

Aug 09, 2008 02:12 PM
Stefan Geyer
SOA Realty - Aurora, CO

well done, I wish you the best!

Aug 09, 2008 03:31 PM
Jennifer Lewis
William E. Lewis, Jr. & Associates - Dania Beach, FL

On behalf of Credit Restoration Consultants and the ever approaching 103,000 members of the ActiveRain network, I welcome you.  Should you every have any questions as they relate to credit repair or credit restoration, please do not hesitate to contact me at (954) 581-5050.

Aug 09, 2008 11:52 PM
Nate Blankenship - Spartanburg, SC Realtor
Keller Williams Realty - Spartanburg, SC

Welcome to Active Rain! This is a great site to network, learn and share ideas with others. Thanks for a great post and I look forward reading more in the future. Have a great day!

Aug 10, 2008 02:06 AM
Yvette Gardner
Keller Williams Realty, Spartanburg, SC - Spartanburg, SC

Welcome to the Active Rain community. You have chosen a great site with tons of information you can learn from.  Have fun with it and hope to see more of your blogs soon!

Aug 10, 2008 08:31 AM
Patricia Fisher
Keller Williams Realty - Spartanburg, SC

Welcome to the Active Rain Community!  This is a great site to network, learn, and share ideas with others.  Have a great day!

Aug 10, 2008 11:27 AM
Nance Burdette
Keller Williams Realty Partners - Spartanburg, SC

Congratulations on becoming a new member of ActiveRain. Being a new member myself less than a week and only posting a couple blogs so far I truly see the awsome advantage that this is; and only the beginning of a healthy and wealthy relationship of abundant professionals.    Best of Luck to all of us,  Nance

Aug 10, 2008 01:38 PM
Ron Brown NMLS #270845
NMLS ID: 40831 - Federal Way, WA

Debbie,

Welcome to Active Rain! Congratulations on your first blog, thanks for sharing.  You'll find this is a great site for sharing ideas, networking, and growing your business.  If you ever have a question about VA loans, or FHA loans I'd be happy to help!

Ron Brown

VA Loan& FHA Loan Specialist

First Mortgage Company of Washington

Puyallup, WA

Aug 10, 2008 01:38 PM
Debbie Gilbert
Century 21 Clemens & Sons Realty - West Hartford, CT
Farmington Valleynulls Finest Homes, West Hartford, CT

Thank you to everyone for all the kind wishes! I feel so welcome! And I look forward to networking and learning from you all. As a 5 year member of the Valley Chapter of BNI-- Business Network International, I promote the concept of "giver's gain". After reading these comments, I can see that you all do, too. So, let's get going! Have a great week!

Debbie

Aug 11, 2008 12:40 AM
Anonymous
Emily

Congrats on the event! Wish I could have been there!

Aug 11, 2008 02:14 AM
#13
Sasha Miletic - Windsor Real Estate
RE/MAX Preferred Realty Ltd. - Windsor, ON

Hi Debbie, Welcome to AR, Be a Blogholic and start writing your own blog soon on AR. All the best for your RE business. This is the right place for customers, friends, realtionships etc.

Best - Sash 

PS: FREE blog traffic strategy video...Hope this will help you... click here

Aug 11, 2008 02:29 AM
Debbie Malone
Londeree's Real Estate & Property Management - Lynchburg, VA
From Lynchburg To The Lake (434) 546-0369

Debbie, Congratulations on your first blog! What a wonderful way to promote and market your listing, I'm sure it was a success and the participants benefit as well. It is a great way to showcase area businesses and talent. If you need any help with Activerain, feel free to ask.

Aug 11, 2008 03:19 AM
P G
Charlottesville Solutions - Charlottesville, VA

I see that you are new to Active Rain and I just wanted to welcome you. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I do and that you find it a great resource.

Aug 11, 2008 03:45 AM
Lorena Westervelt
Van West Realty - Greenville, SC
Co-Founder/Co-Owner

Hello, welcome to Active Rain! This seems like a wonderful environment to network as well as learn from others. I hope you enjoy yourself and participate often in the Active Rain environment!

Aug 11, 2008 05:40 AM