What Military Appreciation Month Means To Many Of Us

About a year ago I wrote about the initiative of "Joining Forces" that First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden had started.  Here we are a year later and the program continues to grow, as a military spouse, I respect the work that both of these strong women have done to help our military families.

May is Military Appreciation Month and to every person in the United States this month means something different.  To me it is celebrating the sacrifices that my family and our friends make each and every day.  The six months I spent last year away from my husband and my son spent away from his Daddy, the six months my best friend and her son are about to spend away from her husband, the 13 months a good friend of mine and her two boys are currently spending away from her husband, the nights we spend alone, the never knowing where the next set of orders will take us and the pride that we have for what our families are part of.

I asked for this blog to be posted today because it is a very special day for so many of the people that work with us, it is Military Spouse Appreciation Day.  What many of our clients and blog followers don't realize is that our network of Stay At Home Mom's includes 10+ military spouses that every day support your business and help you to meet, and often exceed, your goals.  Each and every day these "ishidos" work on your listings, closings, marketing, they call your leads, they are your Key Assistant and they help you to analyze your goals for this year and help to make them reality...all the while they are juggling households that may be impacted by a deployed spouse or a spouse that is at work all hours of the day or night.

Today I wanted to recognize all of our military spouses that work with us each and every day.  I just wanted to share my "Thank You" to them for being the strong support system that they are at home while also making this job so enjoyable each and every day.  They aren't just my co-workers, they are also my friends, and I want them to know that they are recognized for the sacrifices they make each and every day.

We also want to thank our co-workers and our clients for supporting each of us as we face each day and each new challenge that the military throws our way.  As a client of ours, you support our military by supporting a company that chooses to not only hire Stay At Home Mom's but also military spouses.

I hope that each of you over the next year will find a way to support the efforts that "Joining Forces" stands for.  For more information on the "Joining Forces" initiative, please go to www.joiningforces.gov

Put Your Best Foot Forward!

A few weeks ago I started working with my husband's siblings on the sale of their parents hunting ranch estate (a 650 acre hunting ranch in Texas with house, bunkhouse and barn).  Having worked as a real estate virtual assistant for some of the top agents in the United States for the past three years they asked me to help them to find an agent.  I quickly accepted and began to do some research on an agent in the area that could help us to sell the property.

What I thought would be an easy assignment was the most eye opening as well as horrifying experience of my life!  To say that the first two agents I heard from made me want to run screaming is an understatement.

The first agent sent me a copy of his listing agreement.  One page with just names, addresses, listing price, commission amount and a 1 year listing date.  I stood in awe looking at what was before me, is this guy for real?  His email jokingly told me that our attorney would probably laugh at the contract because it's so short but that he believes that either you're in it or you aren't.  I just couldn't believe that the lack of legal mumbo jumbo that is common in a listing agreement is there for a reason.  Over the last three years I have seen many different agents versions of listing agreements and none of the successful ones would even consider using this format.  Was this guy for real?

The second one was given my information after I emailed the broker/owner of an agency that is part of a pretty well known national name.  I had looked them up right away during my search because of my experience with this national brands agents, they've always had a great reputation with me and I couldn't imagine any of them not being top level.

The email reply I got from this agent didn't impress me from the moment I saw the greeting.  Dear Mrs. Johnston it started.  Wow, my last name is one of the most common last names and you can't even manage to get that right?  I kept reading and I wanted to scream and call this guy and ask him if he was on his smartphone, on the road, driving with one knee and drinking his coffee (or maybe something else) at the same time he was writing that email because surely he must have some excuse for this mess.  I stared at that email over and over again that night, in pure disbelief.  I almost forwarded it to his broker to ask him if this is the way he lands a more than half a million dollar listing, because I know that isn't how I would do it.

Whenever I write in this blog I always talk about a lesson learned.  This time isn't any different, I know I don't need to detail it out for you, but I will anyway.

• Invest in your paperwork - if you can't write up a decent listing package to help you close the deal then get help.  Remember, a listing contract is just that, a contract.  It should cover you as well as the seller and make everybody comfortable that the sale will go the way both parties want it to.  One page doesn't do it.
• Put Down The Smartphone! - when replying to your leads by email, make sure you are able to send an email that makes sense.  Don't do it on the fly, and for sure don't send it without reading it over again to be sure you don't look like a fool.  You're first impression is the one that counts and you may lose a sale, and the commission tied to it, if you don't take the time to be sure you are putting your best foot forward.

We take great pride in the work that we put out for you.  Whether it be marketing a listing, putting together an email campaign, calling your clients or leads, or creating the very documents that you use to sell yourself to buyers and sellers, you can feel confident knowing that we always put our best foot forward!