From the CEO's Desk
December 2007
I love numbers – but I hate math. I love graphs and charts that tell intriguing stories about business or the marketplace or consumer behavior or anything that is thought provoking and analyzable. But I hate balancing my checkbook. I think what that says is that I love stories and conclusions and trends and predictions. But I must have had a psychologically damning experience in my 2nd grade math class.
I think homebuyers and sellers are the same way. Yes, a home should be a good investment – the biggest investment most of us ever make. And many homebuyers and sellers are sitting on the sidelines crunching numbers and listening to all the prognosticators waiting for the greenlight from the talking heads. Waiting for an indication that the market has hit bottom.
But what we’re not hearing are the good stories. The stories of first time homebuyers moving into their new home where they are going to plan their family. Or the story of the hard working single mom finally able to provide for her family. I know these stories are out there. But instead we only hear of all the bad news, all the mortgage fall out disasters, and how difficult the credit crunch is right now.
I want to hear your stories (with or without graphs and charts). What are your stories that paint the picture of the American Dream? That’s why you are in this business after all. Yes, it’s a living but I believe your passion as REALTOR® lies in the fact that you are helping people build their home and write their story. I want to hear those stories. Please send them to me at denise@pwar.com.
October 2007
It’s the time of year again – election time. The time where your mailboxes are jammed full of campaign postcards – some of them are pretty funny and some are dripping with negativity. I’m sure I get as frustrated as you sometimes with the negativity, the insincere political promises, and the lack of good choices. You have probably heard it said “If you don’t vote, you don’t get to complain.”
The only thing that keeps me paying attention to the talking heads is that they can have a big impact me – my business, my quality of life. So often, I hear people say “I’m not gonna vote, I don’t trust any of them.”
But as REALTORS®, as ambassadors to Prince William County and to the City of Manassas and Manassas Park, I would argue that knowing who’s in office and what their views are, even being part of the political dialogue in your marketplace is actually good for business.
PWAR takes the time to interview candidates for local and state office because being involved is such a high priority. We use funds from RPAC – REALTORS® Political Action Committee (your PAC) to support candidates who understand and are friendly to real estate. You might want to check out who the association has determined (based on real estate issues only) would best support your interest. And then vote!
September 2007
Go ahead…brag about yourself…we don’t mind. If you get involved with the New Building Capital Campaign, we want you to tell the world…and we’ll help you. There’s a new section of the website that will feature the names of members who have committed to helping Building Tomorrow! Supporting such a huge endeavor should be something to be proud of…and we’ll give you what you need to shout about it! Even though prices might appear to be a bit daunting, please consider that most of the sponsorships are good for a multi-year term. The Capital Campaign brochure has been sent to every REALTOR® and Affiliate member.
And watch the building website for a progress report on the development of the New Building. It is exciting to be part of such a huge project.
August 2007
I’m a blogging neophyte! There - I admitted it. As much as I like to think that I’m up on technology and the latest gadgets, this is my first actual crack at writing a blog. I don’t know about you, but blogging to me brings to mind images of glob and blah, blah, blah. (does anyone know if that’s the true definition?) I hope that doesn’t translate to lots globby words and verbal excess from me. My staff, the blogging experts that they are, have informed me that what’s most important is to be pithy, conversational and let you know what on my mind as the CEO of PWAR. So here goes. (Your comments, criticisms, and feedback is most welcomed as I hone this new craft.)
The most significant thing on my mind these days is the new building. Of course, I am someone who gets excited by dreaming big (but within budget) and trying to create something out of nothing. So this building thing is right up my alley. What I would like more than anything, is for you to understand what’s so great about our new building and share in the excitement.
I suppose the longer you wait in anticipation of something the more substantial the desire. Probably a more accurate description would be: the longer one suffers and sacrifices the more desirable a workable solution becomes. Those of you who have suffered with multiple parking tickets or ridiculous loops around the building in search of the holy grail parking spot can understand.
Well hold onto your parking brake because the solution is right around the corner – Fall of 2008 to be exact. Let me give you a quick update: 1) we’ve sold our current building and are leasing back 2) we are expected to settle on the land for new building in fall of this year 3) our site plan has been filed with the County accompanied by lots of green lights.
But what is most exciting is the design of the new building. In addition to 114 parking spots (whew!) there are 168 planned seats in the flex-space meeting/classroom area (3 collapsible walls creating 4 unique meeting spaces.) The state of the art A/V equipment will mean sitting in the back of the class will no longer require straining to hear the instructor! The networking hallway with comfortable seating and laptop plug-in stations will mean that the gabbers and geeks can all gather in one spot! The REALTOR® Store will be three times as large as our current space with acres of inventory area. OK I exaggerate but gone will be the phrase “I’m sorry, we don’t seem to have that in stock today!”
And finally, my favorite – the Member Service Center. This unique “office away from the office” will feature a copier, fax machine, internet access, and a conference table. Accessible 24/7 with keypad security, you can use this whenever you need it. So if you are showing houses to buyers who are ready to write a contract you will have a comfortable alternative to the hood of your car.
I would love to hear about your ideas for the building. We’re working on an “on-site” car wash service in our parking lot but you’ll have to wait for a future blog for more information.
Denise Roosendaal, CAE RCE