Having the pleasure of 20+ years of connecting with people buying and selling real estate, I've never stopped learning and exploring what's new in the real estate industry. As life throws new challenges at me personally, my exploration of health, nutrition, spirituality and new age practices has evolved as well.
I love the symbol of the Lotus Flower which grows through deep dirt until it reaches the light to become one of the most beautiful flowers. It's a metaphor many of us can relate to as we go through life changes and experiences that force us to grow and change in the different season of our lives.
In recent years, the real estate market has gone through a recession which forced many people to lose their homes and go through the struggles of short sales and foreclosures. I had been selling real estate for more than 10 years at this point, however, the changes that this presented in couseling clients through the trials of their lost dreams and the financial devistation of the biggest financial investments of their lives and created stress not only for them, but for me, as their trusted Realtor, as well. I worked very hard to help many clients transition into smaller homes, rentals and home sharing situations as we all adjusted to this unexpected time of loss.
The years have passed and the worst of those days are behind us. In the challenge of those times, I always tried to focus on the postives and with the advances in the internet, technology and New Age explorations, I started enjoying topics I'd never explored before. Some of those include Feng Shui, Yoga, Meditation, Marie Kondos' Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Energy Clearing and so much more. The sources to try something new and different is endless thus where the Holistic Realtor message has resonated with me.
Realtor.com Magazine published and recognized this trend in an article in July of 2017 and although there is no formal designation or criteria for being a Holistic Realtor, I'd love to share with you what it means to me. It's come pretty natural to me, with the years of dealing with people in the happiest and saddest, most excited and most tragic times of their lives to connect with my clients' Mind, Body and Spirit. It's not a transaction I'm facilitating, it's a relationship. I'll break it down this way:
Mind: As the largest financial purchase or decisions in most clients lives, statistics, facts and procedures are important. Exploring the process of a purchase in having a buyer get pre-qualified and understand what they can afford and prepare them for unexpected expenses in repairs and taxes, the excitement of looking at new homes to purchase and the strategies of negotiating, inspections and closing details is important. Working with sellers, I focus on preparing a market analysis of their property, explaining the concerns of over pricing and, in the current market, the often fast pace and intrusive showing and selling process, along with explaining the additinal costs involved in selling (title insurance policy, transfer taxes and other fees beyond commisssions) to assure they know the range of their net proceeds.
Body: The physical process of moving can be overwhelming and the timing of not having access to your new house prior to selling a current home can create some unforseen sleepless nights. There are a lot of unknown dates and deadlines at the beginning of the buying or selling process and talking with clients to help with options, working through inspection and repair requirements and helping with moving companies and expectations of the final days is all part of the process.
Spirit: To me, spirit primarily means connecting with my client's emotional needs through the process of buying and selling their home. However, I also explain that Spirit doesn't mean we need to bury Saint Joseph to sell your home or burn Sage to do a Cleansing before you move into your new home, but if that's something you have an interest in knowing more about, I love to explore what matches the spiritual needs of each client. I love learning about Feng Shui, Energy and Meditation, Lucky Bamboo plants, Prayer, Mantras, Essential Oils. Each client has their own comfort levels of spirituality and beliefs and over the years, I've had many transactions with 'signs this is the right house', a feeling of peace or knowing 'it's the one', or the 'where do I start to make this mine?'.
There are so many stories I can share of the blessings I cherish from the endless personalities I've connected with in building my business over the years. I'm always learning, connecting, and exploring - new technolgy, unexpected situations and new ideas never cease to amaze and empower me!
With peace and prosperity!