Since you found this page, I feel it is my responsibility to share a little bit about me with you!
I was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA. I grew up in a typical Philadelphia neighborhood and lived in a typical Philadelphia row home. Rows and rows of houses that went on forever. All the houses were the same, lots of steps in front and driveways in the back. Went to the neighborhood schools, shopped in the neighborhood stores, prayed in the neighborhood churches, and went to the neighborhood doctor. Everything was local. You walked everywhere or took the bus, to the mall on a Friday night. If you ever see people from Philly meet each other, you will hear them ask, "What school did you go to?" or "Where did you grow up". That is how we identified ourselves, by the school or the neighborhood. Answers such as "St. Huberts, Father Judge, Lincoln, Frankford, etc", or " Oh, I grew up in the Northeast, or South Philly." These answers told the other person more than you might think. These answers told the other person what nationality you were, your religious practices, etc. Our neighborhoods were made of specific nationalities, and faiths. As a high school student in an all girls school, you always wanted to go to the dances in the other school and the other neighborhood, where the Irish boys were (remember, we were young) , because those kids were always "cooler" than the local neighborhood boys were.
After moving to Virginia with my husband, the differences were apparent, and at first very disappointing. Noone seemed to know anyone. You were no longer identified from the school you went to, or the church you attended. It was definitely more career focused, "what do you do for a living", or "where do you work". We searched and searched for a neighborhood, and landed in Centreville. After we had our little girl we thought we would move. Where did we move? We moved to Bristow, VA and lived in a typical neighborhood (or shall I say, subdivision, community) and we drive to the neighborhood grocery store, church, doctor, but we do travel just a little further than back in Philly. So here we are and here we will stay. I have gotten used to the differences and now I identify myself as a REALTOR, who lives in Northern Virginia.
I am a full-time REALTOR who in their past life was and is, a Registered Nurse. Although I no longer practice nursing, I find that my role as a REALTOR is much the same. It is a job which requires energy, attention to detail, advocacy for your client, just like your patients, focus, communication skills, people skills (yes, you have to like people), and most important, love for the job. Why would anyone want to do this job if they didn't love it? You may not know the answer to that, but it is true. You have to love Real Estate, every bit of it, in order to do this work.
So, as you begin to explore the real estate market, buying, selling, investing, think of me. Look for someone who not only has the skills, the experience, but also the love of the job. That person should exude enthusiasm for the job and work with you to get it done. There is more to this business then "getting the business", it is "taking care of the business", from beginning to end, and sometimes after. This business is about opportunities, and contacts. I look at each contact I make as an opportunity to do my job in the way I know best.
I commit to Professional, Full-Time Service. I provide experience, commitment, dedication to the job. I am honored to work with those I do, those I have, and for those who have yet to select me to work for them, I am honored for the opportunity.
