I Had My First Sale.. Now What?

Learning to Market myself is probably the hardest thing I am trying to learn.

Things I am trying this Month: 

I guess I'll figure out what works and what doesn't along the way!

1. INSTAGRAM

- An informative video or a video of your open house shows how passionate you are about what you do! 

I am of course still figuring this out because I think it will take a while to get used to filming!
Hashtags work great! When people search places your post comes up thanks to your awesome hashtag! But be careful of what you post! Your presence is everything!

2. FACEBOOK? 

Still figuring this one out :p I departed from facebook for years so I finally started one up again! I know there's a way to get leads on facebook!

3. MARKETING AD VIA A FLYER? NEWSPAPERS? DOES ANYONE READ THOSE ANYMORE?
I am pretty sure post cards are a waste of money. Tell me what you think!

4. OPEN HOUSES 

In my opinion I think open houses are awesome! They truly help you get your face out there and meet people that might know someone who is interested in buying or maybe they are the one's looking to buy. It can be hard to get information sometimes from them but if you're friendly enough they usually give in to an email address! 

Make them cute & homey! I love making the houses smell so good! A plug in will do or a nice smelling candle. Personally whenever anything smells clean or yummy it makes you feel at home and   puts a good first impression if they are looking to buy or maybe they are deciding to sell a home and would like to use you as their realtor because they see how hard you work! It's a win win! 

A cute custom sign for Sign In for future clients is a good idea!  

There’s A First for Everything!

There’s a first for everything right? I mean we’ve all heard this same cliche over and over again! But it’s so true, it doesn’t matter how young or how old you may be there is always something new and exciting to add to the chapters in your book!(Blah. blah I know I am only 28)
I sold my first home in December and I was soooo scared of doing everything wrong! I mean we study and we pass the realtors exam but let’s be honest.. they don’t teach you the paperwork or how to communicate with others. Luckily I’m a great communicator.. but I had to negotiate, keep to a tight deadline... my first sale and it’s all cash and close in 15 days?! I had no idea what I was getting into.
I also was so happy I had just signed with an amazing brokerage that had been there with me every step of the way!

.. let’s rewind a bit..

Remember my first post?! It screams “ hi I’m  new to real estate.” Lol

I had been working open houses, showing homes for the first time, losing that Supra lockbox because I didn’t know where to search for a Supra if it wasn’t on the door 🤦🏼‍♀️ ...ugh Blonde moments.. yeah there has been a lot of them.. but every step of this adventure has been a learning curve! I loved every minute of it!
And the clients that ended up using me as their agent.. they were AMAZING and I was so excited that this sweet couple wanted to use me as their realtor and let me help them find their home. We spent one whole day looking at tons of homes, and the very last house was the house they wanted!
Anyway, so I'm totally excited when they say "I want to make an offer.."until I realized "shoot how do I even make an offer?"
And then the paper trail begins.. From multiple counteroffers we settle on an agreement..All of the counteroffers make up your Purchase Agreement. YOU GUYS! I learned so much from this you HAVE NO IDEA.

Roof Inspections...
Home Inspections...
Opening Escrow..
Signing the correct Paperwork.. all of this had to be done in 15 days..

I'll admit I had a slight moment where I thought "I can't do it" but I was overwhelmed and learning. Remember taking a Final in college/high school  and thinking "I can't do it.."? Then you receive your passing grade and you were super motivated to be super successful? That's literally how I felt.

In the moment of wow we are closing and things are final I had this uplifting moment where I thought.. I really enjoyed this whole process, I met some amazing people in the midst of this new venture, and I am totally excited to keep pursuing this GOAL. I called it a dream but a dream to me makes me think of something far in the reach.. a goal seems way more obtainable.
Thank you for taking the time to read my journey people! I’m so excited to share it with you. My next few blog posts will be more real estate based and of course fun. I don’t like boring things 😋 let’s make goals exciting, real, and even more fun to climb!

XxChristine the REALtor
Keepin’ it real since 1989.

Why Settle? Knowing What you Want & Going for it!

I think in general this can be for anything. WE all have goals.. whether it's buying a house, building a house, a career goal, or a self goal. But when it comes to buying a home it's ok to know exactly what you want, do your research, get feedback from a lender to see how much is realistic for you to afford, GET PRE-APPROVED! It helps to know exactly where you stand and what your limit is so you don't disappoint yourself.
When I say do your research, it means do the math and figure out how much your expenses will be with your mortgage and etc. That's one way of not being so hesitant to buy and knowing what you're getting yourself into. You will feel so much better after you organize your thoughts and do the homework!

If you rent do the pros and cons of renting versus buying. Perhaps you're tired of paying someone else’s  mortgage and would rather be investing in your own property. Always invest in yourself!
You can update your home, you can't update someone else's home and make it your own!

Ask yourself, why are we not buying and why am I so hesitant about the process..

Well the answer is simple, a house is a commitment and it's a big commitment. But there are so many reasons why you are hesitant. What's the process? Where do I start? Can I get approved? Will I be able to do it ?

Ask a realtor where to start, they always have referrals for lenders!
Get pre-approved, ask questions! If you're a first time buyer ask what kind of loans are available for you. After you're pre-approved get set up with a realtor who can send you multiple listings in your price range. Go and see the listings, some properties look better in person than in photos! Let your realtor help you and guide you. Ask them what they think
about the neighborhood and ask all the questions you can think of. They are there to help you! Contact your Agent!
I can be of help if you live in Southern California! I’m here as a companion in a home shopping process or home selling!

-xxChristine

Life's Greatest Challenges

Hello Y'all!
I am new to many things this year. I am a licensed realtor and I decided that maybe I should share some of the things I learn about the market and some of my challenges. What sparked real estate? I love looking at homes! I love the character in each home, the stories told, and the new stories that each home has in store for each new family.
I started this blog to unleash my creativity and write away all my thoughts and ideas.
I've always had a niche for story telling and I just started with Real Estate so I figured why not combine all things I love under one blog. I love houses, I love design, I love decorating on a budget, and I love a clean home. I love weddings and planning events too.I love to learn new things and to constantly open new doors for myself. I love the fact that I can learn so much just by picking up a book.
Me before real estate= lost,confused, and not sure really what God had in store for me. I am a firm believer that EVERYTHING happens for a reason. After working in the Restaurant business for more than 10 years I thought it was time to change things up. Besides that was not my destiny I was made for bigger things, I have always known that. And being comfortable at a full time position you aren't really happy with can really take a lot away from who you really are. You lose your motivation to do new things and you get scared to try new things because there's a huge chance you just might fail. But that's not living, living without taking risks in life is not living at all. We should always be motivated to improve ourselves and do whats right by us instead of constantly worrying about what everyone else is doing we should be asking ourselves "What are you doing? "
So buckle down and join me on my adventure down the road unknown and the road somewhat paved!
Thanks so much for your undivided attention.

-Just Christine ➷➶➸♡