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Runnin Down a Dream
“It was a beautiful day, the sun beat down, I had the radio on, I was drivin’.”-Tom Petty Well… we did it. We ran down our dream: the road-trip-summer-vacation that we’ve talked about for decades and had been planning for months. When I pictured us driving “into the great wide open,” I usually visualized a flat stretch of road that faded into the horizon and, while we had plenty of flat stretches, we also had plenty of ups and downs and twists and turns, literally and figuratively.. I guess that’s par for the course in 2020, right? Truth be told, as much as I’d like to blame 2020 for everything,…
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The HGTV Effect
One of my very favorite stories to tell when I’m teaching new agents about working with buyers, is the one about the client who was so caught up in the home-buying process that she was basically starring in her very own (imaginary) reality tv show. She was a first time home buyer, which is a pretty big deal, and she had fully immersed herself in the experience. For her, this included a pretty solid HGTV addiction and she knew all the buzz words and phrases -“we’ll just blow out this wall,” “it’s got good bones” and, of course, “shiplap.” The short version is, at the very first property we toured,…
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10 People You MUST Know When Moving to Knoxville
June 12th International Falafel Day 10 People You MUST Know When Moving to Knoxville 10. It 9. Doesn’t 8. Matter 7. They’re 6. All 5. So 4. Nice 3. Laura Fangman 2. Yassin Terou 1. Dolly Parton Allow me to explain. 10-4: It doesn’t matter, they’re all so nice. Now, I understand that no one is immune and there are always exceptions -I don’t live in a bubble- but there truly are so many great folks around here! It was one of the first things we noticed, when we were considering our move. General friendliness was our introduction; strangers who looked you in the eye and smiled, people driving by…
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Jealous?
You should be. March 23rd is National Chips & Dip Day. To clarify, when I think of chips and dip, I’m not talking about fried tortilla bits and runny garden smush (though that combo has a time and place, for sure!). I’m talking about crispy-thin slices of golden potato, lowered into a creamy blend of dairy and a particular selection of spices. Potato chips and French Onion dip. Specifically, Prairie Farms French Onion Dip. If you’ve had it, you know what I mean. Growing up, absolutely nothing else would do and everyone knew it. PF’s dip is distinct and far superior to any other brand, off-brand, or store-brand. It was…
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Stone Soup
Welcome to 2019! This year’s theme is: STONE SOUP We are off and running, in the new year, but I wanted to take a moment to pause and check in with you. This is the time of year when we’re trying to get our collective acts together in order to accomplish those Big, Audacious Goals we’ve been quietly planning. It can be daunting, for sure. Have you summoned the nerve to say your goal out loud, yet? Remember, if it doesn’t scare you, it probably isn’t big enough! When I first started planning goals for 2019, I was afraid mine were too small. I quickly realized that…
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A Step Forward for Safety
Realtor Safety is at the top of my priority list. It can’t not be. Those in the industry are -hopefully- well aware and those on the outside are, sadly, beginning to learn. As excited as the general public seems to be about HGTV, I don’t recall hearing the Property Brothers talk about the buddy system or Joanna Gaines reaching for the next piece of shiplap with a can of pepper spray swinging from her belt loop. A big part of this job, as a Realtor, involves agreeing to go with people I barely know, into places where we are alone and no one will think anything of it. I…
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Hashtags and Happiness
When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around. -Willie Nelson So, it’s November. It’s undeniably Autumn. The last thing I would want to do is shoot out one of those cliche “Thankful” missives, just because this month happens to include Thanksgiving. That’s exactly what this is, though. Only, not just because it’s seasonally appropriate, but because it is such an important thing to discuss. How often do you pause, with the sole intent of appreciating something? I have to tell you, I ended up on a gratitude journey a few years ago, very much by accident. Had someone tried to tell me, I never would have…
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Halftime Report – How You Doin’?
If you set your goals ridiculously high and it’s a failure, you will fail above everyone else’s success. -James Cameron This is the 6th month. The end of the second quarter. The home stretch of the first half. How you doin’? Now is a great time to reevaluate your goals for yourself, your family and/or your business. Are you tracking your progress? Have you looked at your resolutions or goals or plans since you thought them up in January? Are you 12 lbs away from your goal of losing 10 lbs? Great news: No matter your answer, it’s ok. Every day is an opportunity to regroup and…
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Love Is In The Air
Because, Saint Valentine. Is there anything you love more than coffee? Love is in the air, so thick you can almost smell it. (If it weren’t for the icicles that form on your nose hairs every time you inhale outdoors.) That lovey-dovey feeling, when we think about all the things (we can put little heart stickers on) and people we adore (eating boxes of chocolates with), makes Valentine’s Day sort…
