New Website

Posted at 10:50 AM, Oct. 10, 2007

I have a new website. I've given my website a complete make-over with a new look and lots of great new information. You'll find a lot of great information and reports there on home ownership, buying and selling as well as links to everything you need to know about this area.

Please take a moment and check it out, and don't forget to let me know what you think!
Http://www.HomesOfMadisonCounty.com

Julie

Back Up Your Computer!!!

Posted at 1:24 PM, Jul. 24, 2007

I learned a valuable lesson recently, one that you would have thought I would have learned years ago.  I've been using computers regularly for over 10 years.  In my earliest years of using them I killed them on a regular basis by deleting something I shouldn't have.  Back then, I got used to backing things up pretty regularly. As I got more and more competent with my computer skills I got more and more lazy.  It won't happen to me... you know the syndrom. And it hadn't happened to me in many years.  But, it's happened twice this year.

First, my PC. This wasn't a major loss since most of the work that I did was on my laptop anyway. Really, all I lost when I lost the hard drive on my PC was my Itunes library files (not the music, because that was on a seperate drive, of course).  In the spring I bought a new PC and got that all set up and in the meantime, my laptop started getting slower and slower. The harddrive was full, so I bought a backup drive and I backed everything up and removed everything I didn't need.  This was about 2 months ago.  At the time I thought I might have to totally reformat (and I wish i had done so now), but I didn't. I was somehow able to move things around and re-partition the drives so that I could use my system.  BUT, I knew that that hard drive was having issues and I knew I'd have to replace that machine before too long.  I was hesitant, I really didn't want to replace it. My light little Sony Vaio had been so good to me for the past 3 years, I was really going to hate to see it go.  So, much like your favorite comfy chair I held onto it.  Until one day when it continued to get slower and slower and I decided "I know! I'll defrag it and see if that helps!".  Bright idea Julie!  NOT!  I came home several hours later to find my machine giving me some major error and telling me to reboot. I did and I got the same error.  I tried several times in hopes that I could get things back and it never worked. I searched online for answers, and none were found.  Finally, I pulled out my Windows disk and reloaded it (in hopes that it would just re-install windows and leave everything else alone).  It didn't work out like I planned and I ended up reformating my drive.  I did get it working again.... but I lost everything since that last backup 2 months ago.  And, at that point I knew that I had to get a new laptop.  So, I did.

But, in the process, I have learned a valuable lesson. BACKUP the stuff you need.  Backup your emails, backup your favorites, backup your Outlook files.  Luckily, my laptop and my phone sync my contacts and calendar so that was backed up and really all I lost in the end was email.  I am back up and running now, and I will backup on a regular basis.  Its even set in  my calendar to remind me to do so.

So, let my mistakes be your guide. Go backup your system now. You never know when something might happen.

It's a Beautiful Life

Posted at 12:12 PM, May. 21, 2007

It really is a beautiful life! After a year in real estate I have had a couple of really great confirmations lately that I am doing things right. Here are a few promises that I made to myself when I decided that I wanted to become a Real Estate Professional:

1. This business would not take over my life. It seems that many real estate salespeople allow their business to take over their life, and in the process they lose control of everything and in the end have no life. They take calls whenever the phone rings and constantly worry that if they don't they might miss an opportunity. They will pass up family events or planned personal activities because someone called at the last minute.

If I don't control my time & business it will control me. This is the second business I have started. I knew from my first business that it is very easy to allow your business to control you and to feel that you have to be going 24/7 to make things happen. But I also know that it doesn't have to be that way and that often when we lose control like that we lose in the end and so do our customers. Because we are running so much and never take time for ourselves we can not give our best to anyone, not ourselves and not our customers. I want to be able to give my best to me and to my customers. So I control my time. I schedule my work activities. This doesn't mean I never work nights or weekends but it does mean that if I have plans to go out of town and you call me, I'll most likely refer you to a fellow Realtor. Trust me, if I rescheduled my entire weekend for your, neither of us would really appreciate it in the end. This also means that I turn off my phone at night and I rarely take calls after 8pm.

2. I don't have to work with every customer that comes along. Everyone's personalities are different. You and I may not really get along very well and if that's the case then why would you want to work with me on a transaction that involves one of your biggest assets. I am a firm believer in surrounding yourself with positivity and if you feel negative around me then you should be with someone else. Same goes that if I don't feel that we are connecting or if I'm not enjoying working with you, I'll probably refer you to someone you would be more happy with. This should be a good experience for you and you should feel comfortable with whomever you work with. Not just with their ability to do the job but with their personality. It takes some time to buy or sell a house and you'll be dealing with me (or whomever you choose to work with) quite a bit. Each of those interactions should be pleasant ones and neither of us should be dreading seeing the other on caller ID. By allowing myself to not take every customer that walks in the door I am much happier and can give much better service to those customers that I do choose to work with (and who choose to work with me).

3. I will only be myself and will not try to be someone else just to please other people. This is a constant decision and while it may seem to have nothing to do with Real Estate it has to do with everything. It is always a little difficult when we meet new people, especially in a business environment. We never quite know what they expect of us so we try to live up to expectations we don't even know exist. What I've found when I've made this mistake is that eventually I relax and can be myself. When I do this things go much smoother and everyone enjoys things much more. So I continue to remind myself - don't try to be what people expect. Be yourself and everyone will be happier and more relaxed.

This last item was reinforced to me recently when I met with some clients who are relocating to the Huntsville market. The first day was a little awkward. I didn't know their personalities so I was a little stiff with them because I didn't know what they would be ok with. We were together for a week, by the second day I started to be a little more myself and by the third I was totally myself. By the fourth they had inducted me into their family and informed me that I was the Best Realtor they'd ever worked with (this coming from a military couple that has moved probably 20 times). That was the last time I will be anything but who I really am.

Items 1 and 2 were reinforced for me a week or so ago when I attended the Richard Robbins International seminar. It's always nice to go to a seminar and leave feeling like you were doing things right and it's ok to continue the way you are going. I will continue to run my business my way. My goals are to provide the best service to everyone I work with, whether that means that I work with them directly or that I refer them to an agent who can do the job better and give them a better experience than they would have with me. It's not to say that I'm giving them to a BETTER agent, just a better agent for THEM.

It really is a Beautiful Life. I am lucky enough to be doing what I enjoy, in control of my business and my life, and as of May 17, 2007 married to the man of my dreams (but that's another post).