Nicole Solari is a top-producing broker-owner in Northern California whose regular bimonthly column, which covers real estate marketing, selling strategies and working with clients, publishes on Tuesdays.
We recently held a year-end planning session to prepare our staff to reach new heights in the year ahead, and one piece of follow-up homework was to “list 100 things you’re grateful for.”
Here are 10 of the universal themes from those agent- and staff-created lists, compiled together to remind us all what we can be thankful for this holiday season.
1. Cooperative, loyal clients
Agent and clients image via Shutterstock
We’re beyond thankful for the many buyers who appreciate the times we bend over backward for them.
We’re in awe of our sellers who live in scrupulously clean houses and continue to do so even when they’re staged and have to be kept in showroom condition at all times.
We love all our clients even more on the second, third or fourth transaction we have with them. They become “part of the family” by then. And achieve “golden” status when they refer other, equally wonderful sellers or buyers to us!
2. The families who support us
Especially those who babysit on short notice, even when the kids are sick as dogs. We seriously could not do what we do without their tolerance of crazy hours and their often last-minute support especially in the childcare department. Spouses who make sure we’re never low on gas go up on the legends board!
3. Opportunity and flexibility
We’re thankful for the flexibility and many opportunities to positively impact our clients’ lives that being agents provides us.
Yes, it’s a demanding job that often requires extravagant amounts of time and patience. But it’s our choice to work the way we work, to choose with whom we work, to allocate our time so that family and work can co-exist — mostly peacefully — and to achieve balance in our lives, at least occasionally.
Plus, we get to hand keys to excited new homeowners and launch sellers into the next chapter of their lives. That’s just straight-up rewarding.
4. Wine
Photo by Kym Ellis on Unsplash
We work in wine country. It’s everywhere, and for that we are supremely grateful. Sometimes more than others, but I bet a few of you are thankful for the ability to imbibe now and again too.
5. Lenders who make things happen
The best of them make us want to buy them lifetime spa passes for shoving loans through sluggish review departments, getting local appraisers on site pronto and for closing deals fast — especially when they’re helping us salvage deals that are sliding sideways due to other lenders who make us want to kill them.
6. Appraisers who know their stuff
They know local market values inside out and can recite Fannie Mae, FHA and VA guidelines from memory. Those who’ve invested in their own electronic lockbox “keys” almost make us weep with gratitude.
7. Escrow officers who have our back
Those who know how to appear unruffled while paddling furiously to keep everything on track. The special angels among escrow officers who let us know the second a check bounces or if they get a whiff of anything else about to go wrong with our escrows or our buyers’ loans.
And they somehow make going through 700 pages of closing documents with our buyers seem like a walk in the park with a really fun friend. They make seller sign-offs a party, too.
8. Crackerjack transaction coordinators
We are blessed to have one of the best on our staff and every agent put her on their 100 things list! Amazing transaction coordinators manage to triumph over reams of paperwork and collect the necessary signatures on every last piece of paper and prior to close.
Through their patient endeavors, they make our agents’ and our clients’ lives immeasurably happier and far less stressful.
9. Pie
Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash
We all really appreciate Thanksgiving pies — pumpkin, apple, pecan, peach — however you slice ’em, pie is the unanimous hit with my team. Among favored food groups, pie is right up there with wine!
10. Darren Hardy
Darren Hardy whose “Darren Daily” series of motivational videos inspires many of us every day — even on days when we look at the topic and think, “I’ve totally got that covered.”
Five minutes and one big idea a day, five days a week, Darren Daily uplifts and coaches us to live in gratitude for peace and prosperity, and we’re thankful for him and his insights.
And, finally, I’m profoundly grateful for the way Inman News connects real estate professionals to one another nationwide every week and for the opportunity Inman has given me to contribute to this ongoing conversation.
Our team wishes you, and those you live and work with, a most blessed Thanksgiving — and for many more referrals in the New Year!
What are you thankful for this year? Please join the conversation by commenting below.
Nicole Solari is owner and managing broker of The Solari Group in Solano and Napa Counties in Northern California. Nicole runs one of the highest producing brokerages in all of Northern California.
