When I moved to Michigan, several circumstances collided and I began to sell real estate. I loved working with my clients, got rave reviews, and became very busy. So busy, I had to make a choice. It was not an easy one but the 16 hour days, 7 day work weeks took a huge toll on my health, on my relationship with my children, on the maintenance of my house and on participation in my own business. The hours required to make a sale, and then get it to closing, have became unacceptable to me because both jobs deserve a full time commitment. (Thank you to my wonderful team for handling everything I couldn’t!)

After much soul searching, and self-clarification of long-term goals, I decided to take my Realtor signs down, put my license in escrow and focus all efforts on my business. My final real estate deal is in contract and once that closes, I will be done.

Kind of.

I love real estate. I may not be actively selling but be assured the real estate industry has not gotten rid of me entirely. But…. that news is for the future.

PS – I have until noon today to win that contest so if you haven’t voted yet – please do! “Candidate C”

@swanepoel trends report, originally uploaded by cletch.

Look what just arrived at my door! Lots to read this month!
Pat Williams 248-842-5527
CyberCletch LLC
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Cold November Day on Wolverine Lake, originally uploaded by cletch.

Water looks a little chilly but the lake view is still beautiful
Pat Williams 248-842-5527
CyberCletch LLC
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Union Lake, originally uploaded by cletch.

Beautiful view even in the rain
Pat Williams 248-842-5527
CyberCletch LLC
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Yes they designed this bathroom to look like an old wooden outhouse, except with indoor plumbing. (Commerce Lake area)

Huffington post shares a video of Ellen discussing funny real estate ads. Thanks to David Childress for sharing this gem!

Foreclosure on old orchard trail, originally uploaded by cletch.

This is actually a closet with a view of orchard lake. If only I had enough clothes to fill it!
Pat Williams 248-842-5527
CyberCletch LLC
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Merry Christmas to all the existing homeowners, future homeowners and my fellow Realtors!

Real Estate Bar Camps are an opportunity for agents to meet and learn from one another in a casual, discussion oriented environment.

I continue to be in awe of the organizers and how much work they must have done to pull an event like this off. All the volunteer hours they must have invested. I have the utmost respect and admiration for people who plan and manage an event that benefits others more than it benefits themselves. So thank you Toby Boyce, Gloria Cannon, David Childress, Sarah Cooper, Danielle Daniels, Tony DeLuke, Mark Ryan, and Rocky VanBrimmer!

I sat in on Bill Lublin’s session on making Whuffie (discussing social Capital), and picked up some good tips from Bobby Dakno and Sarah Cooper on Photo Blogging. I also enjoyed watching Toby discuss blogging tips.

I realized something at RE Bar Camp OHIO; I’m an advanced social media user. In the future, I’d like to see sessions that discuss additional topics such as:

• Ways to track how SM is benefitting site traffic and SEO
• Using blogging on Ning and Group sites to benefit personal blogs and social capital
• Creative ways to use FaceBook Fan Pages. How to drive traffic through them to your site.
• Recommended applications to make your social media lives easier
• ActiveRain or a personal blog; which is more effective short and long term
• Benefits and best practices when blogging on Active Rain and Group Sites

And although not advanced, the following ought to be covered because in the real estate business it should be key:

• How to turn social media relationships into face to face introductions.

I’m still learning about the culture, so if the purpose of the camp is for casual discussion and to introduce new Realtors into the social media fold, I apologize. But if not, I might consider offering to facilitate some of these discussions now that I’ve got my feet wet! Actually, it was more like being thrown into the deep end of the pool! Never having attended bar camp I got the opportunity to run a first session without notice and without preparation. Before I do it again, I’ll hit up the more experienced campers for tips and tricks on redirecting personal agendas and adversarial personalities first!

The memorable line of the day was from Bill Lublin: “At the risk of getting back to the point…”

The point I wanted to make was the biggest benefit of Real Estate Bar Camp was the people I met and the new relationships I formed. Truly SOCIAL media at its finest.

My RE Bar Camp Photos on Flickr

Get detailed information on the Foreclosure Avoidance seminar here.

Date: Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Time: 6-8 pm
Location: Northwest Activity Center
18100 Meyers, Detroit, MI 48385