The time I have for the blog really varies on my real estate schedule. I try to post two blogs a week, but as you can see, it does not always happen. If the blog is about a shop or restaurant, those are a little easier and normally take only a couple of hours to complete.
If it is part of the new section I added for my family, a place dedicated to our family recipes. Those take a little longer. A finished recipe blog is closer to four hours by the time it is written, video completed and then published.
At the end of the day, Real Estate comes first so if I have a busy week sometimes the blog schedule just has to get pushed to the next week.
Easy, I do and I do not! Of course, the blog is very personal to me, but I try to remember that this is not my focus 24/7. It is something that allows me to share about my life and this amazing area where I live. While I want to do my best to keep continuity on the blog, if I don’t get to it, I just have to remind myself it is okay!
I have always wanted to be in an industry that is about helping people. After graduating from college, I worked in the healthcare field for about six years. Towards the end of my time in healthcare, I knew I was getting burned out. I actually went to talk to my Administrator and told him that as much as I loved the people, I wasn’t sure how much longer I would be able to stay. I never wanted to walk through the doors and feel like I didn’t want to be there, so I knew I needed a change.
I knew I needed to take a leap of faith, but I wanted it to be a safe leap of faith so I went to an industry I know, Real Estate! My family has owned a real estate company in Hays, KS since before I was born. In fact, my sister and I grew up working at the Landmark Realty office, after all, real estate really is a family business. I began my classes, got my license, and started my Real Estate career at the Coldwell Banker Real Estate Advisors office here in Manhattan. At that time, the name of our office was named Coldwell Banker Realty Group One for those who REALLY are keeping track. LOL
In 2018, two other agents and I bought into the company with the owner’s Kelly and Therese Adams. When we were rebranding, we changed the name of the office to Coldwell Banker Real Estate Advisors since we felt that it encompassed more of our office belief that to our customers and clients we are their trusted advisors.
One word, structure! The structure was something my dad always stressed to my sister and me as children. He would always tell us that even though we did not understand at the time how important structure was, we would when we got older and boy, he was right!
When I started real estate, I signed up for training through the Coldwell Banker Franchise. I wish I could remember the name of it, but we are talking well over a decade ago. If it comes to me, I will add it to this, but it is all about structuring your calendar by color blocking it. You can choose whatever colors you would like for your various activities, but by using colors you can easily see where your time is going.
My days are colored with the following colors:
I can not emphasize enough how easy this makes it to see where your time goes every day but it also provides the structure in your daily life to keep balance as much as possible. If you have too much of one color on your calendar it allows you to analyze what you need to do to adjust your schedule and manage your time efficiently.
You might notice, blogging doesn’t have a color yet, since it currently gets pieced in when it can. Everything is a work in progress!
If you ask me, the best part about real estate is helping people. As a REALTOR, I get to be part of first homes, growing families, and new beginnings. However, I am also part of saying goodbyes and moving away. Either way, I am here to help. I am the steady ship that my customers and clients can count on to lend a shoulder when needed, a sounding board, or just to be the voice they need to hear on the other end of the line.
Is it a tough job, yes, but it is also immeasurably rewarding! This week I helped sellers close on a home they lived in for 29 years. On the day of closing, I met them at their home for the final time. They did not want to go into the house, they just wanted to say goodbye from the outside and close that chapter of their lives. They told me that from day one I took their worries away because they knew I was going to be there every step of the way, and they were right! They had a great experience and we’re beyond thankful for everything I did.
If you ask any agent, stories like this are the BEST thing about real estate and why I do what I do!
The best part of blogging is that I get to do a couple of things that I absolutely love to do, share and tell stories! After all, that is what a blog is all about, sharing and telling stories.
When I write I blog I get to tell you what I love about the subject I am talking about. It also allows me to share my experiences and memories of all the places and faces that make me happy, who wouldn’t want to do that?
I came to Manhattan in 1998 to attend Kansas State University. Like most Freshmen, I was undecided but eventually graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Horticulture Therapy.
For those that do not know what that is, it is not about encouraging plants to grow. If you have read all my responses to previous questions, you might be able to guess what it is. If not, Horticulture Therapy is about using Horticulture to help rehabilitate people.
It is used in various environments such as Healthcare facilities, Prisons, and Schools. It is also used to provide individuals who have intellectual or physical disabilities with a skill so that they can gain employment in some of our local production greenhouses.
It is a truly underutilized profession and hopefully, as we have begun shifting due to the pandemic it will become a profession more utilized to help with not only mental health services but community outreach!
Tough one to answer, longer than this blog will show! When I was in college, I started a blog on a platform named Blogger. It may still be around, but if not, it was Google platform that was super basic for blogging.
If you have heard of the movie Julie and Julia, Julia used the platform, Blogger to start her blog about cooking her way through Julia Childs cookbook. Unfortunately, I did not keep up with it and like many things I got busy with school and life, so the blog fell to the side. This blog, The Little Apple Life was started in April 2020. I wanted a space that I could share all the things I love about the area and my life here with my clients, family, and friends. I could not have done it without the help of MKS Web Design, and several close family and friends! Like most things, it takes a village!
When I moved to Manhattan not only were we calling it Manhappiness, but we also fondly referred to it as, “The Little Apple.” I have always felt that living here truly is a lifestyle, almost a state of mind. This is a town of people who really love living here and many more that moved back here because it is a great place to raise a family or to retire! Knowing that this area is where I wanted to be, and since it is about my life the two seemed to fit perfectly together and The Little Apple Life was born!
