Out with the old, and in with the new...

In 2021 I became a real estate cliche: my professional headshot turned 10 years old. It is a little bit of a joke amongst realtors that many of us tend to use SUPER old photos of ourselves. I am not one to plaster my headshot all over everything, but, umm, my old image was taken when I was 33. Well, I am now 43. And while I am still really young by realtor standards despite my 16+ years in the business, a lot happens in a decade.

So I am 10 years older now. I still think I look like my younger self, but I don't need to live in my younger, less-wrinkled, blonde highlighted days. I mean I do want my new clients to recognize me the first time we meet!

I hate having my picture taken...so here's to hoping this one takes me into my 50's. And I am sure by then I will have more wrinkles and at least a touch of gray. LOL

Sacramento Home Seller B-I-N-G-O!

After one particularly stressful transaction recently that was laced with several pandemic-induced challenges I jokingly asked my seller client "So was 'getting exposed to COVID right before closing' on your BINGO card"? 

And we both laughed.

And then it hit me -- gosh maybe adding some levity during an otherwise stressful time would be a good idea. So, starting now I will be giving my sellers a BINGO card to complete during our transaction. I used an online program that randomizes the squares so each client will have a unique card for their own unique transaction. Any client who achieves a BINGO will get a $100 gift card to a restaurant of their choosing at closing.

The market is a little nutty and things can get chaotic, so let's have some fun too. 

A little Bernie meme fun...

Clearly this humor is not for everyone, but party lines aside, Bernie was EVERYWHERE and I have not yet tired of the clever memes that are all over the internet. So much so, that one of my seller clients with a particularly great sense of humor let me photoshop Bernie into a few of the listing photos. They lived in MLS in the real published listing for a few days before Metrolist asked me to take them down. It was great fun for a bit, and the listing sold quickly! I'm not convinced that Bernie is the reason it sold so quickly but it certainly attracted a lot of extra attention.

My personal favorite is the shot of him on the red sofa. Like he just looks like he clearly belongs there!

Making Land Park Drive look a little more festive during the holidays...

Ever noticed the lamp posts on Land Park Drive decorated with the red ribbons and bows during the holiday season? Yes indeed, the elves at the Dunnigan Realtors Land Park office do that every year!

What the F--- is wrong with this photo??

I took other agents in my Dunnigan Realtors Land Park office on a tour my new Tahoe Park listing today...we tour each other's listings as a group every week. I was taken aback by the sign out front! My name misspelled!!

If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, or have been following my recent blog posts regarding my name change, you will know that I changed my name this summer after a several months-long process (from Erin Attardi, my former married name -- to Erin Stumpf, my maiden name that I reverted back to following my divorce a few years back).

Of course changing all of my marketing materials was part of the process, and my listing signs were changed out when the CA Department of Real Estate finally recognized the change and issued my Real Estate Broker license. This sign must have been made at 4:30pm on a Friday. Or perhaps they ran out of F's that day. Either way...it's been fixed.

Like a mullet; business in the front, party in the back!

So if you know anything about me personally, you will know that I am a big goofball. I am definitely very professional in the business and real estate environment, however I do like to have fun in pretty much everything I do. I also like to surround myself with like-minded people, so the folks I work with in my transactions on a daily basis are generally very professional as well, but have silly sides.

Case in point. The escrow officer I like to work with at Placer Title is one of the most organized and thorough escrow officers that I know...with all of my short sales and such, it is critical that the escrow officer I work with be really on top of things, and bless Anne Chatfield, she is! In addition to being the great escrow officer that she is though, she has a great sense of humor and is pretty darn hilarious.

So early last week, I was having a minor medical procedure (nothing serious), and had to have blood drawn first thing Monday morning. Over the weekend, I had successfully negotiated an offer on one of my listings, and forwarded the fully executed contract over to Anne so she could open escrow. So in the waiting room I sit, checking my email on my iPhone. I received a very dry email from Anne, cc-ing the buyer's agent, with the escrow information. I replied to her that those types of dry emails make me laugh because that generally is not how we deal with each other. She quickly replied - "It's my "business" side! I am like a mullet- business in the front and party in the back!" Let's just say my outburst of laughter in the middle of the quiet lab waiting room startled several of the other folks in there.

Well now, I certainly can't let a gem like that one go unnoticed, can I? Once I got home later, I went to Amazon.com and ordered an inexpensive Mullet wig and had it delivered to Anne at her office. What a great sport...she wore it and emailed me a photo! Our joke now is that she will have to wear it at the next escrow signing she does for one of my clients! Hmm...wonder who my lucky client will be?