Extreme Friday - Mobile, AL

Okay, I'll admit it, I'm a little star struck sometimes. When I heard about the Extreme Home Makeover Team being in Mobile this week, I knew I wanted some first hand information. I'm fortunate because my very good friend, Bill Dillman is the VP of Goodwill Easter Seals of the Gulf Coast and they in turn employ the receipient of the home that was chosen for a "makeover." Lydia has 6 sons living at home, the youngest of which has Down's Syndrome. Lydia and her husband were chosen because they always put others first before themselves. Their "old" house was never adequately repaired after Hurricane Ivan struck in 2005. Instead they helped others repair their homes. Ty Pennington knocked on their door last Saturday morning and announced to them that they had been chosen to have an Extreme Makeover. They were whisked off to Phoenix and attended the Super Bowl in First Class treatment while Heritage Home of Mobile went to work. The house was razed on Sunday and by Monday night they had a roof on. So yes, they really can build a house in 4 days.



Most of yesterday involved standing around rehearsing (with stand-ins) for the big unveiling. If you're a fan of the show then you know the crowd yells, "Bus driver, move that bus" after the family arrives in a limosine. The crowd included children from Camp Smile, a day camp for children with disabilities. What a great community wide effort that included over 3,000 volunteers that came together to make this dream home a realty.

Bay County Association of Realtors endorsement

Another endorsement of my candidacy for President-Elect from 2008 President Jan Cox and her board of directors at the Bay County Association of Realtors. Thanks to Jan for her encouragement and support.

Pensacola Association of Realtors endorsement

As most of you know, I'm campaigning to be President-Elect of the Florida Association of Realtors. It is my honor and priviledge to meet so many members in my travels as a Leadership Team member and candidate. I am beginning to receive written endorsements from Boards and Associations from one end of the state to the other. As I receive written endorsements, I will share them on this blog. I've heard from many, but this is the first letter. Pensacola Association of Realtors. Thank you to President Diane Toepfer and her board of directors for this important vote of confidence.

Patti Ketcham - To Tell the Truth

One of the great things about being on the FAR Leadership Team is being including on local board mailing lists. This usually includes receiving the monthly publication. This gives me a chance to see what's happening across the state from a local association's point of view. It also reveals the deepth of leadership talent. Such is the case of the February issue of the Tallahassee Board of Realtors magazine. Here's my email this morning to Patti and then a link to the full article:

Patti,

I just received my TBR magazine. The cover caught my eye, “To Tell the Truth”. I turned right to your article about being honest with sellers. You captured the essence of our job as Realtors perfectly. Telling sellers what they need to hear and not just what they want to hear is one of the biggest impediments to a good and healthy Realtor / Client relationship. Being honest with ourselves (to me) means that we treat others how we want to be treated which is of course the basis of our Code of Ethics. Isn’t it amazing that when we follow a Standard like the Golden Rule how things fall into place.

I would love to share your article with your permission on my blog.

With the permission of the Tallahassee Board of Realtors here's Patti's article

Two Political Victories in One Week

We didn't just have one political victory last week, we had two major victories. The first and most visible victory was the passage of Amendment One. We talk so much about being a force to reckon with in local, state and national politics; well we certainly proved it this time. Amendment One was the first step toward major property tax reform. It was a hard fought battle, but when President Nancy took the fight to the streets, Realtor Members were right beside her with signs, phone calls and visits declaring that this was the necessary thing to do to get the sluggish real estate market going again. Our incredible Tallahassee Team headed by John Sebree put more miles on their cars and in the air to get the positive message to the members who then in turn took it to the streets. Watch very carefully what is going to be proposed from the Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission. Their next meeting is February 12th in Tallahassee. Go to their website for up to the minute information.

The second victory from last week is the failure of the "Hometown Democracy" effort to secure enough signatures for an amendment in the November. This battle will more likely be fought in 2010. With your help as the FAR President in 2010, I will lead the membership to a victory over this very real threat to property rights.