I was sitting at my desk this morning working on the computer when one of my partners (Todd) arrived at the office. Now mind you that my partners are Susan (my wife) and Todd (our son-in-law). Todd had in tow his son (our grandson) Thomas (almost 7) who had just been diagnosed with strep throat at the doctors office and couldn't go back to school or to day care. Thomas walked into our office, dropped his coat on Susan's desk, kicked off his boots next to my desk and crawled up on my lap. He proceeded to sit there while I reached around him on each side so I could still reach the keyboard. I answered a multitude of questions on what I was doing & why and explained why we couldn't go to Leggo.com right then. After sitting with me a while he hopped down and began to rummage in our office and desk drawers for things to make his 1st grade science project with. After unloading several drawers, there was a collection of items that he began to construct with.
All of this activity got me to thinking about how Truly Blessed I really am.
Every day I have the opportunity to work with the love of my life. While we may occasionally have a differing opinion on marketing strategy or open house schedules, we have an exceptional working relationship. I am allowed to spend the entire day with my wife, not just a few minutes in the morning in front of the mirror or in the evening after battling traffic and ugly road conditions. I am Truly Blessed.
We have an excellent working relationship with Todd (at least I think so, lol). He has brought a new enthusiam and energy to our team. Answering his questions make Susan & I take a hard look at look at what we are doing, and helps us keep on track and sometimes re-discover things we have done in the past that worked but we had forgotten about. We work with a family member that will do what it takes to get the job done and that we can trust to do it right.
We are Truly Blessed.
My daughter Jennifer worked part time this past summer with us and that was very special. Imagine, commuting to work with your wife and daughetr! Jennifer was a joy to have with us, she set up a complete profile for us on MYSPACE, http://www.myspace.com/bartleygroup , created a slide show of our listings, uploaded photos, delivered flyers, wrote property descriptions and all the time with a smile on her face. She helped get this Blog from a large text page to what we have now, worked with me on PodCasting (on which I've been lax since she went back to school), and even came back on semester break for several days to get us caught up on some things. I am Truly Blessed.
All 4 of our kids and both of our grandkids understand what we do and how that affects our lives. They understand that plans may change with a moments notice bucause of a last minute showing, dinner plans may be delayed because the funds didn't get wired in time for a late closing, or we may have to take phone calls at strange hours to accomodate out of state buyers. Thomas has been to more open houses in his young life than some real estate agents make it to in a carreer & hi sister Molly has been to her share as well. Katie, Stephen & Jennifer have helped host homes during parades and special promotions, they have all helped us to move trash, clean house, move in staging materials, deliver flyers, etc., etc., etc., all without complaint. We are Truly Blessed.
Real estate has been good to us over the years and we have had the opportunity to meet and work with a number of wonderful people. From past clients that have become close friends, to sub-contractors, to other real estate professionals. We have had the opportunity to be associated with truly remarkable individuals. We are Truly Blessed.
So even if the market is a little slower that we might like it to be, homes are still selling, they are just taking a little longer to sell. Even if the weather has been brutal this winter. Even with some of the aches & pains of getting older. I think of that young man crawling up on my lap this morning and smile an think. I am Truly Blessed.
Respectfully,
Brian Bartley
The Bartley Group
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