A lot of you found thisblog (both regular folks and industry professionals from near and far) thanks to the contest hosted at theFrontSteps.com. If that’s the case, don’t expect the newsletter to be sexy. Unless, of course, you find real estate (and community) updates writtten by a chick that doesn’t take herself to seriously and likes to provide her clients and the public at large with as much transparent information about our industry as possible sexy! If you do, you’re in luck, because this San Francisco real estate blog can get pretty sexy that way! 
In addition to winning the contest over at theFrontSteps.com, I achieved something else I consider to be even more spectacular in 2009 – Top Producer status at Zephyr Real Estate. As many of you know, 2009 was a rough year for the real estate business. There were a lot of ups and a lot of downs. It was like one long roller coaster ride. And as usual, I carefully selected the people that I took on the ride with me. To be frank, I don’t have the time, energy or inclination to work with rude, unrealistic, arrogant, mean-spirited or stubborn clients. (There are a few other adjectives I could use, but they’re not fit to print!) I keep my client base small so that (1) it’s manageable and (2) I can pick and choose to work with people that are a joy to work with! I always say that I love what I do for a living, and that I can only continue to love what I do by working with good people. 
So considering that I passed up business several times in 2009, achieving Trop Producer status is something I’m pretty proud of this year.
The other thing I realized this year was just how important it was to stay true to myself. I work twice as hard as many SF agents, I play twice as hard as many SF agents, and I am pretty real about my personal life, whether talking about the loss of my dogs in this blog, or my back tattoo. (You can get an update on the back tattoo here.)
Point being, while a lot of agents struggled in 2009 to figure out how to make ends meet, I struggled in 2009 to find ways to be true to myself. I fired clients, passed up business and let people know more about me – not just as an SF Realtor, but as a human being. Because frankly, if you don’t like who I am as a human being, you shouldn’t consider trusting me to help you with some of the biggest financial decisions of your life.
So, overall, 2009 ended up not being such a bad year afterall. I not only managed to stay true to myself, to get a little recognition through a rather silly (but fun) contest and to share more of personality with blog readers and clients alike, but I also managed to do so while being a successful real estate agent during a rather crappy time.
And most importantly, I had a good time doing it. I had fun with my clients, helped my friends, created some amazing relationships and made a living enjoying (almost) every minute. (My struggles with the MLS still give me gray hairs.)
And all in all, when looking back at what 2009 brought, I’m looking forward to 2010. It’s already off to a great start. I have a few clients that may have found their dream homes, and a few listings you’ll be hearing more about in the near future. AND, I know that I’ll have a good time helping good people achieve their San Francisco real estate goals.
So, here’s to a healthy and prosperous year to all of us! May 2010 and the decade ahead bring us good times, good friends and lots of laughter! And if a real estate opportunity presents itself along the way, give me a holler - we might just find ourselves creating some warm memories on the way to achieving your real estate goals.
Congrats on all of your achievements (no matter how silly)! You’ve done an excellent job in a tough business. Realtors, generally, have a terrible reputation and it can be tough for those of us who are genuine to gain the trust of clients who have had bad experiences with other agents. To cast the widest net possible, since our business is our livelihood, the urge is to try to be all things to all people and to depersonalize ourselves. I applaud you for fearlessly being true to yourself and for letting the unique aspects of your personality shine through instead of revealing nothing about yourself and pandering to each and every client. It also takes guts to turn down business in this industry and I’m so inspired to see that you were both able to achieve great success while working exactly the way you wanted to. Keeping it real (and professional) is very sexy!
Farrah! Thank you so much for the kind words – and putting one of the biggest problems in our biz the best way possible: we try to be all things to all people. It gets old. It gets frustrating for the agent, and it gets even more frustrating for the client, and then we wonder why our industry has a rep that’s no better than what that of a sleazy used car salesman.
I’m glad I’ve made the decisions I have, fired clients that were toxic and let people see the real me. I guess I’ll never be THE top producing agent in San Francisco, but I don’t want to be. There’s enough good clients around to keep me happy without selling my soul to the devil.
Best part – I wrote this article after firing someone and then getting an email back from him saying “agents like you are a dime a dozen.” And it felt so good to not even have to give him a response and to just smile and be happy not to be working with a total a**hole.
Best of luck to you for 2010! I just discovered your blog (I know, I know, I’m late!!!!) So I’ll be keeping an eye on it! You seem to be keeping it real AND professional too, and it’s always good to know there are more good agents out there.