I had the absolute pleasure to be one of thousands of real estate agents at Keller Williams Family Reunion in Orlando, Florida. My Monday morning was blessed by an amazingly simple and encouraging message. This year's Keynote Speaker, Clint Swindall, picked up on that note, and was pitch-perfect in his delivery.  The main theme of his presentation was the idea of "engaged leadership."  Clint cited some Gallup Poll statistics concerning the behavior of people within any organization: - 26% of any organization is comprised of people who are defined as "engaged" in the activities and goals of that organization.  They are loyal, productive team members who take ownership in their job.  - 55% are people who are defined as "disengaged."  These folks do only what is asked of them, and take no ... 02/24/2009

...Abbotsford is one of the top five places to invest in Real Estate in Canada, according to Canadian Real Estate Magazine. This is great news for people who live here as well as all those who have been thinking of re-locating to the wonderful city. With the new bridge coming to replace the Port Mann, this will hopefully bring some relief to traffic, at the same time making it more economically feasible to commute to Vancouver with Abbotsford being the hub. With affordable housing prices compared to Vancouver and a strong buyers market that has been around for the last 6 months and signs of a change for the next while it brings more and more affordability to the area. With condos back down to $170,00-$185,000 for a nice place and houses down in the $300K-$350K for a reasonable home in t... 02/24/2009

...No I am not kidding, as a matter of fact for all you thrill seekers looking to move to a city that can service all your extreme needs, Abbotsford is the place to be. I know what you are thinking: Is this really true? Can there really be that much to do in Abbotsford? The answer is yes, and let me tell you where and how. I was originally going to do a post just about waterskiing and barefooting and then realized that there are other extreme thrill seekers out there that might not be into either of those things, so I decided to broaden my scope on this one. There are plenty of extreme sports to be apart of in and around Abbotsford like: Barefooting, waterskiing, snow skiing, kit boarding, white water rafting, skydiving, and bungee jumping to name a few. Waterskiing and Barefoot skiing ... 02/12/2009

Having grown up in Central California, I learned at an early age that sunshine is a key ingrediant in a upbeat, healthy life style. I am sure we can all agree that to be true. I mean really who isn't more willing to smile, wave, spend money, and buy houses when the sun is out and nothing can hold you down. That being said I was forced to move to southwestern British Columbia, Canada when I was a teenager. Not that I was overly disappointed but I didn't have much of a choice in the matter. Anyway I have been here now for the last 12 years and I have slowly adjusted to the rain and have come to realize that we do get quite a bit of sun here in the Fraser Valley, even though it doesn't always seems like it. As the years tick by and we here in the valley have seen our water ways get more an... 02/11/2009

Not only is Chris an EXTREME Realtor.......he's a  Barefoot water skier...." It takes time, proper tools, training/eduction/coaching, dedication, strength and no fear to be successful at such a sport, since you do fall flat on your face from time to time. That being said my day job is as a Real Estate Consultant and with the current shift in the market place also takes those same skill sets to be successful!" That being said.......I couldn't have said it better myself! Chris is amazing with first time buyers - he's supportive and understanding - and with patience and flexibility he can make your purchase a joyfilled experience!  His professionalism and caring ARE impressive! He's the guy you see in the office first thing in the morning doing his Power Hour and working deligently stayin... 02/10/2009

I kep calling him Mario.........but his name is Dario Castiglia.........Super Dario!  He's one of the 5 owners of our Keller Williams Office..........and a Super Realtor!  Please Welcome Dario - pop by his 3 new posts.....they're pretty darn good!Dario Castiglia Abbotsford , BC More about me...                                   Influences on your lives!                                                   Has this ever happened in your career?                                                   Hockey night in Canada!Or at my house! Dario has successfully built many businesses over his established career. He loves the Real Estate Industry as his Clients and their interests come first. Dario is easy going, hard work no hassle attitude makes him pleasant to work with. He is dedicated to his cl... 02/08/2009

While the competition looks for the next big thing, I think I have found it, or it found me... I was lucky enough to be contacted by a company who was looking to expand its business into the real estate industry. These young men found me by "Googling" specific real estate terms in my market place. I kept popping up in the generic search results so they decided to email me. Now, we have all had these companies contact us with ideas to make our business better. I thought from the beggining "here we go again"... anyways, a few emails back and forth and they said they would do the first run for free, so I figured that I had nothing to lose. I have a beautiful lakefront property that I thought would be great for their video. It was pitched as a high definition video tour of the home. Here ar... 02/05/2009

The more I get to know him, the more I like him!  This is the 'guy' that put me through all the hoops and loops............multiple interviews........hundreds of questions.......dozens of reference checks.......and ultimately brought me to the Keller Williams Team!  He's the OP (Operating Principal) for our Keller Williams Valley Realty - Abbotsford office.....and his Vision for this office has caught fire! It's been two months now......can you believe it?..........I feel like I've finally come Home....and I have to say that I Love My Job!   Thank you John for your support, encouragement...and friendship...!  Soooooo.....I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce Active Rain to John Welsh!  He's embraced this 'thing' called blogging- and Active Rain - wholeheartedly.......as you can... 02/04/2009

 I'd be lying if I didn't saying I'm thrilled with the response in my office to learning about Blogging!  I'm so proud of how they've 'taken' it on..........I was just reading Terry's posts and he's written like 15 in the last few days - and they're Good!......... If you're looking for some comical relief.....and a quick lesson on Canadian Politics (for Americans and Canadians alike!) Check this out.........Your Politics Versus Our Politics Speaking of  Jennifer Beckstrom's What You See is not Always What you get..........if You're looking for a Canadian Connection.....for Foreclosure and Investment Information Terry's a great resource.........but on top of that - I just found out he was a poet too!......The Cat in The Window (Poetry for you to take a little stress out of your lives). P... 01/31/2009

A case in point - Jennifer Beckstrom!.........Jennifer is a fairly new agent.....and joined our office just before I did............She's a little shy and quiet......but I'll tell you..........she comes to just about Every Sales Meeting and class...........shows up for all her Floor Duty .......to the Shift Book Club classes.........recently wrote her very first offer........Jennifer is committed to becoming the best realtor and BLOGGER :-) she can be.............AND.............I just read her first post ......and realized..... Things aren't always as they seem Check out her post above..............its a pretty darn powerful analogy for Real Estate.........and I believe THIS girl is without a doubt a very Talented writer in the Making!  Please welcome Jennifer to Active Rain........and... 01/31/2009

Where do you reside as a Realtor in your community? For over a year I have worked from my home office, which I love to bits. Here I have everything I need to run my business in the way I like ~ Going into our KW office for meetings, training, floor duty and office tour, but never formally to my very own office space. In a market where it seems many Realtors are cutting costs and expenses, moving home and leaving their office space behind to collect dust... I found I had a strong desire to get more involved in the comings and goings of KW Valley Realty.   What was holding me back? Thoughts of: Can I afford it? Would I put it to good use? Is this the best use of my time? I do most of my calling while driving... Are there too many distractions at the office? I decided that what was holding... 01/28/2009

01/28/2009

This just makes me laugh every time I see it! LOL Lots of Fun :) 01/28/2009

I was involved in a large investors conference in Vancouver this past weekend. I have been focusing on investors, particularly between Canadian purchases of Arizona and Nevada properties, and it was exciting to see the buzz from the 550 or so in attendance! For those that are thinking of entering into this market, here's a few tips! For Condos: look for foreclosures, not only individual units, but whole buildings. Many good investments can be found in the Scottsdale area, but, ensure that you find a building that is at least 70% complete.     For Homes: there really is a softening in the amount of good quality homes, many of them sell in a normal fashion, i.e., before going to a short sale or into foreclosure. There is still a demand for quality, and the old rule of 'you get what you pa... 01/28/2009

Well I've been blessed with an office full of Realtors that are eager to learn all about Active Rain AND Don McNeill is one of them!  We held our first Active Rain Seminar in the office on Monday - Just Taught My First Active Rain Seminar! What a Blast! with Part II happening later today.............I decided to take a quickie lunch break - and wanted to write a Post welcoming Don.......... I first met Don when I was still with the Balloon Company - he showed my own house - and I was so impressed with his professionalism..........he even left a nice little card saying how much he liked my house............!  And although the house didn't sell.............I was definitely SOLD on Don! The other thing that makes him SOOOO interesting is that he's also a Car Buff...........So you can see w... 01/28/2009

Well Yesterday I had the priviledge of leading my first Active Rain Blogging Seminar - and it was a Blast! I I joined A/R just a short 10 months ago - and I can genuinely say that I believe I've learned more about Real Estate in these past 10 months then any other period of my 20 year Real Estate Career!  Its been transformative without a doubt!  Its revitalized my passion for Real Estate and there's nothing I'd rather do then share it with all our Realtors! I can't tell you how proud I am of all those who are stepping up to the plate to learn  about Blogging!      We had about 12 Realtor's attend -  I just wanted say Kudo's guys ! I'm looking forward to Part II tomorrow! Don McNeill Keller Williams - Abbotsford, BC  - 66 Impala SS Restoration - can you tell what one of his big passions... 01/27/2009

Well it's a snowy day here on the West Coast of British Columbia and being a newbie to A/R, I spent a fair bit of time looking at groups. It's a bit overwhelming to say the least. I stumbling on a few car groups, and really enjoyed your stories and pictures. Being a classic car enthuisist I thought I would start a blog on my current project. 42 years ago my first car was a 66 Impala. Thinking back to that real first feeling of freedom and all the memories that car gave me i have always wanted another one. Having had various cars through the years I will always be a Mopar guy. My 70 Dodge Dart Swinger is done and somehow the shop is a little boring with nothing to tinker with. Last year I came across a black 66 Impala SS that seemed to have seen better days. It had original paint and red... 01/27/2009

WOW! This was a very exciting Office Contest ~ for any of you who are trying to think of different Productivity Challenges in your office THIS WAS A GREAT ONE! And not just because I won! LOL... The truth is that this seemingly simple office productivity contest amp up my participation and enthusiasm for Keller Williams Valley Realty. Let me give you the low down. The contest ran from September 1st 2008 to December 15th 2008. The grand prize was a paid trip to Orlando Florida, flights, hotel and admission to Keller Williams Family Reunion! (Family Reunion is an educational, inspirational & networking conference held yearly, for all KW Agents and Realtors from other brokerages interested in high octane learning and networking!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) Points were earned by: Attending an office m... 01/26/2009

In Abbotsford, BC, Canada, this seems to be the time when the sun starts shining again and people start buying and selling homes again, and for whatever reason they think that the market has some how magically turned back into a seller's market. The truth is written below as to what exactly is happening but to answer the title question, this is the time for the buyer to sieze the opportunity to buy a home that just a year ago might not have been able to affort. However if you are selling to move-up into a bigger home there are lots of exciting opportunities for you too. Sales are still down in the Fraser Valley markets (Abbotsford specifically) from what they where last year in the month of January. In condo sales alone in Abbotsford for 2009 we are currently sitting at 8 condos sold, c... 01/23/2009

  I'm so very happy to welcome Jen to Active Rain............Joining the Keller Williams Family has opened up a whole new world of amazing Realtors.......Not only is Jen the ALC Chair for Technology - she has a Servant Leaders heart! She designs our company website and blog...........she helps new Realtors set up their websites.........and she advises us on a number of technological issues.... She does all this AND is part of the very successful Lal Team with her husband James......Together they form "The Lal Team" Abbotsford's first multicultural Husband/Wife Real Estate team. Before Jen  was a realtor she owned a graphic design and website development company and decided to put this experience to work by building a Real Estate career.  Her past website/graphic experience has made The ... 01/22/2009