THERE HAS TO BE MORE THAN MONEY.

ONE OF MY FAVORITE MEMORIES FROM 2015 WAS CHRISTMAS DAY…

After opening stockings with Mom and Dad and before my grandma, aunt and uncle came over for dinner, my dear husband and I got to lay on the couch and watch Netflix for a bit. The house was cozy and quietish. My nephew was up in his loft playing a new video game, his dad, my little brother, was puttering around in the kitchen he’d just remodeled and my sister in law was curled up in the cushy lazy boy next to us. I felt warm, and loved and content.

The best part was that I helped them get that kitchen and that loft. I got to shepherd them through the bumpy process of a 203K rehab loan purchase which enabled them to walk into $50,000 in equity. I got to celebrate with them when they got the deed to their first home…the place for the couch and the lazy boy and the kitchen and snuggle spot for family.

I participated in that. I am their Realtor and I’ll tell you what, the feeling of job satisfaction on that Christmas morning was utterly blissful. Suddenly, I got it.

In general, I am primarily a pragmatic, logical, solutionary person which makes me super effective as a Realtor. I’m also utterly sure that the job I do is worth in spades the price that is paid. If you’re buying or selling Real Estate, you want me on that wall…you need me on that wall and… well…there isn’t an app for that.

In other words, I’m good at my job. I love being good at my job. But here’s the deal. There has to be more. More than just the mechanics of a job well done. There has to be more than a commission check or my name on the board of top producers in my office. Being a Realtor has to mean more.

Because there has to be more than money to cause a person to want to go to work. No matter what your job is, a paycheck alone, while very important, can’t buy the deep satisfaction I feel when I’ve protected someone’s safety, protected a primary cornerstone of their life’s success and their ability to take care of their families. Using my experience, skill and knowledge to not only achieve a result but to bring a sense of security, peace and comfort is the real purpose.

Now, at the beginning of the second month of 2016 I’m still feeling the echo of that Christmas day memory on my brother’s couch, in a home that I helped him buy.

I guess I’m just more aware than ever that there is nothing more important than love. Home is shelter and safety and for many, the largest financial purchase of their lives. Home is basecamp for life’s adventures and hard work and the satisfaction that those bring. Most significantly though, home is a place to lay your head and to share connection with family.

Home = love. For me, facilitating THAT is the more.

Thanks for reading! More about me and Oregon Real Estate on my website www.oregonhomesandranch.com or my facebook page. :) ps. Click here for my latest FAQ Vid (What in the heck is Earnest money???)