Respect, Relationships and RBI's

Many times in a real estate environment we're battling against someone. The co-op agent we're competing against for the listing. Maybe it's a fellow licensee who is also showing the same property to their buyer that you are showing to your buyer. Perhaps it's all boiled down to negotiations and we feel like its "us" versus "them"?

It's Not Always About Competition

I was travelling this week for work so while spending a few nights in Cincinnati to spend some time with my Coldwell Banker West Shell associates, I wanted to catch my alma mater, The University of Florida, play in the College World Series. The Gators were playing the Gamecocks of the University of South Carolina so grabbing a spot at a local restaurant to catch the game was a high priority.

I walked in to an establishment expecting to find the game on all the main screens but that wasn't the case. The Cincinnati Reds were playing in a nationally televised game so the College World Series was relegated to a smaller screen in the corner. I quietly found a seat and looked around for other Gator fans but found none. As I surveyed the crowd, I did notice one patron wearing his garnet and black, the signature colors of South Carolina.

The "competition" made eye contact with me and quickly sensed we had something in common - SEC fans in the middle of Big Ten Country. He invited me to sit with him and watch the game together so I quickly agreed. (Remember...I am a big believer that the most important thing we can do in a sales position like real estate is "build relationships" and it's not like I am known to be shy). Just step up, make eye contact, give a firm handshake and introduce yourself.

"Hi, I'm Sean Carpenter. I'm a Gator fan. You mind if I join you?"

"No problem. Happy to have you join me. My name is Joel. Let's watch some baseball."

Joel is a production and safety specialist for a paper/box manufacturing company located here in Cincinnati. He hails from Greenville, South Carolina, is happily married and is the father of three kids (two of his own and a step son). As it turns out, Joel and I have a lot in common and a passion for college sports was the key that opened the door.

As we sat and watched our two teams battle, we enjoyed a great discussion about our careers, our industries, our families, our hobbies and interests and a small glimpse into our future dreams. The Gators and Gamecocks were playing a great game and it went into extra innings. As we each had a job to do the next morning, we left after the 10th inning but planned to connect again tonight for Game 2 of the College World Series (best of three event).

Long story short - Gamecocks win in 11th inning to take a 1-0 series lead.

Game 2 was tonight and I was desperately hoping for a Gator victory to force a deciding game 3. Joel and I met up again at a different local spot and watched the first few innings together. It's kind of funny how quickly you can "catch up" with an "old friend" you've known for less than 24 hours. We discussed my workshops I taught today and his plant visits and staff meetings he attended. Really, we have nothing in common when it comes to our jobs but we have everything in common when it comes to our careers.

Who's Your Competition?

If you're going to wear your "independent contractor" status like a badge of honor when you're doing well, will you wear it as proudly when you're struggling?

When you head out into the real estate world tomorrow, who is your competition? Is it the other associates in your office? The agents working down the street for the "other broker'? The person who has decided to sell their house themselves?

Or is it you?

Are you friends? Can you carry on a conversation? Do you know anything about each other?  If you did, would that threaten your success or enhance your career?

When you aren't getting all those listings, is the competition beating you out or are you falling short in your listing presentation? When the other agent's client gets the house, were you beaten by a better negotiator or did you just not bring your "A game"?

Work With vs. Work Against

Joel and I had no control over what happened on the field in Omaha between "my Gators" and "his Gamecocks."  We were pulling for our teams but we weren't hostile or derogatory to each other. We cheered each other's team's great plays and laughed at the errors made.

We left with a new relationship and a little bit more pride in our schools.

As you head into the second half of the 2011 year, will you earn more business by working with or against your fellow man or woman? Are you going to focus on your company's strengths or will you divert the attention to your competitor's weaknesses? Will you make it about what you can do or what your competition can't? Will you negotiate "against" the other agent or "for" for own client's best interest?

We refer to our fellow agents as "co-ops" because it is short for "cooperation." We don't call them  "comps" for "competition." Working with them, instead of against them, sure does make things go easier and helps you think that the more you give, the more you will get.

Game Over

South Carolina won tonight 5-2 to secure their second College World Series title and second straight National Championship. Sure, I am bummed out that Florida didn't win but I now have a new relationship to build upon, some new respect for Gamecock baseball and some happy friends who would be considered "competition" including  Joel T., Joe E., Bryan V., Fred K. and Mark S - all of them loyal Gamecock fans through thick and thin.

Congratulations to South Carolina on your big win. You have just made the Gators and all of your competition want to work that much harder...which means you need to work harder too.

I respect that.

I better get out there and start building relationships, solving problems and having fun so I can keep up with my competition.

Sharing

Welcome to what I think might be my first official video blog post. It's probably not perfect and my guess is that I will not be receiving any calls from Hollywood any time soon but that's okay. I'm not looking for a blockbuster motion picture deal. I'm looking to share with you in a different way than normal.

If you don't see the video below, click here.



I hope you'll connect with the guests I speak about in this video. They are neat people and tremendous Realtors and I'm sure if you start to follow them on Twitter or "Like" their business pages on Facebook or subscribe to their YouTube channels.

Nicholas "Niko" Apostal is from Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Chicago. You can follow him on Twitter (@NikoApostal) or his Business page on Facebook 

The Seattle Divas - more formally known as Kim Colaprete and Chavi Hohm, are from Coldwell Banker Bain in Seattle. They love Twitter (@seattledivas or @chavih) and keep an active Facebook business page, they blog and are active Yelpers as well. If you want to see a really cool e-Newsletter chock-full of relevant content, sign up for their Team Diva newsletter and get ready to get a taste of the Seattle lifestyle.

Michael Ackerman is also with Coldwell Banker Bain and is certainly someone you should be following if you want to expand your marketing to video to capture more business. Check out his video blog on his website or you can see him on YouTube and be a subscriber. He's also on Twitter (@m_ackerman) and has a Facebook business page for you to Like.

Special thanks to some of my friends who helped connect me with these great people including Debra Trappen, Linda Aaron and Virginia Thomas as well as some additional assistance from Stefanie Hahn, Cindy Hamann, Victoria Baker, Gary Kopco and Matt Case.

It's great example of using the relationships you have built to solve some of your problems and have a lot of fun along the way. I hope you'll continue to do the same all year long.

Looking for an Edge?

"The great aim of education is not knowledge, but action."

Herbert Spencer, British Social Philosopher

Negotiating isn't easy to learn. The American culture doesn't exactly support the idea compared to many of the other world cultures. Yet in an industry like real estate, the ability to negotiate is an important skill and one that many Buyers and Sellers count on and expect from their agents.

I was honored to spend the last two days learning about the concepts of negotiation with fellow real estate educator Ed Hatch. Ed is a CRS (Council of Residential Specialist) instructor and was the guest of the Ohio NRT Companies in Columbus and Cincinnati. 

I'd like to share a few ideas and concepts that I learned from Ed's presentations with my Realtor's Toolbox readers today. Please understand...just reading a few sound bytes from the classes on negotiations doesn't make you a better negotiator any more than staying overnight at a Holiday Inn Express will make you a successful ball room dancer. If you want to learn more about negotiations, I highly recommend you seek out the class The New Negotiating Edge and see if it's coming to a city near you.

People are predictable - What can you do to eliminate chance from your relationships with customers, clients and helping them achieve their goals?

Whenever you say or feel that you "must have something," you have just created a poor position from which to negotiate.

Good marketing should be designed to help people choose you and your services before they need it. Once this occurs, much of the need for people to negotiate has been removed.

In order to truly advance in your career or life, you should first determine those things that are non-negotiable and build your schedule and business plans around them. Remember what German playwright and poet Johann Wolfgang Goethe said. "Things which matters most should never be at the mercy of things which matters least."

The best negotiators are those who always think "relationships" before they think about "transactions."

When you're looking to survive, having more options is the surest way to do so.

Seek to be someone to people rather than something

Know what business you're in. Are you selling the Magic Carpet Wizard or a set of encyclopedias?

Use more "ands" instead of "buts"

Learn the "Duke Tilt" to demonstrate active listening

Understanding the clients "Cognitive Mind Map" is critical to your success. Are you able to answer the five critical questions that lead to clients making a comfortable decision?

Guide people with the right questions. Don't lead them with the right answers.

Until you go to your opponents side of the wall, you'll always struggle to reach an agreement.

"Rapport if the tunnel through which truth passes"

Finally, just because something is valuable and relevant to you doesn't mean it will be to your customers or clients.

Thanks again to my buddy Ed Hatch for spending a few days with the hard working associates and managers from Coldwell Banker King Thompson and Coldwell Banker West Shell. It's always great to learn from others so thanks for sharing your wisdom.

Until next time...keep building relationships, solving problems and having fun.

Feeling at Home Away from Home

I am a big believer in the power of great customer service. I always enjoy receiving excellent service and I am guessing that you do too. I always do my best when I am the service provider to make sure my guests, agents or audiences feel that when they were in my care that they received my best - both in efforts and attitude.

When you receive great customer service these days it is usually the exception and not the rule which is probably why it usually stands out as such wonderful service. Sadly, we don't get a chance to recognize the people for making us feel special much more than a "thanks" on the way out or a few bucks extra in the tip jar.

For my loyal readers of The Realtor's Toolbox you know I like to use this blog to spotlight people or companies when I feel they have surpassed the bar of what is expected and really made me feel special. I've written about Bar Louie and The Goodie Shop , The Island Cow and just last fall I told you about a real-life Fred Factor at Thrifty Airport Parking. Today, I want you to know about my friends at The Courtyard by Marriott in Union Centre, Ohio.

My job as the Director of Training for the Ohio NRT Companies (Coldwell Banker King Thompson in Columbus and Coldwell Banker West Shell in the Greater Cincinnati area) keeps me moving. I am usually either in Columbus or Cincinnati and on occasion I have the privilege to get out and speak to other groups of agents or companies. When I venture down to Cincinnati, if I have to stay overnight, I certainly have lots of choices on where to stay. For the last two years, I have been choosing to stay with my friends at The Courtyard.

The Sales Manager of the hotel, Sheri Howard, really earned my repeat business by looking at her guest list over a period of time and realizing that I had spent more than a few random nights there as the hotel is just a block away from our CBWS Union Centre office. Sherri reached out to me to thank me for being a loyal guest and arranged for a corporate price for my stays, helping save me (and my company) on each stay. (Certianly a nice way to insure "repeat and referral" business)

I think the "rack rate" is certainly a nice perk. But it's the outstanding service I consistently receive that earned my loyalty to Sheri and her team of customer service superstars.

I am excited to always be greeted with a smile and a friendly "Welcome Back, Mr. Carpenter" by Lana and the others at the front desk. Lana is a lovely lady who came to the United States from The Ukraine and every day she's at work she seems truly excited to be there and help the guests have a better stay.

Of course upon arrival, there's always a plate of delicious cookies. Sure, I am partial to the chocolate ones but after some days of teaching and travel I will even force down a few oatmeal raisin cookies (even though I have to pretend the raisins are really chocolate chips).

When I pass through the lobby in the evenings as I head out to dinner the team members behind the counter always ask me how my room is and if they can help make my stay more pleasant. The rooms are always clean and comfortable and the modern updated features (huge desk space, flat screen televisions, free wireless Internet and large couches) are a wonderful benefit for a business traveler who usually still has some work to do before bed time.

One of my favorite people at The Courtyard Union Centre has got to be Sandy. Sandy works the third shift so not many guests probably get to meet Sandy but if they do, they know they'll always be greeted with a huge smile, a cheerful voice and a helping hand. Many a night heartburn has had me up searching for a Tums or a glass of water and those next mornings, you know who is the first to ask me how I feel? Yep - Sandy. She reminds me of that favorite Aunt or Uncle who used to magically make dollar bills appear behind your ears when you were a child.

Before you start your day, it's nice to enjoy a warm breakfast and that's what the crew in the restaurant in the hotel do each day. Cheryl and Laura see me coming and get my diet soda ready. Michael behind the counter is prepared to make a fresh omelet and there's always plenty of crispy bacon on the buffet. Seriously, I had you at "crispy bacon," didn't I?

I love chatting with Cheryl about her children because she always asks me about mine. We compare notes of their activities even though hers are adults now. She reminisces about their youth and we share similar stories. Just this past visit, I found out that Cheryl was good friends with many of the stars of The Cincinnati Reds before they were the Big Red Machine. She was close with Tommy Helms, Pete Rose and even went to Johnny Bench's wedding. That's stuff you just don't get from the counter girl at McDonald's is it?

I love what I do and I am lucky to have a wonderful family who supports me in my efforts. It's not always easy to be away from home as much as I am (and compared to some business people, sales persons or OTR truck drivers, it's not that much) but if I have to be out, it's nice to know that Bill Marriott and his family of hotels will probably have a place for me to stay.

I usually get good service from almost every Marriott property I have stayed at and as a new Platinum member of the Marriott Rewards program, I have stayed at a few. I just don't know if they will be as friendly and welcoming as my friends at The Courtyard in Union Centre.

Thanks Sheri Howard and the entire Courtyard Union Centre team for making me feel at home when I am away from home.

A Neighborhood Change - Why "New and Improved" May Help You Sell More Properties in 2011

Remember What Your Mother Use to Tell You

"Don't judge a book by it's cover" was as standard cliche we all probably heard a few times as children. The same concept can be said about people too. In the real estate industry you never can tell who the good clients are just by looking at them and you should never modify your level of service based on appearances.

Visitors to an open house might pull up in a beat up old car and some Realtors would peek out the window and sigh, thinking "these people can't afford this house." Be careful and remind yourself that perhaps those people just don't like to drive their Mercedes or Rolls Royce on the weekends.

"The last time I went there it was horrible"

Have you ever been asked by a friend about a restaurant and you quickly encourage them to try something else, recalling a bad experience or untasty meal that you had at that location in the past? Did you ever stop to consider that the ownership might have changed or maybe there's a new chef on staff or perhaps you were just having a bad day when you visited in the past?

As you move into the new year, challenge yourself to rely on the wisdom of others who have experience and knowledge of things but at the same time, always seek out new information (updated almost daily) before making a decision or recommendation because there might be more than meets the eye (or your faded memory).

Urban Living Comes to Cincinnati

I had the opportunity to tour the new Gateway Quarter project in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio yesterday with several leaders from our Coldwell Banker West Shell team. Our hosts were the team from our newest branch, the CBWS Metro Link Office.

The Gateway Quarter is a mix of newly constructed and renovated condominiums located on and around 12th and Vine in downtown Cincinnati. Nearly 100 new lofts are available priced from the $90's to $400's with features that are simply unavailable at these prices elsewhere in downtown Cincinnati.

After being welcomed by branch manager Bill Heckman to the main Gateway Quarter Welcome Center at 1326 Vine Street, we learned of the overall development project. According to the development's website. "The Over-the-Rhine Comprehensive Plan, local community stakeholders and the Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC) created a set of planning principles that will guide the development of the Gateway QUARTER and surrounding community into a safe, attractive and productive neighborhood for residents and visitors alike." Click here to read more of the overall principles and plans for the amazing undertaking. The Welcome Center has a few large scale maps showing the enormity of the project as well as a tremendous staff of associates to assist any visitors or interested future residents.

We enjoyed a tour of several of the buildings and units inside each. The unique architecture creates incredible visual appeal and the interior updates and craftsmanship coupled with some fabulous decorating is very welcoming. One thing you won't find in the Gateway Quarter is any "status quo" cookie cutter housing.

While being guided around by Assistant Manager Kathy Fergus, Sales Representative Holly Redmond and Becky Mannix, the team's Marketing Manager, we learned of the history of the area and began to envision what incredible opportunities this revival of a once-blighted neighborhood will do for the city of Cincinnati and those who choose to become a part of it.

Long-time Cincinnati residents and Realtors serving in the Tri-State area need to find some time to make it down to see this incredible makeover that is happening in the Gateway Quarter. The pleasant mixture of urban living lofts, neighborhood shops and restaurants and the soon-to-be renovated Washington Square Park will really amaze you and help you look at this area in an entirely new light.

We ended our tour over some cold seasonal brews at The Lackman, one of the really neat pubs that dot the landscape of Gateway Quarter. As we watched the happy hour crowd filter in there was no one specific stereotype of clientele. There were Gen Xer's sitting amongst Boomers, there were men and women and there were residents and visitors. It was a really cool way to end my day and get a totally neat view of what urban living could be all about.

As I said at the beginning of this post, don't judge a book by it's cover. The Gateway Quarter area isn't your grandfather's Over the Rhine. It's fresh, it's hip and it's going to be a really cool place to be for living, entertainment, shopping and dining in downtown Cincinnati.

I encourage you to visit their website at http://www.gatewayquarter.com/ or better yet, stop down to 1326 Vine Street and say hello to Holly, Stacy, Kathy or Becky. I know they'd be happy to meet you and your clients and show you what urban living could be all about. Whether you or your clients have any interest in living downtown or not, you'll at least know more about what's behind that "new and improved" book cover.


Here are some photos of some of the various units in the Gateway Quarter development area.

















The main map at the Welcome Center, 1326 Vine Street















Valuted "loft living" with hardwood floors and unique architectural charm















Roof-top decks, balconies, fireplaces, exposed brick and ducts,stainless steel appliances, great city views and more...

A View from The Summit

What a fabulous day it was on Thursday, August 19th as over 550 sales associates, managers, staff members and special guests converged on The Roberts Center in Wilmington, Ohio for the Coldwell Banker Summer Technology Summit - Trends, Tools and Technology. This was a huge event with lots of moving parts but all the people who helped put it together really worked together to make it a special day for all who attended.

After kicking off the event with some upbeat tunes and a montage of photos from the 19 branch offices that make up the Ohio NRT Companies - Coldwell Banker West Shell in Greater Cincinnati and Coldwell Banker King Thompson in central Ohio - it was a constant whirlwind of great speakers and plenty of great information.


Leading with the Leaders

Company President Joe King kicked off the day by welcoming NRT Central Region Vice President Joe Reis to the stage. Reis facilitated a panel discussion with two of the real estate industry's most powerful leaders - Jim Gillespie, President and CEO of Coldwell Banker Real Estate Company, and Bruce Zipf, President and CEO of NRT.

These three men shared their thoughts, experience and overall wisdom on today's market and where we may be headed in late 2010 and beyond. Both Gillespie and Zipf were optimistic about the housing sector's ability to help lead the country out of the economic challenges but stressed that we must continue to focus on the right activities each day and stay engaged with today's buyers and sellers. Zipf shared his four areas of focus for a strong conclusion to 2010; Prospecting, Pricing, Communication and Embracing Technology.

Tracking the Trends


What a perfect segue Zipf's final area of focus was as our keynote speaker, Stefan Swanepoel, took the stage. Swanepoel is considered by many the finest authority of today's real estate trends. As well as being a fantastic speaker, Swanepoel is also the author of 17 books including the definitive book on what's happening in today's (and tomorrow's) real estate world, The Swanepoel TRENDS Report.

Swanepoel spoke about the constant change our industry struggles to accept - from the game changing fax machine back in the mid '70's to the social networking and inundation of video today. He discouraged the audience not to think they've got it all figured out, reminding them that mega sites like Google, You Tube, Facebook and Twitter weren't even mainstream ten years ago.

Give Me a Break(out)

The event featured twelve breakout sessions and all the presenters shared great information with some tremendous energy that was greatly appreciated by the attendees. To see what the topics and sessions were about, check out the descriptions here.

Special guest presenters included Sara Bonert from Zillow, David Siroty, Senior Director of Public Relations for Coldwell Banker, Evan Matteson from Coldwell Banker Apex in Rockwall, Texas and Andrew Eklund & Dawn Hepper from Ciceron. Other breakout presenters included some "home grown" talent with Dori Gehling, Michael Jones, Sarah Poston, Marty Soller, Michelle Barnett, Sue Price and Stacy Serey.

Video Killed the Radio Star?

There was also a fabulous closing session presentation on the power of video in today's real estate environment facilitated by Coldwell Banker VP of Marketing, Michael Fischer. Fischer's message to the audience was that the power of video to "tell the story" is so much more powerful in today's "digital, on demand world" than the cold, black and white text found in newsprint or MLS print outs could ever be. Fischer then welcomed CB Apex's Matteson and Coldwell Banker Pinnacle Properties (Florence, Alabama) top agent Mike Randall to the stage for a great panel discussion about how the use of video has changed these two agents businesses. (See samples of Evan and Mike's video styles below)

Evan Matteson, Coldwell Banker Apex


Mike Randall, Coldwell Banker Pinnacle



It really was a wonderful event with plenty for every attendee to leave with something to add to their "technology toolbox" of services and systems to help their Buyers, Sellers, past clients and also to reach new customers.

Roll the Credits

I personally would like to thank all the special guests, panelists, presenters, attendees and invited guests as well as some of my teammates who helped make this event so wonderful.

My Training Coordinator, Jaimie Shaffer, was fantastic at keeping all the logistics organized and maintained a calm demeanor from early March when planning started through 4:35pm on Thursday when the event concluded.

A big thanks also to the hard working staff at our Central Region Hub who provided much of the behind the scenes details - Lisa Morrow, Amy Eiduke, Charlotte Irrrang and Prabu Gopalakrishnan. Thanks also go out to the following people for making this a great event - Joe King, Jerry White, Glen Wilson, Sarah Poston, Michelle Barnett, Susan Trefilek, Randy Wax, Rick Walker, Julie Verne, Marlene Price, Janet Davis, the management teams at CBKT and CBWS, Diana Schneder, Walt Saxe and all the hard-working staff at The Roberts Center in Wilmington, our friends at Coldwell Banker Home Loans, Quality Choice Title, Residential Title, and American Home Shield for sponsoring, Cardinal Transportation and all the attendees.



I am excited to see the creative, innovative, trendy ways our associates and managers are going to implement what was learned at the Tech Summit. Much like a climber who scales the mountains, it's always amazing how much clearer you can see when you've been to the summit.

Everybody Needs an "Edge" at Some Point In Your Life

I once saw a bumper sticker that said:

"If you're not living life on the edge...

you're taking up too much damn room!"

Not a bad statement if you believe that you can always stand to put yourself out where the "status quo" doesn't hang around, where mediocrity won't go and where the gentle blend of risk and vision meet.

I got to spend a view days this past week at The Edgecliff, one of the Cincinnati area's luxury high rise buildings, this past week and I must say...it was really cool.

I was in town to deliver some high energy workshops for our associates and managers from Coldwell Banker West Shell and in the process of looking for some venues for the workshops, an opportunity was offered by two of our hard working associates from the Milford office who happen to represent properties at The Edgecliff.

Kelly Morse and Ellie Alexander have been the on-site sales team for the Edgecliff for the last few years and are always thinking of ways to bring attention to their wonderful property. Kelly and Ellie, along with Janet Davis, Director of Development and Strategic Planning for CBWS offered the building's Social Room for the workshops and it also came with a pretty sweet bonus. Or should I say "Suite Bonus"?

I was a guest of The Edgecliff and got to spend two nights in their Guest Suite, a room that is used when potential buyers want to take a "test drive" of high rise living. It offered all the amenities of a quality hotel except instead of a front desk employee, The Edgecliff had a Doorman/Concierge (great job Ron and Leonard). Instead of a cold, snow filled parking lot, I had private access underground parking. Instead of a small exercise room with a treadmill and a StairMaster, I had access to a full service workout facility with twelve machines and more. Instead of a cooler of drinks and a walk to the local fast foot joint, I had the wonderful service offered by Harry and Gay's crew at The View Restaurant, the new tenant at The Edgecliff that offers some wonderful ambience, cocktails and American cuisine.

It is safe to say the Kevin Cogan and his team at Jefferson Development Group have done a masterful job of transforming a tall apratment building into a consumate luxury high-rise lifestyle destination in The Queen City.

From what I understand from many of the building residents and employees I talked to at The View, Harry and Gay Stephens have enjoyed much success with their other establishment, Bella Luna, and The View is quickly becoming another destination dining spot. Whether the patrons are travelling from their homes in Greater Cincinnati or just travelling down the elevators from the 26 floors inside the building, they're sure to find something on the menu they'll enjoy. (May I suggest the Lamb Meatloaf?)

Ellie and Kelly were very excited to give me and some of the other workshop attendees a tour of the building, including a visit to the top floor penthouse offering views of the Ohio River, downtown Cincinnati, Eden Park, Mt. Adams and most of Walnut Hills.

I want to send a big Realtor's Toolbox "Thank You" out to Kelly, Ellie, Janet, Joe King and all those who attended our sessions at The Edgecliff. Also thanks to Peggy - my View bartender extraordinaire, Dave from Grand Rapids (the newest tenant of The View) for hanging out and "talkin' golf," the guys from the on-site, full service salon and all the rest of the staff and residents of The Edgecliff for making me feel very welcome in "your home."

The Suburban Cowboy?

I must say, I really enjoy my yard and neighborhood lifestyle grillin' and chillin' on the patio while throwing the ball or kicking the soccer ball with my kids, but spending a few days at The Edgecliff certainly makes me a bit envious of George and Louise Jefferson with their "deluxe apartment in the sky"

Enjoy the video below and until next time...Keep building relationships, solving problems and having fun!