Business Resources
Resources for your real estate business.#MemberMonday | Meet Jennifer Caison
Name
Jennifer Caison
Hometown
Manassas, VA
Current Location
Fredericksburg, VA
Title
Associate Broker at Coldwell Banker Elite
Number of Years in the Industry
15
Why do you love working in real estate?
I enjoy meeting new people on a regular basis from all walks of life and assisting in their biggest financial purchase in life is rewarding. A sense of accomplishment is felt when people are so very thankful for the knowledge and guidance I provide during their transaction. Flexibility of my schedule to be involved with my son is also very important.
Favorite Work Story
I had been an agent for about all of 3 years when I met a client who I took to view a home that had an elevator in it. Crazy as it sounds, we got stuck in the elevator and could not get it to open. Thankfully I had my cell phone in my hand and started calling my office to get someone to either come over or call the owners to get us out. About 10 minutes had passed and my clients starts hyper-ventilating and freaking out. She bent down and was trying to breathe the air from the little crack between the elevator floor and the house, gasping for air. I was so nervous something was going to happen to her. When she told me how panicked she was, I just blurted out, “Don’t worry, if I have to, I will kick this door down and get us out.” She stared at me for a minute and then began to chuckle and said, “Are you serious, do you think you can?” I said, yes, this door to the house doesn’t feel very secure, I think I can. We both started to laugh. Not even 5 minutes later the listing agent had gotten in touch with the owner and they arrived to let us out. It was the longest 20-25 minutes ever. I had never seen anyone who was claustrophobic react when in a tight space. We still keep in touch to this day and people who know the story always say, Now that is an agent who will do whatever it takes!
What are you most proud of in your career?
Friendships made through clients
Achieving the Professional Honor Roll from FAAR for the past 8 years
International Diamond Society Award for the past 5 years at Coldwell Banker Elite
Being a mentor for new agents
Do you have a special cause or volunteer your time?
I volunteer and head a canned food drive, cereal drive and coat drive for SECA -(Spotsylvania Emergency Care Assistance) every year. I also volunteer as a team Mom for several of my son’s sports and activities
Fun Fact
I love old classic cars, hot rods and drag races. People always joke about how fast I talk, type, write and how I am always in a hurry and it definitely fits with my love for drag racing. First to the finish line!
#MemberMonday | Meet Lynn Lenahan
The Fredericksburg Area Association of REALTORS® Member Spotlight feature allows members of the community to get to know each other before working with each other in a transaction. Each member answers a series of questions to reveal more about themselves as people. It is FAAR’s hope that learning about an individual may spark connections that blossom via email, phone conversations or in-person meetings at events and classes.
Name
C. Lynn Lenahan
Hometown
Fredericksburg (Spotsylvania)
Current Location
Town of Bowling Green
Title
Assoc. Broker, ABR, AHWD, GRI @1st Choice Better Homes & Land, LC
Number of Years in the Industry
19+
Why do you love working in real estate?
Real estate is an amazing career! It’s never dull or boring, there’s ALWAYS something going…things to learn, things to share. It’s ever changing, fresh! My father always said find a need and fill it. I can’t imagine anything more fulfilling than helping people through the process of settling into that perfect spot they can call HOME. I just get caught up in all the excitement right there with them. It’s awesome!
Favorite Work Story
My favorite work story is not a single incident, but a realization. Every time I’m with a client and we are selling or looking for a home, the process is like painting (which I have a new appreciation for with our latest Sip and Paint’s). At first there is nothing…a clean canvas. Then there’s an expectation of what the final product or outcome will be. Each of us may paint on this canvas with different tools and may see the process differently. Suddenly, in the midst of all the different “things” getting put on that canvas, the final image begins to emerge. And when it’s done, it’s just beautiful. And I was blessed with the skills and knowledge to help it get there.
What are you most proud of in your career?
The thing I am most proud of is my adherence to the Code of Ethics and Professionalism. It’s not that I don’t make mistakes. It’s a very intricate career and sometimes there are sticky situations. I believe in being honest, truthful and treating others with respect. Interacting with others in a respectful way is huge!
Do you have a special cause or volunteer your time?
I’m very active in my church and community. We do a lot with cooking events: Annual Pig Roast (October-ish), Annual Oyster Roast (March), Chicken Q (on Derby Day), Annual Fish Fry (2nd week of August), Annual Brunswick Stew at Harvest-fest (October). I don’t know who has more fun, the people that attend (and they are VERY popular events) or me. Profits go to various organizations benefiting the children and elderly in the community. I’m also a big advocate for blood donation with the American Red Cross…once every 60 days like clockwork! One more thing…anything to advocate for animals…that’s me!
Fun Fact
We have a place on the Eastern Shore at Chincoteague. It’s a camper with a stick-built room attached and a fenced yard on a permanent site. We own everything BUT the land. We love our Chincoteague neighbors in our little section. We have a pontoon boat, a golf cart and jet skis. We pack up the dogs and head down whenever our schedules permit. I lovingly named it our “Shack @ the Shore”. It’s paradise. While there, I have conducted more business and ratified more contracts than I can count.
Update on Recent Bright MLS Performance Issues
This was sent to each shareholder association CEO regarding the current lack of performance of brightMLS
Good afternoon all –
I wanted to provide you with a brief update on ongoing system performance issues with the replication of data between our two primary data centers which variably affected all three systems.
Problems initially began on Thursday, February 1. These performance issues impacted the availability of listings to search on brightmls.com, mris.com, and third party sites. We believed that we had a work around for the problem until we identified a permanent resolution with Oracle. However, these issues surfaced again on Friday and spiked late Friday afternoon to an unacceptable level. To resolve these issues, we pointed all systems to one data center to allow the replication to catch up.
Saturday, a similar issue surfaced affecting the availability of showing links on mris.com and trendmls.com, and the flow of those listings to brightmls.com. That issue was resolved Saturday afternoon.
We are still operating most applications from one data center which is creating periodic slowness when searching mris.com.
We posted messages through the weekend and today on the applicable systems and social media sites.
I am sure you know that these issues are frustrating for our subscribers and that we are doing everything we can to resolve them quickly. In particular, these issues have added additional frustration to subscribers in Central PA where there was already a growing sentiment that system changes and updates are happening too slowly.
We are closely monitoring the situation and taking proactive action every hour to avoid any further service degradation.
Please let me know if you have questions.
Thank you,
Tom
Tom Phillips
President and CEO
610-783-4650 x3334
660 American Avenue, Suite 203
King of Prussia, PA 19406
www.brightmls.com
#MemberMonday | Meet Charlotte Rouse
The Fredericksburg Area Association of REALTORS® Member Spotlight feature allows members of the community to get to know each other before working with each other in a transaction. Each member answers a series of questions to reveal more about themselves as people. It is FAAR’s hope that learning about an individual may spark connections that blossom via email, phone conversations or in-person meetings at events and classes.
Name
Charlotte Rouse
Current Location
Fredericksburg
Title
REALTOR® with Coldwell Banker Elite
Number of Years in the Industry
8
Why do you love working in real estate?
I Love working in the community Where I live and where my children go to school. It’s a privilege to help clients and get their trust in one of their bigger decisions in life, selling or buying a home. I’m lucky enough to have many clients turning into wonderful friends, and then being introduce to help addional family members. I’m very passionate about my job and high level customer service
What are you most proud of in your career?
Long term clients and their referrals – International Presidents Club Award and Emerald Club
Do you have a special cause or volunteer your time?
Member of the Rappahanock Rotary Club and sit on the Germanna Community Foundation Board.
Fun Fact
Born in Sweden and fluent in 4 languages. Worked 17 years in software sales and worked in 6 different startup in Silicon Valley
FAAR Partners with VDOT on Transportation Video
Are your clients concerned about the endless rows of orange construction barrels up and down area roadways? Help them make sense of what is under construction, how it will impact their commute in the short-term, and how it will benefit the community in the long-term. FAAR partnered with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) in the summer of 2017 to film the five minute video below which features a quick explanation of the region’s most visible road projects.
Watch, share, and help get the word out!
King George Economic Development Update
King George #1
Event Sponsor Don Smith with NSCW addressing the crowd
King George #2
Event Sponsors NSWC with speaker, KG Economic Development Director Ryan Gandy
King George #4
King George #3
He readily understands the importance of broadband access for today’s consumer. The County has received a $30,000 grant to create a solicitation for internet service providers to bring expanded broadband service to more areas in the County. As many Realtors explained, it is no longer just a luxury but a basic infrastructure requirement for many people looking to move to the County.
Ryan also touched on new businesses coming to the County with the focus of most of that being retail services to serve the resident and commuter population. While he agrees that more sit down establishments would be great, the demographics and density of the County don’t always make sense for businesses. He stated that if he talks to 40 businesses in a year and one actually locates to the County, that’s considered a victory. The economic development process is slow and many factors go into whether a business will locate operations in a specific area.
He also mentioned that there is some expanded residential development coming to the County but that multifamily apartments and townhouses are still not the primary focus of that development. The County will soon be working on a mixed use ordinance to open up more opportunities for developers to achieve higher densities but he said it’s important that elected officials hear from citizens who want that kind of denser development that can house individuals and families looking for lower cost housing options.
2018 February FAARside Newsletter now available!
Your copy of the February Newsletter, the FAARside is here! Crack open a copy to learn all about projects the Association completed in 2017 and help shape the future of the Fredericksburg REALTORS® Foundation. But that’s not all!
This edition includes
- Sentrilock Lockbox Firmware Updates
- Message from the 2018 FAAR President, Kevin McGrath
- Thank you to RPAC investors
- Tax Reform and You
- The Search for the Best Spring Awards Season
- Virginia REALTORS® Advocates for you and your business
- Yearly CE/PL and Designation/Certification Schedule
and more!
Right click here or the image and click “Save as” to download
Property Management and Maintenance: What You Need to Know
The FAAR Property Management Network recently met for a roundtable discussion about maintenance issues and how to best set your business and your clients up for success. The session was facilitated by Dawn Josemans and Ashley Howard with Coldwell Banker Elite Property Management. They provided the actual code section from the Virginia Landlord Tenant Act that clearly spells out what is required of the landlord and the tenant. The homes must have the basics like heat, water, electricity, and functional plumbing, all stuff that is pretty much common sense. What the law does not say and what people usually get hung up on is how quickly repairs need to take place when a critical item in the home breaks.
Heat has been an issue this year with such cold temperatures and many property managers stated that they provide auxiliary heating units for properties while repairs are being done. Some property managers mentioned that local HVAC companies provide auxiliary heating units as part of their service. One company owns space heaters and provides them when repairs are being done on heating units. It was suggested that adding a waiver explaining correct usage of a space heater would be helpful with any potential liability issues. Providing space heaters alleviate the liability of the tenant finding their own heat source such as the oven, kerosene heaters, etc.
One way to set your clients and the tenant up for success is to list lease requirements in MRIS so prospective tenants know what is allowed and not allowed before they even view the home. The recommendation was also made to take photos of the entire property before a tenant moves in so that you have a record of property condition to compare to when conducting a move-out inspection.
The next meeting of the FAAR Property Management Network is set for Wednesday, March 28 at 9:00am in the FAAR Academy Classroom. The session will focus on Going to Court: how to prepare, present, and win.
The Search for the Best Spring Awards Season
Who stands out as an exemplary agent, dedicated to the profession of real estate and dedicated to professional behavior? There are many FAAR members who can be characterized that way. Look around, who do you know that should be recognized by their peers? Awards Committee Chair Bonnie Ramey and Vice Chair Chip Taylor urge members to review the list of spring award possibilities and nominate a worthy candidate. The spring awards are marketed as Show the Love. The deadline for filing an application is February 16, right after Valentine’s Day. Here is the list and a link to the applications:
Melanie Thompson award
This award now better reflects the achievements of the person name for the awards, Melanie Thompson. The award was created to honor Melanie Thompson, who at a very young age, dedicated herself to becoming successful in her career through exceptional, professional service to clients and customers and dedicated service to the REALTOR® community and the community at large.
New for 2018 Educator of the Year
The Educator of the Year is presented to the FAAR Academy instructor who has made significant contributions to the education of the membership and exemplified leadership and service to that end.
Professional Honor Role
The production requirement returned to $2 million last year. down from $3 million. That reduction should open the recognition to more members. PHR recognizes the all-around agent who seeks out opportunities to gain education, professional designations, is involved in FAAR and the state and national associations as well as the community.
REALTOR® of the Year
Recognizes an exemplary agent who has made significant contributions to FAAR.
Rookie of the Year
A new agent who has done amazing well the first year in business
Manager of the Year
Recognizes a managing broker who focus is on creating a successful office by training successful agents
REALTORS® Choice
Who knocks it out of the park? This award recognizes an agent who is professional, great to work through a transaction and is a reflection of a real estate professional.
New for the Fall- The Icon Award
This honor is awarded to a REALTOR® who has make a significant mark on the profession of real estate in the locality where he or she works. The Nominee’s name is recognizable to the community at large and is synonymous with exemplary ethical behavior and knowledgeable and compassionate service to clients and customer. The individual is highly respected by the REALTOR® community. The Nominee is generous with his or her time supporting community organizations/project/programs: Application deadline is 10/31/18.
#MemberMonday | Meet Tricia Barnes
Name
Tricia Barnes
Hometown
Locust Grove
Current Location
Fredericksburg
Title
Associate Broker at 1st Choice Better Homes & Land
Number of Years in the Industry
28
Why do you love working in real estate?
I love real estate because it’s something new and exciting every day with tons of learning/growing opportunities. I love seeing buyers’ eyes light up when we find “the one”. I love seeing the next chapter in sellers’ lives come true as they sell. I love the flexibility of a Real Estate career. The irony is that when I graduated from George Mason University I was working part-time at 1st Choice (my mother’s Company) and I said I would never be a Realtor like her!
Favorite Work Story
I really began my career in Real Estate when I was about 5 years old! When my mother would bring home old contracts and paperwork, I would play real estate. I carried a briefcase, wrote contracts and looked at old MLS books.
What are you most proud of in your career?
Clients who become lifelong friends after helping them in Real Estate – what a treasure they are!
Do you have a special cause or volunteer your time?
My special cause is anything my Church is involved in that helps people – visiting nursing home residents; cooking meals for the sick; splitting wood for the elderly; Christmas caroling at the hospital; visiting shut-ins – whatever can bring a smile to someone!
Fun Fact
My husband and I love, breed, raise, train & sell Tennessee Walking Horses. It’s so exciting to see a foal’s personality begin to blossom, they are so much like kids! Some are mischievous, some are loving, some are rebellious, some are fun, some are serious and some are just crazy! Whenever there’s a tough real estate day, a few moments with a wonderful horse helps wash it all away!
Press Releases
FAAR Congratulates 2017 Parade of Homes Winners
The Fredericksburg Area Association of REALTORS® (FAAR) would like to congratulate 2017 Parade of Homes Realtors® Choice Award winners. Over 20 homes competed for the distinction of being “the best home for the value” as decided by a group of more than 20 Realtor®...
August Posts a Strong End to the Summer Selling Season
August rounded out the summer market with a strong showing, posting gains in volume of sales, median sold price, and units sold and seeing yet another year-over-year decrease in days on market. Total sold dollar volume was up over 6% over August of last year coming...
FAAR Contributes to Hurricane Harvey Relief Efforts
On Tuesday, September 5, 2017, the FAAR Board of Directors approved a $1,500 contribution to the Realtors® Relief Fund to assist storm victims impacted by Hurricane Harvey. The Fund was established to provide needy victims of disasters and their families assistance...
Hot Local Housing Market Continues into July
Fredericksburg, VA – (August 11, 2017) – The following analysis of the Fredericksburg, Virginia area housing market has been prepared by the Fredericksburg Area Association of REALTORS® based data provided by Bright MLS (formerly MRIS). The temperature wasn’t the...