Community Service
Our effort to improve local community living.
#Member Monday | Meet REALTOR® Ruby Brabo
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
Ruby Brabo
Hometown
Baton Rouge, LA
Current Location
King George & Stafford
Title
REALTOR®, Long & Foster Fredericksburg
Number of Years in the Industry
1 month
Why do you love working in real estate?
As a former local elected official, I enjoyed meeting all kinds of people and helping to solve issues. Real estate allows me to continue to meet all kinds of people and help them in a different way.
What are you most proud of in your career?
Being so new, at this point I am just excited about the new opportunity I have chosen to pursue.
Do you have a special cause or volunteer your time?
I support the Dahlgren Heritage Railroad Trail whenever possible. It is one of the greatest assets of King George County for outdoor recreation.
Fun Fact
I serve on the Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center Board of Trustees and the Virginia Rural Center Board of Directors. I enjoy running, biking and hiking.
#Member Monday | Meet REALTOR Anne Corbin
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
Anne Corbin
Hometown
Unionville VA
Current Location
Mineral VA
Title
REALTOR® with Long and Foster
Number of Years in the Industry
7
Why do you love working in real estate?
I enjoy assisting people with their real estate needs. The flexibility I have with this job enables me to successfully juggle the demands of wife, mom, grandmother and daughter.
Favorite Work Story
I met Mr & Mrs. H when they looked at a log cabin in Madison. They passed on this REO but found another they wanted to buy. Using an escalation clause, we won the bid! BUT, there was pending litigation causing a cloud on the title. We ultimately voided the contract. The property sat vacant for 2 years. Another client contacted me to tour the property and I grabbed one of the flyers from the table. This client wasn’t interested so I mailed the flyer to Mr & Mrs H, who replied “you’re a temptress!” They chose to view the house again and, after a few trials & tribulations, including a bat in the house, we were able to successfully close on their dream log home!
What are you most proud of in your career?
I have worked hard to beat my personal goals each year and strive to keep in touch continuously with previous clients. I want them to know I am always here for them and any others they know that might need a good agent in the area.
Do you have a special cause or volunteer your time?
I am a member of the Belmont Club of Women and served the past two years as Secretary and Treasurer. We raise money to donate as scholarships and to charitable organizations including food banks.
Fun Fact
I am a first time grandmother (he’s 3 months old) and I am blessed that my daughter and her husband chose to move from SC to VA in May. I have “lived” with my grandson since he came home from the hospital.
2021 REALTOR Dues Announcement – Dues available for payment August 1st
Dues Announcement:
2021 Dues for REALTORS® will be open for payment August 1st.
Pay by September 30th to avoid the $25 late fee.
What if I miss the September 30th dues deadline?
Submit your dues payment and late fee by December 31st to keep your membership active and avoid the $275 reapplication fee.
Your dues bill notice will come via email—you will not receive a paper bill.
Take advantage of your member benefits
Drop Box
Receipt
AFFILIATES: Dues for Affiliates will open for payment September 1st.
Do not pay this invoice if you plan to be an AMP in 2020. Ready to boost your marketing in our AMP program? Please let Lori in Membership know at lhillardwehr@faarmembers.com.
Affiliates can disregard the tax information displayed during the dues payment process as that only applies to REALTOR® members.
How Community Service Can Help Grow Your Business
Last Sunday July 12, a group of REALTORS® and other community members gathered at Hurkamp park for a community beautification project. We sat down with the organizer of the event Chip Taylor of Long and Foster to talk about why community service is so important and how it contributes to your business.
Listen to the full podcast here
Why Community Service Is Important
When asked why he felt community service was so vital Chip replied, “I think in any
community you’ve got those amazing rock stars that are helping homeless, helping school children, or whatever the charity is, but they can only do so much. There is a real need everywhere and they need volunteers. Some people get burnt out after a while some people have to do different things so there’s just a constant need for people to help out and do their part as much as they possibly can.”
Throughout Fredericksburg and the surrounding areas there are countless charities and organizations constantly searching for volunteers. Our community really wouldn’t be the same without some of these groups. The sad truth is that a very small amount of our population is doing the majority of the work. Every day our community is being transformed for the better based on the work of the few.
Why REALTORS® Should Be Active In Community Service
Often times REALTORS® are told they should be involved but it is not always clear why. When we posed this question to Mr. Taylor, he had this to say, “ It is important for realtors to be involved. I think that realtors are uniquely positioned as professionals to be involved in their community in many ways. We are the first people that are meeting people who are moving into this area. We are introducing them to our home, to our downtown, to everything around here and I do think that we need to be good stewards of the community so that when we are telling people why they should live here, we should be an active part of why they should live here.”
He continued ot share how he was able to cultivate continual relationships with his clients based off of his community involvement. “It’s just become a big thing for me. I’ve incorporated it into my business so my clients all know that when September/October arrives when I’m calling them or if I’m emailing them, they are already buying cereal to get ready for it. I’ve got some clients that have kids that are saving their allowances and going shopping for cereals so it’s really become a big thing. Last year we collected 3,375 boxes of cereal just for King George and we were able to fill every single pantry in King George and even some in Colonial Beach.”
How To Get Started Today
- Community Service Committee
- FAAR’s Cereal Drive
- Join a Love Scrub
- Pick up trash in your community
- Volunteer at a local organization
- Starting a digital food drive
The June FAARside Newsletter is ready for you!
Your copy of the February Newsletter, the FAARside is here! Crack open a copy to learn about what’s going on at the Association including a letter from the President, how REALTORS are giving back, our 2019 award winners, and more!
This edition includes
- FAAR activities in the height of Covid-19
- How you can override bias in your business
- New laws going into effect
- Covid & Real Estate: Where have we been and where are we going?
- Our affiliate marketing partners (AMPs)
and more!
Right click here or the cover image to the right and click “Save as” to download
Fredericksburg REALTORS Foundation donates $2,500 to Mary’s Shelter
COVID is keeping us from doing in-person check presentations, but this blast from the past shows that we have a long history of support!
The Foundation approved a $2,500 grant for an emergency bathroom renovation at Mary’s Shelter. At any given time, Mary’s Shelter provides housing for up to 18 women and their children in need of safe refuge. In addition to the homes they own, they also offer financial assistance to women in our community so that they can avoid homelessness. The shelter has been in operation for 14 years.
Mary’s Shelter has expanded their services because the needs are so great, while their donations have shrunk due to the pandemic. One of their homes experienced a very ill-timed bathroom leak, necessitating the move out of two families from units that were impacted. It is vital that Mary’s Shelter repairs the water damage and the leaky bathroom to get folks back into these units, and that’s where the Foundation’s money comes in.
While the Foundation was so pleased to give the $2,500 in funding, it falls far short of the $7,000 needed to repair the bathroom. If you are interested in learning more about Mary’s Shelter or donating to their operation, please visit http://marysshelterva.org/.
Do you have a passion for helping?? The Thurman Brisben Center needs you!
Can you help you the residents of the Thurman Brisben Center? The shelter is trying to find stable, long-term housing for many clients right now and they are looking to the Realtor® community for some volunteers to help with that effort. Do you have a passion for helping under-served communities and know your way around the area rental market? Then you could be the perfect fit! Contact Kim Lally or David Cooper with the shelter for more details.
Thurman Brisben Fast Facts:
- Only about 1% of Brisben clients are served by local housing programs, leaving the rest to be “self-resolvers” and figure it out on their own.
- In April 2020, over 60% of residents moved into temporary housing including about 20% into hotels.
- 43% of people entering the shelter have been housed there before.
- Thurman Brisben does not receive any funding to help with re-housing (rent subsidies, security deposit assistance, etc) and they have only two case managers who are trying to assist a large number of people move into stable, long-term housing. This is where YOU can play a part!
The Fredericksburg Realtors Foundation Celebrates 30 Years of Service with the Launch of the $20 for 2020 Campaign
We hope our launch video filmed back in February brings you a moment of joy as we try to provide for the less fortunate this year. Thank you for your support.
A History of Giving
In the past 3 years, REALTORS® gave back over $50,000 to local housing-related organizations and charities through the Fredericksburg REALTORS® Foundation.
We could not do this without your support. There is no doubt, we are currently in a period of change that is affecting many. The need has always been great, but now it is even greater. That’s why the Foundation is launching the $20 for 2020 campaign now.
This Year is Different
Since January 1, the Foundation has granted out over $10,000 to local charities to help with the crushing demand they’ve experienced caused by COVID-19. That leaves us with just $5,000 left and grants coming in every week. Help us be able to say YES to these cries for help!
We know there are many worthy charities in our community, but why not join forces with 1,700 of your fellow Realtors® in support of the Foundation? We are the face of REALTOR® giving in the Fredericksburg region.
We encourage each of you to commit to donating $20 in 2020 so the Foundation can continue to meet the emergency grant requests coming in from local charities.
To make a donation or learn more about the Foundation visit www.faarmembers.com/foundation or follow the Foundation on Facebook for updates!
Happy Hour for a Good Cause – Thursday April 30th, 2020 from 4-5 PM
Join the Foundation Governors for a kickoff Happy Hour from your own living room! Join the meeting at bit.ly/happyhourforgood
Thank you from the Fredericksburg REALTORS® Foundation Governors
Anne Overington, Century 21 Redwood Realty | anneo@c21redwood.com
Debbie Irwin, BHHS Select Realty | debbie@debbieirwinrealtor.com
Carrie Danko, 1st Choice Better Homes and Land | carrieldanko@gmail.com
Shannon Mauro, United Real Estate Premier | themauroteam@gmail.com
Jennifer Doughty, CTI Real Estate | jdoughtvil@aol.com
Erin Witt, CMS Mortgage Solutions | erin@cmsmortgagesolutions.com
Randy Walther, Nest Realty | randywalther@fxbg.net
Abby Fitzsimmons, Coldwell Banker Elite | afitzsimmons@cbeva.com
Carol Sondrini, Coldwell Banker Elite | carolsondrini@gmail.com
David Cropper, Weichert Realtors | David@CropperHomeSales.com
Pam Godfrey, Universal Title | pgodfrey@universaltitle.com
Want to educate your kids (or yourself!) on budgeting and finances? NSWC has you covered!
Guest blog from FAAR Affiliate Marketing Partner NSWC Federal Credit Union, check out all the cool stuff they are doing these next two days!!!
We have a variety of financial education Zoom meetings available no matter what stage you are in. We’ll be going over savings and budgets for the school age groups, and scams that are going on now and how to avoid them and protect yourself. Please feel free to share to your co-workers, friends, family and more.
Elementary School Age Students– 4/23 9am Lauren Polen is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81473441125?pwd=M3Q5YWQzSHUrSzJsUUsrZDk0c3IyQT09
Meeting ID: 814 7344 1125
Password: 028682
Middle School Aged Students– 4/23 1pm Lauren Polen is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87924733290?pwd=dGJSMkF2SUMvRlJOUmMyaFNQeENLUT09
Meeting ID: 879 2473 3290
Password: 002652
High School Aged Students – 4/24 11am Lauren Polen is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82473540107?pwd=c1RsZWlJa3BBVUtWeUZNT2M4Tk55UT09
Meeting ID: 824 7354 0107
Password: 016777
Adults- 4/24 1pm Lauren Polen is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83264220986?pwd=cnlRNmFqbWFhcUIzQkdUREkxSEFmQT09
Meeting ID: 832 6422 0986
Password: 001734
Celebrate Service Month 2020
Fill out the form below to submit your organization for recognition! Throughout the month of May, we will be sharing member charities across social media.
We are excited to be able to share all the great charities in our community! Make sure you follow our FaceBook page and Instagram to see the exciting charities that get highlighted.
Did you know FAAR has a charitable organization that helps with housing needs in our area? Check out faarmembers.com/foundation!