"I AM NOT YOUR SECRETARY!"

Real estate and photography have been busier than ever and I couldn't be happier.  Having Mike home to shuffle, wipe, brush, bathe, drive, cook (that one is a stretch), read, pray, snuggle and play good-cop/bad-cop with the kids has made life so much fun.

We are off and running with our first listing scheduled to go on the market very soon.  Mike and I are navigating the nuances of working/building a business together and I'm happy to report that neither one of us have come away licking any wounds.  However, I did have to make a very loud and clear statement last week that went like this............"I AM NOT YOUR SECRETARY!"  It has now turned into an ongoing joke in our home.  Any time I ask him to do something like, "Will you grab some milk on your way home?" or "Can you please put some gas in the car?",  I can expect to hear, "I AM NOT YOUR SECRETARY!"  Humor never goes into a recession in our home.

Here's a sneak peek of the new listing!

Interest rates and inventory are low in the Kansas City area.  There really couldn't be a better time to buy or sell a home regardless of what the naysayers are telling us on the news.  If you're just thinking about it, give us a call and we'll help you decide if it's a good time for you or not.  

Thanks for stopping in and catching up.

Ciao,

Dawn

A Kansas City Realtor

A Kansas City Real Estate Photographer

 

Photos are Permanent...Snow is Not.

I jumped the gun.  I should have known better, being a lifelong KC resident, just because we get snow one day it does NOT mean we'll have it the next.  I ran a "Snow Promo" that left me scampering to get some landscape shots before it turned to mush.  Our temps stayed cold enough for the pretty stuff to fall but then quickly rose and started the melt down.......my melt down!  I got a few shots off this morning but was left disappointed by the lack of white on the roofs, eaves and ice crystals in the trees.  Mother nature needs to get on board with my business plan.

How many times have you looked out the window or driven up to your house and thought, "My yard, house or landscaping looks really pretty right now."?  Even if you're not looking to sell in the near future, plan ahead and get some photos of your property in all seasons. Buyers really appreciate a seller that has taken the time to show us why their home is so special.  

Please feel free to call if you'd like to create a plan to best market your property for a future sale.  I know a great real estate agent, too.   

Dawn Conners

A Kansas City Real Estate Photographer

Conners Team Real Estate

Comfort Zone

I believe learning stops when one gets good and settled in their comfort zone. Photography is no different than real estate (or any other business/industry) and in order to succeed one has to always be open to change; learning, relearning or throwing out what isn't beneficial.  I held my breath and took a giant step in another direction and have hated every single minute of it!  I won't bore you with technique so I'll show you my obsession:

This is just one step in the process of Real Estate HDR Photography.  The main reason for this self inflicted pain was to create a more efficient work flow.  Sadly, this new technique ended up taking more time than I'd hoped for, which, in my opinion, produced less quality end product.  I made great progress yesterday and believe I'm now on the right track.  My comfort zone is whispering to me; taunting, beckoning, pleading for me to return.  It's tempting, but I'm confident I'll find a new place somewhere in between.   

Happy weekend!

Dawn Conners

(913) 908-5767 cell    

A Kansas City Real Estate HDR Photographer

A Kansas City Realtor

P.S.  I've taken my price page down from my website in anticipation of the new changes.  I've got a little more research to do but once it's up it will offer realtors more HDR photos for less money.  It will also add value to my own real estate business and allow me to continue to do both businesses. 

Let's Roll.......

Mike has spent the month of January taking classes, tests, getting fingerprinted and background checks in order to get his Kansas real estate license.  The post process, once everything is at KREC in Topeka, can take 2-6 weeks and the thought of Mike not doing what he does best (selling) for 6 weeks created a few stressful moments for us; however, we got a call from The Machine yesterday (our little powerhouse broker, Dianna) saying that he's ready to roll and his license will be hanging in the office by the end of the week.  It's hard to explain in words the reaction in our home so I'll just show you this very, very brief video.......

http://youtu.be/7SqC_m3yUDU

If you're ready to buy or sell...........so are we!

Give us a call or shoot us an email for market information and mortgage rates. It's a great time to do both!!

Sincerely,

Dawn (and Mike)
Kansas City Realtors
Kansa City Real Estate Photographer

P.S.  Changes are coming on my photography site.  Stay tuned...........

Introducing Our New Adventure

Here it is.  The BIG announcement.  The one that all twelve of you that follow this blog have been anticipating for weeks. **wink**

But before I tell you the news I must give you a little background.  My wonderful husband, aka Big Daddy, has been in sales for 20 years and in management for 15 of them.  His career afforded us many benefits, for which we are eternally grateful; however, we found ourselves in a place that became impossible to maintain.  It seemed that with each new product and/or promotion came a larger territory and more sales reps to manage/coach.  His time away from home each week became so burdensome on our family that by the end of 2012 we knew it was no longer sustainable.

In the meantime my 15 year real estate career took a huge hit, mainly due to my own inability to build the business; with a traveling husband I couldn't justify the time spent away from our kids so I just managed my current clients.  It was during this period that I picked up my camera and began to learn photography.

What better way to start a new year than to start a new business (in our worst economy in history, right?)

Without further ado:

We will continue my long standing relationship with Reece and Nichols and will service the entire Kansas City metropolitan area ~ I grew up in Missouri but just happened to fall in love with a Kansas boy so this qualifies us to help buy and sell on both sides of the state line.  :)  

We'll have our new website up and running shortly, along with a new FB page and blog to go along with it.  I will continue to do my real estate photography but hopefully it's more for my own listings and not just other agents.  

As always your referrals are greatly appreciated, but right now your prayers are what we ask for most.  If the last few weeks are indicative of how this season in our life will go then we're in for the time of our lives!  

Sincerely,

Dawn 

 

Upcoming Announcement....

I've completely neglected my blog!  In all honesty, life has been just as crazy as usual; just not enough to sit down and write/post about it.  I'm about to incorporate my real estate photography in a way that showcases my love of photography and my real estate business.

Not quite sure I'm ready to let the cat out of the bag,  but in the meantime here's a picture of a bunny with a pancake on its head.

Adios,

Dawn
Kansas City Real Estate Photographer

For Sale

All kidding aside, I took my 12 year old son to DC for a whirlwind 6 day trip.  There were many reasons for this trip and all of them completely selfish.  Well, learning more about American history isn't necessarily selfish but wanting him to learn from me could be construed that way. 

Real estate photography seems to be trending right along with the real estate market ~ I'm not surprised.  I will post more real estate photos later while I gather myself and get back into that groove.  Vacations are so good but can also be so counter productive to my motivation level.  

Happy first week of November!

Dawn

Kansas City Real Estate Photographer