On the 12th Day of Christmas My Divas Gave to Me….

From all of us at Team Diva Real Estate to all of our Diva Dwellers and Divotees, we wish you a fabulous holiday season!

We shot this hilarious little video after an evening of holiday GAYety at our friends’ apartment on Capitol Hill in Seattle. Lyrics by our Creative Director Ricardo Ibarra:

On the twelfth day of Christmas, 
The Divas gave to me:
Twelve Diva Dwellers,
Eleven pre-inspections,
Ten sales a-pending,
Nine offers signing,
Eight rentals finding,
Seven brand new clients,
Six FIUTS students,
Five drag queen friends!
Four power gals,
Three lesbians,
Two hot gay boys,
And a fabulous Diva family!

In preparation for my amazing interview with the Divalicious Kelly Mitchell I decided to take some time out to reflect on the amazing transformation that has happened in my own life and what is this beast Team Diva all about?

In 2008 Team Diva was a little zygote of a business. I like to think of her as our “love child” – she wasn’t necessarily planned but we love her just the same. Basically – I was running a successful solo real estate biz as “Seattle’s Real Estate Diva” for many years and one day – in an unexpected turn of events – Ms. Chavi decided to leave her job at Starbucks on a whim and come work with me. Initially the thought was that Chavi would be an “assistant”. But we soon found out that she was not one made out to be in a support role. In her first week Chavi stared blankly at the fax machine like it was a Dinosaur, effectively melted the laminator and broke the office printer. At the same time our open houses were empty and we knew we had to increase turn out and build buzz for the dynamic duo. Basically – we need to rebrand, reinvent and totally rethink our we functioned as a team and how we used every resource at our disposal to get the message to the peeps. Using the old Diva brand as a foundation we reinvented ourselves as Team Diva Real Estate.

The Divas Very First e-Marketing Using Emma Email

I think it was this whole re-branding process that truly saved us during the recession. Because we had to reinvent ourselves into this new entity we were given the license to throw everything out onto the table and say “ok, what stays, what goes and what new ideas can we bring to our business. Quickly and effectively we transitioned to email marketing using Emma. Inspired by a Portland boutique we saw how they made us feel about the success of their little store. We saw how the store used Emma to talk about bigger issues effecting their industry and created engagement. For about the cost of one post card mailing we adopted the fancy e-marketing technology to get in front of our Diva Dwellers and talk about real estate market from our point of view. We had and still have personal stories about our Diva Dwellers.

Effectively we made the Diva brand something that all of our peeps were invested in to see as a success. Taking that engagement to Facebook and Twitter was a natural next step. All of our friends were on Facebook. Our art friends were using Twitter. E-Marketing, Facebook and Twitter coupled with a dynamic Diva brand designed by Noel Gaudette set us gals up to be Divalicious. So you cannot tell me that Social does not have an return on investment. “Work it out”  as DonnaTella would say!

Looking around us we noticed that our gals in small business and non-profits were experiencing the same slow down as we were. We banded together to see what we could do to support each other. Starting with the Holiday season in 2009 we threw our first Shop Local event for Retail Therapy and the proceeds benefiting Velocity Dance Center called Don’t Let the Grinch Steal Your Ginch. Well what we stumbled upon is that doing something that is so us, having champagne, and boys peeling bananas makes people want to be involved in whatever we are passionate about. And for us that is having fun, small businesses, the arts, and real estate!

Divas Taking it to the Hill for a Cause

The combination of being passionate and using all of our media tools really came to a head this year. Referendum 74- the legalization of Gay Marriage is a key issue for our clients and for the two of us gals personally. It was time for us to cash in some of that marketing prowess that gets our listings sold and do it for social good. Ever since the Don’t Let the Grinch Steal Your Ginch event we started hosting an annual Seattle Gay Pride called “Divas Take the Hill”. This year’s event was extremely special for us because we decided to raise money to support the Referendum 74 campaign to legalize gay marriage in WA State, something that obviously hits home for Chavi and I. We had over 100 folks at the event and raised almost $3,000 for Referendum 74.

Now people know us as an early supporter of Gay Marriage. It changed the campaign, we made new and fabulous friends, and more importantly we have a stronger base of people who support Team Diva and our business. If we’ve learned anything over the past four years about this business it is that no matter what you do, how you promote yourself and your business - just be authentic and be who you are. For us it has been the best key to success and it makes it a lot easier to love yourself and what you do and to build the best fans any Diva could have!

Kelly Mitchell is Honolulu’s sassy power gal of real estate. Beyond being a successful Realtor and technology queen, Kelly is the Founder/Producer and Host of Agent Caffeine, a weekly podcast that gives you the “buzz” on the latest in real estate, business and technology. Kelly got down and dirty with Diva Kim on the Agent Caffeine last Thursday night, just in time to celebrate WA’s newly minted laws on legalizing Marijuana and Gay Marriage. The Divas were honored to be invited on the show to talk about how we leverage our authentic brand to create and sustain a successful business and to build support for our local community businesses and non-profits.

Click here to listen to the Podcast of Diva Kim chatting about how to “un-vanilla” your branding and to embrace your authentic self! Then – stay tuned to hear our amazing and dynamic gal pal, Debra Trappen, give tips on how to re-engage/ refresh your personal brand and to marketing guru, Teri Conrad, give us the skinny on Klout vs. Kred.

Below is a quick recap from Kelly’s site Agent Caffeine or jump now to her fab site for the full show »

Episode 43 Divas on Fire! Embracing Your Authentic Brand

Divas Chavi and Kim

On this episode of Agent Caffeine we dig deep into the mindset of an authentic brand where the  Diva Dwellers are past clients, the Divotees are the fan base and the Seattle Divas work their magic on the Seattle Arts Scene.  Their brand is true to who they are and the passion they put into their business is evident from their fan base to their client base.  Kim Colaprete, the Broker of the Seattle Divas gives us the inside scoop on everything from Gay Marriage to legalization of cannabis in Washington State.  We hear how she partners with other like-minded souls to put on events supporting Seattle businesses and providing opportunities to engage and  network.

Debra Trappen returns for a talk about goals and tying your passion into your business and Teri Conrad and I go toe to toe on the validity of Kred and Klout and talk “Perks”.

~ Enjoy the show

Kelly

The Divas have seen a steady increase in first time Diva Dwellers in the past 2 years and the numbers are growing rapidly. Seattleites are saying goodbye to renting and hello to the joys of home ownership. For many the prospect of dealing with crappy landlords and skyrocketing rents is a HUGE motivation. Team Diva has always attracted a fair amount of first time home buyers. This year it has been fascinating to see this huge surge in first timers largely due to Seattle’s still affordable housing market and interest rates so low that loans seem practically free. But for many of our Diva Dwellers, their motivation it often also about making a greater commitment to the urban community they are already living in or just building community in general.

Michael in the Jetted Tub of His Fab Diva Dwelling

Rental prices have gone up 10% in general in the Seattle area and even higher in some core neighborhoods. At the same time there is a huge rush to build as many apartment buildings as possible to accommodate the surge in new renters relocating here to work at Amazon and other Seattle industries. Our friend Michael (also known as DonnaTella Howe, the current reigning Miss Gay Seattle) became a new Diva Dweller in August. In January he received a letter from his landlord stating that his rent was going to go up by $200 a month. This was a HUGE increase.

“As soon I received that letter”, Michael told us, “I decided it was time to look for a home I knew I could live in an build equity. With urging from my mom I began looking for a place on Capitol Hill that I could really see myself in. I did just that and I’m so happy I made this leap. It’s so amazing to come home to something that is mine. “

We are proud to say he is now the owner of a lovely one bedroom garden level co-op in the heart of Capitol Hill.

Wendy Kaufman Chatting with Diva Dwellers Kitsy and Janko

Recently it seems the media has picked up on what we have experiencing everyday in Seattle. Last week, we received a call from Wendy Kaufman at NPR’s Morning Edition, for input on a story about this new surge of folks moving from renting to owning. We put her in touch with our Diva Dwellers Kitsy and Janko  to chat about their recent purchase of a 1920’s fixer bungalow in the Central Area. Kitsy and Janko had been renting a small apartment in the Central Area for a few years. Their rental was ok but they had a shared yard and a far from decent space that they never felt they could make their own. As soon as they moved into their new home and their neighbors found out they had bought the house everyone introduced themselves to Kitsy and Janko. They were overwhelmed. When they were renters in the neighborhood, no one really went out of their way to meet them. Now they are becoming part of the fabric of their Central District neighborhood. Listen to the whole interview after the jump

The reason many folks come to the Seattle Divas to buy a home is that they know we share their same commitment to creating community. Buying a home is more than buying an asset or getting a tax deduction. It is about establishing yourself in a neighborhood and becoming connected and committed to what happens in that block, street and hood. Home ownership is a key factor in building community, which makes our neighborhoods and our city stronger.

Maybe now is not the right time for you to purchase a home but if home ownership is part of your dream/goal then it is not a bad idea to start prepping for that big moment. Our pals Rocky and Ricardo know they want a place of their own in the next couple of years and are working on their credit and saving money for their down payment. They are also preparing themselves emotionally for what it means to be a homeowner. You cannot call the landlord when you have a leak in the roof. But at the same time you can be guaranteed to have the same payment for 15-30 years. You can entertain your friends and family in your own backyard. You can change out that hideous carpet for something better. You can change your life in ways you may have never imagined.

The past few months have been crazy busy for us Seattle Divas. Now it’s October, it’s sunny, and the recession seems way behind us. The market seems to be well on its way to recovery. But- is everything really coming up rose and daffodils in Seattle? Anecdotes about multiple offers are fun to hear; houses flying off the market in 2 hours, sellers getting 15 offers, buyers paying $100K over asking price. These stories might be true but this is not happening with every house, in every price point and in every hood. So the Divas think it is time to talk real stats. What is really going on out there in real estate land? Let’s check out the numbers!

Homes They Are a Movin’
The best way to see where we are is to see where we have been. Think back to that  warm, sunny, sleepy August of 2011. Last year in August only 22% of homes on the market were pending, a very small number – even for a sleepy Seattle summer. This year in August 41% of active listings were pending. Now this huge jump is slightly deceptive. The actual number of pending sales was only up by 90 but that is still a solid increase. Part of this huge increase in pending sales/ actives is due to the huge drop in inventory. We have all heard talk of low inventory but the real numbers are quite astonishing. Last August there were 3,459 active homes for sale in the Seattle market. This year there were only 2,111. That’s about a 40% drop in inventory in one year! No wonder we have a mini housing frenzy.

Demand is on the Rise
Along with the decrease in inventory – we have seen a steady rise in demand. Why? My optimistic nature says that it’s because many of us are basking in the glow of recovery. But – let’s be serious – loans are almost free. I mean 3.49% interest on a 30 year fixed loan with 10% down - out of control! If you can qualify for a loan and afford to buy  - now is the time my friends. Now is the time! Thus the cycle starts. Buyers hop in the market faster than sellers can get ready to sell or builders can get permits/land/money to build and BOOM – you have drastic diminishing supply. Where last year we had a 5 month supply of active homes, we now have a 2 months supply. In hot Seattle hoods like Phinney Ridge pending sales and solds homes have out been out pacing active listings since March. Low supply and high demand also means buyers must move faster to make decisions which leads to homes coming on and off the market faster. And the cycle goes on until supply can catch up.

Decreasing Inventory + Rising Demand = Appreciation
I know all you homeowners and soon-to-be homeowners love that word – especially since it has been almost four years since I’ve been able to say it. Appreciation. In one year we have seen a slight increase in median prices of  about 4%. According to the Standard and Poors S&P/ Case-Shiller Home Price Indices – we seen a 3.1% increase in the Seattle area. Not anything to write home about but up is better than down. If we break that down into key Seattle neighborhoods – the price increases are even higher. For instance – single family home values in Capitol Hill are up almost by 8% since August of 2011. Then you have areas like Bellevue where even though demand and inventory haven’t changes quite as drastically – we’ve seen a price increase of over 10%.

From the perspective of this optimistic Diva, I would say everything is coming up roses in Seattle. At least right now. If you would like to know more about your home value or how the market is shaping up in your neighborhood – contact us today.  Give us a call or drop us an email. We’ve love to chat numbers with you and your family. And – the coffee is on us!

The past few years have more than likely taught all of us a few new lessons: how to be a “Recession-ista”, how to find great cheap food in Seattle, how to forge new career paths and how to make your “three” year home work for at least “seven” years. All these lessons lead to great new skills for many of us. The one thing Americans have proved over and over again is that you can’t really keep us down. When life gives us lemons – some of us make lemonade. Some of us even make lemonade and then add a little gin and thyme for a lovely cocktail! That said, for many of us, we Divas included, we are a little over “making it work.” And the “three year house” is on its way to stretching into year eight.  By this point – we are done! And if you are one of those folks then your time has come my friends. It’s finally time to Make That Move!

Whether you are up-sizing, down-sizing, or “school-sizing” as we say, here are some great reasons why you should consider Making That Move today:

1.) The Feds have handed us the golden ticket of interest rates but it won’t/can’t last forever. Maybe you will sell your home for 5% more in 6 months but you will also pay 5% more for that new house as well. Take advantage of the great rates while they last. I know they say 2015 but we have already seen a jump in inflation, my friends. Get in while the getting is good!

2.) Competition or – lack there of. Did we mention that there is barely anything to buy out there! Seriously, lowest inventory ever. You used to be able to throw a stick and hit a for sale sign in Capitol Hill. No more folks. Currently there are less condos for sale than buyers – which means fewer days on market, less negotiating and even multiple offers. And no new construction coming on any time soon. Does anyone doubt this is a good time to sell?

3.) Jobs! Yep I said it – Jobs. This year we created about 49,000 new jobs in Seattle. This means growing competition for housing big time in the next few years. If you are ready to make the move now – don’t wait until all those new Boeing, Microsoft, Amazon & Google folks decide it’s time to stop paying through the nose for a tiny one bedroom apartment and start buying. Avoid the competition and get on the move train now!

Now that you are ready to Make That Move – here are some key tips to getting started:

Fix it, Replace it, Purge it Now!

Don’t wait until you are a month from trying to list to take care of this stuff. Life will be so much easier – trust me. Fix anything minor that is broken now – no matter how small. Replace any cranky, quirky and barely working appliances while you have the time to search for a deal. And get rid that couch you’ve had since college. Can’t be HGTV beautiful with a cat scratched couch. If you don’t need it and don’t want to move it, now is the time to let it go bye bye.

Have the “Talk”

Sure you all want to move but what is your primary motivation? Maybe your partner’s is different than yours. Is it better Seattle schools, to be closer to your new South Lake Union office, to get off the busy street? What are your minimum requirements for moving? Will you only move if you can get that perfect Craftsman in the John Stanford school district or do you just need one more bedroom and one more bath? Talk it over now so that you and your family have as clear a vision as possible. Remember – it will take time to find the right house, maybe 6 months or longer. The clearer the vision – the easier it will be for us Divas to make sure we find you the right house at the right time!

Get Re-Acquainted with Your Mortgage Broker

For many of you the next move will more than likely be a move up, but even if it isn’t, you still want to understand your financial position. Time to set that coffee date with your loan officer! If haven’t purchase and home since 2007 – things will be very different now then they were then. New regulations offer fewer options for buy-up buyers with homes to sell or rent.  Also, this time you may be considering a jumbo loan? Knowing those loan limits and your loan options will make it easier to budget for that new purchase.

There are so many questions to ask and decisions to make when transitioning to the next phase of homeownership. There will be more blogs to come to help you along the way but – there is nothing like the real thing. Need some advice, have some questions, just curious to know if now is the right time? Contact us! The Divas are always ready to chat and the coffee – or cocktails – are on us!

Divas, SaturGays + Their 2011 FIUTS Students

My partner Chavi and I love to travel. We love learning about new places, discovering local customs, meeting people from around the world, tasting new and interesting dishes and everything else wonderful and exciting about jet setting around the world. Alas – we cannot travel the world all the time ( you know – career, pets, house, etc.) But we can still have all those great travel experiences while staying right in our home town. How do you ask? FIUTS!

FIUTS  is an amazing organization housed at the University of Washington campus whose programs foster cross cultural dialogue and  international awareness by bringing students from around the world together. One of their most valuable services is their Homestay Program. FIUTS connects incoming UW international students with host families in Seattle to help them transition easier into life in the US. We have an constantly growing number of international students coming to the UW to study. For most of them, it is their first time in the states and often, their first time away from home or their families. Being part of the Homestay Program offers them a friendly and safe environment where they can adjust to their new life in the states.

But being a Host Family is more then just providing a short term safe haven for an international student. It is about building friendships across cultural borders and creating  cultural ambassadors. Sign up now for a Homestay Program!

Divas Kim and Chavi Connecting

Divas are back at the DivaHQ and are jazzed from our first Real Estate Connect in San Francisco. Inman News produces the Real Estate Connect conferences and Agent Reboots. The Divas made their first showing at Agent Reboot-Seattle as part of their Anatomy of an Agent this last spring. At Agent Reboot-Seattle we met Katie Lance and Chris Smith. They are the Diva and the Divo of technology and Real Estate marketing tools. Let’s us just say that I think it is time we need to send these two a Diva metal of honor – or maybe a tiara! 

Real Estate Connect was AWESOME! We are inspired, engaged and ready to continue to shake up the way the masses interact with real estate professionals. Oh and yes – we are “connected.” There were so many fantastic conversations and panel discussion that the Divas brains were on information overload for days. Plus, I now have acquired a repetitive strain injury from over zealous tweeting! Since there is just no way to cover it all, here are out top three  - Power Gals, Brand Management and CRM Tools.

Power Gals (l-r) Heather Ostrom, Linda Aaron, Chavi Hohm, Anne Jones & Kim Colaprete

The Power Gal Row – Day one at the conference we connected with other CB Bain diva gals, Anne Jones from our Tacoma office and the lovely Linda Aaron who is the Diva of Operations at the Coldwell Banker Bain HQ. The gals introduced us to the very funny and super smart “the Bossy Marketing Pants” Heather Ostrom from Roseville, CA. It was heavenly being surrounded by such smart woman who are taking real estate to the next level. Together we spent most of the conference learning, laughing, having fabulous meals and so much more. Amazing as the conference was, we definitely noticed early on that there were a surprising lack of women on many of the panels.  The sessions that did have a power gal represented were hands down the most interactive and informative. So why are there not more power gals of real estate being represented? A brief chat with Kelly Mitchell of Agent Caffeine was quite insightful as to why there may be lack of Power Gals on the big stage. Kelly mentioned that men often ask to be on her show whereas woman wait to be invited. The majority of the people in the Real Estate industry are woman but very few of them are in leadership and management roles in many of our companies. Challenge to all of our fellow Divas – time to start asking, insisting and taking charge. No one can change this but us sisters!

Kelly Mitchell of Agent Caffeine Photo by Linda Aaron

Brand Management Track – Kelly Mitchell was an amazing moderator an this track. Not only did she connect the audience with the speakers but did a great job creating a dynamic environment for new ideas to be explored. The very first discussion regarding “The Experience Counts: Delivering on Your Brand Promise” definitely got the crowd going.  Great dialogue between agents, brokers and the panelist regarding branding on the “Company” level compared to individual agent branding. This discussion really revealed how disconnected the higher “corporate” brand image is in many instances from the local franchises and their agents. Whether it is in making sure the “brand” is being projected by all their agents or whether the company is delivering to the agents on their brand promise. Locally what is the brand expectation of all of us who work under the Coldwell Banker umbrella? Great questions! Some of the solutions edged up in some of the later sessions in the same Brand track. In one session, Debra Trappen, talked about developing individual ambassadors within each of our organizations whose sole purpose is to foster the next generation of agents to be tech savvy and highly ethical in their practices. Looking forward to working through many of these ideas here locally in Seattle with our Power Gal Row.

CRM Tools – Dear developers. We have needs and we could not find you anywhere at the conference. The Divas, The Ostroms, and a bunch of us really need a good robust CRM tool that compliments a high functioning real estate individual/team. Here is what we need. A tool that tracks our clients life phases, source of how we met them (a client is not a lead they are a PERSON!), when they closed, anniversary date, birth date, track our plan to results, and integrate with our Emma e-marketing system (which is not a drip marketing system). The system should show us who is a priority which week. It should be mobile, cloud based and Mac friendly. And it needs to cost $25 a month! Unfortunately, the systems we found were either to cumbersome, cost to much or they were going to be a one stop shop for all of our social media needs. But for those of us getting results from social media we all know that you need to access different points directly to get the best results. #StillLooking

Debra Trappen, Linda Aaron, Kim Colaprete, Chavi Hohm & Katie Lance

Honorary Divas to Follow
Debra Trappen – Our very own Seattle Diva is getting ready to launch her new power gal company. Debra has been critical to our success. Her encouragement, insight and perspective has directly resulted in the Divas showing the world that there is an ROI in being active on Social Media. @Debra11

Kelly Mitchell - We met Kelly in Hawaii this past March. Her Agent Caffeine show is insightful and informative. Kelly was also the moderator for the Brand Track that really blew some hats off in the room. She had an a great way getting the best from her speakers and engaging her audience. One of her key words that is still stuck with us gals is “collaboration”. We just need more of it in Real Estate. It is dumb to think one agent can be expert at contracts, marketing, therapist, etc. Time for more of us to work together in a team environment. @KellyMitchell

Katie Lance - Diva of Inman. She is a rock star and we just love her to pieces. One she is a mom of two very young boys. She travels all over the nation teaching Divas like Kim how to use twitter. Katie also put together probably one of the best presentations on how to curate content for your online presence that I have ever seen. We immediately sent it out to our team and integrated it into our marketing plan. LOVE! @KatieLance

The Geeky Girls – You think the Divas are Sassy? Meet the Geeky Girls. These gals are down to earth and are really working hard to change the technology landscape for real estate agents. And to top it off they do more business than us gals. And we know that has got to be tough. Amazing! @TheGeekyGirls

Tina Mak – Probably the most honest and funniest people to have ever graced the stage. This girl is so sassy, stylish and is a down right hard working Vancouver, BC agent. She knows her business and does it probably better than anyone else does in her market! @tinamak

Chris Smith- I spend a good afternoon in Chris Smith’s track on technology tools. The thing that I really appreciate about Chris is that he has the ability to overwhelm me with his knowledge of the intricacies of different media tools, apps and so much more geeky tech related items. I often feel like the expert in our own office so to have someone inspire at a new level is always refreshing. @Chris_Smth

Divas of the Connect Heather, Kim and Anne

Divas have landed at Real Estate Connect. Our girl Linda Aaron @skynnard saved us prime seats behind the Ambassador Table. Diva of Tacoma Anne Jones @tacomajones introduced us to Coldwell Banker agent Heather Oostrom @rosevillerockln of Rooseville, California. Heather was fresh off the Anotomy of an Agent from the SF Agent Reboot from the day before and just cute as can be. Our host for the morning Brad Inman introduced Divas Katie Lance and Chris Smith to the stage. And right off the bat Katie Lance mentioned the Divas and Heather! What!! Awesome. Looks like we are with our power gals.

Session One: Does optimism end after the election? What about oil, European debt, the death of the U.S. secondary market and all of the other economic factors that you need to be thinking about?

Moderator: Brad Inman, Founder & Publisher, Inman News, Founder, Vook, @bradInman
Bill Emmons, Assistant VP and Economist, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Patrick Stone, President and CEO, Williston Financial Group
Joel Singer, Executive Vice President, California Association of Realtors® (C.A.R.)
Amy Brandt, CEO, Vantium Capital

In preparation for our upcoming trip to Inman Connect San Francisco, we wanted to release this little video to show you all how excited we are! Our very own Diva and lead anchorwoman DonnaTella Howe decided to stop into Diva HQ today to interview us about what we will be doing at the conference, August 1-3. Although we are most excited about Diva Chavi presenting about being a social media savvy agent, there are plenty of other aspects we look forward to at the conference, including learning about ways to grow our business. Watch the video to find out all that we are looking forward to and stay tuned after the conference for the Diva Inman Wrap Up, “Tales of the Connect!”