New to Holland- Dog in Tow

“Who still reads blogs?” I ask myself as I scroll through my fifth Real Estate blog of the day. I would, so I’m believing someone else will.

The handsome man in the picture is Oscar Remus – named affectionately after the Grouch himself. The resemblance is in the hair. He was born in New Jersey in a tiny town on the Delaware River, which separates New Jersey from the border of Pennsylvania. He came into my life as all good-boys do – he fell in my lap, then promptly fell asleep. From puppyhood to middle age – he has been my shadow. When I decided to uproot us and move us to Michigan, he turned those deep brown eyes on me and gave me a tilt of his head, as if saying “I’m ready to go on an adventure!”.

The home seen behind him is the front acreage of the Woolverton Inn in Stockton, New Jersey – where we spent over eight years tending the Inn and its wonderful clientele. My background is in food and beverage, and if you’re asking “how does that connect to Real Estate??”, you’re not the first to ask. However – my “sweet spot” is customer service and B2B relationship building, which goes hand-in-hand with this current venture.

Today I encountered my first “What am I doing??” moment since obtaining my license. I was listening to a podcast, and while I know logically the host was just trying to make a point – I believe his message was for someone 2 years in, not someone who is JUST starting out as an agent. He said that as a new agent, if you’re not spending 6+ hours of your day cold-calling your community searching for leads, you’ll fail as an agent. YUCK. The last thing I want to do is call a community I’m new to with some sales script I had ChatGPT edit. The little voice in my head said “Then don’t. Find another way.”

So I will. I don’t have a solid plan yet, but know this: If you live in Holland, and I happen to knock on your door with an offering of Forget-Me-Not seeds – please understand that I want more out of this career. I want to connect with my community, and contribute to it. I’m searching for joy, and giving you a packet of flower seeds does that.

This summer, you’ll probably find Oscar and I exploring the parks and to-dos around Holland (he’s pretty upset that he can’t join me at the Farmer’s Market, but I’ve promised him snacks any time I have to leave him home). Please say “Hi” – he’ll expect tummy rubs, and while I may not, I’d love to shake your hand, get to know you, and what you love about our community.

See you soon!

Kailea

(It’s pronounced Kay-lee. Yes, I know it’s a lot of vowels. Yes, I know “Lea” is generally pronounced “Lee-uh”. No, I’m not Hawaiian)