Sonia's Real Estate Blog

One of the big reasons I love working as a Sherwood Park REALTOR® is all the wonderful people I meet and work with every day. It’s such a great industry to be in if you’ve got a passion for helping people like I do, and I always love making friends and creating new relationships. I meet a lot of new people, and that’s why I love it! You never know when a casual meeting will turn into a new client, a business partner, or a friend.

Social media makes keeping in touch with a large network of people so much easier than it used to be. I’m a huge fan of both Facebook and Twitter because they’re great tools for connecting with people I’ve met, and keeping connected even when life gets busy. This is particularly true for people I meet who don’t live in Sherwood Park or the Edmonton area: When I meet interesting people at a conference anywhere in the world, we can connect on Twitter or Facebook and keep building that relationship long after the event is over, even though we live in different places.

Social Media Services I Love

Facebook

Wishing you a very Happy Easter holiday! Hope you enjoy the weekend with family and friends.

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This weekend is the Great Canadian Trade Fair & Sale at Millennium Place in Sherwood Park, and I’ll be there all weekend at booth #217. I’ll be easy to spot: just look for the animal print and jungle-themed booth!

I’ll have “sweet gifts” on hand for all existing clients, and everyone can enter their name to win one of the coveted “Sonia throw blankets”. Whether you’ve got a real estate question or just want to stop by and say “hello”, I’m looking forward to seeing everyone there!

Not sure what The Great Canadian Trade Fair & Sale is? Read my previous blog post to learn more!

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Once again, I’ll be participating in The Great Canadian Trade Fair & Sale on April 11-13 at Millennium Place, a fantastic event put on every year by the Sherwood Park & District Chamber of Commerce. And every year we have more and more fun meeting old and new friends!

I’ll be set up at booth #217. In true Sonia fashion, I’ll make myself easy to “spot” in the crowd: look for the animal print and the jungle-themed booth, and you’re guaranteed to find me there! Existing clients are invited to pop by for a visit and pick up their “sweet gift”. Of course, everyone is welcomed to come by and chat with me about real estate or just stop by and say hello! Everyone can enter their name to win one my fabulous door prizes including the very soft, very lovely “Sonia throw blankets”. Just ask my clients: They’ll tell you they love these throws!

If you’re thinking about buying or selling a Sherwood Park home, please feel free to pop by for a low-key chat, to ask questions, or set up a future time for a consultation. I’d love to meet you, and talk about how I can help you sell or invest in the Sherwood Park real estate market!

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It’s almost St. Patrick’s Day: Is luck with you in the real estate market?Photo by Steven Shigeo Yamada

What is luck and how does it relate to real estate? I think the great philosopher Seneca said it best: “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” In my experience in life and in real estate, this is 100% true.

Luck & Picking a Sherwood Park REALTOR®

My clients often say they’re “lucky” to have me on their side, and they’re right. I work every day to ensure each and every one of my clients has a great home buying or selling experience, and put their needs first at the negotiating table. By having me on your side, you’ll instantly give your luck a big boost!

You should never pick your REALTOR’S® name from a hat and leave it up to chance: It’s important to do your research and ask the right questions to make sure you’re working with an experienced, success-driven agent like me. If you want a tiger on your side, you’ve got to know when you’ve found one!

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We all have our favourite charities and we all know how awesome it feels to give back to our community. My favourite charities are The Children’s Miracle Network and, in particular, one of their partner hospitals, The Stollery Children’s Hospital.

Last week I attended the RE/MAX Activate 14 conference in Vancouver, and I was honoured to receive recognition for my contributions to The Children’s Miracle Network. RE/MAX has been supporting this wonderful organization since 1992, and collectively RE/MAX agents have donated millions of dollars to help so many children. Just another reason why I’m proud to be part of the “RE/MAX Family”.

But for me, I have another, very personal reason for supporting The Stollery Children’s Hospital and The Children’s Miracle Network. In March of 2010, my son Lennox was 6 years old and caught what we thought was a common cold. No big deal, I thought, time to stock up on Kleenex and cough medicine. Then things started to get worse. And worse. What was diagnosed as the common cold quickly turned into a serious, life-threatening viral pneumonia. It’s a mother’s nightmare: one minute, your child has a cough, and the next he’s laying in a hospital bed.

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With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I’ve been thinking this lovely day is more than just about “romantic love”. I believe it’s also about passion. I live every day of my life lit by its fire: I’m passionate about the people in my life, and the work I do every day. This is how life should be! Every morning I wake up ready to take on the world because my passion for work, life and love is the ultimate drive.

What I’m Passionate About

Family

Every mother knows about unconditional love, and I’ve been blessed to know it three times now. My three beautiful children Alexa, Lennox, and Eva have brought so much joy to my life, and every day with them is a new adventure! And of course there’s also my wonderful husband and “partner in crime” Eddy. We’ve been married for almost 15 years, and I am so lucky we found each other all those years ago.

My family and the way we support and love each other is a huge source of passion for me. They keep me grounded, keep me laughing, and make every day brighter!

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It’s no secret I love my animal print! It’s always been easy to “Spot Sonia” in a crowd: just look for the leopard or tiger pattern, and you’re sure to find me! However, it’s more than just my wardrobe that’s inspired by these magnificent big cats. In every business opportunity, in every real estate transaction, I remember the grace, power, and assertive nature of the tiger and do my best to put those qualities forward. When people say “with Sonia, you’ve got a tiger on your side” they mean every word of it.

I love all the big cats: leopards, cheetahs, panthers, lions, cougars, all of them. But my favourite has always been the tiger. They’re such an amazing blend of speed, strength, and agility. They’re beautiful and graceful, and yet demand instant respect: you wouldn’t want to mess with a tiger!

In addition to my involvement in the local Sherwood Park and Edmonton area organizations, I also keep an eye on tiger conservation news and am planning to make a donation this year. It breaks my heart to think of a world without these wonderful animals in it, but it seems every year there are fewer and fewer of them.

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One thing I’ve learned in life and business: no woman is an island. No matter how good you are
at what you do, sometimes it’s as much about who you know as what you’ve got.

I’m talking about networking. Some people hate doing it (mention “networking” to some people and they shudder), but I love it! I get to meet new people, make new local business connections, and keep up with some of the best professionals and tradespeople in Sherwood Park and the Edmonton area.

A couple of years ago I joined the BNI Park Power Connections chapter in Sherwood Park, and if you’re looking to make business connections this is by far one of the best places to get started. The BNI corporate philosophy is “Givers Gain”, and it’s inspired by the concept of what goes around, comes around. Our members focus on building relationships and creating a high quality referral network. Not long after I joined BNI, I also joined the leadership team, and I’ve been the President of Park Power Connections since April 2012. Through BNI I’ve made some fantastic contacts, given and received a ton of referrals, and discovered some great business opportunities I otherwise might have missed out on.

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Top New Years Resolutions For Sherwood Park Homeowners

Can you believe we’re already in the year 2014?

This year has flown by so quickly! And I am very excited to start another year of helping residents buy or sell their Sherwood Park homes. Speaking of which, the start of a New Year means new beginnings and for many Sherwood Park homeowners— a list of New Years Resolutions. I’ve made a list of what I think are the Top 10 most popular resolutions among Sherwood Park residents:

• – Get out of debt
• – Manage stress
• – Get fit
• – Lose weight
• – Quit smoking
• – Take a trip/vacation
• – Volunteer
• – Quit drinking or drink less
• – Change jobs or Get a promotion
• – Buy or sell their Sherwood Park homes

That’s right! Many Edmonton or Sherwood Park residents say to themselves, “2014 will be the year my family and I will finally own a Sherwood Park home!” Whether it’s to become a first time homeowner, or to sell their current property and downsize— this golden dream is very common!  Read the rest of this entry »