Real Living Greater Montana Presents Benefit for Bikers Against Bullies
Team members from Missoula, MT-based Real Living Greater Montana banded together for a charity event that raised more than $13,000 for Bikers Against Bullies. The national non-profit empowers school-aged children with anti-bullying social skills through assembly appearances and role-playing exercises.
In February, the team produced the Winterfest-Rock for the Kids! featuring live musical performances by Jared Blake from The Voice and Jared Weeks from Saving Abel.
The event was held at the DoubleTree hotel in Missoula, which donated the cost of the room for the fundraiser. The team sold individual tickets to the event and raised more than $4,000 in sponsorships. The event also included a silent auction and a giveaway to raise additional funds.
To get a front-row view of the fun, watch this video from the event!
Inaugural Real Living Community Service Awards Presented at Real Living Connection 2018
Real Living Real Estate is proud to announce that 13 network franchisees and agents were recognized for their civic contributions and community service through the Inaugural Real Living Community Service Awards.
Recipients of the Real Living Community Service Award were recognized among nearly 400 attendees at this year’s Real Living Connection conference in St. Petersburg, Florida.
“From supporting children with disabilities to helping victims of natural disaster, we are so proud to recognize these everyday heroes making a positive difference right in their backyards,” said Robert McAdams Jr., president of Real Living.
To be considered for this year’s award, applicants submitted a short video describing their work in their community and the inspiration behind their service. Highlights of the video submissions were played at the Real Living Real Estate booth for Real Living Connection 2018 attendees. A highlight reel can be viewed at: https://youtu.be/M-RyAuLKYBY
“Our first honorees set high standards for their compassion and corporate citizenship,” said Gino Blefari, president and CEO of HSF Affiliates. “Each has gone beyond the call of duty to help local people and programs. They are wonderful ambassadors of our Real Living Real Estate brand.”
The full list of winners includes:
Real Living Realty Professionals, Longmeadow, MA
Real Living Realty Professionals, Longmeadow, Massachusetts, helped not only organize an event addressing the Opioid crisis, it also then planned a fundraising drive to purchase a van for a local child with disabilities.
Beth Wolff Realtors® Real Living, Houston, TX
Beth Wolff Realtors Real living of Houston, TX has a strong, multi-generational history of community service in Houston. Their participation in community service includes the Greater Houston Partnership, Operation Houston, Keep Houston Beautiful, The American Heart Association and support of Shop With Heart.
PowerMark Properties, A Real Living Real Estate Network Member, Biloxi, MS
PowerMark Properties of Biloxi partners with Together We Rise, an organization dedicated to transforming the way kids experience foster care in communities across the United States.
Real Living Advantage Real Estate, Norfolk, NE
Together the team at Real Living Advantage Real Estate support several local organizations including: Mercy Meals, Go Red For Women, Supplies for Hurricane Victims in Puerto Rico, a Christmas Tree Food Drive, the Angel Tree Picking and Packing Toys for Kids.
Real Living Wareck D’Ostilio, New Haven, CT
John Wareck and Frank D’Ostilio, Owners of Real Living Wareck D’Ostilio, and their team are dedicated to making the world a better place. Together they partner with the Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen (DESK) to provide meals for the Homeless and Underserved.
Real Living Messina & Associates, Duluth, MN
Real Living Messina & Associates, Duluth, Minnesota, completed their 3rd year as a company in partnership with the Best Christmas Ever, whose mission is to provide for families in need during the holiday season.
Dave Culbertson, Real Living Home Team, Mt. Vernon, OH
Dave Culbertson, Broker Owner of Real Living Home Team, Mt. Vernon, Ohio, and founder of the Arms of An Angel Foundation, is devoted to keeping drugs off the streets of his community with direct donations helping fund K-9 units for local sheriff’s departments.
Elaine Wehri, Real Living CCR Realtors, Lima, OH
Elaine Wehri has lived a life devoted to community service. She has helped raise money for the Lima Salvation Army’s Red Kettle campaign, has volunteered as an auctioneer for the Bluffton Lions Club, sponsored the Fort Fest in Fort Jennings and much more.
Katie Weaver, Real Living Kee Realty, Washington Township, MI
Katie Weaver, agent with Real Living Kee Realty, Washington Township, Michigan shared the story of her participation as a key driver in the success of the Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs program.
Brenda Cuoco, Real Living Realty Professionals, Wilbraham, MA
Brenda Cuoco and her team participated in their city-wide Thanksgiving Mayflower Marathon and chose to support the Open Pantry food collection program providing food for the needy and homeless.
Stephen Sheffer, Beth Wolff REALTORS® Real Living, Houston, TX
From Beth Wolff Realtors Real Living, agent Stephen Sheffer shared his involvement in the well-being of Houston with multiple organizations including Habitat For Humanity, The Mission Center of Houston, Avon Walk for Breast Cancer Research and Compassion United.
Navona Hart, Real Living Cornerstone, Farmville, VA
Navona Hart supports several local charities including the Piedmont Senior Resources Center for homebound elderly.
Landon Sallee, Freedom Realty & Property Management, Winchester, KY
Landon Sallee, an agent with Freedom Realty & Property Management, grew his locks over 9 inches to donate them to cancer patients experiencing the emotional pain of hair loss.
The Real Living Community Service Award, recognizes member companies and agents alike for the outstanding service to enrich your community and ultimately, make it a better place to live.
Introducing Real Living's Community Service Award
Submissions will be in the form of two-minute videos that can be emailed directly to communityserviceaward@hsfranchise.com.
Any additional questions about the Community Service Award can be emailed to the address above.
Thoughts on Leadership: Altruism and Tragedy
By Gino Blefari
This week my travels found me first in San Diego for the 2017 AREAA National Convention. The conference focused on how real estate can better serve buyers and sellers of diverse backgrounds and I was honored to participate in a panel discussion about the Fair Housing Act, created to ensure homeownership for all. The onstage dialogue was detailed and thoughtful, meant to get to the core of the Fair Housing issue and figure out how we can create a better way to protect renters and buyers from unlawful discrimination.
Next, my itinerary would’ve taken me to Las Vegas for the Zillow Group Broker Forum. The event is invite-only and happens each year, bringing together the nation’s largest brokers to meet with Zillow Group executives and industry leaders to share ideas about trends in real estate. It would’ve been enlightening and informative, I’m sure, but Monday morning I received an email the event was cancelled, and the cancellation was of course the right thing to do.
As you know, Sunday night marked the largest mass shooting in our nation’s history and on behalf of our organization, my thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by the awful tragedy in Las Vegas. This entire week has felt expectedly heavy on our hearts as the country mourns great losses, consoles and slowly, somehow attempts to heal.
Our #lasvegasshooting Healing Garden opens Friday. Thanks to our volunteers, this park is being built in only FOUR days ❤ #VegasStrong pic.twitter.com/rQrVgHMBgb
— City of Las Vegas (@CityOfLasVegas) October 5, 2017
It’s incredible to me that while our world turns ever-tech—more connected, more digital—that when true darkness falls, we find bright spots not in the light from our cell phones but in the lights of those shining, valiant leaders who step up amid tragedy and show unyielding compassion, bravery and poise. We’re not defined by the technology we possess but by the character we display, and stories about the incredible heroes of the Las Vegas shooting prove that fact now more than ever before. I just read an article about the police officers who willingly put themselves in harm’s way by entering a hotel with reports of an active, heavily armed shooter inside. Now that’s leadership and heroism at its finest.
The idea of the unselfishness of people is actually one that is central to our industry. When you think about the essence of real estate, we are not really in the business of buying and selling homes, we are in the business of helping others. We assist buyers, we assist sellers; we help people and always will. Those interested can contribute to the Las Vegas Victims’ Fund here.
So what’s the message? This week, I’ll keep it short because the focus must remain on the fallen and wounded in Las Vegas. But as I said, there is goodness that can be derived from such tragic horror and it’s found in the unwavering selflessness of people ready to help those in need.
GINO BLEFARI is CEO of HSF Affiliates LLC. You can follow Gino on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Real Living Real Estate Sales Professional Named REALTOR® Emeritus
Thoughts on Leadership: Leading Through the Storm
By Gino Blefari
This week my travels find me in Northern California, where I’ve been keeping close tabs on the devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey. I’ve received numerous phone calls, made quite a few myself, emailed network members, and read your emails in return, which detail not only the destructive aftermath of the storm but also the inspiring courage of volunteers who are stepping up from all parts of the country to help where help is needed. Small boats, military Humvees … these heroes are deploying whatever it takes to bring those in harm’s way to safety.
It could be a whole post—or even a book—to explain why the worst situations bring out our very best but it’s certainly worthwhile to examine Hurricane Harvey through the lens of leadership. When disaster strikes, we look to leaders to provide strength, inspire hope, and guide us through hardship toward recovery and ultimately, some kind of resolution.
When I think of leaders who have battled resounding tragedy, I think of Rudy Giuliani, mayor of New York City during the 9/11 attacks. His ability to be compassionate and calm yet realistic and candid imbued Manhattan—and the United States—with much-needed brightness during one of America’s darkest days.
I think also of Captain Edward John Smith, most famous for steering the RMS Titanic, who went down with the ship when it struck an iceberg and sank on April 15, 1912. The British Merchant Navy officer is remembered fondly for his stoicism in the face of utter tragedy on the high seas. Crew members recalled his formidable figure standing tall on the ship’s bridge, megaphone in hand, assisting with the evacuation of passengers onto life boats, knowing not all would survive and knowing he would most likely die.
Another example of leadership amid crisis can be seen in Mary Barra, GM’s first female CEO. In 2014, Barra—who had been an electrical engineer at GM for more than 30 years—was only two months into her new role when news broke that GM put more than 1.7 million cars on the road that had an ignition-switch defect responsible for dozens of deaths. The development was an awful blow to one of the world’s largest automakers and Barra didn’t shy away from blame. Instead, she addressed the harrowing ordeal with a solemn and earnest video apology. “Something went very wrong,” she said, “And terrible things happened.”
A 2007 article that ran in The New York Times said this about leadership and disaster: “In times of consuming trauma, psychologists and historians say, a leader must speak with a trusted voice and sketch honestly the painful steps to safety. A leader must weave a narrative of shared loss while acknowledging consuming anger.”
It’s been estimated that more than 30,000 people have been displaced just in Texas alone, and hours ago Harvey threatened the region again with relentless new waves of rain. The images we see on the ground are a heartbreaking reminder that now more than ever leaders are needed to do what we do best … lead.
So, what’s the message? Leadership exists on a continuum and its core tenets of resilience, determination and strategic planning then execution must be present as evidently in the lowest valleys of leadership as they are at the highest peaks. When catastrophe strikes like it did recently for the victims of Hurricane Harvey, a leader must balance sympathy with strength, feel the tense emotional pull of the situation and lead with rationality and clear-mindedness, just as the network professionals who shared their volunteer stories with me have done. It’s never an easy or simple thing to do but then again, what act of courage ever is?
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If you’d like to contribute funds to those affected by Hurricane Harvey, the following organizations are currently collecting donations:
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I ask now that you keep those affected by the storm in your thoughts and prayers.
GINO BLEFARI is CEO of HSF Affiliates LLC. You can follow Gino on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
VIDEO // Real Living Casa Fina Realty Experiences Massive Success
Nick Parrinello, broker/owner at Real Living Casa Fina Realty in Tampa, FL, explains how he’s able to grow his brokerage under the Real Living brand in this new YouTube video. Parrinello took over ownership of the brokerage more than two years ago – when the firm was selling about 100-130 homes per year with 15 agents – this week, Casa Fina Realty hired its 40th agent and is on pace to sell more than 300 homes in 2017. Under Parrinello’s leadership, the brokerage has grown all aspects of the business, including sales volume, agent count and per person productivity.
Watch as Parrinello explains the factors responsible for this success.
Real Living Southern Realty Joins Network
Thoughts On Leadership: Innovation in Austin
By Gino Blefari
This week’s travels found me in Austin, Texas … and what a place to be! Austin is a booming city overflowing with rich culture, a lively entertainment scene and incredible food. It’s no wonder it boasts one of the highest growth in the country in terms of population and jobs. In fact, according to the latest estimates, Austin adds 159 people per day to its metro-area population.
After spending several days in Austin, I can see why so many people are eager to move there. Fun fact: Whole Foods’ flagship location can be found in downtown Austin and it’s an 8,000-square-foot market unlike any other. The Whole Foods Market Inc. worldwide headquarters is also located in Austin, which practically ensures city dwellers there remain focused on healthy eating. As I always say, a large part of effective leadership is maintaining your energy, which comes from regular exercise and a mindful, nutritious diet. Relatedly, Austin was named by CNBC as a top city for launching a tech startup and has a thriving entrepreneurial community of small businesses and innovative leaders.
Speaking of innovative leaders, I was in town to meet with the Austin Board of REALTORS® (ABoR), an impressive organization led with distinctive forward-mindedness by CEO Paul Hilgers. He’s a great guy and he’s done a super job transforming the association into a modern example of what a real estate advocacy group should be. Even the office, with its sleek, mirrored windows and tall frame, looks the very progressive picture of the members contained inside. And the interior is just as striking with cutting-edge design and panoramic views of the city.
I was honored to deliver my seven principles for success to the team and even shot a few videos talking about real estate and leadership, which are coming out soon. Paul mentioned he was confident his board members and leadership would now be able to achieve their professional goals faster by following these principles, which is the ultimate goal!
While at ABoR, I was joined by my friend, Johnnie Johnson, former All Pro for the Los Angeles Rams and CEO of World Class Coaches, who spoke to a crowd eager to hear from the legendary Texas Longhorn. Johnnie’s company, World Class Coaches, facilitates the Moving Families Initiative, which is fitting to discuss in a place experiencing such rapid growth.
Like the city of Austin itself and the contemporary leadership style of ABoR, Moving Families Initiative is a pioneering program. It’s an international plan focused on serving, protecting, and meeting the needs of parents moving or relocating with children, ages 19 and younger, including the teachers and coaches who work with their children.
So, what’s the message? During my trip to Austin, innovation was all around. From the towering Whole Foods to the incredible ABoR board and staff leadership to the ideas Johnnie detailed about how Moving Families Initiative can help Austin real estate professionals better assistant buyers and sellers. As a leader, it’s important to surround yourself with inspiring people, places and things. Because while it’s true you can always find inspiration within yourself, it’s your surroundings and who you surround yourself with that might just provide the extra motivation, creativity and encouragement you need to achieve your goals.
GINO BLEFARI is CEO of HSF Affiliates LLC. You can follow Gino on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Real Living Network Professional Raises Money for Local K-9 Unit
Dave Culbertson, broker/owner at Real Living Home Team Real Estate in Mt. Vernon, OH recently helped his community raise money for a local K-9 unit as part of the Police K-9 Funding Project. After extensive fundraising, the initiative raised more than $21,500.
“So proud of our community,” Culbertson wrote in a Facebook post, urging citizens of Mt. Vernon to continue to support the fundraising efforts to increase the amount of dogs both the Mt. Vernon Police Department and Knox County Sheriff’s office can support.
Watch Knox County Sheriff David Shaffer deliver a moving speech about the fundraising here.
Culbertson said the first dog will patrol the streets of Mt. Vernon in early December.