Mid-year reflections from

2015 President Christina Daw

"It's not enough to be busy, so are the ants.

The question is-what are we busy about?"

- Henry David Thoreau

 



 WCR Fort Bend has been very busy in the 2nd quarter of 2015, beginning on  April 7th with the District C meeting hosted at Gallery Furniture in North Houston. All District C chapters participated in the meeting. I was honored to act as MC, and our two speakers were- Jim McInvale of Gallery Furniture and Sindy Ready, 2015 WCR National President. Gallery Furniture provided lunch and there were a multitude of door prizes compliments of our sponsors.

Two days later, the officers and governing board re-grouped to hold the Fort Bend Chapter's April meeting. Champions Real Estate Instructor, Becky Hill, spoke on "The Power of the Alphabet- the importance of designations in your career".  

There was no meeting in May due to the WCR/NAR Realtor Party Convention held in Washington, DC but the chapter did have time for a little fun on May 6th, 2015 for our first annual WCR Margarita Trolley Tour. The Sugar Land Trolley's carried approximately 75 realtor members, guests and affiliates to two local Mexican restaurants for appetizers and refreshments on a sun-filled afternoon. Fun was had by all! On May 12th, Angela Johnson, (President Elect) and Wendy Mottern (VP of Membership) flew to Washington, DC for the Realtor Party Convention. Those 5 days were filled from the time we opened our eyes until we couldn't stay awake any longer!
We went to 2 Hill Visits to hear our congressmen and state representatives share behind the scene politics that will change/improve Real Estate in Texas and Wendy and Itook a PMN class (Performance Management Networking Designation) called The Business of Your Business. We attended seminars on utilizing social media in your business; video marketing techniques; chapter management, effective networking and other topics, as well as  attended a Region 10 meeting.
There was a WCR mixer where we met chapter leaders from all 50 states and a meeting where the 2016 National Officer candidates were announced and awards were handed out. That particular meeting was very rewarding for the Fort Bend Chapter! Jo Ann Stevens is the slated candidate for 2016 National Recording Secretary and our chapter received the 3rd place award for Recruitment in Large Chapters.
During the first week of June, 2015 Secretary-Julia Hardy of Starkey Mortgage, taught our 2nd MCE class of the year. The class was held at the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce and the topic was "Exploring the New Settlement Statement".  On June 11th the chapter met at Sweetwater Country Club and our speaker was Melvin Celeste, the owner of Tuff Aware Self Defense. Melvin captured our interest with his observations and tips on being aware of your surroundings and not taking safety for granted. Throughout all of the meetings (National, District and local), education opportunities, and travel there is much behind the scenes planning and preparation taking place for the Great Gatsby Celebrity Waiter Dinner and Auction to be held September 17, 2015 at Quail Valley City Centre. Anyone interested in attending, sponsoring or volunteering can contact Lane Pearson, Lane1@Flash.net OR Aimee Montgomery, amontgomery@nat.com

It is my great pleasure to continue serving as 2015 President of the Fort Bend Chapter. I have high hopes and expectations for the third quarter as we nominate and vote for 2016 officers, enjoy our last 5 O'clock Somewhere, host our Great Gatsby Celebrity Waiter Dinner and Auction and have exciting meetings with knowledgeable speakers.
Christina Daw









WCR Fort Bend 2015 1st quarter Newsletter

If we all did the things we are capable of,  

we would astound ourselves. ~Thomas Edison

WCR Fort Bend hit the ground running in this first quarter of 2015! January 8, 2015 was the years' first Business Resource Meeting, held at Sweetwater Country Club. The Broker/Manager panel discussed "Dealing with Conflict". Over 100 Realtors, Affiliates and Guests attended to hear Wayne Murray-Weichert Properties, Nikki Owen-BHGRE Gary Greene and Nimesh Patel- Remax Fine Properties share their strategies on handling conflict between all parties involved in a transaction. Great insight was acquired and most left with a more practical and patient approach to handling conflict in business.
 Just 2 weeks later, on January 22nd the first 2015 5 O'clock Somewhere was held at the  J. Patrick model home in Aliana. In spite of 28 degree rainy weather, over 25 members and guests attended! Fun was had by all, as you can see in the photo to the left. Three devoted affiliates-Tim O'Neil, Julia Hardy and Dana Loper, are very happy to be part of WCR Fort Bend!
On February 5th-7th, President-Christina Daw, President Elect- Angela Johnson and Vice President of Membership-Wendy Mottern attended the WCR/TAR Winter Meeting in Austin, TX. In addition to attending classes on exciting new ways to re-charge the chapter membership, they had the opportunity to support TREPAC at the WCR Texas State Celebrity Waiter dinner, along with WCR National Recording Secretary, Jo Ann Stevens. Yes, Jo Ann's hair was pink that night! The dinner was a 50's themed/Grease dinner and over $17,000 was raised to support TREPAC!     
                 
February 12, 2015 Fort Bend Chapter's Business Resource Luncheon topic was "Meth, Mold and Marijuana- What they mean for your transaction". Guest speakers were 2 Fort Bend County undercover narcotics officers, who must remain anonymous; Jon Shepherd- Southern Global Environmental and Vaughan Pederson- Clean Aire. Over 120 guests attended to hear about the dangers of meth houses, marijuana grow houses, mold and asbestos, as well as how to find helpful resources for your clients to handle these dangers. Things were shaken up a little bit by a networking event! Each person chose a "fun sized" candy that coordinated with a table that they were to sit! It was evident that it was a realtor event since most were hoping for the Payday and $100 Grand candy bars!

March 12th was another cold and rainy day, in the middle of Spring Break and HLSR, but on that morning at River Bend Country Club 60 people braved the nasty weather to hear a Women's Shelter testimony on "Overcoming Obstacles". Many were touched to hear of a young woman's obstacle filled journey which has led her to growth, education opportunities and new-found self confidence. Many were touched, a few were brought to tears, but we all left feeling empowered, enlightened and very blessed. There was a linen drive held that day benefitting the Fort Bend Women's Shelter. Two car loads of  new linens, pillows and towels were collected!

March 26th was the busiest day of Fort Bend Chapter's first quarter! A Free MCE class was held at Prosperity Bank (1:00 pm-4:00 pm). Instructor, Julia Hardy taught "Selling and Financing New Construction". Immediately following we packed a full house at Lasagna House for the 2nd 2015
 5 O'clock Somewhere! Several new members joined that day!

At this time, our chapter is in 2nd place for the WCR National Recruitment and Retention Contest in the large chapter category! The membership drive ends on March 31st so I will share the results as soon as I know! Our VP of Membership, Wendy Mottern and Membership Chairperson, Suzanne Slavin are hard at work trying to find new realtor members so Fort Bend can shine!

It has been my pleasure to serve as your President in the first quarter of 2015 and I look forward to the remainder of the year! This is such a valuable organization, worth your time and efforts! I have learned so much during my time as an officer---about leadership, communication and business practices, and I want the same for each of you! I encourage you to consider being more involved!
We have an exciting year planned for you!
Christina Daw, 2015 Fort Bend Chapter President





 

2014 4th Quarter Newsletter - A President's Farewell

As the fireworks explode outside all around me,  I become profoundly aware that I am completing the last moments of my Presidential reign for the Fort Bend Chapter of WCR.  It has been a huge honor to have been able to serve and lead such an amazing group of individuals.  As I reflect on this last quarter of the year 2014, the Fort Bend Chapter has accomplished so much.

Our October Business Resource meeting brought HAR Training & Outreach Specialist Marilyn Maxwell to share the many business building  tools that we have available as part of our membership with HAR. We are so fortunate to be a part of such a supportive REALTOR Association.

Marilyn Maxwell - HAR Training & Outreach Specialist

The November Business Resource meeting is always a very special celebration of our Members as we recognize and award the chapter Entrepreneur of the Year, Member of the Year and Affiliate of the Year. This year's winners were certainly deserving of their respective honors! Congratulations to-

Angela Johnson (BHG Gary Greene Realtors) -2014 Entrepreneur of the Year

Barbara Marlin (BHG Gary Greene Realtors) - 2014 Member of the Year

Julia Hardy (Starkey Mortgage) - 2014 Affiliate of the Year

As a special addition to this already special meeting we had Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale inspire us with his stories of building a successful business.  He certainly has an amazing story to share! It was an honor having him join us.

Also in November the  National WCR and Realtor Conference was held in New Orleans, LA.  Christina Daw, Angela Johnson, Julia Hardy and Jo Ann Stevens represented the Fort Bend chapter at the National meeting.  The elections of the National WCR officers is held at this very important meeting and I am so proud to announce that our very own Jo Ann Stevens was elected as the 2015 WCR National Financial Secretary!  She worked several months this past year campaigning around to many of the WCR chapter meetings throughout the United States.  We are so proud of you Jo Ann!

Jo Ann Stevens - Immediately Following Election Win!!

Quick as a wink the December Installation Luncheon was here and although I was home sick with the flu, several members updated me throughout the meeting of all the excitement.  I wish I could have been there to personally congratulate the newly installed officers.  I am certain with so many talented ladies in charge in 2015 the Fort Bend Chapter of WCR is in capable hands.

Looks like a year filled with fun is on the horizon!

2015 Fort Bend Chapter Executive Officers

Over the past several years I have had the privilege to serve as the Treasurer, VP of Membership, and President-Elect and finally the President of this fantastic WCR chapter.  I have so many memories and special moments to take away from this amazing experience.  Although it has been great fun...it is a wonderful feeling to have the honor of being the newest Precious Past President!! See you all next year in my new role - I look forward to our bright future ahead!

2014 Fort Bend WCR - 3rd Quarter Newsletter - Busy, Busy, Busy!!

The Fort Bend Chapter of Women's Council of Realtors has been busy this summer with community projects and spreading the word about WCR! As the temperatures heated up so did our schedule of events.  We started out this quarter with a special meeting at Churrasco's in Sugar Land with our very own Fort Bend County Commissioner James Patterson.  He shared an immense amount of information on all the big things happening in our county.  The biggest being the completion of the Grand Parkway connecting Fort Bend from US 59 all the way to US 290. There is so much growth in our area with several of the fastest growing zip codes in the state!! It's a great time to be in the industry! We also had our annual backpack drive to support the kids at the Fort Bend County Women's Center. As usual our members were very generous, we had school supplies and backpacks overflowing and we were able to provide a great start for many children at the women's center.

As we rolled into August and prepared to get the kids back to school, we held our annual joint networking meeting with the Fort Bend HAR.  All our Fort Bend school districts brought us updates on their upcoming school year plans and changes. In attendance were representatives from Fort Bend ISD, Katy ISD, Lamar Consolidated ISD, and Stafford MSD.  We also had the opportunity to share the excitement of  Fort Bend WCR to more than 200 area Realtors that attended. The nominating committee was also busy this month preparing for interviews and setting the slate for the 2015 officers and our election in September.  Christina Daw (Better Homes and Gardens Gary Greene) the incoming 2015 President spent several days in Chicago representing our Chapter and attending the National Leadership training.  Get ready Fort Bend 2015 is sure to be a great year!!

September rolled in fast and furious- the executive officers were busy all month long with state meetings, a visit from our National President, our big fundraiser, and state leadership training!! Beginning the very first weekend of the month, Angela Johnson, Christina Daw, Wendy Mottern, Julia Hardy, Jo Ann Stevens and myself attended the Texas TAR/WCR Conference in San Antonio, Tx. We attended several breakout sessions to help us lead our chapter more effectively. Fort Bend was there to represent- we were recognized in the large chapter category the membership retention award! What a great honor.  We also competed in the state WCR event "Bring it On" , and bring it on we did- BEST Skit award!!

On September 11, 2014 our chapter organized with  the other Houston area chapters and brought the National WCR President Jo Kenney to share with us a "National Perspective".  We had at least 150 local members and guests in attendance.  Fort Bend really showed their best at this event. 

 We also had our chapter elections at this meeting and I am proud to announce the 2015 Fort Bend WCR  Officers- Christina Daw (2015 President), Angela Johnson (2015 President Elect), Wendy Mottern (2015 VP of Membership), Dana Loper (2015 Treasurer), and Julia Hardy (2015 Secretary). Congratulations ladies! Our big event of the year finally came on September 25, we held our 2nd Annual Celebrity Waiter event at the Swinging Door in Richmond. We filled the dance hall with pirates, music and a booty full of fun!! We had great attendance and a very successful fundraiser for the Women's Center and our chapter. We had a cake auction, a raffle and wonderful music from the "Bayou Funk Experiment".  Check out this link and enjoy all the great photos taken by chapter member David Goldberg (Better Homes and Gardens Gary Greene). Click here to view WCR 9-25-14

If all this doesn't have your head spinning, the newly elected 2015 Fort Bend Chapter officers headed off to Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa for State Leadership Training. We still have many exciting events planned for the remainder of the year.  Don't miss our upcoming October meeting with Marilyn Maxwell from HAR (Oct 9), we have free MCE for our members (Oct 16).  Watch for your Whoozin.com invites and your email, our website and our facebook page for all upcoming events.  Be sure to take advantage of all the great benefits of your membership with WCR!! 

2014 Fort Bend WCR - 2nd Quarter Newsletter - We are flying through the calendar!!

The weather and the Fort Bend WCR is heating up with the summer months.  Real estate sales are keeping everyone on their toes and all the great activities with the Fort Bend WCR are too! We started out this quarter in April with our 2nd Annual Vendor Fair - We filled the ballroom with great vendors eager to share their goods and services with the Fort Bend real estate community.  It was great to see so many attend and the vendors were all so generous with information and door prizes. Our broker Sponsors for the vendor fair were Better Homes & Gardens Gary Greene, Lane Real Estate & RE/MAX Fine Properties - thanks to each of you for supporting our Vendor Fair.

May proved to be busy for several of us who attended the 2014 Realtor Party Convention in Washington D.C. May 15-18.  Christina Daw, Angela Johnson, Wendy Mottern, and Jo Ann Stevens all joined me as representatives of the Fort Bend Chapter.  We enjoyed immense networking opportunities with chapter members from all over the United States.  There were two intense days of education and information to soak up and of course we were able to see many of the amazing and spectacular monuments and historical places that our Nations Capital has to offer. 

**Bob & Elizabeth Dole met our Fort Bend Officers in Washington D.C.!!!**

The highlight of this trip is the recognition and awards dinner - all WCR Chapters that met or exceeded their business plans from the previous year are presented at this event.  The Fort Bend Chapter once again was recognized as a  large "GOLD" chapter !!  Another outstanding showing for our chapter!!

If all this wasn't exciting enough, we were pleased and honored to find out that our very own JoAnn Stevens is the 2015 slated candidate for National Financial Secretary for our WCR National Chapter - voting for this will take place when we attend the Realtor's Conference and Expo in New Orleans in November!! It's going to be a close election and we are excited to help her in this HUGE journey! As soon as we all returned from Washington D.C.  one of our members and officers Julia Hardy with Starkey Mortgage offered a wonderful MCE class absolutely FREE to our members! It was called "Selling & Financing New Construction" - the feedback was great, and everyone that attended felt the information was enormous and so valuable in today's market! 

With June being "National Safety Month", we decided to  bring safety information to our members.  We were honored to have three very knowledgeable and handsome local Fort Bend Firefighters and Policeman to speak with us.  State Trooper Dana Debiaw with the TX DPS gave us several tips on how to stay safe while selling and showing homes.  We also had Mark Kitson and David Kaiser share ways to avoid fires for ourselves at home and for our listings-especially those vacant ones!  Our spotlight Broker Office of the month was Keller Williams Southwest.

 Mark Kitson & David Kaiser - Missouri City/Willowfork Fire Department

State Trooper Dana Debiaw & Angela Johnson

As we approach the busiest time of the year in Real Estate - the Fort Bend WCR continues to offer the best education and information available.  Coming up for our July 10th meeting we will be meeting at Churrasco's with our speaker and special guest Commissioner James Patterson.  He will be updating us on all things Fort Bend County - You won't want to miss this great luncheon.  And PLEASE remember to bring your backpacks and school supplies we will be collecting those items for the Fort Bend Women's Center. See you July 10th!!

2014 Fort Bend WCR - 1st Quarter Newsletter

It's hard to believe that the first quarter of 2014 has come and gone so quickly.  The Fort Bend Chapter of Women's Council of Realtors has been busy with education, travel and an amazing schedule of Business Resource meetings.  We started out the year with a panel of super producing Real Estate Teams from 3 different firms in the Sugar Land area to share their "secrets" and "business finesse" about Team Building & Branding, we had very large attendance and all agreed they wanted to hear more from our panel.  Thanks goes out to Nancy Benevides of Benevides & Associates,  Susan Greer with the Susan Greer Group of BHG Gary Greene Realtors, and Kimbra Valachovic with Keller Williams Southwest for sharing their expertise and knowledge. Our January Spotlight office was RE/MAX Fine Properties - Broker/Owners Minesh and Nimesh Patel attended with several of their agents.  Before January came to a close Julia Hardy held a 3 HR MCE class absolutely FREE to our members - "Three Ways to Build your Business"- we all learned some new ways to generate business with open houses, buyer seminars, and house warming parties. Part of the class also included a food tasting with tantalizing tidbits from a local catering chef!! Talk about value for your membership!!!

February proved to be a very busy month for the chapter and its officers.  We had a fantastic presentation about Appraisals brought to us by Mike Brubaker with Brubaker & Associates. He shared the many challenges that arise in today's active market and how we the REALTOR can assist the appraiser with potential inconsistancies in comparibles and values. Our February Spotlight office was United Real Estate - Office manager Dianne Moore had many of her agents attend with her.   The second weekend of the month myself, Christina Daw, Angela Johnson, Wendy Mottern and JoAnn Stevens attended the Winter TAR/WCR meetings in Austin, TX.  We attended classes with our State officers and Governors to help prepare us for the BIG changes that have been made with our reporting proceedures to National WCR.  The highlight of the weekend is the TREPAC/WCR Celebrity Waiter event to encourage all in attendance to make their investments in TREPAC.  The theme this year was "Totally 80's" - we all had a great time dressing in our best 80's regalia and listening to the tunes many of us remember from our high school days!! TREPAC Houston raised over $7,000!! It was a very successful and tremendously fun event. The "Icing on the Cake" for the weekend was our very own member JoAnn Stevens was awarded "Member of the Year" by the Texas Chapter of Women's Council of Realtors.  She was so surprised when her husband, daughter, son-in-law and grandaughter were standing in the ballroom!  It was an exciting and very emotional moment.  We are so proud of you JoAnn!!

Our March luncheon meeting was a much anticipated visit from a national company called "Business Success Training", Chuck Douglas a business strategy trainer brought a riveting presentation to us at our luncheon meeting.

We have so many things coming up in April - You won't want to miss a thing! Coming up on April 4th is our always exciting "It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere", it will be at the Redneck Country Club!! And on April 10th our second Annual Vendor Fair will be at Sweetwater C.C. and it is guaranteed to be packed with information and goodies again! We look forward to seeing you at all our upcoming events next quarter.  Watch your whoozin invites and our Facebook page for all upcoming events!

2013 - 4th Quarter Newsletter, A Note from the President

As the final day of my Presidency winds down here on New Year's Eve of 2013, I can hardly believe how time has flown by!  It seems as if it were just yesterday that I was gearing up for the year.... scared to death I might add!  I'm happy to say that as a group, we once again made it thru as a group and are ending the year with more members than we started!

The past three month's have been busy as ever for us.  In October we learned about the many benefits of RPR (REALTORS Property Resource).  If you missed out on this meeting, please take a moment to go to www.NARRPR.com.  You'll be blown away by the resources offered to you on this site and best of all, access is paid for by your NAR dues!

November started with a bang as JoAnn, Joan, Angela, Theresa and I headed to San Francisco for the National Meeting.  We spent our time in the City By The Bay busy in committee meetings, learning labs and taking the opportunity to explore amazing San Fransisco.  For me, it was a bit of a trip home as I lived there for nearly 10 years.  We were able to attend the Installation Ceremony for our 2014 National President, Jo Kenney and it was a wonderful evening!

Upon our return to Houston, we hosted out Member Awards luncheon where we recognized our outstanding members.  I'm proud to announce the following winners:
Member of the Year:  Lane Pearson
Entrepreneur of the Year:  Suzette Peoples
Affiliate of the Year:  Chris Lesak
I can't express how honored I am to have these 3 people as members of the Fort Bend Chapter.  They exemplify the true meaning of a member that is living by our Mission Statement!  Please take a moment to congratulate them on their achievement next time you see them!

Then... there it was!  The 2014 Installation Luncheon...!  The day I too, take on the most honored role in WCR... that of a PPP (Precious Past President)!  Theresa's theme for 2014 is "Teamwork" and what a team she has in place.  Of course, Theresa will be our President, followed by Christina Daw as President Elect, Angela Johnson as VP of Membership, Julia Hardy as Treasurer and Wendy Mottern as Secretary.  I fell confident that this group will continue to lead our Chapter towards success in the year to come!  In addition to installing our new line, we took a moment to thank our Strategic Partners for 2013.  It is because of these Partners that we are able to hold these meetings on a monthly basis for the benefit of our members and we are ever so appreciative of them!

But wait!  That wasn't all for December!  This year, as years in the past, we were able to present a check to our Charity of Choice, the Fort Bend Couny Woe's Cebter,  This year, we were able to award them $2,800 thanks to the hard work of those that participated in our Celebrity Waiter Event in September!  They were blown away and ever so thankful!

I am honored and humbled by the trust you have placed in me to lead this past year, and please know that I have taken much in terms of experience and knowledge from this wonderful group of people over the past year.  Thank you for the opportunity!