Real estate: it’s all about building community

Selling real estate means that I focus a lot on knowing about the city I live in, the local neighborhoods, events, and businesses, besides keeping up on all the latest real estate prices, rules and regulations, technology, and yes, even social media.

It’s a plateful.

One of the unique aspects of real estate is that agents are competing for the same business, while collaborating on the actual transaction. 

We compete, and then we work together. All for the success of our clients.

And to stay competitive, real estate agents are in a continual learning mode.  Conferences. Classes. Coaches.

One of the most fulfilling real estate learning events that I’ve participated in is called a Bar Camp.  It’s really an un-conference.  Free.  Interested people show up, and then decide what they’re going to talk about that day.  It’s really fascinating to see the organic nature of the free form process as the day unfolds.

I attended my first Bar Camp in San Francisco four years ago, and it made a huge and lasting impression on me.

Participants share.  Listen. Learn. And create new, and lasting relationships.

Yesterday, was the 4th annual Phoenix Real Estate Bar Camp.  The 4th year it’s been held at the Scottsdale Stadium (spring training home to the San Francisco Giants).  The 4th year that the fundamentally same group of organizers have been involved.

This year the number of participants was smaller, than the close to 400 we’ve had attending in the past. More focused. And most agents stayed all day, creating an intimate, collaborative, learning environment.  Topics included short sales, on-line marketing, video, social media, and much, much more.

It was a fabulous day that ended up with some socializing at the Salty Senorita, just down the street in downtown Scottsdale.

Several years ago, I wrote the following note to myself at a social networking event.

"It’s all about building community"

True for anyone who is involved in business today. 

On-line.

In-person.

It’s the connections that we build and maintain that create our partners, our businesses, our communities, and our cities.

As a person, and as a Realtor, I take this thought to heart. It’s the basis on my business. Many of my colleagues agree, too. And, as a result, our clients benefit greatly.

So, I’d like to share a few photos of the day, so you can get a feel for the community that was built and enhanced during the 4th Phoenix Real Estate Bar Camp.

Old friends reconnecting.

Scheduling the day on the fly.

Rapt attention for one of the more technical discussions.

A quick on-the-fly after-session.

The day always ends at the bar (“Bar Camp”)!

The organizers.

More photos  from the 4th annual Phoenix Real Estate Bar Camp – from my Facebook Photo Album

Feel free to Friend me on Facebook, or slip on over to my At Home in Scottsdale real estate page and Like me, so you stay up-to-date on the latest local real estate information.