Sheila Moran ~Broker Bits~: July 2009

New Braunfels, TX Real Estate - The Heights of Oak Run - close to Schlitterbahn & Float the river!  

On the North West side of town right off Hwy 46 and Loop 337 you will find the glorious neighborhood of The Heights of Oak Run.  Minutes from Randolph AFB, Guadalupe River, Schlitterbahn, Gruene Hall. 

 

 

 

 

 

This neighborhood is a mix of homes that age anywhere from 14 years to brand new!   The Heights of Oak Run boasts of the newest homes built in the back end of the neighborhood.   The Sunset from the back end of the subdivision is absoutely beautiful!

 

The Heights of Oak Run is a conveniently located near 35 North, Loop 337 and right off of Hwy 46 that runs from Seguin through New Braunfels all the way to Boerne.

 

The Heights of Oak Run is in the New Braunfels School District and has a bi-yearly HOA of $220.

 

Amenities galore is what The Heights of Oak Run boasts.  Amenities including a pool, tennis courts and even a basketball court.

The homes are grand, the location is close to everything you could need & the amenities are abundant. 

Could you possibly even think of a better place to live than The Heights of Oak Run? 

 

 

 

 

Sheila Moran

Specializing in San Antonio & New Braunfels, Texas
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RE/MAX Access - Broker/Owner

SheilaMoran@Remax.net 210.325-6962 www.SistersThatSell.com

Buy a home from me, use the truck to move for free 

 

I just listed this darling house out by San Marcos, Texas the official home of Texas State University. It sits nicely on 2.95 acres and boats of an extra garage + barn. Perfect for that "country feeling" but still close to the city.

Not sure if you missed the first part of this story?  

If so, you can catch up here A tale of 3 women ~ and breast cancer    

After 39 days of agony, I got the phone call late today.   My breast surgeon telling me that the lump that I have been fretting about IS NOT CANCEROUS.  It will however, need to be removed.  The removal part I can handle.   

The cancerous possibility was getting harder and harder to ignore, pushed to the back of my mind, thinking positive, kiss or hug my little boys without breaking a tear of could of been, should've been, would've been.  

So, What do I do now?  I'm a changed woman.  I tell you my first post was about 3 woman living our lives until one by one we encounter a possibility of something cancerous. 

Woman #1 has it and the decisions that go with that outcome.  Woman #2 will have her lump removed.  Mine, in time will be removed also.  

I'll tell you what I'm going to do:  At the Komen Race for the Cure, I will again this year, walk (hell, maybe run!) for my friends as well as my "sisters" that have fought this fight many times before me and I will do so not thinking that "it can't touch me, it doesn't run in my family or I'm not a high risk"...never AGAIN will I have those thoughts.    

39 DAYS of pondering, guessing, praying and praying some more will make me remind everyone again and again "go get your annual", don't think that it can't happen to you.      

 

p.s. Thanks for all of the prayers :)

 

 

 

Breaking my habits, one by one, Week 5    

Week 1,  check it out here

Week 2   And part 2 is here    

Week 3- check it out here  

Week 4- and again           

The assignment this week is Together Everyone Achieves More

 

I had a hard time with this lesson.   First off, I didn't make time in my calendar to work on the assignment (um, thought I learned this in Lesson 1?)   Oh, come on.  Changing habits doesn't come easy and they don't change themselves....it is a work in progress.   Excuse or not excuse, it's what happened.

But, I did feel that I did have a "win" with my scheduler.  I'm noticing that I'm reaching for it quite a bit more, I'm relying on it, that I won't leave the office without it (like I did the first week!) and that I am actually releasing all of the little tasks in my mind ONTO PAPER which is actually reminding me that yes, there is something required of me at that moment.   I must stay in my HIGH PAYOFF ACTIVITIES.  I have finished more projects and have been more focused.

So, when I actually took the time to sit down and look at the assignment I was really noticing that it strikes home.  Team Work.  Simple? Right. 

Wrong. Putting the right team in place is crucial, fine tuning it, playing to strengths, empowering members...it's a lot of work.  But, it's such a wonderful thing when you know that you have an awesome group of people that you work with.  That each person is committed, enthused, energized and looking forward to the next step in this process.   The reading from the book Improving Performance and Results by Rex C. Houze talks about what actually destroy teams.  I was reflecting back on all of the offices that I have worked in and noticed that each one of them has its own "climate"...either good, in between or bad.  The in between is stuck between either not knowing what needs to change or simply not caring about it.  The bad...well, we all have those memories!

But, when it's good it's awesome! 

My coach, Dane Bauerle discussed in class what exactly you need to do to increase the accountability of your team.  Assessing the following: 

Determining what tasks need to be accomplished, who is responsible for them, what the deadline is, and what needs to change in order for the task to be accomplished.  One thing that I caught on was that it mentions everyone needs to be working in harmony with their strengths.  It's so important.  I can't tell you how many times over the years that I would try and try again to do a task and still be unhappy with my results.  I remember the first real time that I delegated this project to someone that I knew had the skills to do so much better than I.  Guess what?  The project was so far superior to anything that I had produced that it was done in half the time!   Again, this is a "letting go" aspect that I am still working on.

Dane reiterated in class that it's so important that your team have the following:

Cooperation, Accountability, Communication & Feedback, Synergy, Relationships, Respect and Positive Energy to be successful.

Think about this for a second.  That's a great number of things that have to come together to make a winning team.  If one thing is out of balance, all of the juggled balls will fall to the floor.  How many times have we experienced this?  It's like all of the little pieces that go together to make a piece of machinery work smoothly....or not.

As a Team Leader we need to focus on each team players strength, have a vision and purpose that they also believe in, hold productive meetings, accept diversity, and energize your teammates.  We also need to learn to not only to be the leader but, be a good player as well.

Most importantly is to encourage and offer feedback.  This way everyone learns.

This lesson reminds me that I probably need to work on building those relationships in my office that are important to me as well as my company.   

What will you work on this week?

 

A tale of 3 women ~ and breast cancer          

Woman #1 is faith filled.  She radiates it all the time.  She is generous, gracious and has a big heart.  She has fought and beaten breast cancer, once before, over 7 years ago.  She lost her hair, her stamina, but not once did she stop believing and working towards making herself stronger, spiritually and physically.  She is the kind of woman that will do for anyone else in a heart beat.  

Woman #2 is smart.  She educated, savvy, sharp.  She's generous, strong, fun loving, always in the "know".  She is a trusted confidant and always pitches in regardless of the circumstances.  She has had fibroadeonma and/or cysts many times in the past and has had them surgically removed.  Did I mention that she also has a sense of humor?  She recently called herself a "fibroadenoma farm". 

Woman #3 is me.  I know nothing about breast cancer.  I have always walked "silently" at the Komen Race for my friend #1 and all of the nameless woman that have fought the battle and won and those that have lost.  I always thought about it as "walking for my sisters", no matter who "they" were.         

The last 4 weeks all of us have had something eerily in common.  Doctor's appointments, mammograms done, ultrasound reports studied.  And then we all waited.  I think the worst part is the wait.  Nothing you can do to change it now.  It is what is it...but when will you know WHAT IS IT? 

 

 

photo courtesy of flickr

Will the news make you jump for joy or cry in anguish?    

Woman #1 found out that yes, her breast cancer has returned.  What will happen from here is uncertain.  She has endless Doctor's appointments to decide what road to take, how it will be done and how will it be handled this time.  She's a veteran at this.   

Woman #2 found out that she definitely has a "mass" of some sort and has surgery already scheduled.  The Doctor's don't believe it's cancerous, but non the less it will need to be removed.  She's been through this before also.  She knows the drill, knows what questions to ask, knows what her outcome will be.  

and then there is me.   Waiting, waiting.  

After putting off my annual exams for a few years with my Doctor because "I never made the time".   One Doctor appointment let to another and then the story started unfolding...faster than I was ready for.  Today I met with the surgeon, she's trying to determine exactly what my lump is and will is be necessary to remove?  I'll know if it's cancerous and how this story, the wait of 4 weeks, will end on Monday.  So, I will be patient again.  Pushing it out of my mind and forcing a smile.    

I ask you that if you haven't made that annual appointment, don't delay another second.  Don't think that it can't happen to you, like I did.  Here are examples of three women living their lives until the last 4 weeks.  Pick up that phone and do something about it.  If you think your too busy, your not.   Not too busy for you and your family's future.  Nothing else is more important than that, right?

What is easy to do, is also easy not to do.  Jim Rohn

14925 Stuart Road ~ San Antonio, Texas ~ A True Horse Lover's Property!

 

 

 

                                              

I sure hope you enjoyed viewing all of the great amenities that: 14925 Stuart Road ~ San Antonio, Texas ~ A True Horse Lover's Property! has to offer!

Breaking my habits, one by one, Week 4    

Week 1,  check it out here

Week 2   And part 2 is here      

Week 3- check it out here
 

So, what does Week 4 bring?  

A review.  

My coach, Dane Bauerle from The Dynamic Leader talked about us reviewing the first 3 weeks.  Okay...I thought.  I got this down.  A Breeze.  And the actual assignment was to go through Lessons 1, 2 and 3 and re-read the book and listen to the CD and pick out 1 concept from each lesson and be prepared to discuss in class 1.  how I used it  and 2. did it work?  

I actually needed a refresher.  I was so busy still trying to get this goofy new "organizer/scheduler/to-do/priority" book down pat.  I was still struggling with it.  Leaving it in the car, leaving it ON the car, in the trunk, I wasn't comfortable tucking it under my arm at a meeting, etc.   But I was determined (well, I had to be, I tucked away my old one out of reach...on purpose!)  So, I was still struggling with my own "book" demons.  Why?  Because for years I have had the SAME kind of book, done the same thing, organized the same way (or unorganized if you ask my staff!). 

 

How stupid is that a little book could cause me so much drama?  It was so simple, simple to the point that if it had been any more basic then I think my dog could have pointed it out to me (she's very smart).  I WAS STUCK IN MY "OWN" LITTLE ROUTINE.   And I was struggling to break it.  To break that habit that I had grown to love so much.  

It's hard.  I'm not making light of it, but looking at yourself in the mirror and KNOWING what you need to do to change, but alas not taking that unbeaten path.  That's hard to muster up the right attitude and change it.  

But, as Dane says, "If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten"....and he's right.    

Lesson 1- What I got from it was Prior Planning Promotes Professional Performance (I dare you to say that 5 times in a row, really fast)...oh, sorry, I'm getting carried away here. I used this in week 1 by realizing that I was not preparing myself for success.  I set some goals that week and FAILED to prepare myself with all of the tools that I was going to need.  So, I backtracked and acknowledged that I needed to step back for a little bit, get organized before I could just jump in.  IT ACTUALLY WORKED!  

Lesson 2-This lesson was also stretching it.  Attitude.  As Rex C. House mentions in his book Improving Performance and Results, What happens to you isn't nearly important as your REACTION to what happens to you.  This is especially true when we are dealing with volatile housing markets, mortgage loans, inspections, lay-offs and all of the DRAMA that goes on in between.  It's gonna happen, but we control how we handle it.  

Lesson 3-THE BIGGEST LESSON OF ALL (for me).  Identifying and staying in HPA's or HIGH PAYOFF ACTIVITIES.  Now, I know what I need to do at the office, but I also realize that I can get distracted and off track.  Between (yes the dreaded book) and my ability to be daily organizing my HPA's I now can actually TRACK that I have been more productive this past week, stayed on track, learned what was wasting my time and continuing to focus on what my big picture is.  There is nothing more than you can ask for in business then that.  

This next week's assignment is Together Everyone Achieves More.....let's see what THAT stirs up!      

Twitter is scaring the pants off of Facebook.  

Someone on my Facebook page posted a link to this article (isn't that where all good things come?). 

It's written by Juan Carlos Perez of IDG News Service and published by PC World.   It's pretty interesting to read.  For the full article, click here.  

Basically Facebook is noting how huge twitter has grown with users being able to make updates or tweats in real time.  Facebook's problem that is that because of their privacy settings not all of the information is able to be shared.  So, they are making some huge changes in their privacy options.  Basically the options are all over the board and it's causes confusion.  These settings will be on one page easily accessible.  

They are also working on allowing members to be able to share to EVERYONE.  This will mean not only people that are FACEBOOK members, but to the general Internet public as well.  How much will be shared?  That is yet to be determined.  

It's obvious that they are making huge strives to counter act the huge fan base of Twitter.   

I love it!  Nothing like a little healthy competition to make things better.  

 

We have been serving the real estate needs of San Antonio, New Braunfels, Schertz, Cibolo since 1987!  For a proven results oriented team call 210-325-6962.   Sheila Moran, Broker/Owner of RE/MAX Access. 

 

Buy or sell a house with me, use the truck to move for free !  www.SistersThatSell.com
 

   

When opportunity meets purpose.  RE/MAX ACCESS in Garden Ridge, Texas ~ Has Arrrived  

Many months ago when Kristin Moran and I opened our own RE/MAX ACCESS office in Garden Ridge, Texas we noticed (as others did) that unfortunately advertisers were no longer advertising.  You saw it everywhere, blank billboards, print ads were smaller or not as frequent and with that online grew even more.  We saw that as an opportunity.  Yes, an opportunity for us.  

We had been watching these billboards down our street on FM 2252 and all of a sudden they were blank.  What happened to the advertisers I thought?  They had pulled out.  I noticed phone numbers advertising for the billboard space, but in the back of my mind I kept thinking "where is the budget for that?"  Although I knew that it would be a great opportunity to promote our office location, agents and website.

A couple of weeks went by and I received a friendly call from a gal that actually owned the billboards.   I have never been known to "beat around the bush" and my first words out of my mouth were, "thanks for calling, but I know it's out of my budget".  After chatting with her and Kristin we decided that this was an opportunity for our office to help get our name out there and continue with the RE/MAX branding...So, guess what went up today?

You got it:    

Our new baby....Don't you just think that it's beautiful?  I do.

Want to view the billboard in person?  It's at the Valero gas station at Goll Street and FM 2252.  Then stop by the office (1 mi) north for a cup of coffee (or in this heat, a cold drink of water!)

We have been serving the real estate needs of Garden Ridge, San Antonio, New Braunfels, Schertz, Cibolo since 1987!  For a proven results oriented team call 210-325-6962.   Sheila Moran, Broker/Owner of RE/MAX Access. 

Buy or sell a house with me, use the truck to move for free !  www.SistersThatSell.com