What a GREAT DAY for an Easter Egg Hunt!

Thank you SUNSHINE! Last Saturday I hosted my 12^th Annual Easter Egg Hunts. Over 24 families came to my 11am egg hunt at Reedville Creek Park in Hillsboro, and over 14 families came to my 2 pm egg hunt at Cooper Mountain Elementary School in Beaverton. 

The beautifully sunny day made this year's egg hunts a lot less muddy, a little more crowded, and a lot more fun! Even the Easter Bunny came to celebrate and take photos with the children. (Thank you to the loving and gentle Easter Bunny for helping out and giving lots of hugs that day). 

Reedville Creek Park

I had a blast, as usual, talking to the parents and entertaining the kids with relay races and raffling off prizes and Easter Baskets. This year, the baskets were donated by Travis Neliton of Mortgage Express, Mary Labs of Academy Mortgage, Jim Merritt of Big Jim’s Home Repair and Brad Martin of Martin Glass.

I also took the opportunity to get the word out about the upcoming volunteer opportunity: RED DAY (on Thursday, May 12th). Click here to learn more

I started the Annual Egg Hunt 12 years ago to provide an enjoyable and safe place for children. We have grown from filling 300 plastic eggs to filling 1,500 (not to mention re-filling some between egg hunts). It gives me so much pleasure to meet past clients and their families and to mingle and play with the kids. Those who know me will attest to the fact that I LOVE children. The egg hunt gives me an opportunity to be around them….LOTS of them.

Cooper Mountain Elementary School

For those who have attended in the past, thank you. For those who have not, I hope that you would consider coming. I will continue this event no matter what the weather. So bring your friends and neighbors and enjoy an hour with me!

P.S. Special THANK YOU to Travis, his wife Charity and their daughter Carmen for helping me with the set-up, as well as my daughter Jennifer, her husband Chris, my son Danzel, and everyone else who helped fill the eggs with candy this year.

I'm a FIVE STAR Real Estate Agent for 2011 - THANK YOU!

I’m proud to tell you that because of your feedback I’ve been named as a FIVE STAR  Real Estate Agent for Overall Satisfaction! Recent homebuyers were asked to evaluate Real Estate Agents whom they have recently worked with and rate them based upon nine criteria:

• Customer Service
• Integrity
• Market Knowledge
• Communication
• Negotiation
• Closing Preparation
• Finds the right home
• Marketing of the home
• OVERALL SATISFACTION

CLICK HERE to read a copy of the article as seen in the April issue of Portland Monthly magazine.

My little KW mascot

My dad was recently visiting us from the Philippines, and as usual, we had Family Portraits Day! We set up the "studio" in my living room and had my son's dog, Pangit (meaning "Ugly" in Tagalog, the Philippine language), pose as the test subject. Here he is as the handsome Keller Williams mascot!

TIME-TRAVELING SONGS

I remember as a very young child watching an old movie about a woman who went through events in her life. In every chapter of the film a song from the woman’s record player would bring her back to those events, both good and bad.

Thinking back to this movie is a strange thing for me. To this day, I also find myself brought back to my past when I hear certain songs. The emotions, the smells, and the surroundings come alive all over again as if I traveled through a time machine—at least for the short 3–5 minutes while the song is playing. For instance, I listened to a lot of Vivaldi and Mozart as I rocked my babies—the music brings back warmth to my soul.

I have told my family if I ever get amnesia, or lose my memory like my paternal grandmother did to Dementia, they should play those songs for me because I know that I will find a way to "come back" to them.

Songs are wonderful. They speak for us when we can't seem to find the words to express our feelings. Songs encourage us, give us hope, and so much more. Below are a few of my time-traveling songs:

Somewhere My Love (at 6-7 yrs old, my maternal grandmother would always stand behind me and hum the tune as I played the piano for her)

Four Seasons by Vivaldi (quiet afternoon rocking my baby)

What a Wonderful World by Louie Armstrong

Will You Still Love Me  by Chicago

Wind Beneath my Wings by Bette Midler (played this song a lot when we moved from San Diego to Oregon

Let It Be by the Beatles

Ain't No Mountain High Enough by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell

No Matter What, I'm Gonna Love You by Kerrie Roberts

Stranger on the Shore by Kenny G

And my newest addition, A song (prayer) of hope and trust:
Jesus, Take the Wheel by Carrie Underwood

What are the songs that take you back to a certain time, memory, or feeling?

Kickin' Up My Heels at Red Bash!

I recently returned from the Keller Williams Realty Family Reunion—and I had a blast! At this year’s convention I was one of two Realtors selected to represent the Northwest Region as the 2011 Keller Williams Cultural Ambassador.

As Cultural Ambassador, I was asked to write about what the Culture is like in the company and how that has impacted my life. Read “My story for the 2011 KW Cultural Summit”.

It was a humbling experience to be amongst 57 other cultural ambassadors from the United States and Canada. I was amazed to hear their stories, how it has changed them and what they are doing to spread the culture.

 For 4 ½ days I attended classes to further my knowledge and skills in Real Estate—something I take very seriously so that I can continue to provide my clients with the best knowledge and service above and beyond what you expect from me.

One of the events at Family Reunion is an evening that showcases some of the talents in the company. This event is called Red Bash. This year I was privileged to represent Keller Williams Realty Sunset Corridor. I danced a salsa routine with my niece’s husband, Dr. Leland Ferguson. Watch us dance!



And don't forget to mark your calendars for several events coming up:

Saturday, April 23 — Annual Easter Egg Hunt (Reedville Park at 11 am and Cooper Mtn Elementary at 2 pm)

Saturday, April 30 — On-Site Shred-It Truck (Keller Williams Realty Sunset Corridor, 1915 NW Amberglen Pkwy, Beaverton 97006)

Saturday, May 7 — Annual ¡Fiesta! (Adults and teens only, please. RSVP by May 2nd).

Defining "Dhomeagent"

Dhomeagent (Dee-Home-Agent)
- origin
The home agent; "d" is slang for "the", producing a roll-off-the-tongue nickname and trademark "d-home-agent"

- proper noun
1. Elizabeth Ramos

- noun
1. The one and only home agent for all your Real Estate needs
2. The best in quality customer service since 1993
3. Your neighborhood specialist
3. Multi-million dollar producer
4. 2011 Keller Williams Cultural Ambassador
5. Your Realtor and life-long friend

"Send your referrals to dhomeagent!"
-idiom
An expression meaning:
1. refer someone you know to dhomeagent; 
    call Elizabeth with their contact info
2. have unwavering confidence that Elizabeth 
    will take care of whomever you refer

-history
When I first began Real Estate in 1993 I was putting all my energy into marketing my listings. Being a new agent wasn't easy and I soon realized that in order to keep getting listings, I needed to market myself as well.

My husband and I began brainstorming... Dan came up with the cleverly simple and straightforward name "Dhomeagent" as in "THE one and only ("dee") - home -agent." Since 1994 I have used this for my e-mail address. Shortly thereafter, for my Web site, and this year for my blog.

Most of my current business comes from referrals, but I continue to market myself as "DHOMEAGENT". It has become my trademark and a part of my identity as a Realtor, plus it is a familiar name to all my past clients, family, and friends.

Goals and Mindset

My mother is a very smart and determined lady. Growing up, my siblings
and I always knew one thing about our mother—when she set herself to
accomplish something, she will accomplish it! There was never any
question. She would make her plans known and stay focused until it was
completed. Nothing was impossible to her. She just acted as if she had
already achieved the goal, and this made the impossible possible.

I am so privileged to have witnessed this and it has done wonders for
my life. Instead of having New Year's resolutions, I have goals. I set
my goals, make them known, and then go through the process of staying
focused until I've accomplished them. Looking back, I remember some of
the bigger goals that I've set.

1997 - I wanted to buy a baby grand for my daughter as a Christmas
gift. Eliza was only 9 years old, playing wonderful music, and her
piano teacher said she would soar even more if she had a good piano at
home where she could practice. I worked really hard to earn enough to
buy the piano and with my husband's help, we had the baby grand
delivered one ordinary day in August. I still remember Eliza’s face
when she saw what was being delivered, then she sat at the piano and
played for almost two hours.

2000 - I had not seen my paternal grandmother for decades and when I
heard that she was beginning to lose her memory, I set the goal to
have enough money to have my husband and kids meet her. She lived in
Australia—that would take a lot of funds. I wore a kangaroo pin
everyday to remind me of my goal. By that summer I had enough to buy
the plane tickets and had a wonderful month with her. She passed away
two years later.

2006 - With my four children all grown, it was a perfect time for them
to see the Philippines—the country where my husband and I grew up. All
the kids had their busy school and sports activities, so I knew this
was going to be a huge challenge to get them all together for a summer
vacation. I told them early in the year that the goal was to go to the
Philippines that summer. They didn't think it would be possible, yet
they also understood that with the goal set in place, there was a
great possibility they would be packing their bags for the tropics. We
spent the whole month of August traveling throughout my homeland—the
experience was priceless.

I could go on and on about goals and why you should set them. But
basically, it works! Take the time to put one together.

• Write down your goal in a place where you can see it every day. 
• Tell people about your goal. 
• Set a deadline on when you plan to achieve it. 
• Then stay focused, keep a positive mindset, and don't let anything take you off course.

You will be amazed by how your mind will train your body to do
what needs to be done. Like the line in the song "Believe" from the
Polar Express says... "Believe in what you feel inside and give your
dreams the wings to fly. You have everything you need if you just
believe."