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The Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® Los Gatos-Saratoga District got off to a good start for the new year with over 100 members in attendance at Wednesday’s meeting. An upbeat District Chair Jim Hamilton told members 2019 “will be what you make it.”
The first meeting featured a top producer panel with Carol Jeans (Sereno Group), Michael Nevis (Alain Pinel Realtors), Mary Clark (Intero Real Estate Services), Chuck Nunnally (Keller Williams Bay Area Estates) and Audrey Hutton (Hutton Mortgage Group).
The panelists, all experienced in the business, are doers and work hard. Nevis said “the knowledge that this is my business” is what motivates him each day. Nunnally stressed real estate takes hard work and like a hunt, he is constantly searching for business.
Asked their thoughts on forming teams, Nunnally, Jeans and Clark prefer to be independent, while Hutton believes teams are important to grow your business. Her team is comprised of five people who each have roles in the business. Nevis also has a team and finds it serves as a good sounding board. He did note you have to really get to know the person before forming a team.
The top producers stressed the importance of referrals. Referrals only happen through relationships and maintaining then, said Nevis. He likes to invite clients to his home for dinner, to meet his family and get a glimpse of his lifestyle.
“This way things are more real, more personal than talking about average price and days on market,” said Nevis.
Hutton likes to wow her clients, pleasantly surprising them with candy and the like. She holds parties and education classes for past clients.
The REALTORS® stressed the need to get to know clients at an intimate level and connect frequently. Jeans likes to write her past clients, while Clark likes to stop by their home twice a year to connect. She also holds annual client appreciation parties or invites them to events, like a Giants game.
“Keep in touch with past clients and show them your care,” said Nunnally. “This is a people business.”
The REALTORS® said the 2019 housing market may not be as fast and furious as in the past, but they don’t believe it will crash and burn either. Nunnally advises agents to attend seminars, get educated about the market, and spend money. You need to spend money in order to make money in real estate, he said.
Jeans encourages agents to learn as much as they can, work with discipline, build relationships and “remain who you are in the business.” She believes there will always be a demand for homes in the region.
Nevis encourages agents to team up with someone with experience and “find your cheerleaders,” while Hutton advises agents to be specific, have a purpose, and share their goals with their clients.
“This year will be awesome. There is opportunity in any market,” said Clark.

In Los Gatos, Jim Hamilton, who served as auctioneer, reminded members the money raised will go to needy children for presents during the holidays.
The month of October ushers in holiday festivities, beginning with Halloween. It is also the time when members of the Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® (SILVAR) help make sure the holidays are brighter for families in the communities where they work and live.
This week SILVAR’s Los Gatos-Saratoga District topped last year’s proceeds at its annual Pumpkin Auction, raising $7,000 for the Family Giving Tree for Operation Reindeer. California Association of REALTORS® 2005 President and District Chair-elect Jim Hamilton was able to encourage members to be generous this year and think of the children.
“Open your wallets, open your hearts. It’s for the kids,” said Hamilton.
Operation Reindeer, now coordinated by the Family Giving Tree, is a program that distributes gifts, including food certificates, to needy families and seniors in the community during the holiday season. REALTORS® and affiliates of the Los Gatos-Saratoga District have supported the program for more than 20 years.
Toward the end of the auction, Jim Myrick shared his own experience of being grateful as a child for receiving presents through the program. After sharing his story, Myrick invited members to stand up and pledge $10 each and followed with a “Heads or Tails” fundraising game. The generous contributions from members and the pledge of brokers Brian Crane with Intero Real Estate Services, Doug Evans with Coldwell Banker and Mark von Kaenel with Keller Williams Bay Area Estates to double members’ pledges brought the auction to the $7,000 amount.
READ MORE AND SEE PHOTOS HERE

Here Greg Boudreau, who served as auctioneer in Los Altos, enticed members to bid by mentioning the prize the next auction item offered.
In Los Altos last Friday, SILVAR’s Los Altos-Mountain View District’s 6th Annual Pumpkin Auction did not disappoint members either. The event was festive with some members dressed in costumes and many auction items donated by local companies and individuals. The crowd was engaged and did not hesitate to raise their paddles when egged on by auctioneer and District Chair-elect Greg Boudreau. The District raised $5,500 for the Silicon Valley REALTORS® Charitable Foundation, thanks to the generous donors and bidders, including members who donated to the Charitable Foundation without expecting an auction item in return.
The auction items included a wine and dine basket, children’s fun basket, teal hand-blown pumpkin, Dom Pérignon champagne, La Rochere champagne flutes, gourmet food items, Star Wars Steins Collectibles Set of Three and gourmet items, sets of Windsor Village platinum status wine with free wine tasting, an electric LED water vapor effect smoking pumpkin, and more. The top prize was a Tahoe Getaway – two-night stay at Tavern Inn condos in Squaw Valley, plus a $100 gift card for a meal at the Tahoe River Grill and lots of other goodies donated by Golden Gate Sotheby’s International Realty.
READ MORE AND SEE PHOTOS HERE
On top of these donations, at SILVAR’s Oktoberfest Happy Hour to Benefit the Silicon Valley REALTORS® Charitable Foundation, members raised $4,000, bringing to total amount of donations to $16,000 just this month! The Silicon Valley REALTORS® Charitable Foundation thanks everyone who contributed at these events and all the event organizers.
The Silicon Valley REALTORS® Charitable Foundation is a trust that makes grants available to organizations from donations by realtors and affiliate members of the Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS®. The Charitable Foundation also awards $1,000 scholarships each year to 18 graduating seniors from public high schools in Silicon Valley.