Decisions, Decisions....

Decisions, decisions... I am terrible when it comes to making decisions and this time is no exception to that... 

As a member of the Scholarship Committee I have spent many nights reading and re-reading the essays, applications and letters of recommendation for these high school seniors that have applied.(The ones I was given to read and take care of that is.... ) 

I have asked myself over and over "What does it take and mean to be a well rounded student and person?" Well, I do like to think of myself as being well rounded and as a student I went to a tiny 2A high school that I excelled at and loved! That little school has come a long way since I graduated as far as programs they now offer to have their students more ready for college and certification programs that are offered now that I definitely would have taken advantage of if they had them when I was in school but instead I took some AP courses and took certification courses once I graduated high school which led me to the medical field...strange how things change huh... after many years in the medical field I decided to stay at home with our son, Connor, and then I began my real estate career, which has been the best decision ever. The people I have met, my co-workers that are like family to me, new friends I have made, and the knowledge I have gained has made this career an amazing choice for me. I love meeting people, talking and helping others in any way possible. 

So, as I am reading all of these applications for Scholarships how will I ever decide on who my top picks are to present to the rest of my committee members? They are all so good and well deserving! I want to just be able to say YES to them all but I know it just doesn't work that way.
So, yall help me out.... if you were in my shoes tell me some qualities YOU would look for in the well rounded high schooler that would put them above all others and make them your pick!!

Now, off  to read some more applications but please do comment and give me your input (share with friends for more input as well if you would like) The more opinions and comments the better....Thank you all!! 

-Hope Knepper, Realtor ®

Real Estate Life

When it comes to being a Realtor I know a lot of people think it is just a glamorous job where you go around dressed up in heels and showing fancy houses and you make a lot of money with very little work. I wish it were that simple haha... honestly, we put in a lot of hours 7 days a week and we only make money if we sell a home/property. So, most of the time we work for free pulling listings, showing homes, driving to and from properties, phone calls, answering questions, etc.. and sometimes that client (family members even) that you have spent so much time with you may never make any money because they use you to see homes and get info then they contact the listing agent or another agent and put in an offer (sometimes not knowing of how real estate works) and once they have done that then you are out of the deal. Yep, it has happened to me...more than once... and it will happen again I'm positive!! Hey, its life.. it stinks at the time that you lost money but it is not the end of the world and tomorrow is a new day, put on a smile, move on and try to brighten someone elses day!

My inspiration to become a Realtor came from a beautiful woman whom I loved very much, my Husband's Grandmother, Nana was an amazing Realtor (and person--anyone that knew her loved everything about her) and she always told me that I needed to go to school and get my license to become a Realtor. She knew how much of a people person I was and how I would do anything to help others in any way so she always said "you will do great being a Real Estate Agent" after Nana passed away I knew exactly what I was going to do and I did it and could not be more blessed! I immediately started at Platinum Properties and knew it was the perfect fit, we are like a big family here and I am constantly learning new things, growing and bettering myself! I miss Nana every single day but I know she is here with me....she loved Real Estate and so do I!!!

Nana with Connor when he was a baby! She LOVED this boy more than anything!

Now, for Connor's funny conversation from last night... we are eating at Corner Bakery and Connor tells us " we are gonna milk a cow at school tomorrow"

we all look around and I am like What?! Milk a cow? Who's bringing a cow? 

Connor: a dairy man is bringing it....you milk the cow by squeezing its bottom (he was being so serious when he said this too and then just keeps eating his food)...

We all died laughing and my mom said No, its not their bottom have you not seen the shows on TV with cows?! He then says "yeah, i know it is their privates you squeeze".... we just laughed and told him he needed to finish eating... hopefully if they are really learning about that at school today he figures out more than he knows now...LOL!!!

Introducing the Realtor Mommy.... Welcome!

Ever wonder what a day in the Life of a Realtor is like... and a Mom... well I am here to tell you all about it... never a dull moment that's for sure!

To introduce myself to all of my readers if you didn't know already my name is Hope Knepper and I am a Realtor for Platinum Properties Real Estate located in the beautiful Longview, TX (everything is bigger and better in Texas, ya know) and I am a Mom to an adorable little boy named Connor. He is 6 years old and finishing up Kindergarten-- that has been an experience and a challenge for us to say the least-- I will touch more on that subject at a later time but boy do I have some stories... anyone that has ever met Connor knows he is the "class clown" or center of attention all the time and will have you laughing constantly but he is a handful and he knows it...

Awww... isn't he cute!! Ok, that is enough of that his head is big enough already LOL!!
I decided to start this blog as a way to get to know me as a Realtor and to open up about a day in our life.. there will be some funny stories told here, some tips for buyers and sellers, market trends, and much more so tune in.... feel free to ask me any questions you have that you may want answered and I would be happy to do that!
Off to check out what is going on in the market and try to find some houses for some buyers. Have a wonderful Monday!! Below is my Facebook page to see more including listings etc...
https://www.facebook.com/Hope-Knepper-Realtor-Platinum-Properties-Real-Estate-886997464740649/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel
~Hope Knepper, Realtor ®