THE HISTORY OF BRIGHTON, CO - IT'S A REALLY COOL PLACE AND I HAVE A LISTING COMING SOON!

As you drive on the highway out of Denver, away from the city towards the towns surrounding, you may find yourself on US-85 heading towards a town called Brighton, Colorado. Just a hop, skip and jump away from Denver, or about a thirty minute drive, this small town has a lot of character as well as a lot of history. First established as a city back in the 1860’s, Brighton first possessed the name Hughes Station because of the Hughes Stagecoach Station that was built as well as the Boulder Valley Railroad. During that time, Hughes Station was a place for the railroad and fur traders to stop as everything was expanding west. In 1881, the City of Brighton was born, named after the birthplace of the founder Daniel Carmichael’s wife. From that point on, Brighton continued to grow and thrive as a city as it continues to do to this day.

Today I have a listing that I am working on that is located in Brighton, CO.  I am excited for this listing because I live in Brighton so it's close to my home and my heart as I am raising my family here.  

I moved to Brighton three years ago and let me tell you it was not a move I wanted to make.  When I thought of Brighton I though it was too far east, didn't have anything going on and it was just not interested.  When we started to look for a home we wanted something unique and custom, on some land and a place where we could maybe have horses and just spread out a little.  When you are a Realtor you work with people all day, you are in your car a lot and all you want to do when you come home is relax and enjoy your family and loved ones. 

My husband sent me a listing in Brighton and said we should go check out this home.  I said "no way, I am not moving to Brighton".  He asked me several times to go look at it and every time I turned it down.  He was persistent with me and then just scheduled the showing and I was kicking and screaming all the way there.  Well, that just happened to be the home we had been looking for and believe me we were looking for an entire year.   

Once we got settled in we realized that Brighton was not that far and there was actually a little downtown area that was screaming for some attention.  So I started to get to know Brighton a little better and even got involved a little with the redevelopment of the old Brighton Buddhist church.  I met with the city of Brighton and the Brighton Economic Development committee and learned that there is a lot planned for Brighton and the city is working hard to support the small business that are currently there, bring in new small businesses so that more people and families will move here and see what a great city it is.  

For my listing today I had the the photography done by @NoahBergPhotography and a drone video shoot done by@B&GCameraNautics and the video production will be done by Wade Holland @WadeHollandMedia.  I have never used a drone before as most of my listings are in an urban setting in Downtown Denver so it was a really fun experience.  

Well, you probably thought I was going to give you all the details didn't you. Nope, you will have to wait until next week when the listing and video goes live.  

Stay tuned....

Big News: I’m Joining Kentwood City Properties

It wouldn’t be a new year without some big exciting changes now would it? This past year, I have been contemplating a big move for my real estate career. I was approached by an amazing downtown Denver firm called Kentwood Properties a while back in regards to joining their team as an agent. Now I don’t know how much you know about brokerages in Denver but when it comes to the top of the board, Kentwood ranks right up there as one of the best in the city. I was beyond flattered that they asked me to be a part of their talented team but I of course had a few reservations mainly being that I never imagined I would leave the brokerage firm that I started from the ground up. My husband Jay and I started our brokerage firm as a team and have seen it grow and expand into something really wonderful and I never thought the day would come when I would be leaving. But if you ask my husband and any of my close friends, I used to say, the only way I would be leaving my own brokerage would be if Kentwood came knocking at my door and it seems the universe aligned and now, I am beyond excited to start this new journey with this incredible group.

This decision took me a whole year to make but I feel the reasons I am making this move is to better myself in all aspects of my life. I made the decision as I feel it is going to help me grow as a Realtor, businesswoman, mentor, mother and wife as it will give me more time to work on my self development, business development and will give me more time with my family as I won’t be wearing all the hats anymore and can focus on what is important in my life and business. Sometimes as a business owner I forget just how much work I actually do every day and how I take away from time that could be better spent focused on my clients new and old. With the help of Kentwood City Properties, I look forward to freeing up more of those busy-work hours so my clients and I sell their homes and buy the next house of their dreams.

Being an Realtor with Kentwood City Properties will provide me with the tools, knowledge, skills and better backend support to service my clients and business partners.  It will offer more benefits like higher quality marketing, international connections, as they are members of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World and the Luxury Portfolio Brand.  I will have enhanced customer support through a transaction, as I will have an assistant named Shea and the lovely ladies at the front desk, Gloria and Courtney who can assist my clients as well.

Jay and I will continue to work together but Jay will stay on with Modglin Real Estate Group and continue to work with investor clients, buyers and sellers. Jay will run the property management division of Modglin Real Estate Group and he will also continue to volunteer as an EMT.

I can’t wait for this new adventure and I am so excited to be able to offer my clients the best of the best, here’s to a new year and a new beginning!

Happy International Women's Day

“The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.” - Coco Chanel

 Yesterday, all over the world, we celebrate International Women’s Day, a day when women and men around the globe take time to look at the issues that still continue to surround women today. Today, women still play a huge factor in contributing to social, cultural, political and economical achievements. Yet with all of that there is still a huge gap when it comes to gender equality. Many people believe that this is only present in third-world countries and many first-world countries do not have as much gap in equality but that is far from the truth. As much progress as many first-world countries have made, there is still a long way to go and it up to us, men and women both, to continue to work towards a more equal state of living.

The theme this year for International Women’s Day is #PledgeForParity which means to pledge for equality for women in all aspects of their lives. While we have come far, we still have a lot of work to do. Last year, the United States was ranked 28th on the Global Gender Gap Index, a chart that ranks 145 economies according to how well they leverage their female talent pool, based on educational, economic, political and health-based indicators. Studies have also found that women are more likely to continue their education after receiving a bachelor’s degree but despite these gains in education, a gender gap still exists in the workplace.

As a working women who owns her own company, I know how important is it to continue to support other women in the workplace. There have been countless studies in regards to women in leadership positions in companies and how positive an impact that leadership has on the workers and the company as a whole. I think it is imperative that women and men both continue to work together to close that gender gap in the workplace and continue to fight for equality whether that is with pay or education or laws. Women bring a lot of positive energy to the workplace as well as the home; we are good listeners and caretakers. As we continue to fight for more rights, I would encourage women to keep supporting the other strong women in their lives. I know I have been lucky to meet some incredibly talented and caring career women who blow me away with their leadership skills. These are women whose morals and beliefs are present in their work from how they handle their employees to how they deal with their clients, these women use their talents to make a good workplace.

Take a moment today and appreciate those strong women in your life and feel free to check out more about International Women’s Day at their website http://www.internationalwomensday.com/

How Testimonials and Reviews are Beneficial for Your Company (Even the Bad Ones!)

Let me start by saying this, the first time you get a bad testimonial or a less-than-professional review, it does not feel good on the receiving end. You may get upset; that pit in your stomach may grow and you may sit up at night questioning why the reviewer said what they did or what the testimonial will do for you and your company. All these thoughts will race through your brain and here is where I am going to tell you to take a deep breathe and listen to me when I say; all reviews and testimonials, good or bad, are good for you and your company and I am going to tell you why.

·      The reason most customers leave a company or stop using a product isn’t because they are necessarily dissatisfied with the company as a whole or the products they supply but how they were treated by an employee, the help team, etc. Customer support and how they are treated is the main factor with customers and if they feel they were treated poorly or their situation was handled poorly, get ready to wave goodbye. Knowing this is a huge advantage to you as a business owner because those are problems you can fix. My best advice would be to listen closely to the customer (and not all customers are the easiest of people I understand that and they may feel they deserve special treatment) but overall listen to what they are saying and make changes where changes need to be made. When you are developing your team of workers, surround yourself with a team who treats people the same way you do, no matter their title or their position. Customers can come from all walks in life and you and your team have to be prepared to go out on a limb for some to make them feel comfortable.

·      Customers are skeptical of almost any business they first work with and that is understandable. But it is those returning customers, the ones you have worked with for years, the ones who you send ‘Happy Birthday’ cards to and who continue to come back to you year after year that you need to write you a good testimonial. When researching companies to work with or products to use, people today turn to the Internet and read testimonials and reviews to decide where they should take their business. It is up to you as a business owner to ask your repeated customers and even your new customers to write reviews for your company and express how that will help your company in the long run.

Reviews and testimonials are a great way to connect with your customers and work on issues in your company as well as your own personal issues that could be pointed out through a review or testimonial. The bottom line is, by knowing what you are doing well and what you are not doing so well, these things will allow you to grow as an individual and as a company so you can continue to be better in the long run. 

Denver Restaurant Week

There are many things to love about Denver, from the ever-changing weather to the awesome outdoor activities; you can always find something to do in this vibrant city. One thing Denver is renowned for though is our eclectic mix of amazing restaurants and chefs. Denver has attracted a lot of talent over the years and more and more restaurateurs are making moves to this growing city to try their shot at making it. It can be hard to figure out what restaurant to go to with the huge selection or it can be tough to try new places that are hard to get into or restaurants that are known to be on the more expensive side. That is why Visit Denver decided to start Denver Restaurant Week twelve years ago, a weeklong event where different restaurants participate with special menus and prices for restaurant-goers. This is a great way for Denverites to get the chance to try different restaurants they have been eyeing for a less expensive price tag and also a fun and engaging menu of great food. This year there are over 126 restaurants participating in restaurant week that starts tomorrow Friday, February 26th and goes until March 6th. Feel free to check out menus of all the restaurants in the link below and also you can make reservations (which is highly recommended if you want to get in!) http://www.denver.org/denver-restaurant-week/menus/ . Just remember, this is a very busy week at all these restaurants so you may have to wait a little longer to get seated and to get your food, so practice patience and be sure to tip your waiter or waitress well because they are working very long hours this week! Below are a few restaurants I would recommend trying out this week but all the restaurants on the list are worth checking out!

Atticus – 1115 E Evans Ave – This quaint neighborhood restaurant and bar is known for their warm hospitality. Their American menu is designed around Colorado’s small producers and is complimented with a wide variety of delicious cocktails and wines.

Bones – 701 Grant St – Denver is crazy about noodles these days, you can’t go anywhere in this city without finding a good ramen or pho spot. Bones is on top of the list with their ramen, their green chili ramen is ranked 2nd best ramen in the US so you know it is good! Don’t forget to order their handcrafted steamed buns to start.

Fooducopia – 1939 E Kentucky Ave – This is another restaurant that prides itself on making a delicious menu full of local ingredients. On their website they talk about joining them on a journey to remember the delicious taste of good honest food.

Ophelia’s Electric Soapbox – 1215 20th St – This restaurant used to be home to a brothel back in the day and the owners (who also own the wonderful restaurant Linger in the Highlands) wanted to keep memories of that around. With great live music on the weekend, amazing food and bartenders who know a thing or two about drinks, this is a fun spot to try during restaurant week.

With so many good restaurants signed up to participate this week it will be hard to choose where you should go with friends and family but I hope you get to experience lots of great tastes of this awesome city!