Out and about: Smart homes and brokers' brokers
Jun. 8—Darlings,
Want to know how I know that today is June 4? Because since April 18, Gummy Bears, I have been registering online twice a day for the HGTV Sweepstakes. I have only a few days left before finding out that I WON the Las Campanas Smart Home, an electric Mercedes Benz sedan and a cool $100,000 in cash. HGTV has been giving Smart Homes away every year since 2008, but only three times have they chosen a state in the Mountain Time Zone, this year being the first time for New Mexico.
Lollipops, I admit that it's been a chore remembering to register twice a day, to say nothing of the carpal tunnel syndrome I've developed as a result of deleting all the extraneous emails I've received since I began registering in April. But I'll be the first to tell you that having a goal in life does have its rewards. Sugars, I can't bear to think of what will happen to me if I don't win.
In spite of my busy schedule, I did contact Valerie Montoya, co-owner of Boss Builders, to learn more about my future home in Las Campanas. (You can see that I'm in total denial about the possibility of losing.) Valerie, her husband Joseph and her brother-in-law, Martin, are all Montoyas, and they are the bosses of Boss Builders. Their company together with LornTryk Architects and HGTV, built this home — complete with all the smartness necessary to qualify for a smart home — in only four months. From start to finish. I was flabbergasted. "How'd you manage that?" I asked. "What about all the supply chain glitches we hear about?"
"Working with HGTV was a most wonderful experience," Valerie explained. "They were there during the whole process. They made all hands available to us, getting anything we needed when we needed it. They were truly amazing; they made everything possible."
Another person who understands the importance of hands-on guidance in order to make a production successful is our Realtor of the Year, Beth Caldarello (Coldwell Banker Mountain Properties). Her previous life as a producer and operations director for American Film Institute's annual film festival was a natural segue into her real estate career, she said. Creativity, design, organization and communication are all skills she brought with her when she became a Realtor in 2016. Kittens, the community also recognizes these skills, and they make her a valuable asset as president of the Women's Council of Realtors, the VP of the Santa Fe Association's Board of Directors — and, naturally, she's a member of the advisory board of the Santa Fe International Film Festival. I don't get it, Pumpkins: she never even looks harried.
Craig Cunningham (the Gammon Group, KW/Santa Fe) is another Realtor who brought invaluable skills to the real estate industry when he and his partner, Eddie, moved here in 2019. For a moment, he thought he'd retire, but a successful career in the hospitality industry translates so easily into you know what — real estate. Craig said it was his lucky day when he joined Linda Gammon, the Realtor who became his mentor and best friend. Incredible professional knowledge combined with great compassion laced with humor and wit, Linda had it all.
Linda learned from the best when she became a Realtor in 2008. At that time, she and the legendary Judy Camp were Team Connect, KW/Santa Fe. When Prudential Realty went out of business, Judy was influential in bringing Keller Williams to Santa Fe in 2014. Both Linda and Judy were "Brokers' Brokers," in that other Realtors loved working with them. Dearest Readers, I can't stress how important these two were in our real estate community. Sadly, Judy died in 2019. Linda died on March 20, 2023. Craig has a big responsibility now, Butter Beans, carrying those ladies' spirits around with him.
Well, Lemon Cakes, it seems that George Amos's spirit was floating around close to the ground when his wife, Donna, and Susan Harris hosted a luncheon for his colleagues and friends a couple of months ago. Donna's house in Tesuque and her sunny patio were welcoming spots for members of the Independent Brokers' Network (IBN) to gather and share funny stories about George. (The IBN is now a thing of the past since the inter-net provides us with instant information on stuff we don't always need to know.) It was a group of independent Realtors who didn't want to be part of a large office but enjoyed meeting weekly to share listings and other info relevant to the commerce of real estate. Landmark/Santa Fe, City Different Realty, Territorial Properties, Susan Harris Realty, Plaza Realty de Santa Fe, Adobe Realty, Cavness & Associates and the Nichols Agency are some of the agencies represented by about 25 people who gathered to toast a good friend, George Amos.
Cupcakes, simply put, the moral of this long story is that friends and colleagues will regretfully come and go, but real estate in Santa Fe is forever.
So long, Sweetpeas ...
Until next time,
Oakley Talbott
Out and about: Smart homes and brokers' brokers
