It seemed like a crazy question and then I laughed.  The buyer was headed to Fort Belvoir from Arizona they had checked and they couldn't find Northern Virginia anywhere on the map.  It just wasn't there.

 Oh well actually there isn't a Northern Virginia like there is a North or South Carolina it is just a local term. 

Why do you make the distinction?

 Ahhhh we just do.  It is more about a difference in economics and politics than anything. 

So where are the boundaries?

 Hmmm, good question.  Before housing developments pushed west to the Shenandoah Valley and south through Fredericksburg we would have said it was a much smaller area.  Now with the expanded highways, the commuter options and employment centers are further and further outside of the beltway extending the area we consider Northern Virginia.

Okay well it seems to be clear as mud and I'm looking forward to the move.  I think I'll just tell everyone I'm moving to the State of Virginia.

Ummm,  just one more little point.

What is it?

Virginia isn't actually a state.  It is a Commonwealth.

Oh come on you have got to be kidding me?

No honestly it is. 

Can you vote?

Oh absolutely and Northern Virginian's go to the polls in record numbers. 

Alright I'll bite what about Southern Virginian's?

Oh there aren't any Southern Virginian's just Virginian's.

Can I ask you one more question? 

Sure what is it?

I'm flying into Washington Dulles Airport.  That is in the city isn't it?

Sigh.  How much time do you have for this explanation?

So if you are relocating to Northern Virginia and have orders to Fort Belvoir rest assured you won't find it on the map anywhere but it is a great place to live with wonderful neighborhoods, loads of commuting options and some slightly confused people trying to figure out where it really is.

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Now before anyone thinks that this is a slam on Realtors® or that it is a reference to some bad habit of lizards don't go there.   It isn't.  Today while I was trying to ignore the issues with the task at hand (moving my mom into a dementia unit at her nursing home) it occurred to me that as a Realtor® adapting to multiple changes in the course of the day is common.  Much like chameleons that have to change their color to blend into their surroundings or be eaten by something much larger, we too have to adjust constantly to our clients needs.

Late last night I received an email from someone who had found my profile on Active Rain and had some specific questions about how I worked with clients.  It came at the end of the day which included a closing on a listing where everyone was cordial, a hectic meeting with a developer, taking out young first time homebuyers relocating to the area and finished with an agent and their buyer writing an offer on a new construction condo where I represent the builder.

So why a chameleon as a metaphor?

Each and every one of those meetings required me to change a bit of my "color" to be able to communicate effectively.  Every time we meet with a client we have to change our communication style.  How we answer an inquiry on the internet is going to be different than how we communicate with a first time homebuyer.   We can't communicate with each client the same way.    It won't work.  A first time homebuyer needs more time to absorb information and think it through.  An internet lead wants an answer immediately so they can make a decision and move on. 

This little change of "color" that we undertake everyday is another part of being a successful Realtors® and where many agents find themselves frustrated.  If the only way you know to interact is to be stiff and formal then you will never work with Robin Williams and if all you know how to be light and humorous then you are never going to work with Ben Bernanke.  And so the list goes.

Being a chameleon is just part of our job.  It doesn't mean we are trying to be something we aren't.  It just means that we are working to find the best way to communicate with our clients and meet their needs.  If we don't then someone else will come along who can.  So embrace your inner chameleon and enjoy each and every time you get to change to meet your client's needs.

There just aren't enough words that can ever tell the wonder of wandering around the Tidal Basin in Washington DC when the Cherry Blossoms are in bloom.  It feels like walking under huge mounds of cotton candy.  The air is sweet with the smell of the blossoms and the waves of pink seem to go on for ever.

Top off the beautiful trees with the views of the Jefferson Memorial and the Washington Monument and you have the best of both nature and history in front of your eyes.  It doesn't matter where you are from or where you may be going; everyone smiles, photos are taken and picnics are shared. 

The history of the Cherry Trees in Washington DC go back to 1912 when the then First Lady and the wife of the Japanese Ambassador planted the first two trees on the north side of the Tidal Basin.  In all Japan sent over 3000 trees which were planted mostly around the Tidal Basin with others in Hains Point and on the grounds of the Washington Monument.  Today the city has over 3700 Cherry trees that provide the show that thousands of people from around the world come to see once a year.

Taking a few hours every year to enjoy the sight of the trees and join the throngs of people reminds me of how great living in this city can be.  With everything Washington DC offers we often forget in our busy lives to take in the beauty of the day.  So take a few minutes today and enjoy yourself.  You will be glad you did!

It finally happened.  I got lost.  Yep, me the native of Northern Virginia, the one who proudly gloats that they "don't need no stinkin' GPS" to find their way around.

My instincts told me when I left the house that something wasn't right.  I checked and double checked to make sure I had my supra key, my phone, my digital camera and even my car keys.  They were all there so that wasn't the problem.

 
So off I went.  I followed the directions.  I took every left turn, I took every right turn.  How could I be wrong?  It was all spelled out for me in black and white.  But still that little nagging feeling wouldn't go away.  Why wasn't I seeing houses?  Lots and lots of houses?  Cows?  Not on the list of what I was expecting to see.

Time to stop and put on the reading glasses.  Perhaps I zigged when I should have zagged.  Nope the directions told me to go this way.  How could I have gotten myself into this predicament? 

It was easy.  Instead of following my instincts I followed the directions in the MLS.  A big slap my head DUH to me.  I know better and yet I did it anyway. 

So to my fellow agents, before you hit the submit button on the MLS re-read your directions.  Gas isn't cheap and sending an agent even a few miles in the wrong direction is costly both in gas and time.  Don't rely on Google instead get out and drive them yourself.

No I'm still not going to buy a GPS....yet....but I am going to trust my instincts.  They usually don't steer me wrong!