Going to the dogs?
Dena M. Calivas of Vanguard Realty/GMAC has an interesting way to use her spare time: she shows her 16-month-old German Shorthaired Pointer, Schutzen’s Bella Stardust Bandelli, otherwise known as Bella, at dog shows.
“After 20 years of cats, my husband wanted a dog,” said Calivas. “A dear friend of mine who has been breeding and showing for 30 years inspired us to get a show dog so I could go on the show circuit with her. I was hooked when she took me to my first one just over a year ago.”
The shows even have helped her business.
“I go through withdrawals not getting to shows,” she said. “It’s a lot of hard work, but great therapy and an opportunity to network. I’ve met other Realtors and we keep one another in mind for referrals.
“Customers like to keep up with Bella’s shows. I often send them the picture of her when she’s won! They have even sent Bella gifts and shared their natural treats and recipes.
“So far, scheduling real estate around shows has worked out well. There haven’t been any conflicts that a fellow Realtor hasn’t been able to help if I can’t via phone and laptop. And my customers have been very accommodating.”
According to Calivas, both of Bella’s parents are champions inside and outside the show ring as far as hunting, agility and the other attributes needed.
“I thought it would be a fun thing to do and make a connection with people and their dogs,” said Calivas. “Since Bill and I don’t have school-aged children and don’t get to network with other two-legged moms and dads like others with kids could, it was an opportunity to network with parents of four-legged children.”
Calivas has shown Bella in York, Pa. and in Florida in Ocala, Brooksville, Orlando and DeLand. In Georgia, she has been in shows in Atlanta and Perry.
“We’ll be heading out west this summer for my friend’s national competition and probably getting invited to the a big event in California next year,” she said.
Calivas said training her dog to show has been a very interesting process.
“I truly have found a passion with the whole process and am amazed at how well she’s progressed,” she said. “I’m also lucky enough to have customers and other agents share their training and feeding tips.”
Calivas said she and Bella love to get away to go to the shows, so they don’t plan to stop any time soon.
“She’s got a long way to go and there is a lot of great competition out there, but she’s off to a great start,” said Calivas. “I’ve made friends with people from all over the country and we have the ‘Dog’ connection. So when there are people they know of that are thinking about real estate, I know they’ll think of me because we have the relationship.
“When it comes to building your business, it is about relationship building. I’ve already received referrals from customers and agents because of the Bella connection. Since I put a dog book for Bella on my Facebook.com, I’ve received even more connections. It is unbelievable how quickly people connect when that common thread is found.”
Supporting one of our own
Christine Lee, owner/real estate and mortgage consultant with Lifetime Realty & Mortgage, is in the running to be named one of Realtor magazine’s “30 under 30”.
If she wins, she will be included in the magazine’s cover feature in the June issue. It highlights up-and-coming real estate professionals who are already making their mark with smart business practices, community leadership and industry innovation.
Lee is a licensed mortgage broker, state certified real estate appraiser and state certified general contractor.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems from the University of North Florida in 2003.
Her experience with real estate started as a real estate appraiser and continued to grow as she developed into a mortgage broker, real estate broker and general contractor.
She opened her own company in 2004 and has also earned a master’s degree in real estate from the University of Florida.
She also is in homebuilding, serving as her own contractor, and continues to grow as a real estate professional and consultant.
How did she feel when she was chosen to be a part of the competition?
“I believe my wide range of experience and accomplishments made me a viable candidate for “30 under 30”,” said Lee.
Her company used to be more of a one-stop shop, but she is focusing more on sales right now.
“I discovered that my enjoyment of the job was on the sales side and not on the financing side,” said Lee. “However, my experience in mortgages has given me a broader understanding of the whole process.”
Whether she is chosen as one of the “30 under 30” or not, Lee has big plans for the future.
“My goal is to be a successful and savvy entrepreneur,” said Lee. “This includes my continued career in real estate as a real estate broker as well as a becoming a future budding builder, developer and investor. I expect real estate to be the primary focus of my career. However, I look forward to other business opportunities that utilize my skill sets as an overall entrepreneur.”
You can vote for Lee at Realtor.org. But, hurry, the voting deadline is April 30.