I've been working as a Realtor since 2000. Like other agents, I've spent years pounding the pavement, visiting countless broker's tours, searching for homes and investments. This has given me knowledge of the market and an understanding of neighborhoods with their unique characteristics. But my skills are not just a collection of sold properties. They are a collection of experiences. In fact, four major experiences in my life prepared me to be a great Realtor. Here's how: Many years ago I married. My husband and I decided to take a road trip for our honeymoon. We packed up a jeep and headed out to Brazil. The round trip took a year. We zigzagged through Central and South America, tent camping most of the time. A particularly bad road took 14 hours to drive 30 miles. The potholes spanned the width of the road, the bridges all but falling apart. Villagers were eager to help but were not able to communicate with us. We also lost our way in the Andes Mountains on the giant Salar de Uyuni salt flat with a car that was leaking gas and nothing to be seen or heard as far as the eye could see. Fear and panic gripped us. How did we get out of there? I used my chewed gum as a plug to seal the hole in the gas tank, and it hardened like cement in the high altitude! So, how did this experience help me become a great Realtor? It taught me: I returned to South America several years later to visit the stone-age Yanomamo Indians of Venezuela. At the time they were truly isolated and shocked to see a white woman - and one wearing clothes! The language, social and historical barriers were overwhelming. One of their customs was the sharing of all food. We couldn't survive without our prepared caches of food. We were neither hunters nor gatherers. We took a risk and motioned "no." So, how did this experience help me become a great Realtor? I learned: I raised a wild Margay cat (similar to an Ocelot but smaller) and donated her to the Arizona Sonora Live Museum. She became the first Margay in captivity to give birth to kittens. I also spent 5 weeks with a lion and tiger cub (three months old). Apart from how adorable these cats were, what did I learn that has made me a great Realtor? I owned a gift store called Primitive Arts, an accessory and clothing store called Extremities, and a wholesale clothing company called Dalia. How have these experiences in sales helped me become the Realtor I am? I learned: I've represented clients throughout the Bay Area, San Francisco, Marin, and Los Angeles with single family and multi-million dollar commercial transactions. I love my career as a Realtor and I look forward to working with you.