Ghosted! A Craigslist posting nightmare.

Put a Flip video camera in the hands of a "marketeer" and let the fun begin. Our business partners, RentSentinel are running a fun video contest this month. We here at Princeton Properties decided to submit a video highlighting the Craigslist posting worry of getting "Ghosted"! See our submission below, let me know what you think!

YouTube link

*And yes, I absolutely realize that I MUST keep my day job. Acting is not in the cards for me! :-)

Humans are Social Animals (thankfully)

We crave feeling supported, valued and connected.

Research points to the benefits of social connection:

• Increased happiness. In one compelling study, a key difference between very happy people & less-happy people was good relationships.
• Better health. Loneliness & feeling disconnected was associated with a higher risk of high blood pressure in a recent study.

I can now use myself as a case study for this research......

Sometimes connections come in the form of an intimate conversation, a spill-it-all-out talk with a best friend. But often times it's just a laugh-out-loud e-mail or video (this one gets me every time) or a compelling blog post, tweet or Facebook post. The "simple pleasures" if you will. Given the amount of time I spend on social sites, these quick "drive by" connections are common for me.

Simple connections should not be minimized; in fact recently they have become more pivotal to my wellness and happiness. These relationships, these connections, have kept me afloat and moving forward over the past few months in a much more instrumental and critical way than I ever imagined possible. On December 6th, my spouse was diagnosed with a very aggressive cancer. This new found illness crushed me, paralyzed me. We began and continue to be in the fight of our lives.

I've always been someone that truly lived by the adage "work hard, play hard". This new chapter of my life seemed to take this slogan away from me, leaving a void. I wondered what could be my adage now? How do I even focus on creating one? Why do I even care? I've had dark days since December, sometimes viewing my work as trivial. Thinking that I go to work to play on Facebook while my spouse is home fighting to stay alive. I've had "why me" days; I'm a good person, I do good - why isn't karma on my side?

I've begun breaking through this haze, this terrible disease is not going to take two people out so obviously. I was going to fight to appreciate, fight to accept and fight to find my new adage.....I began drawing more strength in the varied connections that I have with wonderful, insightful people from all over the world. My "real life" friends, Industry friends, social site buddies - they all add value and normalcy to my life. Normalcy!

They get my jokes....heck, they will even join in. They offer congratulations or praise on my work efforts - my work does matter. I do good things.

Connecting with people, on or off line has the power to lift you out of a dark and stuck place. These relationships can keep you moving forward. All of these connections have helped me reduce stress and boost my well-being as well as give me hope. Consider this blog post a public thank you to all my connections and a reminder that even when you don't realize you are positively impacting others - you are.

1000 Ways To Use Your iPad

As many of you know, I am an Apple product junkie. Having grown up using the Apple IIC, it seemed only natural that I moved on to the iMac, iPod, Macbook Pro, iPhone, AppleTV and now the iPad. I really enjoy the fact that all Apple products seem to be fantastically user friendly & tremendously stylish. Fashion and Functionality - a perfect combination.

Recently Property Solutions asked that I join them to discuss their iPad App, SiteTablet, in a webinar titled: "1000 Ways to Use Your iPad". I think tablet and wireless products have great potential for the Multifamily Industry. Check out the webinar; I would love to here your thoughts and thanks for stopping by - iSarah.

Feelin' like a proud parent!

Yesterday a few members of our River Place Towers leasing team took it upon themselves to start a Vlog (a video blog). I am thoroughly impressed with their innovation and creativity. I feel like a proud parent. It's the most accomplishing feeling when your team members pick up and run with ideas beyond what you are teaching. When they push the boundaries of your mentoring, it is a phenomenal feeling. I dedicate 100% of this blog post to my team-mates at Princeton, here is a link to their most recent video blog: Downtown Dish

This serves as a reminder that inspiration and motivation is all around us. We can draw fantastic ideas from anywhere at anytime. Keep your eyes and ears open; I will! :-) Where have you found inspiration lately?

Quinoa - The Perfect Icebreaker!

Recently an Industry Friend of mine posted on Facebook his desire to start a new diet. A fascinating thread of conversation spurred off of this Facebook post. Many people weighed in on the topic, giving food and diet advise. People from all over the country and from many different walks of life posted a response. Reading the thread back, I started to noticed a trend - everyone seemed to band together to promote quinoa. This supergrain was connecting people in the most unique way. Individuals, stranger from around the country, were finding common ground and starting a dialogue stemming from quinoa.

My interesting take-away from the "quinoa-palooza" was that we have more opportunities to find connections with others than we might realize - we just need to look for it! On first blush, many of us tend to categorize and even (dare I say) judge people based on very surface criteria such as: democrat/republican; male/female; gay/straight; vegetarian/carnivore; college education/high school education. We then put people in a category of expectation based on our first blush scan. (I would be remiss if I didn't state the old adage "Don't judge a book by its cover".) If we challenge ourselves to dig a little deeper, I'm sure we will find common bonds with most people we come in contact with - we will find our own quinoa. It's a great feeling when you're talking to someone and you click with them, when you realize that you have shared interests, experiences, values, or world views. Feeling that warm, fuzzy moment of true connection with another person is something to be happy about, something to strive for daily. These connections not only assist us in forming relationships, these interactions can be very rewarding emotionally.

Look for your "quinoa moment" whenever possible! I know I will. We might just have more in common with the world-at-large than we ever imagined.

Tis' the Season.....My Top GREEN Gift Ideas

As the Holiday Season rushes towards us.....gift purchasing and giving seems to be on everyone's mind. I am always looking for cool and unique GREEN gift ideas, sometimes this task is easier said than done. This is why I've cobbled together my Top Earth-friendly gift suggestions.

Thankfully, it has become more common to give an environmentally responsible gift now that buying green is the "in" thing to do. With this, I've scoured some of my favorite GREEN websites to roundup some fun and cool gift ideas. I would love to hear what makes your list......happy shopping.

1. ArborDay Gift Trees

2. eConscious Organic Cotton Apparel

3. Rain Barrels and Rain Catchers

4. Plantable Paper & Calendars (embedded w/ wildflower seeds)

5. Adopt a Dolphin or Shark or Turtle to protect the Ocean

6. Living Earth distinctive gifts blending nature with style

7. Recycled Glass Jewelry

8. The iPad. (filled w/ eco-focused apps & consumes minimal energy)

9. Eco-Friendly and Organic Flower Bouquets

10. Annual pass from the National Park Service

11. Organic Wines

12.GREEN READING (many choices, two suggestions below):

• Green Jobs: A Guide to Eco-Friendly Employment
• Guerrilla Marketing Goes Green

Transparency....it's the new Black

We hear this word thrown around more and more; why is everyone discussing Transparency and what impact does it have on our business model?

Transparency, as used in the humanities and in a social context more generally, implies openness, communication, and accountability. It is a metaphorical extension of the meaning a "transparent" object is one that can be seen through.

Understandably, as individuals in business we don't strive to be looked through - if so, our message would be missed. We need our customers to notice us and trust us. Trust is the key to transparency. But that is certainly easier said than done. How do we gain trust?

For starters, we should strive to be open and accessible to our customers and most importantly, accountable for our actions.

We must also consistently listen to our prospective clients as well as communicate clearly the expectations of both parties before entering into a contract.

To me, transparency is the best form of humility. When we are humble, we are not necessarily vulnerable, but confident in who we are and what we stand for in our business practices. People respect and trust this confidence. It strengthens our character and it’s our character that shapes our reputation. Year's ago when I first started in outside sales, I was always told that "people do business with people they like, respect and trust". Hmmm....sounds a lot like Transparency.....I guess it isn't such a new idea after all.