Ok, Halle we’ve rewritten our Hero Story using your suggestions.
<p style=”text-align: center;”>ARE TWO HEADS REALLY</p>
<p style=”text-align: center;”>BETTER THAN ONE??
By Chery Krone</p>
The year was 1982. We were newly married and just trying to survive in The Valley of the Sun. Keith owned a car parts manufacturing business and l was working in the Advertising world.

Our commute time to work every day was approximately one hour.

We were weary of the drive and weary of living in a large city environment. Tired of the rat race.

THE MOVE

In all the wisdom of a couple newly married and in their 30’s, we made the decision to move to a small mountain town about 200 miles east of Phoenix called Pinetop.

No job, no thoughts of how we were going to make a living – we just made the decision to make a change in our lives.

And boy, what a change it was! No jobs and no special skills, we just assumed things would work out. I guess we thought we could just live on love!! You remember when you were 30, the world was yours for the taking.

I landed a job with a CPA’s office; and Keith went back to a skill he learned as a young man – carpet cleaning and installation.

OUR LIFE-CHANGING DECISION…….

We knew we could find jobs that were much more fulfilling (and lucrative); we started looking at our options.

What were our talents? Where was our passion? What brought us joy? We’d always loved people and helping them. We prided ourselves on the “go-to friend”. But you can’t build a life on just being a good friend!!
We spent many hours talking about what would bring us fulfillment AND a paycheck. Hmmmmmm, what could that be?
Then a moment of clarity came……..Let’s get our Real Estate Licenses. The market in Pinetop seemed saturated with Realtors, but….we knew we could do it better.

We could be “different”

OUR 35+ YEAR JOURNEY BEGINS

We would have never dreamed that we would spend the next 35+ years in our new – found profession. Nor how our hearts and lives would be so impacted by the clients we would be working with.

Looking back, we remember that we really didn’t have any sales skills, no data base, no computers, no cell phones, but what we did have was a servant’s heart.

We made our clients into our friends and took them into our family circle.

On one occasion, we were in the office and a couple walked in and said they were interested in buying a 2nd home.

The husband made the comment that he didn’t like Realtors. And certainly didn’t trust Realtors – and he never would.

The challenge was on! We sold them a cute chalet in the country club. It was during the winter months and Pinetop can get a lot of snow and freezing temperatures.

The first weekend they were coming up to stay in their newly purchased mountain retreat, we decided that we should cozy the place up for their first night.

We dragged a bed, mattress and linens from our house and took it over to their new cabin.

We put wood in the fireplace and turned the heater on; turned the radio on, set to a mood music station and iced a bottle of champagne. We created an event for them.

When they arrived, they expected to be met by a cold, dark cabin and sleeping bags to sleep in their first night.

We don’t know who received more blessings from that gesture – our clients, or us.

Here’s a note they sent us………………….

“A million thanks to both of you for making our first stay in our cabin so memorable. It was truly a surprise & one we will both always remember. Thanks again”

Imagine our surprise when 21 years later we received a note from that same couple who didn’t like Realtors and certainly didn’t trust Realtors! Their note, in part said………

“It was 21 years ago this month (May 1986) that two of the neatest people in the real estate business in Pinetop and Arizona sold us our “little cabin in the pines.” A million thanks to both of you for making our first night in our cabin so memorable……”

And just as we had dreamed……We WERE Different!!

Well, the man who said he didn’t like Realtors and certainly didn’t trust Realtors ended up being a very close and dear friend of ours until his death 30 years later.

And just as we had dreamed and planned,……We WERE Different!!

UNREST SETTLES IN……

After living in a small mountain town; needing to make a year’s income on only about 5 months of working because of the snow. We were growing weary. The market at that time was the people buying 2nd homes from May through September.

We met a Real Estate Broker from the Phoenix area. And sold him a 2nd home. He owned his own brokerage in the fast-growing West Valley Phoenix area.

It was after we had won a sales award for a trip to Hawaii that we began to seriously consider the idea of a move back down to Phoenix.

After enjoying beautiful weather in Hawaii, we were faced with the fact that we would be going home to 2 feet of snow and very cold temperatures.

Upon our return trip from Hawaii, we decided to stop by and see the broker who had been courting us for a couple of years.

He was delighted to see us and gave us the grand tour of the area, pointing out the opportunity that lay ahead for massive growth in the West Valley.

It sure looked appealing.

If we had been successful in the small mountain town, how much more successful could we be in a climate that afforded us to work 12 months out of the year!

PHOENIX BOUND

Sooooo, yeah, we decided to move back down to the Valley.

Keith preceded me in the move; and I stayed behind a couple of months to finish up our business in Pinetop.

After I moved down, we jumped into our new surroundings and had no doubt we would be hugely successful.

But things were different. During our career in Pinetop, we didn’t have to worry about our clients obtaining financing. They either paid cash, or the seller would carry the mortgage. We had never done an FHA or VA Mortgage.

The buyers were always excited about having a 2nd home and always came up a sense of anticipation to what they would find. They were on vacation!

When we moved down to the valley, the client’s mood was different. They were living their real lives, not having the same joy and anticipation that 2nd home buyers had.

Interest rates were at an all time high, reaching up close to the 16% mark.

As my grandmother would say, “We were taken down a notch.”

We spent our first Christmas in the valley totally broke. We didn’t even have the money to buy a Christmas Tree, let alone gifts!!

Well, we picked ourselves up and were determined to make this work.

And we were successful.

We never lost our “Servant’s Heart”. And our clients have always told us that we were “different” than other Realtors they had worked with.

LET’S BUY A FRANCHISE!!

After a few years back in the Valley, we decided to buy a Re/Max franchise.

As you are probably aware each real estate office must have a Designated Broker.

Well, I was the Broker, and we once again were Broke!! There’s a reason the person responsible for the office is call the Broker!!

We made it over the hump once again and our office was very successful. But after our five-year franchise was completed, we sold the business and went to work on our own again.

MARKETS COME AND MARKETS GO!

Then the next phase of our business was…… The Real Estate Boom!

We knew our prices were artificially high; and couldn’t sustain this level of appreciation.

Unlike most Realtors, we discouraged our clients from taking equity lines out of their main home to buy multiple rental properties.

AND SURE ENOUGH, THE CRASH!!!

Now our clients needed us more than ever. The only properties on the market were either Short Sales or
Foreclosures.

There were so many of our friends and/or clients losing their homes!

We made the decision to focus on short sales. We certainly didn’t want to represent the banks!! And we knew we could make a huge difference in our client’s lives saving them from foreclosure.

When we met with our clients/friends losing their homes, we would cry with them; we would worry about where they would go. It was a very sad, scary time.

We’ve never worked so hard for so little. Not only did our price point go down by 50%; we had to increase our staff to accommodate the short sale negotiations.

Our credo became, “We, the willing led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible for the Down Hearted. We have done so much for so long with so little we are now qualified to do anything with nothing!!”

Anyone who had to deal with the banking industry during that time period, can certainly understand what we’re talking about!

But by the Grace of God, we made it through this turbulent market. (And so did our clients!)

Little did we realize that the training and education we had during the years of short sales, would prepare us for the next stage of our business.

The Transitioning Senior

As everyone knows, Arizona is the mecca for retirement.

We started receiving calls from Seniors who knew they needed to make a move into a Senior’s Community.

They recognized the fact that they were no longer living in a safe environment.

The problem was, they had no family support to assist them with the move and the disposal of all their “stuff” was overwhelming for them. They felt “stuck”.

So………our choices were to just walk away and let them figure it out; or……….educate ourselves on the services available and align ourselves with people who shared our hearts and ethical standards.

Because “we’re different”, we knew we couldn’t just walk away.

So….we started a new organization……..

ARIZONA SENIOR LIVING LIFESTYLES

We found a company who would assist the Senior and/or family in sorting through the belongings. Everything in the house had to be either donated; sent to their children (who really didn’t want it); auctioned, or unfortunately, many items needed to be thrown away.

We found a company that would take the Senior around to all the communities to find them a good fit.

We had referrals for Home Health Care until the Senior could get moved.

We had meals brought in.

Whatever their needs were, we found a resource to help them.

Arizona Senior Living Lifestyles has had numerous Community Expos with as many as 100 vendors and 100’s of Senior guests.
Our mission is to educate the Seniors on the services available for them.

We do things for our clients that most other Realtors would never consider a part of their “jobs”.
“We do what other Realtors WON’T and know what other Realtors “DON’T”

We’re “Different”

Once we perfected this part of our business we expanded our business to include……

PROBATE

When a Senior passes it’s not uncommon that the family lives out of state.

The family is not only dealing with the death, but they have this house, filled with lots of “stuff”, and they are overwhelmed.

The family sometimes doesn’t understand the process of selling a home in Arizona. We educate them on the process and how it might differ from the state where they reside.

How do they dispose of all the things in the house? How do they maintain a vacant home in Arizona?

Who do they call for repairs? Do they have to return to Arizona for the Closing? Is it better to leave the house vacant or furnished while it’s on the market?

These are the questions we hear………And yes, we have the answers for them.

It’s through our relationships with Attorneys and our past client referrals that we’re making a difference.

We’re “Different”

REFLECTION……

We had no idea that the Servant’s Heart we had in 1987 would be so valuable in 2018.
As a Probate attorney, or the child of a deceased parent, how comforting would it be to find a Realtor who will relieve you of the responsibility of preparing the house for sale?

From the time we first meet with the family member or Attorney, it might be a few months before we go on the market.

When working with this type of Real Estate transaction, it’s not an event, it’s a process. But so, so worth it.

We get testimonials like this……………

“I just wanted to tell you how much we appreciated what you and Keith have done for my parents with the sale of their home. My wife and I have worked with many Realtors over the years – some bad, some good. I don’t think any of them provided the level of service that you have provided……”

Or, another note we received…………

“It’s certainly been a journey, hasn’t it? I’m so grateful for your help and caring personalities in those initial days after my dad died. With your assistance, I was able to return to New York and know that the house was in very capable hands…….”

It’s words like these that keep us motivated. We’re making a difference in people’s lives during a very stressful time of their lives.

While other married couples might find working together impossible, we have found that although we’ve had our challenges from time to time, we love serving together and we know our clients benefit from this partnership.

We complement each other. Like salt & pepper, mustard & ketchup! It works for us and it works for our clients.

We’re “Different”
<p style=”text-align: center;”>
……………That’s why we do what we do………</p>
So yeah, Two Heads ARE Better than One!!!

If you or anyone you know would like to benefit from a couple who has a Servant’s Heart…. and the knowledge to back it up……..give us a call. We’d love to hear from you.
<p style=”text-align: center;”>Keith & Cheryl Krone
602-708-2073
Info@KroneTeam.Com
http://www.KroneTeam.com</p>