She doesn’t drive a pink Cadillac (yet!), but she’s got all the spunk that Mary Kay Directors are made of. I had the pleasure of selling Kathy Grettenberg, a Mary Kay Director, and her husband John a new home in Clive. They were a fun couple to work with. This client had all the patience, grace and personality that Realtors dream of! Clients like these make real estate a lot of fun! My mom is a Mary Kay Consultant, and I love the product…so that’s why I was so excited to meet Kathy and sell her a dream home. I don’t mean to leave her husband John out of the picture…but someone had to take the photo, I enjoyed you too John!

So much happening right now…the office is hopping! We completed our merger with Keller Williams® Realty. We are keeping busy learning the exciting new technology systems, swapping out signs, getting new business cards printed, etc. Amongst the hustle and bustle of all that, the real estate market shot up and everyone here is selling homes left and right. There is literally a flurry of Realtors® and paperwork everywhere you turn. It is a GREAT feeling to be part of something so exciting and life changing. Recently, a listing of mine in Earlham sold in 1 week with 3 offers within 2 hours of each other. The Des Moines Area Association of Realtors® reported that the market is up 46% from February! The median sale price of a home was $140,000, up almost $20,000 from last month. Will we soon be talking about a Seller’s market? Quite possibly. If you’ve been on the fence about selling your home, let’s chat.

I hope you received my Christmas card in the mail. If you didn’t, I probably couldn’t find your home address. Please send it to me via email if you want to be included on my mailing list!

This is one of my favorites quotes. It’s especially meaningful for me to share it with you now, as I am making a leap and getting my real estate license. I know that my family, friends, clients and associates, will be the “net” that makes my leap successful.

I look forward to learning about your real estate needs and wants. You will be hearing a lot from me! Until November, if you need immediate real estate advice, my husband, Doug, is ready to assist. Should you have any referrals, as always, I’ll be sure they are treated with the highest level of service.

Thanks for being a part of my leap.

I’m sure I just mortified my husband and my mother with that blog title. However, in this picture, you can see everything is completely appropriate. These are the “Bras” that Doug and I have designed for a great cause, Bras for the Cause. This is our 3rd year participating as artists in the event.

Bras for the Cause is a volunteer-based organization raising funds to eradicate breast and cervical cancer – especially through early intervention mammograms and cervical screenings.

The bras created by local artists will be on display at Stacey’s from October 20th to October 26th. Anyone is welcome to attend and vote for their favorite bras. On November 5th, the bras will be auctioned off at their formal gala.

Doug’s bra is named “Iron Maiden” and made out of rusted metal pieces and parts that he found on a farm he purchased last year. Many of the little pieces are quite old and nostalgic. Doug’s bras have been a favorite the last 2 years among gala participants. His first year, he created “Knockers” which was a bra door knocker made of metal. The second year, he created “Boobie Traps”, once again made out of metal with a little trap if you tried to steal the candy. Doug’s bras have always been dedicated to his mother who fought and won against breast cancer many years ago. He also dedicates his bras to one of his Realtors, Marcia Munger, who got us involved in this event and is the chair this year. Go Marcia!

My bra is called Pink Lady and is a computer illustration. It’s delicate curly q’s  represent the fragile-ness of the situation, yet celebrate the beauty of the woman. My bras have been dedicted to Marcia as well, and my grandmother who died of breast cancer, Helen Jones.

Click for full size image.

In 2008, I started a community event in my neighborhood of Sherman Hill called Halloween on the Hill. So many people ask if my 125 year old home or any of the other turn of the century homes in Sherman Hill are haunted – so I thought we should capitalize on this curiosity. I sought out neighbors to decorate their homes in halloween decor and developed it as a canned food drive hoping the general public would enjoy a drive thru our neighborhood. I was shocked when many neighbors didn’t just hang ghosts, goblins and cobwebs, but actually developed large scenes in their front yards and dressed in costumes to scare the visitors! It was a huge hit and we collected hundreds of cans for the DMARC pantry.

Ryan Howell and myself wanted to bring back Halloween on the Hill for a 3rd year. The event is scheduled for Halloween night, October 31st from 6:30-9:00 pm. All you need to do is bring a non-perishable food item to Smokey Row Coffee house near Cottage Grove and MLK (close to the MLK I35 exit) and volunteers will hand you a map to see the major halloween displays.

At our house, 1510 Center, we will be performing a Thriller dance every 15 minutes. Doug will be his usual 7′ Frankenstein and will be roaming the streets. It’s a fun event for adults and kids! If you have kids, get them in their pj’s, grab a hot chocolate and just drive through the streets as your kids get scared in the safety of your own vehicle!

I can’t believe it has been 5 years since I opened Creative Leap! Time flies when you are having fun. We’ve been very fortunate as the economy hasn’t affected us much. Our clients are still doing fairly well and they understand the importance of marketing and spending money on the web. I am so thankful for these clients, my co-workers, friends and family who have stood by me as I ventured down this path. I truly love my job and my clients. Everyday is a fun and new experience. Thank you!

- Rochelle Burnett, Owner