A Year in Review & Welcoming the New Decade
Goodbye 2019, Hello 2020!
Written By: Mariko Baerg, REALTOR of Bridgewell Real Estate Group
If you’re looking for a realtor to help you buy or sell, contact our team today!
Wow! Can you believe another year has gone by!? 2019 really seemed to fly by, which is why in 2020 I’m really going to be focusing more on time blocking and project management as a part of improving the business. Not only that, but it’s a new decade… so we really need to set the tone and start it off right!
This time of year, it’s always fun to take a look back at what you’ve done so that you can start planning for the future. We’ve accomplished a lot at Bridgewell in 2019, both professionally and personally. So, in the spirit of making new goals and crushing them in 2020 – I thought I’d put together a recap of my favourite moments throughout 2019:
WE WERE HONOURED WITH BEING IN THE TOP 10% OF REALTORS IN GREATER VANCOUVER… IN BOTH THE INDIVIDUAL AND TEAM CATEGORY
The coveted medallion club – we’re very happy to say that we are in the top 10% of realtors in Greater Vancouver AGAIN for 2019. Despite the adjusting market we had in 2019, with the support of our clients, family and friends we have still had one of our best years in real estate. Only being a 2 person team, we’re happy that we were able to keep up our volume, compete with larger teams, and still manage to be one of the top teams in Vancouver.
We’ve met a lot of people and dealt with a number of different transactions – from first time home buyers, first time home sellers, assignment of contracts, presales, relocations, downsizers, upsizers, and lateral moves… we’ve really had a fun and exciting year where every day was different.
There are 14,000 realtors in the GV real estate board and it’s a competitive industry, and that’s why we are SO thankful to all of our clients, family, friends and co-workers that have chosen us to represent them in their real estate journey.
As we move in to 2020, we’re starting to feel that we are moving towards another transitional market. It will be interesting to see how things play out – we’re already starting to see multiple offers in a number of areas – and we look forward to continuing the grind and keeping you guys informed with everything real estate!
WE WERE RATED TOP 3 REALTORS IN COQUITLAM
I love the Three Best Rated system because it’s an unbiased review of the top 3 realtors in each area, and we’re happy to say that we’ve made the list again! It’s not by popular vote, I can’t apply, the company literally hand picks these people based on their volume, online presence, reviews, and more than a handful of other factors.
Side note: For those of you wondering – our office is in Coquitlam, and the top 3 recognition is based on where your office is located. We’re still out and about helping clients buy & sell all over the Lower Mainland. This year we’ve done deals in New Westminster, Maple Ridge, Burnaby, Surrey, Langley, Abbotsford, Vancouver & of course in the Tri-Cities. We’re all over the place, so if you have friends or family looking to buy or sell we can still help them!
WE HIRED AN ADMINISTRATOR SO WE COULD FOCUS MORE ON CLIENTS
You know your business becomes a legitimate business when you start hiring people – so this was a big move for us! Also, making training systems for the administrative side of real estate and also learning how to delegate is a huge leap and learning curve.
We knew that if we really wanted to focus on our clients and give the best service possible, that we needed to be able to let someone else handle some of the behind the scenes work… and 2019 was our first year hiring an administrator to help with the backend paperwork for all of the deals and little (but important) tasks here and there.
This step really allowed us to focus more on client care, and freed up some time so that we could make and create systems that help our clients and team to function smoothly. We’re in the process of working on bumping this admin job up to full time hours so that we can be even bigger and better in 2020.
MARIKO WAS SELECTED AS A COMMITTEE MEMBER FOR THE TRICITIES CHAMBER OF COMMERCE YOUNG PROFESSIONALS PROGRAM
I really wanted to get more involved in the community. Being a “younger” business person isn’t always easy, so it’s a passion of mine to help other young professionals feel supported in their endeavours as an entrepreneur. I’ve been with the Tricities Chamber of Commerce for a while now, but started to get more involved in 2019.
In October 2019 I decided to put my resume forward at the time the Young Professionals Program was determining a 2020 committee, and I was elected in! I’m super excited to put my experience as a young professional forward and share my experiences, as well as help others build lasting relationships, learn essential business skills, and gain credibility in the Tri-Cities community.
If you or someone you know has thought of getting more involved in the community, or is interested in learning more about the Chamber or the Young Professionals Program then give me a shout! Or check out the program details here: https://tricitieschamber.com/membership/tcyp/
BRIDGEWELL’S REAL ESTATE VLOG WENT TO NEW LEVELS… our most watched video has 6000+ views and we now have 97 subscribers
Our vlog really took off in 2019, with the views increasing, our most watched video having over 6000+ views and we now have 97 subscribers. OK… it’s not crazy “Youtuber” views… but for a girl that thought it wasn’t going to be much of anything and to just “try” it out, it’s pretty cool. I also got a lot more comfortable on camera in 2019, which was the biggest achievement for me.
In 2019 I’ve tried to add vlogs to my top performing blogs and most common questions, so that those that prefer to listen to the answer or view examples have that option!
For 2020 I plan on coming up with an actual schedule where I commit to vlogging and posting on a consistent basis, and working on more collaborations with other professionals in the industry like mortgage brokers, accountants, and more. It’d be cool to break the 10,000+ view mark for a video and double our subscribers!
If you haven’t watched any of our vlogs yet, check them out by searching Bridgewell Real Estate Group in Youtube. A lot of the content mirrors the vlogs, but there’s some info that you can only find in the vlog!! You might learn something new, so like or subscribe if you’re interested in all things real estate.
Here’s my 2019 recap vlog:
IN MY PERSONAL LIFE…
I went to Europe for the first time to visit one of my best friends in France. From Paris we then flew to Portugal and took a road trip from the North to the South. I discovered that French red wine is my new favourite, and doesn’t give me an Asian flush like other wines do, (still haven’t figured out the science behind that) and that Portuguese egg tarts are heaven on earth.
10 days after I came back from Europe I jumped right in to my first half marathon. I finished in under 2 hours which was my goal time, and then once that was done we decided to push our limits and test our accountability by starting a 100 day challenge where we ran 3 kilometers every single day for 100 days straight. We documented it on our personal instagram so that others could keep us accountable… rain or shine, sick or healthy. Super proud to say that we did it – never skipped a day – and even got some people to join us along the way! We had so much great feedback and support, and it was really cool to get people’s messages saying that it was inspiring or that they were thinking of doing something similar just because of us.
In line with pushing my limits this year….I joined a Muay Thai gym and am having SO much fun… I’ve been kickboxing for a while but was only doing bags and circuits, so it’s cool to test my reflexes and actually spar with people and work on my technique. I also bought 2 properties, a condo in Coquitlam and an investment property in Kelowna and broadened my landlord & property management skills!
Also had a bucket list moment and spent New Years Eve in New York City this year! We stayed in Manhattan for 2 nights and Brooklyn for another 2, explored the city, ate a bunch of good food, watched “Dear Evan Hansen” on Broadway, and just had a great time. New York is beautiful during the holidays and it was fun just to walk around, people watch, check out the stores and decoration, and of course, spend time with great people.
Here are some of my favourite photos of 2019:
Thank you all for an amazing 2019, your support, referrals, and decision to work with us means a lot for our business and we’re so happy to have a network of such amazing friends/family/clients.
I wish you health, wealth and happiness in 2020 – and can’t wait to hear/see your journeys as you welcome the new year. 2020 is also a new decade, so let’s all support each other and start the decade off RIGHT! Cheers to every one’s accomplishments this year and past decade, and here’s to the next one. :)
