RealtyTheme SoFla

Why Me?

After sitting on the sidelines watching other bloggers out there, I’ve finally decided to start my own. Now- you probably don’t know me from a hole in the wall and are wondering why you should read my blog. Well at least I’m wondering why- so I wanted to tell you about my thoughts on blogging (at least my own blog) and I would like to introduce myself.

My initial thoughts on blogging were that it was self-serving. I think many blogs are. I have seen a lot of fluff turned into blog posts that I really didn’t think made good copy. A lot of stuff I consider to be a waste of electrons- and I get upset that I wasted the time to read them. I won’t go into specifics, but I know you know what I’m talking about. I realized that since I started my career as a Realtor in 2003, I have learned A LOT! I have to admit- sometimes I’d rather sponge up knowledge than deal with an ornery customer (even though some of those ornery customers can lead to some nice bucks in my pocket). Maybe a lot of what I’m going to say may not be new, but I think it’s great when you can learn from the experience of others. I love learning, and I love teaching. I especially love it when I can explain something to someone and they get one of those “A-ha!” moments- when the light bulb goes on over their head. I hope that I can do that at least once or twice for you. I’m going to try to provide you with useful, useable information that will make you a better property owner, buyer, or seller, especially here in my home market of South Florida.

OK- that’s my thoughts- now who am I?

I’m Ray Manners- a Realtor® in South Florida. My office is in Coconut Grove- which is one of the nicest areas of one of the greatest cities in the country- Miami, Florida. My path to becoming a Realtor (like many of my colleagues) has been long and circuitous. Prior to moving to Miami full time I lived most of my life on Long Island, New York. I have worked in a retail clothing store (actually- that job was in the Florida Keys), owned my own business (a hobby shop on Long Island), appraised damaged cars for insurance companies, worked in air freight at Kennedy Airport, and I have been a Flight Dispatcher for TWA, Swissair, and other airlines. By the way, just so you’re not confused, a Flight Dispatcher is not the same job as an Air Traffic Controller- although we were both underpaid! A Flight Dispatcher plans and monitors the flights, and works for an airline. An Air Traffic Controller is responsible for making sure planes don’t crash into each other, either on the ground or in the air, and usually works for the government. OK- those are really simplified descriptions of the jobs, but most people think I’m an Air Traffic Controller when I tell them I was a Flight Dispatcher- I just wanted you to know that they’re different jobs.

I have had jobs where I paid into a 401k, and, when I was at TWA, part of my salary was paid with company stock. I guess you can see what’s next… I got screwed! I have seen my 401k tank and my stock in TWA was never worth more than the day it was issued to me. Actually, my TWA stock only has value as a piece of recyclable paper now. After these experiences, I figured it was time to go in a different direction financially.

After doing some research, I came to the conclusion that the secret to becoming financially stable was to be independent (at least to an extent) and to invest in Real Estate. After reaching this conclusion, I read everything I could find about Real Estate investing, and decided to do what I could to get started. At the time, that was very little! With virtually no money to invest, and no clear strategy (it’s nice to have a goal- but a strategy to achieve that goal is pretty darn important too!) I decided I would get in on the ground floor- as a Property Manager. I went to interview as a Property Manager, and was told that my talents might actually be better used elsewhere- in Real Estate sales. From there, I hit the ground running and haven’t looked back. The boom and bust markets have hit, and I’m still standing! Actually, one beneficial aspect of our recent slow market has been that I have been able to take more classes, and learn more about how I can better help the people I work with.

Now- I never considered myself a salesman, and actually to a large extent, I still don’t. I really look at myself as a matchmaker, and as partner. In my heart, I think of myself as a Good Samaritan (I hope that doesn’t sound like I have an overblown ego, but it’s true). You see, I grew up in a nice house, with a great family in a nice community, and I think that experience has shaped my life. As a Realtor, I feel as if I’m doing my part to “pay it forward” by helping people to achieve their dreams- whether it’s finding their first home, a vacation condo, or achieving their financial goals through investing in Real Estate. I’m glad that my knowledge and expertise can help people achieve their goals, and I hope that my blogs here will help you in the same way.

In short- I think I have a lot to give, and I’m looking forward to helping in any way I can. Right now, I think this blog will be a great opportunity to help some of you, a least that is my hope. I’m going to end this blog the way that I think I’ll probably be ending most of my blogs- with an invitation. If you think there is something I can help you with, please let me know. I’ll try my best to get you the answers or information you need, or at least, I’ll try to get you pointed in the right direction.

Thank-you for taking the time to read about me, and for hopefully allowing me the opportunity to help you. Please read my future blogs, and give me some feedback. Constructive criticism is more welcome than the other kind! Thanks again- and good luck!