This week's contributor profile is Cheryl Spangler. Check out her work on her Inman profile. I had a little q-and-a session with her, and here is what she had to say: CHERYL'S INMAN PROFILE Cheryl Spangler is the principal broker and co-owner of FORBZ Real Estate Group located in Alexandria, Virginia (serving VA, DC, MD). You can follow her on Twitter, Linkedin, Facebook or on Instagram @Forbzhouse. Cheryl is an author of MULTIPLE OFFERS, How to Get Many Qualified Offers When Selling Your Home Regardless of the Economy. Cheryl is an area "Power Broker", a proven real estate resource, entrepreneur, author of many non-fiction books, writer and speaker. Prior to real estate, Cheryl spent time in San Jose California (Silicon Valley) as well as Tyson's Corner, VA (Dulles Tech corridor) in the high tech industry bringing products to market which included the testing, marketing and sales process during the "IPO" phase. Cheryl's passion for writing and real estate brings her to share and inspire for Inman News on a wide variety of topics. Feel free to contact Cheryl directly with story ideas or to share your thoughts on stories she has written. | How long have you been a contributor? Two months What made you want to contribute? I am always ON -- 24/7 -- when it comes to writing. Everything that happens throughout my business, my life and the people around me constantly inspires me to write. The challenges we go through and the perspectives people have. I love to find simple solutions or thoughts around a topic and write about it. Becoming an INMAN contributor just brought my focus to real estate specifically, and I love being a part of this amazing group. What has been your favorite article to write so far? My most positively received article is: 11 things successful real estate agents don't do. However, the most fun and my absolute favorite article is a series I am currently submitting weekly called "Letters from ..." a running article that explores the intimate thoughts about why members of the real estate industry got into the business, what they wish they would have known when they started, their challenges, who their mentors are and why, and lastly, ways they can help others keep from making the same mistakes. Look for the title "Letters from ..." to hear what your peers think about what they wished they knew when they started the business. What has been your favorite piece of feedback so far? When I relate personally and tell a story to get an important point across -- the feedback is the more valuable. I realize that connecting with and acknowledging others in the industry allows them to share their real challenges, and therefore, grow more. Dani constantly reiterates the benefit of having a conversational piece and that is exactly what brings the best feedback. People want to be heard, not talked to, and I am going to work more on that. What do you do in your spare time? I have this crazy brain that literally does not shut off. What I do to slow it down is meditate, write poetry, write books (that do not have to do with real estate), travel to fun places with my kids, find the perfect coffee shop, exercise, dance and laugh as much as possible. What is your passion? Writing, travel, finding things and people that inspire me What advice would you give to other aspiring real estate professionals? Pick a niche market, and be all about that, and you will draw to you more business than you ever thought possible. What advice would you give to new contributors? Write and submit articles frequently, and write about what you encounter, what you do and what you and your fellow colleagues experience. I find no shortage or article topics, when you just look around and listen to others. And be aware that everything you are experiencing is something others are most likely going through. Right now I am focused on selling micro-condos in the Washington DC area, and knowing that I will be writing about it encourages me to dig deeper when researching, marketing and selling them. |