BY FIONA FINN , STARLINK REALTY
FIONA FINN IS ALSO AN AUTHOR , ILLUSTRATOR , HUFFINGTON POST BLOGGER , AND HAS BEEN FEATURED ON AOL ’ S HOMEPAGE RAISING MONEY FOR CANCER AWARENESS .
A bit of background first : My name is Fiona Finn and I ’ ve been a real estate broker-agent for almost twenty years . The reason I became a Realtor ® was my belief that the earning potential was unlimited . This type of thinking runs rampant among many who enter this field .
I believed I could do anything I put my mind to and for awhile I did . I created a life for my family and myself that included much of the wealth and abundance I desired . But if I ’ m being honest , money didn ’ t buy my happiness . Yet after enduring the worst housing market of our time and a cancer diagnosis , I quickly learned that a life of perpetual deprivation didn ’ t bring much joy either .
The truth is real estate is anything but an easy career . And still I chose to re-enter the market after a few years of healing . But I had changed during the hard times . My faith in God was strengthened . You see , you don ’ t have a near brush with death and not change in some way . First and foremost , I ’ d become more spiritual , but not necessarily more religious .
Most certainly , I now wanted to seek more meaning from my work and life . Changing the world around me would be too large a feat but changing myself and the way I do business was achievable . So “ God , family , then business ” became my business motto .
And with renewed conviction , I merged my personal and professional power . I aligned myself with a new team of professionals - those who shared the same values . One new team member was unexpected : St . Joseph , the Patron Saint of Selling Homes . His addition to my team came when the housing bubble burst in 2008 . The Realtor ® Association started selling St . Joseph kits to help sell property .
Honestly , I ’ m not really sure where the idea of burying a statue of Saint Joseph , upside down in one ’ s yard in the hopes of selling one ’ s property , came from . Perhaps it started with a prayer for help that was answered . Then rumor spread and spread , as did the testimonials of success in selling . No matter how the urban legend started , it still persists . And the fact that our local board was selling it somehow legitimized the superstition to something more .
The process of gifting the statue to my sellers was easily accepted , although most clients were curious . I explained where I purchased the kits and that if they ’ d like to ask this Saint for his intercession in selling , it would be their choice . But I must admit , I am shocked at how well divine intervention has worked . My sales percentage of selling the homes I list is extremely high . And yet the properties that didn ’ t sell , I believe were never supposed to due to not being in the best interests of all parties involved .
Still , even with help from our Realtor ® who art in Heaven , homeowners have to do all the right things - like choosing the best agent , pricing the property fairly , updating and deep cleaning their home prior to entering the market place . And then as sellers you must ‘ let go ’ of the stress and worry of selling , realizing your fears will not help the current situation .
Whether you sell or not at this time comes down to timing and I ’ m a profound believer that timing is everything . Everything in life , including the sale of your property , usually works out exactly as it is supposed to . So have a little faith and in my experienced opinion , add St . Joseph ’ s strength to the arduous journey of selling your home , if you ’ d like to change fear into faith .
18 RPCRA . ORG | JUL / AUG 2017