Yo-de-lay-hee-hoo!

I'm off to hike the Alps. Yes, you heard me correctly. The combination of a waylaid milestone birthday, last year's cancelled travel plans due to Covid-19, a record-breaking year and a half of nonstop work, and the tragic and completely unexpected loss of a very dear friend who was waaay too young to go . . . have set the stage for a "wake up and smell the coffee moment." (Or in this case, try the frikin' fondue!)

Sometimes, there are no words. Sometimes we have to be jolted into understanding that life is finite, and sometimes it takes a loving partner to step in and take the lead . . . .

"I'm booking us a trip with Backroads," my husband, Cliff, declared, and for once, I didn't argue.

Yo-de-lay-hee-hoo!

The beauty of a partnership is the ability to get away and know without a doubt that your clients are in excellent hands. What's more, I can only enjoy this opportunity because I've been blessed with AMAZING cohorts in my life, beginning with my twin sister, Jill (the credit goes to our mother); my husband, Cliff (the smartest decision I ever made); and for the last couple of years, Sarah (she's the bomb); a business partner I can rely on 100%. These three people have made me grow in ways too numerous to count. They also have my back, which means I can dust off my hiking boots and enjoy "The Sound of Music." (Yes, I know that story took place in Austria; I'm taking literary license here.)

Add to these wunderkinds, the fantastic marketing team at Compass, and our social media guru, Anna, in London, and collectively, we form a powerhouse team that's ready to climb mountains (and we do!). Given that Sarah, Jill and I have done nearly as much business in the first six months of this year, as we did ALL of last (and 2020 was a BANNER year), it's also a partnership that's hard to argue with. The proof is in the pudding (or should I say "the sauce is in the strudel?")

Now comes news that COMPASS has partnered with Guaranteed Mortgage to create and launch OriginPoint! This is the latest step in Compass’ long-term vision to offer a seamless, all-digital, end-to-end platform to empower Agents (that's us) to deliver an exceptional experience for all consumers. Of course, you may continue to use the mortgage partners you’ve worked with in the past, but to the extent that COMPASS can work across many platforms, so much the better. Here's the vision: a COMPASS mortgage option that’s fully integrated into the COMPASS platform means a simpler, more transparent, and more seamless experience for Buyers (that's you).

So here's to partnerships - here at home, at work, within families, and across the globe. We all need each other. I'll see you when I return in about 10 days. In the meantime, please call Sarah or Jill in my absence. I plan to use my phone for photos only!

Yo-de-lay-hee-hoo!