Hands down we are farther into this year than we normally are for the annual “Note From Your Divas.” Last year we released a “Note From Your Divas on a Dawn of a New Decade.” Many of the themes we released in January of 2020 really became a Northstar to us as we navigated massive change in so many of our personal lives.
March of last year everything came to a crushing close on a fateful Wednesday afternoon. In one simple day, our kiddo’s school closed for what now seems permanent. RIP Middle School. Our nephew Raja was staying with us at the same time doing a show at Washington Ensemble. His husband had just flown in and on that same Wednesday, he tested positive for COVID. The majority of the art world closed that month and still to this day have not opened. Same with schools. At the same time, we proactively closed our office and sent everyone home before the state-mandated “Stay at Home” order.
But you know they say….
When the world gets tough… DIVAS get tougher!
Last year we made a commitment to keep the team fully employed and do what was needed to make sure our team would be here together at the end of this. And we knew how important it was going to be to show up for our community. Little did we know how ill-prepared our real estate industry was to acknowledge that Black Lives Matter, handle online meetings, or doing away with simple things like Open Houses.
Thankfully our team already had an online presence which meant that while others struggled to figure out Facebook, our team was doing Virtual Open Houses for our Diva Dwellings. All of this really helped us to crystalize our home selling process last year (read about it in our “How to Sell a Home in Seattle Blog.”)
A note from the Divas would not be complete without showing an immense amount of gratitude to our team. As we stated earlier we made the decision early on to close our physical location in order to keep everyone safe. And through all of this, Rocky, Roy, Remington, and Michael were up for the task. They all showed incredible resilience to actually make the big pivot last year. Thank you!!! Oh, and the team became THE top-producing real estate team in Seattle at Coldwell Banker Bain.
No easy accomplishment!
A Note From the Divas – The 2021 Edition
Ok what is next for this team? On the eve of massive change in our society, it feels fitting to state simply that our commitment to diversifying our industry is stronger than ever. We want to see nontraditional REALTORS become powerhouses in this industry and create long-term generational wealth. In order to do this, we need to ramp up our marketing presence and we needed to grow.
What’s Next at The DivaHQ? Let’s Meet the New Team Members
On the outside, it probably looks like our team just doubled In size. The reality is far more thought out. The Divas knew that we needed to alleviate a lot of the work pressure we were putting on ourselves as a team. We made a conscious choice to find new team members to support our clients, community, and our team. And as usual, we had to do it our way. The new team members not only continue our mission to bring diversity to this stodgy old industry, but they also reflect our larger Divaland community.
Let’s meet the new team members….
Lindsy Russell-Mitchell: Team Diva Real Estate Broker
Lindsy was part of our mentorship program in 2020 that we did with a few brokers from our main office. We were so impressed by her caring soul and how she was able to be a strong advocate for Diva Dwellers. Lindsy has been shadowing the team for most of this year and we simply adore her. She has so much talent and we know big things are coming to this Diva!
Tue Nguyen: Assistant to the Divas
Tue is in charge of making sure our clients feel the Diva love even as we cannot be in person. Send the Divas a referral and Tue is in charge of delivering you a home-baked gift. Tue is also in charge of making sure life keeps humming at the new DivaHQ aka the basement of Chez Diva.
Alyssa Christensen: Content Manager
Alyssa was a critical component to supporting the team as we did a massive update to the website last year. We are super lucky that Alyssa agreed to bring her phenomenal writing and SEO skills to the Team Diva universe. Alyssa and Mara work closely to make sure that we continue to bring our Diva shine to our listing and social content.
Mara Sullivan: Social Media + Online Marketing
Mara has a ton of experience in the marketing and social media world. The Divas met her through their Inman and Genuine Hustle community. Mara is tasked with making our Diva Dwellings shine online and making the team sparkle extra bright.
Read more about Mara here >
Alex Allred – The Original Team Member
Divas also wanted to take a moment to express so much gratitude to one of our longest-term team members, Alex. She is more than a bookkeeper—she is a goddess here on earth. Alex’s strength of spirit and beauty is a true gift to all of us. Last year she helped steer this Team Diva ship through some extremely rocky weather and we are here because of her!
Alex was able to navigate applying for small business loans for the team. This directly translated to us being able to fully support folks like the marketing team. The support Alex provided meant we were able to carry the team while everyone found their footing during the quarantine. Thank you!!!!
A Note From the Divas – 2021 Edition | In Closing
A note from the Divas would not be complete if we did not express love and gratitude to all of Divaland. You seriously are all amazing. You inspire us with your political work, advocating for our BIPOC community, and just being so creative. Over the last year here is what you all accomplished:
Divaland Does the Work
- Continue to Stand Up for Breonna Taylor
- Fought for Fair Housing in the WA Legislature
- Fought Hard for Democracy
- Increased Revenue for Critical Infrastructure | Senator Joe Nguyen
- The House Democratic Campaign Committee | Mina Hashemi Mercer
- Indivisible Plus: Washington: Episode 8, With Jon Pincus and Brandy Donaghy
- Educated us About Educational Justice During Online School With Manuela Slye
- Supporting BIPOC Candidates: Episode 4 With Joy Stanford and Mona Das
- Being A Good Neighbor To Black Communities: Episode 2, With Marlon James
- Education, Real Estate, And Equity: Episode 1, With Dave Jones
And so much more! In this note from the Divas on the eve of change one thing is certain. And that thing is the resilience of our community and our commitment to fight for justice. Let’s keep doing the work and make changes where we live and work.
