Category Archives: Realtor Stories

Realtor® Kristina Vavrek: Singing about a real estate career

OCALA, Fla. – Der Gemütlichkeit. It’s a German phrase that means “well being and happiness enjoyed with good friends and good times.” And Kristina Vavrek, a Realtor and broker with Harmony Homes Realty LLC in Ocala, says it’s the essence of the Swinging Bavarians, a German Bavarian polka band in which Vavrek is a member.

“My father is the leader of the band, so it’s been around since before I was born,” says Vavrek, who started German dancing at age 3. She does vocals for the group, plays the Cowbells and performs the Schuhplattler, a traditional Austro-Bavarian folk dance.

And, it’s truly a family affair. The Swinging Bavarians have 10 official members — Vavrek’s uncles, siblings and even her husband are part of the band. In fact, for Vavrek’s husband, Starr, getting into the group was a trial by fire. “We met through music so he was an accomplished musician. We handed him the Lederhosen, and for a while he refused to come out of the dressing room,” laughs Vavrek, who says Starr has overcome his shyness and is a full band member now. “It’s a close-knit family group, and we have a wonderful time when we’re together.”

Like Kristina, who is a real estate professional specializing in helping first-time homebuyers, everyone in the group works full time in another career. In fact, both of Vavrek’s parents are also real estate professionals.

Because of their hectic work schedules, most of the band members use their vacation time to perform in the busy September and October months—Oktoberfest.

“During that time we perform at festivals and other venues all over Florida every day of every weekend, so we may do 24 shows during those two months,” she says.

For Vavrek, it was natural that she would join the band. “My father is originally from Germany, and when we were little, we belonged to a German club in Florida. My brother, sister and I started German dancing at age 3 and playing piano at age 4. We had a lot of fun,” she says.

While the band primarily performs in Florida, last year they decided to honor the troops at Guantanamo Bay. “It was amazing. They flew us out on two C12 military planes, and we performed for the troops,” says Vavrek, whose father was in the army. “You don’t realize how isolated they are out there so they really appreciated the entertainment. Also, the military school band director played tuba, so we got him out to do a few songs with us.” Vavrek is hoping to be invited back again this year.

“It’s a great outlet,” she says — one that meshes well with her real estate career. “I love speaking to people and it gives me confidence in real estate.”

Whether she’s on stage with the Swinging Bavarians or setting the stage for clients to buy their dream home, Vavrek performs with pride and passion – the hallmark of a Florida Realtor.

Realtor® Tricia Carlisle: Champion for Children’s Health Care

SANTA ROSA BEACH, Fla. — In the summer of 2005, Realtor® Tricia Carlisle met Tyler.

“I was volunteering at an after-school church outreach program and fell in love with this darling child who had a mouthful of misaligned teeth and whose family lived below poverty level,” she says. “He was small for his age, yet became a real bully. I wanted to help him, so I arranged for him get free braces, and I saw his attitude change. All of a sudden, he realized that there was a community out there that loved him,” says the broker-owner of Stellar Properties & Investments in Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.

Then, Hurricane Katrina hit and Carlisle wanted to help even more children. Thus was born the Children’s Volunteer Health Network (CVHN) (link underlined to http://www.cvhnkids.org/main/ ), a faith-based non-profit organization that offers uninsured or underinsured school-aged children free and immediate access to medical, dental and mental health care.

Tyler is now 17 and lives in Alabama. “His mom went to prison, he became truant for awhile, but he finished his braces and made it out of school,” Carlisle says.

CVHN has a mobile dental clinic that visits local schools. Last year, the dentists on the bus saw over 1,000 kids and “that’s only in a few of the schools, grades first through third,” she says. “We had so many children who needed major dental surgery that we decided to open a dental clinic where volunteer dentists perform restorative work for free.”

CVHN also offers everything from medical care to eyeglasses. “Last year we outfitted 142 kids with eyeglasses, doctors performed 72 root canals, we fitted 22 sets of braces, and we took 235 medical and dental appointments,” Carlisle says. “Anything an underprivileged school-age child needs, we either help pay for or get it donated.” Overall, CVHN has set up some 5,800 appointments with doctors and dentists, and has about 96 providers and 70 volunteers.

In fact, says Carlisle, for many parents, just getting the children to the appointments can be tough. “We have volunteers who transport the child from school to the doctor or dentist,” she says. “We also work though St. Vincent DePaul to help these families get free prescriptions. Our ultimate goal is to keep these children healthy and in school.” CVHN works with other charities to find help, such as Children in Crisis.

“We are privately funded; we rely heavily on our angels, such as The Blue Foundation and the Duval Family Foundation. We have no debt and raise money through several events throughout the year,” she says. Events include the Moveable Feast, where CVHN earns a percentage of the sales from different restaurants, and a party fundraiser where a local builder donates playhouses that are auctioned off. “We have a group of 100 people committed to giving $1,000 per year, most of whom are real estate professionals,” she says.

Given the current market, Carlisle says she’s seen a sea change in the people coming for help. “When we first started, the middle class didn’t need our help. Now, they’re forced to come to us and it’s created a whole blanket of compassion that wasn’t there before,” she says.

“We sit back and are amazed at what we’re able to do,” she adds. “If you drive a child to an appointment, you get born again. You get a letter from a parent, and it touches your heart. You have to keep that fire ignited.”

As for her real estate career, “What real estate career?” Carlisle laughs. “I think God has a sense of humor, [when I was getting CVHN started] I became a referring company, and my husband is licensed in Tennessee,” she says. “As CVHN took hold, my focus and joy went to children, so I was active but didn’t list property. I’m still doing referral business though, but I will probably retire at the end of next year.”

Carlisle also plans to pass the torch for the nonprofit’s organization and operation to others, but remain actively involved with CVHN. “I will continue to spend 10 to 15 hours a week raising funds and meeting the children,” she says.

And, while she may be retiring from real estate and from the CVHN presidency, she says the children will “always be in my heart.” She adds, “The infrastructure is there and CVHN will continue to grow. What more can a founder hope for?”

Carlisle is a member of the Emerald Coast Association of Realtors® and her local association honored her with its Humanitarian Award in 2006. Florida Realtors® recognized Carlisle as its Humanitarian of the Year in 2007 for making her vision of the Children’s Volunteer Health Network become a reality. Upon accepting her award, she explained that she created CVHN because . . . “all kids deserve to be healthy, they are our future and our hearts.” She also received national recognition for CVHN when the National Association of Realtors selected her as a 2007 Good Neighbor Honorable Mention winner.

Realtor® David Hall: Advocating for Young Adults

Realtor David Hall (pictured far right) is passionate about helping kids find their way after aging out of the foster care system. Several years ago, Hall took his son Jack (left) to Tallahassee to advocate for children’s issues during the Florida Legislature’s Children’s Week and to meet with then-Gov. Charlie Crist (center).

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – Realtor® David Hall receives a phone call from a teen asking him to meet at the Driver’s License Bureau and lend him money to get a photo I.D. A few minutes later, another teen calls to see if Hall can take him to lunch. Such is a normal day for David Hall, a broker-associate with Coldwell Banker Residential in Port St. Lucie.

Realtor^® Eric Sain: Dancing Through Life

Realtor Eric Sain transferred his passion for dance to the real estate profession.
Photo courtesy of Florida Realtor® magazine

PALM BEACH, Fla.– Eric Sain, a sales associate with The Corcoran Group in Palm Beach, Fla., transfers the passion he once had for dancing to real estate.

When he was 5 years old, his mom enrolled him in a beginner dance class. “I laughingly accuse my mom of using the dance class as a babysitter since my sister had a class at that time as well,” says Sain.

Realtor^® Connie Johnson: A Passion for People and Animals

BRANDON, Fla. – When Connie Johnson, a Realtor® with Coldwell Banker Real Estate in Brandon, Fla., gets involved, things get done.

“I always want to be the best at whatever I’m involved in, and now I’m passionate about helping others achieve their goals as well,” she says. And that drive doesn’t just apply to real estate sales, it applies to her charity work as well. After all, the year she became president of Rebuild Tampa Bay was the same year the Super Bowl came to Tampa – 2009. “I wanted to shake it up a bit and instead of rebuild homes, I wanted to transform a community,” she says.