Clint Miller: Friend, Mentor, and All Around Good Guy
Mourning the loss of a great man.
Many of you may remember me talking about Clint Miller here or on Twitter and Facebook. A good friend, who I know through social media, Clint passed away on December 11, 2011 after a hard fought battle with cancer. Clint never once seemed daunted by the fight and even hopped on line last week during some of his toughest moments to chat on Facebook and update his friends. Clint meant a lot of things to a lot of people, and to me, he was a giant among men. His passion for life, his family, his friends, and helping and mentoring real estate agents was gigantic.
I met Clint online and we never had a chance to cross paths in person. His love of social media as a means of connecting was second to none. I commented to a friend last night that I loved the way “Clint humanized social media.” Clint, who worked for an internet lead generation company, made waves with his way of connecting and assisting real estate agents with their business. He never gave the hard sell to push his product. In fact, he never asked me once about it…but after getting to know him, I wound up being a client because I trusted him. Friends first, business later. It was always intriguing to me to see how he gave first…and received business later because of it. If there were a Social Media Hall of Fame, I’d certainly vote for him.
Clint used to call me randomly to check in on me, to ask how I was. He knew lots of details of my life, sometimes knowing things I don’t tell most people. He’d ask how I was, he’d tell me a funny story he heard, ask me to read his latest blog post, or just shoot the shit about life. We shared a lot of time on the phone and via blogs, email, and social media. We talked about music a lot.
It’s terrible to know that his family is now coping with a major loss, but they have been amazingly strong. His wife, Angela, has been on Facebook updating all of us whenever she could find a second, which can’t be easy to find, when you’re caring for a family as your husband fights cancer. She’s incredibly strong and I’ve come to have a great love and respect for her too. She’s become family to many in the real estate industry, as have Clint’s kids.
I could ramble for a long time about my memories of Clint, but there’s so much in my head right now it’s hard to make sense of it all. I’m sad and angry and happy and frustrated and relieved. It can’t be easy to go through all of it, so I’m happy he’ll finally get some peace and comfort, but I hate that cancer has removed someone like him from the world. No one deserves the pain of cancer yet we all seem to know someone who’s affected by it. It angers me that cancer is not yet curable. I pray that it will be in my lifetime.
Jay Thompson wrote (and filmed) a beautiful piece about our friend and he’s great at making lists of blog posts that relate to a topic…his list of Clint Miller posts is wonderful to read through as everyone shares their thoughts and feelings. I recommend you read through some and then go tell you family how much you love them.
Many have asked where and how to donate, so I include the information below. Even if it’s just a few dollars, every bit helps. Many of us are working to gather as much as we can for the family and to help them through this incredibly trying time.
Mail checks, money orders, cashiers checks (payable to: Christina Ethridge -she is coordinating the collections and 100% goes directly to the Millers) to
Christina Ethridge
110 S. Riverwood Court
Post Falls, ID 83854
Please text Christina at (208) 819-2965 when you mail a check, so that she can watch out for it and make sure it arrives.
If you prefer online payments, Nikki Beauchamp is collecting those via PayPal. Simply log in to your account and send a payment to email hidden; JavaScript is required. If you have any questions, you can contact her via Facebook.
REbarcamp comes to San Antonio.
REbarcamp San Antonio is here!
It’s been a long time coming, but REbarcamp San Antonio is finally a reality. I’ve been dreaming of the day when San Antonio would host it’s first REbarcamp, but when I spoke to Philip Becker (my broker) about it, he instantly began thinking it through and helping put together the plan. As “Head Nerd” at Becker Properties, the building of a website fell on me and I’ve been working away at it. With most of it finally in place and where I want it to be, I can now begin working on some other web projects that I’ve had in mind. First up, is a complete redesign of the Becker Properties website.
Kickbacks still a problem in the real estate industry?
Kickbacks are illegal. Period.
In recent real estate industry news, there have been several settlements with large companies over alleged kickback deals. Both Fidelity National Financial and Prospect Mortgage have settled with The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to the tune of about $7.6 million combined. I find myself shocked and dismayed that our industry is still doing anything that could remotely be called a kickback. While both companies may not see them as kickbacks, it’s shameful to think that anyone wants to even toy with the definitions of what a kickback is or is not.
The idea of kickbacks have existed forever in our world and I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, but with all the training I go through as a Realtor®, the idea of accepting money for something like this has been pounded into my head as illegal, unethical, and just plain stupid. Even without all the training, I would know this. How is it that it continues to this day?
What makes me most upset is that events like this tarnish the reputation of the industry as a whole, so that when someone does need a recommendation of a service provider, they view them with distrust or skepticism. My policy on recommendations is simple. First, I base them on my own personal trust and experience with that person or company. Second, I base it off of other industry member’s thoughts (for instance, if I’m considering adding a new lender to my list, I will call several people in the industry that I trust and ask what they know – those opinions are worth their weight in gold to me). Third, if I do add someone to my list of trusted service providers, they know that one mistake and they’re done. It’s not just my reputation on the line (I referred them, so it reflects on me), but it’s bad for my clients. Why would I want to refer someone who does bad work? That’s a no brainer.
So in the course of working with me, know that if I recommend someone to you, it is because I place a high amount of trust in them to get the job done right…and they’re not slipping me cash in unmarked envelopes either.
photo courtesy of stevendepolo
Why do real estate agents blog?
Why do we do what we do?
As I make my transition to my new role at Becker Properties, I’ve been encouraging agents to spend more time thinking about blogging (and social media). Asking them the question, “what do you want to get out of it?” As with all things, this set me on my own path of thinking – why do real estate agents blog?
Happy Fourth of July, San Antonio!
Celebrate America
Growing up in Philadelphia, the Fourth of July always seemed to have a special significance to me. Maybe it was the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, maybe it was the backyard BBQs and fireworks, but it really is one of my favorite holidays. Summer time in full swing and always something going on – the Fourth of July is always a busy day of fun and laughter. Whatever your take on the holiday, have a great one and be safe.
