During the early days of the pandemic, when they said we couldn’t meet clients in person, Graham and I kept ourselves busy with flamingos. If you live in Carlsbad, you saw them. We had over 100 of them, and that flock of fuchsia was E-V-E-R-Y-W-H-E-R-E. We flocked lawns, businesses, condo complexes… you name it. We had this ridiculous idea- As a way to stay connected to our community and, honestly, just to have something TO DO, we would “flock” houses with plastic flamingos we bought by the boxful, and we would do it for free. If your kids had a birthday, we came. Your husband finished chemo; we came. Graduations, promotions, just because your neighbor thought you could use a smile... We were there. Graham would go late at night, and (avoiding many a RINGcam) he would stick them all over with signs announcing your good news. We were doing three homes a night, every night, for months. And we think they helped. If they didn’t help you, I can confidently tell you they helped us. For two people used to connecting, hiding away in our house went against everything we were.

One day, we got a message asking if we would help celebrate 14-year-old Madison’s birthday. HECK YES, we would! It was a plethora of pink plastic, and the parents sent photos of curly-haired Madison straddling one of our flock in her front yard. Our hearts were so, darn, full. Fast forward four years, and the same family received a job transfer. They called to see if we would meet with them to discuss their home sale. They knew we were good with birds, but could we deliver on the real estate side? I don’t mean to brag, but as good as we are at lawn decoration, we’re even better at selling homes. We listed their home for the highest price ever attempted in their neighborhood and sold it at full asking price in one day. While they were in escrow, packing for the move, they texted us the picture of Madison from four years ago because, coincidentally, it was her 18th birthday. People talk about things coming full circle, but you don’t understand the power of that until you experience it. They don’t know it, but this family made us feel helpful, useful, and connected during the pandemic. We are so incredibly honored to have helped them four years later. The fact that their curly-haired daughter, whom we celebrated at 14, is now a high school graduate, heading off to college is mind-blowing, and also a profound reminder that getting to know people and helping them write their stories is our very favorite part of this job. We love it so much that we found a way to do it even when we weren’t supposed to be doing anything. We’re rule breakers in that way 🦩.
 
Thanks for reading.
Kelly (+ Graham) Levine