Over the past 3 years, Evansville has become very dear to my heart. Whether loan officers, real estate agents, title companies, Honey+Moon Coffee or Parlor Doughnuts, I have enjoyed getting to know the Evansville and Newburgh areas better. As I venture further into this new path as a business owner, my networking itch is in overdrive. I planned a trip to Evansville recently to see what new connections I could make while touching base with some others I haven’t seen for a while. It made for a fantastic trip that left me feeling more in touch with this great area.
Expanding The Selling Table Network
In order to expand my network, I’ve found that I need to jump in to places I’ve not been before. I am a loyal soul, and when I find something I like that works, I generally sink most or all my focus into those places. Getting out of my usual comfort zone is exciting and I challenged myself to find a few new things to discover on my recent trip. Check out these great new connections I made by getting out of my box just a little bit.
Evansville Regional Economic Partnership’s Common Grounds
Tina Fuhrer from E-REP puts on a cool event at the Cowork Evansville space called Common Grounds, with coffee provided by Evansville Coffee Company. I stumbled upon the advertisement for the event and was fascinated by the group that was going to be presenting (more on that later). It was a great setting with networking, followed by a brief presentation and more networking time to finish up. I really enjoyed the age range of attendees from young professionals to retirees who were full of wisdom and just wanting to “keep the brain sharp”. Everyone was very welcoming and eager to connect. I was able to learn about some neat upcoming events. Being a tech geek, one event I was excited to learn about, even though it probably has nothing to do with real estate or selling a home, was Autonomous 2.0 at Westgate, right here in my Daviess County backyard! It sounds like a fun event to check out all the cool AI and autonomous advancements that are out there.
For Evansville
The presenters at the Common Grounds event were Ross Chapman and Jonathan Boettcher from For Evansville. This nonprofit is doing something special. When I had stumbled upon the advertisement for the event, I looked up their organization and was immediately impressed and intrigued by their cause. These guys shared their stories and how the organization came about from one person who wanted to make a difference in the community. These use Kingdom principals to better their community, bringing people, businesses, and nonprofits together. Rather than pushing everyone to support one specific project that may have a narrow focus, they encourage those who want to partner with them to think about and use their talents and expertise in their current field, allowing people to bring their best and highest value to make a difference in the community. If you have a few minutes, check out their short film Left Turn. Their presentation left me thinking how The Selling Table may be able to help depressed neighborhoods in the area, allowing people to sell their property with less cost, and maybe even a generous discount. There story inspires me to not only be “For Evansville” but for every community The Selling Table serves. What if we all looked at our communities to find practical ways to use what we have been given to help make them better?
Pay it Forward Local Inc
I stumbled across this great cause while meeting with Shannon Libbert-Miller from Regional Land Title Company. Pay it Forward recently purchased the old St Paul’s church off Franklin on Michigan Ave and is setting it up as a community center. While still working out the name for the community center, they have already put together some programs and services. Offering an after-school program, clothing and food pantry, and they host events such as weddings, receptions, and various sports in the gym. They are currently looking for volunteers and clothing donations. The address is 2227 W Michigan Street, Evansville, IN 47712. I could sense Shannon’s passion for the new community center and would recommend you check it out!
The Final Word
Even though the purpose of my journey was to connect with possible new business referral partners, it was so inspirational to see others who were so invested in their community and doing great work. I hope The Selling Table can be a business that others look at as a great partner to the communities it serves. Adding value to real estate stake holders, allowing them to keep more of the hard-earned equity that they have invested in their community, to help it grow organically, and maybe they’ll even use some of those savings to reinvest in areas where they see a need.
The Selling Table is a For Sale by Owner real estate transaction coordination business based in southern Indiana. If you would like to learn how a transaction coordinator can help save you thousands or tens of thousands of dollars on your upcoming home, land, or commercial real estate sale, please call The Selling Table at (812) 217-7002 or check out our site at www.thesellingtable.com
Bonus: A Quick Housing Market Update
Freddie Mac reported that housing demand remains stable, forecasting 6.9 million homes to be sold in 2022 with pricing to increase 6.2 percent, which is significant, but not as high as the huge 2021 increase of 15.9%. 2021 recorded an all-time high median home sale price of $362,800 in June. In the same month, the number of listings dropped by 23%, creating a limited supply that was partly responsible for the price increases. Many forecasters are predicting more people taking advantage of remote work opportunities and moving into more affordable housing markets which may be a nice boost for Indiana, which enjoys the 12th lowest cost of living in the nation.