Thanks for nothing Kaiser Permanente

For the past few years we have been more than happy members of Kaiser. We have never had any huge health concerns, maybe the worst thing was my son had to get his tonsils out. Sure I had a sore back and my wife and I are dealing with cholesterol issues, but thank goodness our family has been very healthy.  So upon becoming a new agent I needed to switch from being on a company policy (starwood) to a family plan and figured since we were already with Kaiser no big deal right?  Boy i couldn't have been more wrong my family just got denied medical insurance from Kaiser. Mind you I have never been denied coverage ever before for any reason.  Without going into detail about our medical history, they denied us on the medication we are taking (or taken in the past) and my back issues which haven't been an issue in the last 6 months.  It's amazing to be on this end of such a heated topic right now in our society. Yeah i've heard the horror stories of people getting denied because they have cancer or some other serious issue. We are a very healthy family who rarely go see the doctor, on top of that we have been with Kaiser for the last three years.  The worst part of the whole thing some of the stuff i had confided in my doctor with that i felt was confidential i now come to find out is on my permanent record. So confidentiality has gone out the door.  Morel of the story be careful what you say and know that insurance companies can drop you for anything and at anytime.  It makes me sad that in a real estate blog i have to talk about something like this but i want to get it out there what a horrible company kaiser has become in my eyes overnight.  I don't understand who they accept because they sure didn't accept this healthy family.  BOYCOTT KAISER!!!!!!!

Life of a new agent

Well here it is my first blog and I'm ready to share my life with the world!!! Switching careers at 37 is probably the scariest and most exciting thing I've done in my life.  There comes a time in your life when you have to ask yourself what is most important to me family or career. Being a chef is one of the toughest jobs out there, not only do you work grueling hours but the pay isn't that great either. Don't get me wrong i loved what i did and was very good at it but did i want to sacrifice family life for a job? The answer quickly became NO, but now what?  After many family discussions we had to figure out my strengths (yes cooking was a very strong one) I am a great talker and negotiator, i also love houses, Real estate!!!!!! That's what I'll do, but i soon realize it was the beginning of an uphill battle that i was willing to take on. I soon enrolled in real estate school at armbrust real estate institute where i took the 6 week course which was so helpful to prepare for the exam.  I passed the exam with flying colors on the first try and i highly recommend Armbrust to anyone looking to pass the exam. Next it was off to interview various real estate companies with the final decision going to Keller Williams Executives.  Through classes offered and great introduction material I soon realized not only what a genius Jim Slinkard is but what a close knit family the brokerage was. Befriending people like Robert Tait, Bret Shugrue, Pius Schenker, and Krisitn Schmidt have been nothing short of amazing. Not only are they great colleagues but I know I will be calling them friend for years to come.  We have a great team here at Keller Williams Executives and what a great place to be a new agent especially with my mentor Debbie Vandre.  I've already had a few clients and even though the deals fell through because of financing the experience was priceless.  It's great to know if I'm ever stumped on any real estate issues i can ask any team member here at KWE and get a response in no time flat. I am so excited about my real estate career and if you or anyone needs a hard working agent on you side to find a home click on this link and I will get you in your dream home very soon. Check back to this blog for more Real Estate information that i guarantee you will find useful in house hunting, repairs, and general home questions. You can also watch the budding career of a soon to be successful agent