Barbara J. Palmer

Barbara is especially grateful for having the opportunity to work with outstanding Realtors at Bailey Properties Inc. The two owners of the company, brothers Robert Bailey and Paul Bailey, lead the way for everyone associated with the company by having high integrity, and consistently working to give back to their community. Robert Bailey, received a special leadership recognition from the National Association of Realtors for his outstanding leadership, an award to only 2 people out of the entire membership of 1.5 million Realtors, and is past president of the California Association of Realtors. Paul Bailey started and continues to lead the Aptos Sports Foundation that for over 40 years has encouraged and helped students in Aptos by building athletic facilities as well as financially sporting students who participate in sports. Barbara believes these two outstanding people encouraged her to go forward with giving back to the community by setting a superb example.

During a National Associaiton of Realtor's conference in Washington D.C. Robert Bailey asked Barbara to go to Congressman Sam Farr's office to speak with him about an issue important for the country.. The meeting was successful and opened the doors for Barbara to go forward with serving the real estate professional organizations in many ways. Since that day Congressman Sam Farr and Barbara have been friends and for several years worked on issues that helped people with housing issues throughout the United States. And, to this day they are still friends.

The best career advice has come from the staff of the California Association of Realtors. Several outstanding people she has worked with were without exception well informed, and always came forward with a positive attitude. Each staff member was an expert in their field and Barbara always felt lucky to have these people available to lead seminars, answer questions, and lead the way to success and teach people if you first don't succeed keep going, there will be other opportunities. They were all fablouous examples of how to conquer adversity and stay positive no matter how difficult the road ahead might be.

My advice is to stay observant, listen carefully, and engage with everyone. Seek ideas from every person, including those who are quieter in the room, because they may offer valuable insights. Keep your eyes and ears open, and recognize that there is always something to learn from everyone.

In 2010 I was asked by the National Association of Realtors to be a key contact with Congressman Sam Farr, who represented the area in which I live. I thought about what his perception of me would be. I wanted to present myself as being acceptable to all members of Congress when going to Washington D.C. each year. I decided to always wear clothing that was purple. If you combine red, for Republicans, and blue, for Democrats, the result is purple. So every year for about 9 years I wore purple in order to be idenified as not one party or the other subconsciously, but in acceptable to all. Several years later I was asked to chair the Realtor Action Fund. The staff member of the California Association of Realtors asked on the phone when she was introducing the two vice chairs if I still wore purple when visiting elected officials. I said yes. The two Vice Chairs of the committee purchased purple suits to wear to our first meeting, and each of the meetings that year. One of those vice chairs was about 6'5" tall. When he wore a purple suite it really was noticable. Three months later at our next meeting about 25% of the people in the room were wearing purple! We became a committee of bringing people together.

Most important in my business life is to constantly be evaluating the programs and systems we use in the office to be sure we are producing the best possible outcomes for everyone.

Most important in my personal life is my family. I treasure everyone in my family. They give me confidence to keep going, never give up, and when I encounter a problem and question, they are always available for help and I believe when I help them it is a gift. I really enjoy our family dinners when we share our past happenings and what we are planning for the future.