March 10, 2025 • 45 mins
- This week Dayna talks with April Tolbert about the changing world of insureance and what you need to know. Plus Debbie Bridgeman gives listeners a preview of the Greater Beaumont Chamber of Commerce Dress For Success event.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Well, hello Southeast Texas. I'm so excited that you've joined
us here on the Dana Simons Show today. I have
a couple of experts with us, and I will tell
you that before the show started, we were talking about
Debbie Bridgeman and April Tolbert were both radio DJs. So
how intimidated am I right now that I am hosting
(00:24):
a show with two professionals who've done this for years
and years in their past life and are really good
at it. So if you hear me kind of babble,
I'm gonna tell you it's because the nerves are go
win with these two here with me, although they're beautiful
people and they would never give me a hard time,
but may give me a little good advice by the
end of the show. So hopefully we can get that.
(00:46):
Before we get started to visit with them, I wanted
to give you a little update on how's the market now.
I don't have the new data from February yet, but
I will get that for you as soon as all
of that comes from the Texas A and M Research Center.
That's where we get that, and so I'll wait on
that and give that to you probably next week. It
should be in. But I just want to give you
(01:06):
a little bit of information about what we are personally
seeing in the market right now. January and February we're
pretty cold. Not only was the weather cold, but the
real estate market was pretty cold. We have seen since
the weather has turned and it started warming up a bit,
so has the real estate market. I'll tell you if
(01:28):
you are thinking about selling, we have buyers out there
right now who are looking at properties. We are seeing
offers come in. We are even seeing multiple offers come
in on some properties. So if you've been sitting on
the fence thinking it's not a great time to sell,
give us a call. Four oh nine eight six six
(01:49):
eight three two six, and one of my isays, it's
Cindy who is answering the phone today. You can call
and say, hey, Cindy, I just want to sit down
and talk to someone see what my house would be worth,
and allow Cindy to walk you through how we do that. Now,
if you just want to get just a quick estimate
on your property, which you can do. It's not going
(02:11):
to be a perfect estimate as if we came out
and was able to look at everything for you, but
you can get a quick little estimate. If you go
to Dana Simons real Estate dot com. You put in
your address and it is a little tool that will
let you see what is it showing my house.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Is worth Now.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
That does not replace whenever we come out and we're
able to give you a more exact number, but it
does give you at least a little idea of what
the value is close to. So if you're interested in that,
again Dana Simmons real Estate dot com, or you can
call four nine eight sixty six eight three two six
(02:49):
and Cindy can schedule you an appointment with our listing
team and that does not cost you a thing. There
is no obligation for you to do anything. It just
allows us to help you make a wise decision about
is it the right time for you to sell your
home with us? Today, I have April Tolbert who is
with April Tolbert Insurance and she is actually my personal
(03:12):
insurance agent. And I want April to tell you just
a little bit about herself. And yes, April, you did
radio years ago.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
I did.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
That was my prior life, prior to getting by the
insurance bug. I mean, how many people go to go
from radio right I mean radio, that's an exciting career.
At least when I was young, I thought it was.
And then I grew up and got a real job. Yes, No,
I got a real career. Oh that was.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
Jim Love may be back there saying, what do you
mean a real job?
Speaker 3 (03:42):
That's exactly what you're saying right now, Hey, old On
just a minute, But no, really, I really wanted to
help people. That was just who I was at the
core of how can I serve my community right? And
insurance just bit me and I realized right around the
time that Hurricane Rita came through in two thousand and
(04:02):
five that people need help with their insurance. Who's out
there helping people with their insurance. There's a lot of
people out there selling insurance. You can buy insurance on
every street, corner, every website these days, right, Even credit
unions sell insurance. Everybody sells insurance. But who's truly here
locally helping people navigate their options for their insurance.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
Yeah, And we're going to talk about that in our
next segment too, because I have seen people make very
difficult decisions and then regret what has happened. So we're
going to talk through some of that, but today you're
doing a phenomenal job. You have many policies that you
can write. You're not just shopping one. Oh, that's right,
(04:48):
that's right. We are a full service insurance agency. I
have a team here in Beaumont, and now we have
opened an office in Kirbyville as well, so we're serving
Jasper County from our low cation in Kirbyville, and we
have a phenomenal team that can help you with all
of your insurance if there's something that we don't have
(05:08):
a good fit for you, which I believe we will.
Now that we've got our flagship company, which is Farmer's Insurance,
people see me branding as Farmer's Insurance, but we also
have a dozen other homeowners insurance companies. We've got a
dozen other auto insurance companies. We have a whole side
of our agency that offers multiple carriers for auto, home umbrella,
(05:32):
life insurance, flood insurance, wind insurance, medicare products. We try
to be a one stop shop and then if there's
something that doesn't fit you and all of our options,
we have referral partners as well throughout the community that
we refer to, knowing if they have something that is
a specialty niche that we may not have. We want
(05:53):
to be your one stop shop, we want to be
your call, we want to be your resource for everything
insurance in Southeast as We want you to think of
us and will help get you what you need or
get you to who can and we'll talk through what
are some of the ways that if your insurance costs
or high, what are some of the ways that you
can get those reduced in just a bit. But one
of the things I think is critically important that you
(06:15):
talked about is that you are in the community. And
today we're going to be talking about a couple of
different ways that you serve in the community. And right now,
in one of our next segments, we're going to talk
about the Greater Beaumont Chamber of Commerce when event, which
is you are heading up the Women's Entrepreneurial Network or
the Chamber of Commerce, and there is an event coming up.
(06:37):
And so the fact that you give back so much
of your time into our community is a huge reason
that I love working with you, because you're not just
an insurance agent, You're a community partner. You want what's
best for our area. Your children are here, you want
to build this area for them as well. And that's
(06:59):
a big thing.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
I don't want my kids to want to leave Southeast Texas.
I was born and raised here in Southeast Texas. I
love it, and I want my kids to love it too,
And so I want, just like you, right, I want
to make our community a beautiful place for our kids
and our grandkids and our great grandkids to want to be.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
Absolutely and that's one of the things that I love
about Southeast Texas. When you work with people in Southeast Texas,
you get that. And so Debbie Bridgeman, Debbie, you also
have been here and you are a very integral part
in Southeast Texas. You've done a lot of things too,
one of which was radio.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (07:38):
I stay busy, that's for sure, between Spindletop Rotary and
the Chamber and United Way and Press Club of Southeast
Texas and my job.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
So yeah, a real job too.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
Job.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
Yeah, your church.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
You volunteer at the church that we both got to Yeah.
Speaker 4 (07:54):
So I'm like, April, you know it was actually it was.
It was back in like two thousand and five. I
was like, oh, I'm gonna have to get a real job.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
Well, and so now you are with BID, So tell
everyone the name. I know you tried to get me
to write down the whole thing, but give give everyone
the idea of exactly what you do for BID.
Speaker 4 (08:14):
So. I'm in the communications department. I'm the coordinator of
Business community Partnerships and I help with basically communicating anything
that needs to go out to our stakeholders, our parents,
our students, our teachers, letting them know the events, the programs,
everything going on with Beaumont ISD. And we have a
lot going on right now. And of course, doctor Allen
and the board just got back from Austin from Golden
Triangle Days in the eighty ninth Texas Legislative Session, so
(08:38):
we've had a lot of information that we've needed to
get out and we do a lot at Beaumont ISD.
And I love working with our business partners and our
volunteers and everybody that pours into the school district.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
And BID has some exciting news happening today.
Speaker 4 (08:52):
They do one o'clock Westbrook Bruins boys basketball team. They
are playing for the state championship in San Antonio, So.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
Good luck to the Bruins.
Speaker 4 (09:04):
For Shuow Brewins, we are all signons in the school
history that's amazing far. So yes, we're hoping for a
state victory. Vactly when we get the state victory, we'll
have a big celebration next week.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
Would love that and we would love to be a
part of that. Well, we have a great show today.
These two women are so involved in our community and
they have so many amazing things that they want to
share with you. So we're going to talk insurance in
our next segment. So if you have questions about insurance,
you can give us a call at four oh nine
eight nine six five five eight four. Or if you
(09:37):
have questions about anything bid for Debbie, give us a
call and we will do the best we can to
answer those questions for you. We are going to come
back shortly. This is Dana Simmons with the Dana Simmons Show,
this segment with April Tolbert of April Tilbert Insurance and April.
One of the conversations I'm having a lot with my
(09:59):
clients right now is the fact that their insurance costs
are going up. And that's not just with your company.
That's across the board. We are seeing insurance costs increasing
pretty significantly. I know I had one of the people
in my office, her monthly note is being impacted significantly
(10:19):
by taxes and insurance. And for those who are in
a fixed income, you and I were talking about it
a couple of weeks ago. This is a challenge that
they're facing because they may have their house paid for,
but they're still having to come up with taxes and insurance,
and when those costs get up, it can be hard.
So let's talk about what are some things that you
(10:42):
can recommend people do in order to try to reduce
those costs of their insurance.
Speaker 3 (10:49):
Well, there's several things that we do Whenever people call
us and they say, I have got to reduce this cost.
This is detrimental. I mean, the cost of everything has
gone up. Exactly, how can I help trim the cost
of my insurance? Number One, we're going to review their
current policy, make sure they're getting all the discounts or
(11:10):
the things you can do to bundle your other insurance,
your car insurance with your home insurance to give you
a fairly significant discount. We're going to look at those
things first. Then we're going to turn around and we're
going to look at, okay, what is your deductible And
we're going to actually talk to them about their deductible
because the last thing you want to do is say, Okay,
well you can save one thousand dollars a year by
(11:32):
going with a high deductible plan. But some people that's
devastating if they actually have to use their insurance. So, yes,
you can go from having a two thousand dollars deductible
to having a twenty thousand dollars deductible, but what good
is that to you when the hurricane comes through or
the fire happens. Is that going to be detrimental? So
(11:53):
we're going to have those conversations because if it is
something you can do, you can afford to do, then
we want to make sure that you have that option.
And then third, it's shop carriers. Let's shop other carriers
other than who you have now, and let's figure out
if there is a company out there that likes you.
They like your house, they like the location, they like
(12:14):
the fact that it has had no claims. That you
know all of those factors, and there's so many factors
that go into establishing a rate for an individual. It's
not like the days back twenty years ago when I
got into insurance, where we had a rate book and
I could run into you at the grocery store and
I could say, oh, you know, oh, April, I'm buying
this twenty twenty four, you know, whatever kind of car
(12:37):
it was, and I could say, oh, well, your insurance
will be about this much. It's not that way anymore.
There are so many factors that go into Danny. You
and I could buy the same home and get insurance
quotes on that home, and our rates are going to
be different because years ago they started allowing insurance companies
to use credit characteristics in insurance. So every company is
(13:02):
going to be different. Every home is going to be different,
every vehicle is going to be different for each individual.
So what we do is we try to shop that
around and find the best fit for each person individually,
because there is no one blanket insurance that is going
to fit everyone the same way.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
And so April, one of the things that I know
someone may be out there saying, yeah, that sounds great.
What does that cost me? If I call you and say, hey,
look at my insurance, how can I how can I
get a better rate?
Speaker 3 (13:33):
That's a great question. Absolutely nothing. I mean, we're we
we provide that service obviously no cost to you to
to contact us and have one of our team members
review your current coverage and make recommendations to you from
the products in companies that we have, along with comparing
(13:56):
it side by side with what you have currently. And
until you get to us and you get to know
us and you do business with us, you don't realize
that if we look at what you have and you've
been let's say you've been a State farm customer for
fifty years, and you just have discounts after discounts there
and we can't compete. We're going to tell you, mister Smith,
(14:16):
please keep your insurance where it is now. If it
ever changes in the future, please give us the opportunity again.
But you know, my business model data has always been
if you do right by people, and you are fair
and you are honest, then you will get enough business
to be able to pay your bills, keep your lights on,
(14:40):
and support your family.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
Yeah, and I agree with that. But one of the
things I think that's critically important that people know is
that you can go online and you can potentially get
a much cheaper insurance policy. But let me tell you
the challenges because I've seen it. I see it daily
with people who well, absolutely during hurricanes and during storms,
enduring those kinds of events. But then there's hey, my
(15:03):
toilet overflowed. All of the events where I get to
connect with my customers who call me about that, and
then they're making a claim with an insurance agent who
doesn't live here, who really doesn't care what you think
about them, doesn't have to see you in the grocery
store or at church or at school with your kids,
(15:25):
and they are not taking care of my customer and
clients the way someone locally would. There is just a
different perspective when you're in the community and you're a
part of the community, and really it's an accountability that's
right because you're here and your reputation means something, whereas
(15:47):
you know, ABC insurance company in New York really doesn't
have an impact here.
Speaker 3 (15:53):
I'm so glad that you brought up that fact. And
one of the things that I see happen a lot
is that people call an eight hundred none. I tell
everyone who works with me, please don't call the eight
hundred number. Here's my cell phone number is on my
business card, right and please don't call the eight hundred number.
Because what an insurance company does where they have the
(16:14):
clerk sitting behind the phone answering the phones and you know,
at their national eight hundred number. When you call, they're
gonna initiate a claim. If you've had that toilet overflow
that you just mentioned, they're going to immediately just file
a claim. What we're going to do is we're going
to talk you through what your options are. We're going
to talk you through. Okay, first of all, turn off
(16:34):
the water, you know where, find your main shut off.
Let's see if we need to get a mediation company
there to clean up the water, that kind of thing.
And then we're going to advise you to assess the
damage before you just file a claim on your insurance,
because in that moment you're thinking, oh, this is catastrophic.
But after a day goes by, you've cleaned it up,
you've looked, you've said, oh, well it's really not that
(16:56):
much damage. Then they close out the claim. Zero amount
has been paid out. But that claim follows you, or
it follows your home. When you call Dana and you
want to list your home for sale. A year later,
a buyer comes in to buy your home, they're going
to be asking you all kinds of questions about why
(17:16):
was that claim paid out, because it's going to follow
that home and certain types of claims are going to
make that home ineligible for three to five years with
that company. So filing a claim isn't what it used
to be.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
It's a big deal.
Speaker 3 (17:34):
And it could impact you down the road rates, availability
of companies and carrier options if you want to shop.
So having somebody local that will talk you through that
and guide you at the time you actually have to
use your insurance is critically important.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
Absolutely. And one of the other things is when you're
working with someone local, you want it to be someone
who's giving back into the community. And one of the
ways that you are doing that, and you're here to
talk about today is the Remarkable not not the remarkable
Women's Conference. I just did that luncheon. So you've taken
on this WIN network, which is Women's entrepreneurial network, and
(18:16):
you have just taken off with that and the very
you took one event and you've turned it into four
events to encourage women in lots of different ways. Talk
about what each of those looks like, and then we
will bring debian in our next segment, and we're going
to talk more about the dress for Success but talk
about the four different uh luncheons is really what they are.
Speaker 3 (18:40):
Well, what we what we've saw, what we've seen right,
is that there are amazing groups out there for women
to here in Southeast Texas to network and and help
encourage each other and things of that sort. Well, the
Greater Beaumont Chamber of Commerce, we saw a few gaps
in there of things that weren't being done and we
(19:03):
wanted to create a collaboration of those groups along with
trying to reach women professionally. Women that are out there
that may feel like they're on an island right, Maybe
they're working for someone else, Maybe they have dreams of entrepreneurship,
they want to start a business, maybe they have taken
that leap of faith and started a business and now
(19:25):
they feel like they're alone. I've been there, You've been there,
and we wanted to create a network for women professionally
in Southeast Texas where they knew that they could go
for mentorship, for advice for people who have been in
that position. So, no matter what phase of your professional journey,
(19:45):
we would love for you to be a part of
what we call the win and we want to create
wins w I NS with win w E N right.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
Thank you Paula both Ya for that.
Speaker 3 (19:57):
The win win and that is is encouragement and mentorship
and education and just overall support for women professionally in business.
So we have a Facebook group. You can go on
to join the when Facebook group. Just search Women's Entrepreneur
(20:23):
Network Southeast Texas. It's actually set X and invite select
that you want to join and we'll get you approved
to follow all the inspirational things. And that's where we
hope to connect you with other women like Dana and
myself and Debbie, so that you can go there and
use that to feed your professional journey and your growth. Right.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
And we have an event coming up and so when
we come back, Debbie is going to talk more about
that event. It is called Dress for Success Closing the Deal.
So we look forward to hearing more about that from Debbie.
So don't go away. This is the Dana Simmons Show.
Welcome back. This is Dana Simmons and I am joined
today by April Tolbert with April Tolbert Insurance and we
(21:10):
have been visiting about insurance and we could take a
whole hour and we probably will in the near future
to talk more about insurance. But we're also joined by
Debbie Bridgeman, who is one of the coordinators the Okay, Debbie,
go ahead and say it again.
Speaker 4 (21:27):
For Beaumont IDM, the coordinator of Community Business Partnerships.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
Absolutely, and if you didn't hear, the Westbrook Bruins are
playing at one o'clock today.
Speaker 2 (21:36):
So excited about that, San Antonio. They're going to bring
home the state title. He first time in school history.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
That is so exciting and so but Debbie is so
active in so many things in Southeast Texas. In one
of those ways that she participates is in the Greater
Beaumont Chamber of Commerce, and the Wind Network is one
of the ways, one of many ways that you partner
with the Chamber. And we have an upcoming luncheon that
(22:03):
I want you to kind of tell everyone it is.
It is going to be so much fun, tell everyone
what it is that they can expect at this Dress
for Success luncheon.
Speaker 4 (22:12):
So we're going to be closing the deal Dress for Success.
It is the second of four events that we're doing
this year, and this one is more about helping ladies
with their style with you know, how to dress for
a meeting, an interview. Let's say that you're at work
all day and you have to go to a nice
(22:33):
gala afterwards. How can you just add a few accessories
or do something to your outfit without having to run
all the way back home. So we're going to have
what to wear and what not to wear. We do
have a couple of celebrity models that are going to
be a part of the show. Kimberly Rusley from KFTM,
Caitlin Bain who is the editor of the Beaumont Enterprise,
(22:54):
Tracy Kennick, who's the communications director for the City of Beaumont,
Tia Johnson from twelve News, Erica Harris from KFDM, Christy
Dodd with The Examiner shot a chic with the Port
of Beaumont, and also Cameron Bruschette, who's part of the
morning show at twelve News. So we have eight celebrity models,
and then we have four clothing stores that are going
to participate. We have Estella, Ellen and Scott SNM, Family
(23:18):
Outlet and the Mailroom. So all of our models, what
they're doing is they're taking pictures of what not to wear.
If you have an interview, if you you know, are
at a casual meeting what not to wear, so we'll
show that and then in person at the event, they
will show what to wear, and we'll have our clothing
stores up there kind of giving a description of what
(23:39):
it is and that way if somebody in the audience
would like to purchase that or it is like, oh
I didn't know I could just add a jacket or
add you know, some a necklace or something to up
an outfit. So they'll have all of that there. We'll
have vendors that'll be putting up, you know, things that
you can buy at the event. And then it's just
networking with ladies and talking about out our busy lives
(24:01):
and how, you know, how do we juggle being a mom,
being a business lady, representing on all these boards and
it'll be just an all around great event. So we
encourage everybody to come out. The date of the event
is April eighth, it's a Tuesday. It is just a
big lunch hour, So if you can just take a
long lunch that day, we'd love for you to come
out at the Holiday Inn over on Walden Road.
Speaker 1 (24:23):
Yeah, and so if you're interested in that, you can
go to the Chamber of Commerce website and you can
register there, which is Chamber at BMTCOC dot org, or
you can just google it Greater Beaumont Chamber of Commers.
It'll bring it up for you. You can also call
the office at four nine eight three eight sixty five
eighty one. Tickets are seventy five dollars, but if you're
(24:47):
a member, fifty dollars right.
Speaker 4 (24:49):
Right, So not a bad price at all. That includes
your lunch, of course, and there's just going to be
just lots of ladies there. We had so much fun
at the first event, which was in January, the Remarkable
Business Women of Beaumont, where we got to spotlight some
ladies that are really making a difference in Southeast Texas.
And of course, Dana, you were a remarkable woman, the
remarkable woman for our first one last year. So the
(25:11):
event is just growing, you know, and we're really excited.
We have two more events that'll be coming up later
this year. We have Wellness for Women, which can be
a long lunch or it actually can.
Speaker 2 (25:22):
Be a half day.
Speaker 4 (25:23):
There'll be a lot of different sessions for helping ladies
with again all the struggles that we face. And then
we also have a financial success for women that we're
going to be doing in September. So lots of events,
lots of things for the ladies. Now, men are welcome
to attend if they may get some tips for something
they want to buy their wife or their girlfriend or
something like that. So men are welcome to attend, but
(25:45):
it is going to be focusing on the ladies.
Speaker 1 (25:48):
It's also insight insight into women. A smart man would
attend these events, is all I can say. That's true
to get a little bit of insight, and there will
be a lot of women there. I do want to
say when I've attended these events, one of the things
that's critically important is that you don't go and you
just sit at your table.
Speaker 3 (26:08):
Right.
Speaker 1 (26:09):
So, as I've done this and I've walked around the room,
introduced myself to people, I've met so many different people
and made connections in other ways for my business, either
other business owners that I can utilize their services, or
they can utilize my services, or it's something completely different
where they just need you know, I've been doing this
(26:32):
business of real estate for about thirty years, and so
sometimes there are things that they may have a question
and I can give them insight into the way we've
done things, or I asked them the same thing, Tell
me how you manage that. And it is a great
opportunity to be able to connect with other women who
want to give back, right, who want to share.
Speaker 4 (26:54):
And that was what was so great about the first event,
you know, there was a panel of ladies that everybody
was talking about how they deal, how they juggle with
all of the challenges of a lady. The Rotary Club
of Beaumont had the International Women's Day on Wednesday, same thing.
They had a panel, they had some ladies talking and
you know, you're not alone, you know, and there's so
many new challenges and so much going on in the
(27:16):
world today that it's just really nice to visit with
other ladies, you know, to know you're not alone, to
just kind of you know, like you said, network, how
can your business help me?
Speaker 2 (27:26):
Or how personally you know, you.
Speaker 4 (27:28):
Could say somebody that was on one of the panels, hey,
you mentioned that this is what you do or whatever, like,
you know, for me, it's like you've got to turn
off the phone sometimes, right, you know, and just lock
out the world and do some time for yourself. You know,
everybody's got to do that for mental health well.
Speaker 1 (27:44):
And one of the things I've seen a few of
the scripts because you're going to MCE this event, I am,
and so I am cracking up.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
It is. That's the thing.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
It's not going to be just you know, a style show, right,
you are going to make this so much fun on
and the What not to Wear is going to be
hilarious and don't be offended if you're wearing that. That's
all I gotta say.
Speaker 4 (28:06):
Yeah, the girls are doing great because I asked them
to send in some pictures and they're they're doing what
not to wear, and you know it's kind of it's
kind of obvious, but you'd be surprised.
Speaker 2 (28:17):
You know.
Speaker 4 (28:17):
There's been some times where I might have had a
job opening and somebody came in for an interview and
I'm like, really, this is what you're wearing to a
job interview. And they might have been the greatest person
in the world. But there's just you know, there's little
things you can do to be successful, and one of
them is dressing for success. So hopefully we'll have a
lot of ladies that'll come out to the event and
guys and you know, just do some tips and have
(28:40):
some fun and have some good laughs. You know, laughter
is so good, so it is hopefully I can be
funny and our girls can be funny.
Speaker 1 (28:47):
They will. I am so looking forward to it again.
If you're interested in the dress for success closing the deal,
Debbie give them information about when, where, and how they
can register.
Speaker 4 (28:59):
So the date is going to be Tuesday, April eighth.
I believe the doors are going to open at eleven,
so it'll start at eleven thirty. We promised to get
you out of there at one o'clock. That's one big thing.
We really understand your time is valuable, so that'll be
at less than two hours. We promise it'll be at
the Holiday in Plaza at Walden Road. Tickets all you
gotta do bemtcoc dot org backslash events and it'll have
(29:20):
all the information on there. You can call, you can
get your tickets online. You know it's going to be
well worth your time. I promise you that, And like
I said, we'll have vendors there as well, so you
might even do a little shopping.
Speaker 1 (29:31):
Absolutely. The link is also on the Facebook page of
the Greater Beaumont Chamber of Commerce, as well as the
Women's Entrepreneur Network so you can find them there as well. Well,
when we come back, Debbie hasn't another rather edible of
that that we're going to talk about. That's going to
be a ton of fun. So don't go away, come
(29:52):
right back. This is the Dana Simmons Show. Is Dana
Simmons and I am joined by Debbie Bridgman, who is
involved and so many things in Southeast Texas. WU are
a shining light of volunteerism. And one of the ways
that you also volunteer is that you are the incoming president.
Right for Spindletop Rotary I.
Speaker 2 (30:11):
Am the president, the current president.
Speaker 4 (30:13):
I am the current president, and I found out I'm
going to be the president again next year. We had
so yeah, it's gonna be a two year gig and
I'm in the middle of it. But it's all good.
I love Spindletop Rotary Club. We meet on Tuesdays at
noon at the Foundation of Southeast Texas and we are
a small and mighty club and we have our big
annual fundraiser that's coming up and it is a rotary roast.
(30:35):
And when we say roast, I think E commedy Central,
I think who. I don't know, but it is more
of a celebration, and so this is our fourth annual.
We will be roasting former Beaumont Police Chief Jimmy Singletary
and that's coming up on April third. It's going to
be at the mcml Agante and we are really looking
forward to this now. Jimmy came and talked to our
(30:57):
club just this past week. He thinks nobody's going to
He's like, I don't know why you picked me. Nobody's
gonna come. We have a lot of people that want
to come and celebrate Jimmy, and he is bringing his dog,
so Bozzie will be there as well. But it is
it's more of a celebration. So some of the roasters
for this event include Keith Giblin, he is the Jefferson
(31:17):
County Criminal District Attorney. We also have Brett Featherston. He
is the first assistant at the US Attorney's Office. So
we got some big heavy hitters here. We have Jimmy Ellison,
chief of police at the Mount Bellevue Police Department. We
have Earl White, who's our fire chief here in Beaumont,
Don Shaver, Ron Hobbs, Jason Plunkett. We have quite the
list of roasters and the pressure is on because last
(31:41):
year our roast was our mayor Roy West, and the
roasters were who It was over the top between Jeff
Brannick and doctor Shannon Allen and some of the other roasters.
It was a crazy event last year. But this year
we've got some big names. From what I understand, if
you're a police chief and if you're in the police department,
(32:04):
there's a lot of laughs and ribbon and jibbin and
all that going on anyway, So now they're going to
lay it on thick with some fun stories of Jimmy
and just a fun night. So again, it's going to
be April third, it's a Thursday. It's at the mcml Agante.
Doors are going to open around six. We'll have a
silent auction. The proceeds for this event go to Spindletop
(32:24):
Rotary Club. We do many, many, many service projects in
the area. One of our biggest is the Rotary Reads
where we provide a book for every single student at
Blanchette Elementary. So we are raising funds for our club,
but we also let our roast e pick a charity
of choice, and Jimmy chose Baumont Animal Care, so We're
excited that a portion of the proceeds will also go
(32:44):
to Bomant Animal Care.
Speaker 1 (32:46):
So what are ways people can get involved in attending
this event.
Speaker 4 (32:50):
It's very very simple. Spindletop Roast dot org. Spindletop Roast
dot org. We have ticket information, we have the sponsorship information.
You can get everything right there online and it's got
all the different levels of the sponsorships. Regina Rodgers and
the Penland Foundation for the one hundred Club of Southeast Texas.
Those are our two big sponsors for this event, but
we have plenty of opportunities. We just want to fill
(33:13):
the mcml agante. We want Jimmy to know how much
we love him and we admire him and we appreciate
everything that he's done for the Beaumont Police Department and
everything else that he's doing. He wanted to retire, but
now he's doing part time investigation like he just can't stop.
So we just want everyone to show him the love
for sure.
Speaker 1 (33:30):
Absolutely. And so when you talk about Spindletop Rotary, talk
a little bit about what is the mission of Rotary
and so why is that an organization that you guys have,
What is the mission there?
Speaker 4 (33:42):
The big thing about Rotary, it's all about service above self.
We are here to help our communities. And not only
is Spindletop Rotary in Beaumont. Spindletop Rotary is part of
an organization that is not just in Texas, not just
in the United States, but is worldwide. And that's what's
so great about getting involved in Rotary. Let's say you move,
Let's say you have to transfer to Italy, you can
(34:03):
find a Rotary club. You can make a difference wherever
you are. And that's what's so important is making a
difference in your community. So as a worldwide global organization,
Rotary has done so much. And the big thing that
Rotary does is the polio, you know, finding a way
to eradicate polio, and we're continuing to raise money. We've
made a big difference. It's all the cases have gone down,
(34:26):
but there's still are cases of polio.
Speaker 2 (34:28):
So we just try to.
Speaker 4 (34:29):
Do what we can in the community here and be
a part of such a big international organization.
Speaker 1 (34:35):
So, Debbie, I know there is another Rotary in Beaumont
as well. So how long has this one been open?
And tell me the reasoning behind getting this one started.
Speaker 4 (34:48):
So Spindletops started in another eventually moved to the Beaumont area,
but it did encompass some of the other counties around us.
And then you have the Rotary Club of Beaumont. And
what's really cool is we are parting together for a
couple of events when you're you know, as Roy West
our mayor would say, better together. So like the Walk
against Alzheimer's, we had a big team that was both
(35:10):
the Beaumont Rotary Club and Spindletop Rotary Club. And this
year we're working on a pollinator project that is out
at the Nature Center at Terrell Park. And we got
together last fall and we built some planters and then
coming up next weekend we're actually going to be planting
some flowers and some plants that are going to be
out at the nature center. So there are two rotary clubs.
(35:31):
Ours meets on Tuesday, the big one meets on Wednesday.
And we always tell people there's a rotary club no
matter where you are that would fit your style, what
you like to do, and ours just is a little
smaller and we like to really get out and do
some hands on projects in the community. We helped at
the McFadden Ward house last weekend with their Sore Day,
(35:52):
which was a lot of fun. And we volunteered the
weekend before that at Beaumont Animal Care just so we
can understand Jimmy's charity of choice. Yeah, and I would
say I walked a dog, but I think the dog
walked me. Yeah, that was interesting, but it was fun
to be there and help out.
Speaker 2 (36:09):
I love that.
Speaker 1 (36:10):
I love that there are options too. You know, if
you can't make it on the Wednesday and you want
to be a part of Rotary, you can be a
part of.
Speaker 2 (36:18):
The Tuesday exactly.
Speaker 1 (36:20):
Or if you like the smaller organization to be a
part of something that's not quite as big and attle
more intimate. It gives you that opportunity to do that.
So let's give them the dates again and where the
roast will be so that everyone can go and find
their tickets.
Speaker 4 (36:36):
Definitely Spindletop Rotary. We will be roasting Beaumont Police Chief,
former Beaumont Police Chief, Jimmy Singletary. The event is going
to be Thursday, April third at the mcml Agante. Doors
will open around six, the program starts at seven. To
get your tickets or a sponsorship, Spindletop roast dot org
at spindletop roast dot org tickets, sponsorships, you can buy
(36:57):
it right there online.
Speaker 1 (36:59):
If you have any questions, you can reach out to
my office and we will gladly get you connected with
them if you are not being able to locate that.
I also wanted to visit with you guys about the
fact that, yes, it's kind of yucky outside today, but
Beaumont Mural Fest is going on right now downtown and
so if you have not been a part of Beaumont
(37:21):
Mural Fest, you're going to want to do that. You
can watch local artists are bringing their talents and I'm
wondering if this weather is impacting the paint.
Speaker 4 (37:33):
That's a great question. Yeah, that's a really good question.
I know when those artists come in, they come in
a couple of days in advance and they kind of
get the basics done on.
Speaker 2 (37:42):
What they're going to be painting.
Speaker 4 (37:43):
But downtown Beaumont in the area has really come alive
with all of these murals that are being painted. They're
it's just fantastic and adding a little bit of color
just to our area in general. I know that there
is a lot going on downtown. You can go downtown
to the Beaumont Civic Center. They are they're having all
kinds of activities there with food trucks, I believe, and
(38:05):
some other activities for kids. It is a wonderful opportunity
to go and take a look at that today. So
if you are out and about, or if you're at
home and saying what can I do, you can head
on over to the Beaumont Civic Center and let your
kids be a part of that. And then right behind
that the Children's Museum. The Children's Museum is a great
pet place to let the kids go and run and
(38:28):
enjoy themselves inside when the weather is so nasty on
the outside. Well, I want to.
Speaker 1 (38:34):
Go ahead and recap just a little bit of what
we talked about today. We did want to make sure
you're aware that the Greater Beaumont Chamber of Commerce has
an event coming up for women. It is the Women's
Entrepreneurial Network, and Debbie remind everyone again what the event is,
when it is, and how they can get a ticket.
Speaker 4 (38:53):
Yes, Dress for success, Closing the Deal. That's going to
be the big luncheon that will be on Tuesday, April eighth.
It will be at the Holiday in Plaza at Walden Road,
and you can go to BMTCOC dot org to get
your tickets or to get a sponsorship.
Speaker 1 (39:08):
Absolutely, we would love for you to join us for
that event. It is going to be a ton of fun. Now,
in the beginning of the show, I give you a
little bit of an update on how the market's going
in our Southeast Texas area. I want you to know
that last year was a rough year, and even January
and February they were a little cold. But you know,
we're all whimps. Whenever it's cold outside, we typically don't
(39:29):
want to either list our house or go look at houses.
I will say in the last two weeks, as the
weather has started to increase, so have the phone calls.
So if you are considering either buying us a house
or selling a home, we would love the opportunity to
sit down and visit with you. You can call our office.
(39:49):
Cindy will be answering that call. We have someone always
answering our phones from eight to eight Monday through Saturday.
So if you give Cindy a call today at four
nine eight six six eight three two six, she can
set up an appointment to have one of our agents
sit down and just visit with you and talk about
(40:12):
what are your goals. As you sit and visit, you
can decide whether or not it is the right time
for you to either buy or to sell. Just like
April Tolbert was saying, there is no cost for us
to just sit down and educate you on what's going
on in the market. Just this morning, before I even
came to this radio show, I was sitting in a
(40:34):
customer's kitchen just talking about what does the data say
about their home right now, and what do they need
to get out of it, and is it the right
time for them? And just like we talked about being
cautious about working with someone out of the area in insurance,
because you want someone who is in the area who
(40:56):
is going to run into you, who you know and trust,
We're working with an agent who is not in our
area can be a challenge as well. So let us
kind of guide you and help you see what are
the advantages of working with a local agent. There are
agents you can find online and they are actually from
Houston and they are not a part of Southeast Texas.
(41:19):
In the Southeast Texas MLS, we see over and over
where someone has listed a property, it's been on the
market for six months, it doesn't sell. They call our office.
We go out there and give them a market analysis
and visit with them about why their house didn't sell,
and we have to tell them it wasn't even put
(41:39):
in our local mls for our local agents to see.
Speaker 2 (41:43):
They're shocked by that.
Speaker 1 (41:44):
So asking the right questions, knowing to say to an agent, Hey,
are you in the local mls not just the Houston
mls now our office we do put houses both in
our local mls, which our mls is where agents find
your property, but we also put your house in the
har Houston Association of Realtors as well, so that we
(42:06):
do maximize the number of agents that are able to
show and sell your house. But you need someone to
guide you through the right questions to ask. So if
you're interested in giving us an opportunity to just sit
down and talk with you again, you can give us
a call four o nine eight sixty six eight three
two six, and that is four oh nine eight sixty
(42:28):
six in the word team, or you can go to
Danasimmons real Estate dot com or dsre dot com. Also
on that website you will be able to search properties
that are listed with every single agent in Southeast Texas,
so you can see every home that's on the market,
even if it's not listed by our company. On that website,
(42:50):
you can also get a value of your house. You
can put in your information with your property address and
any of the extras that you have, and it's going
to generate a value for you. Now, of course, that
value is not going to be as close as it
could be if we came out and took a look
at your property and we were able to give you
(43:13):
a side by side example of here are some of
the houses that sold, and here's how your house compares
to those houses. A computer generated number is not going
to be the same as a number generated by someone
who loves the data. And let me tell you, Katie Martin,
who is one of our listing agents and myself, we
(43:34):
love the numbers and we love the data, and the
data doesn't lie. So allow us the opportunity to sit
down with you, look at your goals, see what you need,
and then be able to walk you through that process
of here's what you do. I just last night had
the sweetest note from one of my sellers. Whenever I
received I sent them a message to let them know
(43:56):
that the house had funded and they were ready to
go and and everything was good. The money should be
wired to their account any moment. At that time, I
received a message back, and I'm trying, I'm scrolling through
my text messages trying to hear it is.
Speaker 2 (44:13):
It said, day Na, we are.
Speaker 1 (44:16):
We want to thank you for doing such a great
job for us. Being three hundred miles away when things
are happening in real time can be difficult. You are
the best realtor in Southeast Texas. We will always refer
you to our friends. Please reach out to us if
we can ever help you. Wow, that those comments from
clients that you work with means so much because you
(44:37):
know you've given them everything that you can and you've
assisted them in a transaction that is often very challenging
and difficult if they're far away. So if we can
help you, we want to do that. So give us
a call or take a get on our website and
let us know how we can do that. It's been
great having you join us here today. Want to thank
(44:58):
you for that, and we will see you ag again
next week at noon on the Danis Simmons Show.
Well, hello Southeast Texas. I'm so excited that you've joined
us here on the Dana Simons Show today. I have
a couple of experts with us, and I will tell
you that before the show started, we were talking about
Debbie Bridgeman and April Tolbert were both radio DJs. So
how intimidated am I right now that I am hosting
(00:24):
a show with two professionals who've done this for years
and years in their past life and are really good
at it. So if you hear me kind of babble,
I'm gonna tell you it's because the nerves are go
win with these two here with me, although they're beautiful
people and they would never give me a hard time,
but may give me a little good advice by the
end of the show. So hopefully we can get that.
(00:46):
Before we get started to visit with them, I wanted
to give you a little update on how's the market now.
I don't have the new data from February yet, but
I will get that for you as soon as all
of that comes from the Texas A and M Research Center.
That's where we get that, and so I'll wait on
that and give that to you probably next week. It
should be in. But I just want to give you
(01:06):
a little bit of information about what we are personally
seeing in the market right now. January and February we're
pretty cold. Not only was the weather cold, but the
real estate market was pretty cold. We have seen since
the weather has turned and it started warming up a bit,
so has the real estate market. I'll tell you if
(01:28):
you are thinking about selling, we have buyers out there
right now who are looking at properties. We are seeing
offers come in. We are even seeing multiple offers come
in on some properties. So if you've been sitting on
the fence thinking it's not a great time to sell,
give us a call. Four oh nine eight six six
(01:49):
eight three two six, and one of my isays, it's
Cindy who is answering the phone today. You can call
and say, hey, Cindy, I just want to sit down
and talk to someone see what my house would be worth,
and allow Cindy to walk you through how we do that. Now,
if you just want to get just a quick estimate
on your property, which you can do. It's not going
(02:11):
to be a perfect estimate as if we came out
and was able to look at everything for you, but
you can get a quick little estimate. If you go
to Dana Simons real Estate dot com. You put in
your address and it is a little tool that will
let you see what is it showing my house.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Is worth Now.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
That does not replace whenever we come out and we're
able to give you a more exact number, but it
does give you at least a little idea of what
the value is close to. So if you're interested in that,
again Dana Simmons real Estate dot com, or you can
call four nine eight sixty six eight three two six
(02:49):
and Cindy can schedule you an appointment with our listing
team and that does not cost you a thing. There
is no obligation for you to do anything. It just
allows us to help you make a wise decision about
is it the right time for you to sell your
home with us? Today, I have April Tolbert who is
with April Tolbert Insurance and she is actually my personal
(03:12):
insurance agent. And I want April to tell you just
a little bit about herself. And yes, April, you did
radio years ago.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
I did.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
That was my prior life, prior to getting by the
insurance bug. I mean, how many people go to go
from radio right I mean radio, that's an exciting career.
At least when I was young, I thought it was.
And then I grew up and got a real job. Yes, No,
I got a real career. Oh that was.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
Jim Love may be back there saying, what do you
mean a real job?
Speaker 3 (03:42):
That's exactly what you're saying right now, Hey, old On
just a minute, But no, really, I really wanted to
help people. That was just who I was at the
core of how can I serve my community right? And
insurance just bit me and I realized right around the
time that Hurricane Rita came through in two thousand and
(04:02):
five that people need help with their insurance. Who's out
there helping people with their insurance. There's a lot of
people out there selling insurance. You can buy insurance on
every street, corner, every website these days, right, Even credit
unions sell insurance. Everybody sells insurance. But who's truly here
locally helping people navigate their options for their insurance.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
Yeah, And we're going to talk about that in our
next segment too, because I have seen people make very
difficult decisions and then regret what has happened. So we're
going to talk through some of that, but today you're
doing a phenomenal job. You have many policies that you
can write. You're not just shopping one. Oh, that's right,
(04:48):
that's right. We are a full service insurance agency. I
have a team here in Beaumont, and now we have
opened an office in Kirbyville as well, so we're serving
Jasper County from our low cation in Kirbyville, and we
have a phenomenal team that can help you with all
of your insurance if there's something that we don't have
(05:08):
a good fit for you, which I believe we will.
Now that we've got our flagship company, which is Farmer's Insurance,
people see me branding as Farmer's Insurance, but we also
have a dozen other homeowners insurance companies. We've got a
dozen other auto insurance companies. We have a whole side
of our agency that offers multiple carriers for auto, home umbrella,
(05:32):
life insurance, flood insurance, wind insurance, medicare products. We try
to be a one stop shop and then if there's
something that doesn't fit you and all of our options,
we have referral partners as well throughout the community that
we refer to, knowing if they have something that is
a specialty niche that we may not have. We want
(05:53):
to be your one stop shop, we want to be
your call, we want to be your resource for everything
insurance in Southeast as We want you to think of
us and will help get you what you need or
get you to who can and we'll talk through what
are some of the ways that if your insurance costs
or high, what are some of the ways that you
can get those reduced in just a bit. But one
of the things I think is critically important that you
(06:15):
talked about is that you are in the community. And
today we're going to be talking about a couple of
different ways that you serve in the community. And right now,
in one of our next segments, we're going to talk
about the Greater Beaumont Chamber of Commerce when event, which
is you are heading up the Women's Entrepreneurial Network or
the Chamber of Commerce, and there is an event coming up.
(06:37):
And so the fact that you give back so much
of your time into our community is a huge reason
that I love working with you, because you're not just
an insurance agent, You're a community partner. You want what's
best for our area. Your children are here, you want
to build this area for them as well. And that's
(06:59):
a big thing.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
I don't want my kids to want to leave Southeast Texas.
I was born and raised here in Southeast Texas. I
love it, and I want my kids to love it too,
And so I want, just like you, right, I want
to make our community a beautiful place for our kids
and our grandkids and our great grandkids to want to be.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
Absolutely and that's one of the things that I love
about Southeast Texas. When you work with people in Southeast Texas,
you get that. And so Debbie Bridgeman, Debbie, you also
have been here and you are a very integral part
in Southeast Texas. You've done a lot of things too,
one of which was radio.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (07:38):
I stay busy, that's for sure, between Spindletop Rotary and
the Chamber and United Way and Press Club of Southeast
Texas and my job.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
So yeah, a real job too.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
Job.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
Yeah, your church.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
You volunteer at the church that we both got to Yeah.
Speaker 4 (07:54):
So I'm like, April, you know it was actually it was.
It was back in like two thousand and five. I
was like, oh, I'm gonna have to get a real job.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
Well, and so now you are with BID, So tell
everyone the name. I know you tried to get me
to write down the whole thing, but give give everyone
the idea of exactly what you do for BID.
Speaker 4 (08:14):
So. I'm in the communications department. I'm the coordinator of
Business community Partnerships and I help with basically communicating anything
that needs to go out to our stakeholders, our parents,
our students, our teachers, letting them know the events, the programs,
everything going on with Beaumont ISD. And we have a
lot going on right now. And of course, doctor Allen
and the board just got back from Austin from Golden
Triangle Days in the eighty ninth Texas Legislative Session, so
(08:38):
we've had a lot of information that we've needed to
get out and we do a lot at Beaumont ISD.
And I love working with our business partners and our
volunteers and everybody that pours into the school district.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
And BID has some exciting news happening today.
Speaker 4 (08:52):
They do one o'clock Westbrook Bruins boys basketball team. They
are playing for the state championship in San Antonio, So.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
Good luck to the Bruins.
Speaker 4 (09:04):
For Shuow Brewins, we are all signons in the school
history that's amazing far. So yes, we're hoping for a
state victory. Vactly when we get the state victory, we'll
have a big celebration next week.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
Would love that and we would love to be a
part of that. Well, we have a great show today.
These two women are so involved in our community and
they have so many amazing things that they want to
share with you. So we're going to talk insurance in
our next segment. So if you have questions about insurance,
you can give us a call at four oh nine
eight nine six five five eight four. Or if you
(09:37):
have questions about anything bid for Debbie, give us a
call and we will do the best we can to
answer those questions for you. We are going to come
back shortly. This is Dana Simmons with the Dana Simmons Show,
this segment with April Tolbert of April Tilbert Insurance and April.
One of the conversations I'm having a lot with my
(09:59):
clients right now is the fact that their insurance costs
are going up. And that's not just with your company.
That's across the board. We are seeing insurance costs increasing
pretty significantly. I know I had one of the people
in my office, her monthly note is being impacted significantly
(10:19):
by taxes and insurance. And for those who are in
a fixed income, you and I were talking about it
a couple of weeks ago. This is a challenge that
they're facing because they may have their house paid for,
but they're still having to come up with taxes and insurance,
and when those costs get up, it can be hard.
So let's talk about what are some things that you
(10:42):
can recommend people do in order to try to reduce
those costs of their insurance.
Speaker 3 (10:49):
Well, there's several things that we do Whenever people call
us and they say, I have got to reduce this cost.
This is detrimental. I mean, the cost of everything has
gone up. Exactly, how can I help trim the cost
of my insurance? Number One, we're going to review their
current policy, make sure they're getting all the discounts or
(11:10):
the things you can do to bundle your other insurance,
your car insurance with your home insurance to give you
a fairly significant discount. We're going to look at those
things first. Then we're going to turn around and we're
going to look at, okay, what is your deductible And
we're going to actually talk to them about their deductible
because the last thing you want to do is say, Okay,
well you can save one thousand dollars a year by
(11:32):
going with a high deductible plan. But some people that's
devastating if they actually have to use their insurance. So, yes,
you can go from having a two thousand dollars deductible
to having a twenty thousand dollars deductible, but what good
is that to you when the hurricane comes through or
the fire happens. Is that going to be detrimental? So
(11:53):
we're going to have those conversations because if it is
something you can do, you can afford to do, then
we want to make sure that you have that option.
And then third, it's shop carriers. Let's shop other carriers
other than who you have now, and let's figure out
if there is a company out there that likes you.
They like your house, they like the location, they like
(12:14):
the fact that it has had no claims. That you
know all of those factors, and there's so many factors
that go into establishing a rate for an individual. It's
not like the days back twenty years ago when I
got into insurance, where we had a rate book and
I could run into you at the grocery store and
I could say, oh, you know, oh, April, I'm buying
this twenty twenty four, you know, whatever kind of car
(12:37):
it was, and I could say, oh, well, your insurance
will be about this much. It's not that way anymore.
There are so many factors that go into Danny. You
and I could buy the same home and get insurance
quotes on that home, and our rates are going to
be different because years ago they started allowing insurance companies
to use credit characteristics in insurance. So every company is
(13:02):
going to be different. Every home is going to be different,
every vehicle is going to be different for each individual.
So what we do is we try to shop that
around and find the best fit for each person individually,
because there is no one blanket insurance that is going
to fit everyone the same way.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
And so April, one of the things that I know
someone may be out there saying, yeah, that sounds great.
What does that cost me? If I call you and say, hey,
look at my insurance, how can I how can I
get a better rate?
Speaker 3 (13:33):
That's a great question. Absolutely nothing. I mean, we're we
we provide that service obviously no cost to you to
to contact us and have one of our team members
review your current coverage and make recommendations to you from
the products in companies that we have, along with comparing
(13:56):
it side by side with what you have currently. And
until you get to us and you get to know
us and you do business with us, you don't realize
that if we look at what you have and you've
been let's say you've been a State farm customer for
fifty years, and you just have discounts after discounts there
and we can't compete. We're going to tell you, mister Smith,
(14:16):
please keep your insurance where it is now. If it
ever changes in the future, please give us the opportunity again.
But you know, my business model data has always been
if you do right by people, and you are fair
and you are honest, then you will get enough business
to be able to pay your bills, keep your lights on,
(14:40):
and support your family.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
Yeah, and I agree with that. But one of the
things I think that's critically important that people know is
that you can go online and you can potentially get
a much cheaper insurance policy. But let me tell you
the challenges because I've seen it. I see it daily
with people who well, absolutely during hurricanes and during storms,
enduring those kinds of events. But then there's hey, my
(15:03):
toilet overflowed. All of the events where I get to
connect with my customers who call me about that, and
then they're making a claim with an insurance agent who
doesn't live here, who really doesn't care what you think
about them, doesn't have to see you in the grocery
store or at church or at school with your kids,
(15:25):
and they are not taking care of my customer and
clients the way someone locally would. There is just a
different perspective when you're in the community and you're a
part of the community, and really it's an accountability that's
right because you're here and your reputation means something, whereas
(15:47):
you know, ABC insurance company in New York really doesn't
have an impact here.
Speaker 3 (15:53):
I'm so glad that you brought up that fact. And
one of the things that I see happen a lot
is that people call an eight hundred none. I tell
everyone who works with me, please don't call the eight
hundred number. Here's my cell phone number is on my
business card, right and please don't call the eight hundred number.
Because what an insurance company does where they have the
(16:14):
clerk sitting behind the phone answering the phones and you know,
at their national eight hundred number. When you call, they're
gonna initiate a claim. If you've had that toilet overflow
that you just mentioned, they're going to immediately just file
a claim. What we're going to do is we're going
to talk you through what your options are. We're going
to talk you through. Okay, first of all, turn off
(16:34):
the water, you know where, find your main shut off.
Let's see if we need to get a mediation company
there to clean up the water, that kind of thing.
And then we're going to advise you to assess the
damage before you just file a claim on your insurance,
because in that moment you're thinking, oh, this is catastrophic.
But after a day goes by, you've cleaned it up,
you've looked, you've said, oh, well it's really not that
(16:56):
much damage. Then they close out the claim. Zero amount
has been paid out. But that claim follows you, or
it follows your home. When you call Dana and you
want to list your home for sale. A year later,
a buyer comes in to buy your home, they're going
to be asking you all kinds of questions about why
(17:16):
was that claim paid out, because it's going to follow
that home and certain types of claims are going to
make that home ineligible for three to five years with
that company. So filing a claim isn't what it used
to be.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
It's a big deal.
Speaker 3 (17:34):
And it could impact you down the road rates, availability
of companies and carrier options if you want to shop.
So having somebody local that will talk you through that
and guide you at the time you actually have to
use your insurance is critically important.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
Absolutely. And one of the other things is when you're
working with someone local, you want it to be someone
who's giving back into the community. And one of the
ways that you are doing that, and you're here to
talk about today is the Remarkable not not the remarkable
Women's Conference. I just did that luncheon. So you've taken
on this WIN network, which is Women's entrepreneurial network, and
(18:16):
you have just taken off with that and the very
you took one event and you've turned it into four
events to encourage women in lots of different ways. Talk
about what each of those looks like, and then we
will bring debian in our next segment, and we're going
to talk more about the dress for Success but talk
about the four different uh luncheons is really what they are.
Speaker 3 (18:40):
Well, what we what we've saw, what we've seen right,
is that there are amazing groups out there for women
to here in Southeast Texas to network and and help
encourage each other and things of that sort. Well, the
Greater Beaumont Chamber of Commerce, we saw a few gaps
in there of things that weren't being done and we
(19:03):
wanted to create a collaboration of those groups along with
trying to reach women professionally. Women that are out there
that may feel like they're on an island right, Maybe
they're working for someone else, Maybe they have dreams of entrepreneurship,
they want to start a business, maybe they have taken
that leap of faith and started a business and now
(19:25):
they feel like they're alone. I've been there, You've been there,
and we wanted to create a network for women professionally
in Southeast Texas where they knew that they could go
for mentorship, for advice for people who have been in
that position. So, no matter what phase of your professional journey,
(19:45):
we would love for you to be a part of
what we call the win and we want to create
wins w I NS with win w E N right.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
Thank you Paula both Ya for that.
Speaker 3 (19:57):
The win win and that is is encouragement and mentorship
and education and just overall support for women professionally in business.
So we have a Facebook group. You can go on
to join the when Facebook group. Just search Women's Entrepreneur
(20:23):
Network Southeast Texas. It's actually set X and invite select
that you want to join and we'll get you approved
to follow all the inspirational things. And that's where we
hope to connect you with other women like Dana and
myself and Debbie, so that you can go there and
use that to feed your professional journey and your growth. Right.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
And we have an event coming up and so when
we come back, Debbie is going to talk more about
that event. It is called Dress for Success Closing the Deal.
So we look forward to hearing more about that from Debbie.
So don't go away. This is the Dana Simmons Show.
Welcome back. This is Dana Simmons and I am joined
today by April Tolbert with April Tolbert Insurance and we
(21:10):
have been visiting about insurance and we could take a
whole hour and we probably will in the near future
to talk more about insurance. But we're also joined by
Debbie Bridgeman, who is one of the coordinators the Okay, Debbie,
go ahead and say it again.
Speaker 4 (21:27):
For Beaumont IDM, the coordinator of Community Business Partnerships.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
Absolutely, and if you didn't hear, the Westbrook Bruins are
playing at one o'clock today.
Speaker 2 (21:36):
So excited about that, San Antonio. They're going to bring
home the state title. He first time in school history.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
That is so exciting and so but Debbie is so
active in so many things in Southeast Texas. In one
of those ways that she participates is in the Greater
Beaumont Chamber of Commerce, and the Wind Network is one
of the ways, one of many ways that you partner
with the Chamber. And we have an upcoming luncheon that
(22:03):
I want you to kind of tell everyone it is.
It is going to be so much fun, tell everyone
what it is that they can expect at this Dress
for Success luncheon.
Speaker 4 (22:12):
So we're going to be closing the deal Dress for Success.
It is the second of four events that we're doing
this year, and this one is more about helping ladies
with their style with you know, how to dress for
a meeting, an interview. Let's say that you're at work
all day and you have to go to a nice
(22:33):
gala afterwards. How can you just add a few accessories
or do something to your outfit without having to run
all the way back home. So we're going to have
what to wear and what not to wear. We do
have a couple of celebrity models that are going to
be a part of the show. Kimberly Rusley from KFTM,
Caitlin Bain who is the editor of the Beaumont Enterprise,
(22:54):
Tracy Kennick, who's the communications director for the City of Beaumont,
Tia Johnson from twelve News, Erica Harris from KFDM, Christy
Dodd with The Examiner shot a chic with the Port
of Beaumont, and also Cameron Bruschette, who's part of the
morning show at twelve News. So we have eight celebrity models,
and then we have four clothing stores that are going
to participate. We have Estella, Ellen and Scott SNM, Family
(23:18):
Outlet and the Mailroom. So all of our models, what
they're doing is they're taking pictures of what not to wear.
If you have an interview, if you you know, are
at a casual meeting what not to wear, so we'll
show that and then in person at the event, they
will show what to wear, and we'll have our clothing
stores up there kind of giving a description of what
(23:39):
it is and that way if somebody in the audience
would like to purchase that or it is like, oh
I didn't know I could just add a jacket or
add you know, some a necklace or something to up
an outfit. So they'll have all of that there. We'll
have vendors that'll be putting up, you know, things that
you can buy at the event. And then it's just
networking with ladies and talking about out our busy lives
(24:01):
and how, you know, how do we juggle being a mom,
being a business lady, representing on all these boards and
it'll be just an all around great event. So we
encourage everybody to come out. The date of the event
is April eighth, it's a Tuesday. It is just a
big lunch hour, So if you can just take a
long lunch that day, we'd love for you to come
out at the Holiday Inn over on Walden Road.
Speaker 1 (24:23):
Yeah, and so if you're interested in that, you can
go to the Chamber of Commerce website and you can
register there, which is Chamber at BMTCOC dot org, or
you can just google it Greater Beaumont Chamber of Commers.
It'll bring it up for you. You can also call
the office at four nine eight three eight sixty five
eighty one. Tickets are seventy five dollars, but if you're
(24:47):
a member, fifty dollars right.
Speaker 4 (24:49):
Right, So not a bad price at all. That includes
your lunch, of course, and there's just going to be
just lots of ladies there. We had so much fun
at the first event, which was in January, the Remarkable
Business Women of Beaumont, where we got to spotlight some
ladies that are really making a difference in Southeast Texas.
And of course, Dana, you were a remarkable woman, the
remarkable woman for our first one last year. So the
(25:11):
event is just growing, you know, and we're really excited.
We have two more events that'll be coming up later
this year. We have Wellness for Women, which can be
a long lunch or it actually can.
Speaker 2 (25:22):
Be a half day.
Speaker 4 (25:23):
There'll be a lot of different sessions for helping ladies
with again all the struggles that we face. And then
we also have a financial success for women that we're
going to be doing in September. So lots of events,
lots of things for the ladies. Now, men are welcome
to attend if they may get some tips for something
they want to buy their wife or their girlfriend or
something like that. So men are welcome to attend, but
(25:45):
it is going to be focusing on the ladies.
Speaker 1 (25:48):
It's also insight insight into women. A smart man would
attend these events, is all I can say. That's true
to get a little bit of insight, and there will
be a lot of women there. I do want to
say when I've attended these events, one of the things
that's critically important is that you don't go and you
just sit at your table.
Speaker 3 (26:08):
Right.
Speaker 1 (26:09):
So, as I've done this and I've walked around the room,
introduced myself to people, I've met so many different people
and made connections in other ways for my business, either
other business owners that I can utilize their services, or
they can utilize my services, or it's something completely different
where they just need you know, I've been doing this
(26:32):
business of real estate for about thirty years, and so
sometimes there are things that they may have a question
and I can give them insight into the way we've
done things, or I asked them the same thing, Tell
me how you manage that. And it is a great
opportunity to be able to connect with other women who
want to give back, right, who want to share.
Speaker 4 (26:54):
And that was what was so great about the first event,
you know, there was a panel of ladies that everybody
was talking about how they deal, how they juggle with
all of the challenges of a lady. The Rotary Club
of Beaumont had the International Women's Day on Wednesday, same thing.
They had a panel, they had some ladies talking and
you know, you're not alone, you know, and there's so
many new challenges and so much going on in the
(27:16):
world today that it's just really nice to visit with
other ladies, you know, to know you're not alone, to
just kind of you know, like you said, network, how
can your business help me?
Speaker 2 (27:26):
Or how personally you know, you.
Speaker 4 (27:28):
Could say somebody that was on one of the panels, hey,
you mentioned that this is what you do or whatever, like,
you know, for me, it's like you've got to turn
off the phone sometimes, right, you know, and just lock
out the world and do some time for yourself. You know,
everybody's got to do that for mental health well.
Speaker 1 (27:44):
And one of the things I've seen a few of
the scripts because you're going to MCE this event, I am,
and so I am cracking up.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
It is. That's the thing.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
It's not going to be just you know, a style show, right,
you are going to make this so much fun on
and the What not to Wear is going to be
hilarious and don't be offended if you're wearing that. That's
all I gotta say.
Speaker 4 (28:06):
Yeah, the girls are doing great because I asked them
to send in some pictures and they're they're doing what
not to wear, and you know it's kind of it's
kind of obvious, but you'd be surprised.
Speaker 2 (28:17):
You know.
Speaker 4 (28:17):
There's been some times where I might have had a
job opening and somebody came in for an interview and
I'm like, really, this is what you're wearing to a
job interview. And they might have been the greatest person
in the world. But there's just you know, there's little
things you can do to be successful, and one of
them is dressing for success. So hopefully we'll have a
lot of ladies that'll come out to the event and
guys and you know, just do some tips and have
(28:40):
some fun and have some good laughs. You know, laughter
is so good, so it is hopefully I can be
funny and our girls can be funny.
Speaker 1 (28:47):
They will. I am so looking forward to it again.
If you're interested in the dress for success closing the deal,
Debbie give them information about when, where, and how they
can register.
Speaker 4 (28:59):
So the date is going to be Tuesday, April eighth.
I believe the doors are going to open at eleven,
so it'll start at eleven thirty. We promised to get
you out of there at one o'clock. That's one big thing.
We really understand your time is valuable, so that'll be
at less than two hours. We promise it'll be at
the Holiday in Plaza at Walden Road. Tickets all you
gotta do bemtcoc dot org backslash events and it'll have
(29:20):
all the information on there. You can call, you can
get your tickets online. You know it's going to be
well worth your time. I promise you that, And like
I said, we'll have vendors there as well, so you
might even do a little shopping.
Speaker 1 (29:31):
Absolutely. The link is also on the Facebook page of
the Greater Beaumont Chamber of Commerce, as well as the
Women's Entrepreneur Network so you can find them there as well. Well,
when we come back, Debbie hasn't another rather edible of
that that we're going to talk about. That's going to
be a ton of fun. So don't go away, come
(29:52):
right back. This is the Dana Simmons Show. Is Dana
Simmons and I am joined by Debbie Bridgman, who is
involved and so many things in Southeast Texas. WU are
a shining light of volunteerism. And one of the ways
that you also volunteer is that you are the incoming president.
Right for Spindletop Rotary I.
Speaker 2 (30:11):
Am the president, the current president.
Speaker 4 (30:13):
I am the current president, and I found out I'm
going to be the president again next year. We had
so yeah, it's gonna be a two year gig and
I'm in the middle of it. But it's all good.
I love Spindletop Rotary Club. We meet on Tuesdays at
noon at the Foundation of Southeast Texas and we are
a small and mighty club and we have our big
annual fundraiser that's coming up and it is a rotary roast.
(30:35):
And when we say roast, I think E commedy Central,
I think who. I don't know, but it is more
of a celebration, and so this is our fourth annual.
We will be roasting former Beaumont Police Chief Jimmy Singletary
and that's coming up on April third. It's going to
be at the mcml Agante and we are really looking
forward to this now. Jimmy came and talked to our
(30:57):
club just this past week. He thinks nobody's going to
He's like, I don't know why you picked me. Nobody's
gonna come. We have a lot of people that want
to come and celebrate Jimmy, and he is bringing his dog,
so Bozzie will be there as well. But it is
it's more of a celebration. So some of the roasters
for this event include Keith Giblin, he is the Jefferson
(31:17):
County Criminal District Attorney. We also have Brett Featherston. He
is the first assistant at the US Attorney's Office. So
we got some big heavy hitters here. We have Jimmy Ellison,
chief of police at the Mount Bellevue Police Department. We
have Earl White, who's our fire chief here in Beaumont,
Don Shaver, Ron Hobbs, Jason Plunkett. We have quite the
list of roasters and the pressure is on because last
(31:41):
year our roast was our mayor Roy West, and the
roasters were who It was over the top between Jeff
Brannick and doctor Shannon Allen and some of the other roasters.
It was a crazy event last year. But this year
we've got some big names. From what I understand, if
you're a police chief and if you're in the police department,
(32:04):
there's a lot of laughs and ribbon and jibbin and
all that going on anyway, So now they're going to
lay it on thick with some fun stories of Jimmy
and just a fun night. So again, it's going to
be April third, it's a Thursday. It's at the mcml Agante.
Doors are going to open around six. We'll have a
silent auction. The proceeds for this event go to Spindletop
(32:24):
Rotary Club. We do many, many, many service projects in
the area. One of our biggest is the Rotary Reads
where we provide a book for every single student at
Blanchette Elementary. So we are raising funds for our club,
but we also let our roast e pick a charity
of choice, and Jimmy chose Baumont Animal Care, so We're
excited that a portion of the proceeds will also go
(32:44):
to Bomant Animal Care.
Speaker 1 (32:46):
So what are ways people can get involved in attending
this event.
Speaker 4 (32:50):
It's very very simple. Spindletop Roast dot org. Spindletop Roast
dot org. We have ticket information, we have the sponsorship information.
You can get everything right there online and it's got
all the different levels of the sponsorships. Regina Rodgers and
the Penland Foundation for the one hundred Club of Southeast Texas.
Those are our two big sponsors for this event, but
we have plenty of opportunities. We just want to fill
(33:13):
the mcml agante. We want Jimmy to know how much
we love him and we admire him and we appreciate
everything that he's done for the Beaumont Police Department and
everything else that he's doing. He wanted to retire, but
now he's doing part time investigation like he just can't stop.
So we just want everyone to show him the love
for sure.
Speaker 1 (33:30):
Absolutely. And so when you talk about Spindletop Rotary, talk
a little bit about what is the mission of Rotary
and so why is that an organization that you guys have,
What is the mission there?
Speaker 4 (33:42):
The big thing about Rotary, it's all about service above self.
We are here to help our communities. And not only
is Spindletop Rotary in Beaumont. Spindletop Rotary is part of
an organization that is not just in Texas, not just
in the United States, but is worldwide. And that's what's
so great about getting involved in Rotary. Let's say you move,
Let's say you have to transfer to Italy, you can
(34:03):
find a Rotary club. You can make a difference wherever
you are. And that's what's so important is making a
difference in your community. So as a worldwide global organization,
Rotary has done so much. And the big thing that
Rotary does is the polio, you know, finding a way
to eradicate polio, and we're continuing to raise money. We've
made a big difference. It's all the cases have gone down,
(34:26):
but there's still are cases of polio.
Speaker 2 (34:28):
So we just try to.
Speaker 4 (34:29):
Do what we can in the community here and be
a part of such a big international organization.
Speaker 1 (34:35):
So, Debbie, I know there is another Rotary in Beaumont
as well. So how long has this one been open?
And tell me the reasoning behind getting this one started.
Speaker 4 (34:48):
So Spindletops started in another eventually moved to the Beaumont area,
but it did encompass some of the other counties around us.
And then you have the Rotary Club of Beaumont. And
what's really cool is we are parting together for a
couple of events when you're you know, as Roy West
our mayor would say, better together. So like the Walk
against Alzheimer's, we had a big team that was both
(35:10):
the Beaumont Rotary Club and Spindletop Rotary Club. And this
year we're working on a pollinator project that is out
at the Nature Center at Terrell Park. And we got
together last fall and we built some planters and then
coming up next weekend we're actually going to be planting
some flowers and some plants that are going to be
out at the nature center. So there are two rotary clubs.
(35:31):
Ours meets on Tuesday, the big one meets on Wednesday.
And we always tell people there's a rotary club no
matter where you are that would fit your style, what
you like to do, and ours just is a little
smaller and we like to really get out and do
some hands on projects in the community. We helped at
the McFadden Ward house last weekend with their Sore Day,
(35:52):
which was a lot of fun. And we volunteered the
weekend before that at Beaumont Animal Care just so we
can understand Jimmy's charity of choice. Yeah, and I would
say I walked a dog, but I think the dog
walked me. Yeah, that was interesting, but it was fun
to be there and help out.
Speaker 2 (36:09):
I love that.
Speaker 1 (36:10):
I love that there are options too. You know, if
you can't make it on the Wednesday and you want
to be a part of Rotary, you can be a
part of.
Speaker 2 (36:18):
The Tuesday exactly.
Speaker 1 (36:20):
Or if you like the smaller organization to be a
part of something that's not quite as big and attle
more intimate. It gives you that opportunity to do that.
So let's give them the dates again and where the
roast will be so that everyone can go and find
their tickets.
Speaker 4 (36:36):
Definitely Spindletop Rotary. We will be roasting Beaumont Police Chief,
former Beaumont Police Chief, Jimmy Singletary. The event is going
to be Thursday, April third at the mcml Agante. Doors
will open around six, the program starts at seven. To
get your tickets or a sponsorship, Spindletop roast dot org
at spindletop roast dot org tickets, sponsorships, you can buy
(36:57):
it right there online.
Speaker 1 (36:59):
If you have any questions, you can reach out to
my office and we will gladly get you connected with
them if you are not being able to locate that.
I also wanted to visit with you guys about the
fact that, yes, it's kind of yucky outside today, but
Beaumont Mural Fest is going on right now downtown and
so if you have not been a part of Beaumont
(37:21):
Mural Fest, you're going to want to do that. You
can watch local artists are bringing their talents and I'm
wondering if this weather is impacting the paint.
Speaker 4 (37:33):
That's a great question. Yeah, that's a really good question.
I know when those artists come in, they come in
a couple of days in advance and they kind of
get the basics done on.
Speaker 2 (37:42):
What they're going to be painting.
Speaker 4 (37:43):
But downtown Beaumont in the area has really come alive
with all of these murals that are being painted. They're
it's just fantastic and adding a little bit of color
just to our area in general. I know that there
is a lot going on downtown. You can go downtown
to the Beaumont Civic Center. They are they're having all
kinds of activities there with food trucks, I believe, and
(38:05):
some other activities for kids. It is a wonderful opportunity
to go and take a look at that today. So
if you are out and about, or if you're at
home and saying what can I do, you can head
on over to the Beaumont Civic Center and let your
kids be a part of that. And then right behind
that the Children's Museum. The Children's Museum is a great
pet place to let the kids go and run and
(38:28):
enjoy themselves inside when the weather is so nasty on
the outside. Well, I want to.
Speaker 1 (38:34):
Go ahead and recap just a little bit of what
we talked about today. We did want to make sure
you're aware that the Greater Beaumont Chamber of Commerce has
an event coming up for women. It is the Women's
Entrepreneurial Network, and Debbie remind everyone again what the event is,
when it is, and how they can get a ticket.
Speaker 4 (38:53):
Yes, Dress for success, Closing the Deal. That's going to
be the big luncheon that will be on Tuesday, April eighth.
It will be at the Holiday in Plaza at Walden Road,
and you can go to BMTCOC dot org to get
your tickets or to get a sponsorship.
Speaker 1 (39:08):
Absolutely, we would love for you to join us for
that event. It is going to be a ton of fun. Now,
in the beginning of the show, I give you a
little bit of an update on how the market's going
in our Southeast Texas area. I want you to know
that last year was a rough year, and even January
and February they were a little cold. But you know,
we're all whimps. Whenever it's cold outside, we typically don't
(39:29):
want to either list our house or go look at houses.
I will say in the last two weeks, as the
weather has started to increase, so have the phone calls.
So if you are considering either buying us a house
or selling a home, we would love the opportunity to
sit down and visit with you. You can call our office.
(39:49):
Cindy will be answering that call. We have someone always
answering our phones from eight to eight Monday through Saturday.
So if you give Cindy a call today at four
nine eight six six eight three two six, she can
set up an appointment to have one of our agents
sit down and just visit with you and talk about
(40:12):
what are your goals. As you sit and visit, you
can decide whether or not it is the right time
for you to either buy or to sell. Just like
April Tolbert was saying, there is no cost for us
to just sit down and educate you on what's going
on in the market. Just this morning, before I even
came to this radio show, I was sitting in a
(40:34):
customer's kitchen just talking about what does the data say
about their home right now, and what do they need
to get out of it, and is it the right
time for them? And just like we talked about being
cautious about working with someone out of the area in insurance,
because you want someone who is in the area who
(40:56):
is going to run into you, who you know and trust,
We're working with an agent who is not in our
area can be a challenge as well. So let us
kind of guide you and help you see what are
the advantages of working with a local agent. There are
agents you can find online and they are actually from
Houston and they are not a part of Southeast Texas.
(41:19):
In the Southeast Texas MLS, we see over and over
where someone has listed a property, it's been on the
market for six months, it doesn't sell. They call our office.
We go out there and give them a market analysis
and visit with them about why their house didn't sell,
and we have to tell them it wasn't even put
(41:39):
in our local mls for our local agents to see.
Speaker 2 (41:43):
They're shocked by that.
Speaker 1 (41:44):
So asking the right questions, knowing to say to an agent, Hey,
are you in the local mls not just the Houston
mls now our office we do put houses both in
our local mls, which our mls is where agents find
your property, but we also put your house in the
har Houston Association of Realtors as well, so that we
(42:06):
do maximize the number of agents that are able to
show and sell your house. But you need someone to
guide you through the right questions to ask. So if
you're interested in giving us an opportunity to just sit
down and talk with you again, you can give us
a call four o nine eight sixty six eight three
two six, and that is four oh nine eight sixty
(42:28):
six in the word team, or you can go to
Danasimmons real Estate dot com or dsre dot com. Also
on that website you will be able to search properties
that are listed with every single agent in Southeast Texas,
so you can see every home that's on the market,
even if it's not listed by our company. On that website,
(42:50):
you can also get a value of your house. You
can put in your information with your property address and
any of the extras that you have, and it's going
to generate a value for you. Now, of course, that
value is not going to be as close as it
could be if we came out and took a look
at your property and we were able to give you
(43:13):
a side by side example of here are some of
the houses that sold, and here's how your house compares
to those houses. A computer generated number is not going
to be the same as a number generated by someone
who loves the data. And let me tell you, Katie Martin,
who is one of our listing agents and myself, we
(43:34):
love the numbers and we love the data, and the
data doesn't lie. So allow us the opportunity to sit
down with you, look at your goals, see what you need,
and then be able to walk you through that process
of here's what you do. I just last night had
the sweetest note from one of my sellers. Whenever I
received I sent them a message to let them know
(43:56):
that the house had funded and they were ready to
go and and everything was good. The money should be
wired to their account any moment. At that time, I
received a message back, and I'm trying, I'm scrolling through
my text messages trying to hear it is.
Speaker 2 (44:13):
It said, day Na, we are.
Speaker 1 (44:16):
We want to thank you for doing such a great
job for us. Being three hundred miles away when things
are happening in real time can be difficult. You are
the best realtor in Southeast Texas. We will always refer
you to our friends. Please reach out to us if
we can ever help you. Wow, that those comments from
clients that you work with means so much because you
(44:37):
know you've given them everything that you can and you've
assisted them in a transaction that is often very challenging
and difficult if they're far away. So if we can
help you, we want to do that. So give us
a call or take a get on our website and
let us know how we can do that. It's been
great having you join us here today. Want to thank
(44:58):
you for that, and we will see you ag again
next week at noon on the Danis Simmons Show.
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