Beverly Read

May I Introduce Myself...

I am Beverly Read, a licensed Realtor/Broker in Pollock Pines, California, and part owner of 'Z Group Real Estate.

Because this is the "About Me" page, there are a lot of details. Read as much or a little as you like. There won't be a test.

Real Estate...

In 1998 after I'd lived in Pollock Pines for about two years, I decided to obtain my real estate license and go to work for a local company. As had happened before in my life, I was in the right place at the right time. I became part of a strong and successful group of agents who not only accepted me, but they mentored me.

That core group continued to work together and eventually became Z Group Real Estate. As individual agents we were good; as Z Group we are strong and creative, and we combine our knowledge and talents to further the interests of our clients.

My Philosophy About My Work...

Buying or selling a house is the biggest and most emotional monetary transaction most people will ever have in their lifetime. And it's not about me, the real estate agent. It is about real people who are excited about their first home, or devastated because for health reasons they can no longer live in the dream home they built maybe only two years ago. Sometimes I am not only a project manager, but a listener and friend who helps them get through it.

There are several parts to a real estate transaction. I call them Part I Getting To Know You; Part II Helping You Make the Deal; Part III Managing Your Transaction; and Part IV Afterglow.

What all of this means that from start to finish and beyond, you can count on me. You'll know where to find me for a long time to come.

The Early Years...

I was born and raised in California. I grew up living on farms outside of Escalon and Manteca where we milked cows, raised all kinds of animals, and rode horses (with or without saddles and bridles).

Our summer vacations made us the envy of our friends. We went camping. But not just any camping. We always had the horses to ride, and we learned to shoot and fish, build campfires, and take care of ourselves in the woods. When I was a teenager my dad would spend weeks getting all the gear ready and then take us on pack trips into the back country. I have camped at Dorothy Lake in the northern tip of Yosemite National Park, taken a horse across a hanging bridge, and ridden over twenty miles in a day. One time we spent two weeks in the back country and only saw five other people the whole time. It was a great childhood.

After I finished school I went to work for the Federal Government as a GS-2 Clerk-Typist. Thirty-one years later and after having many different jobs in several different states, I retired as a GM-13 Traffic Manager. My husband, Ray, and I were living in Long Beach, California, at the time. Our dream had always been to live on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada at about the 3000-4000 foot elevation, so we started looking up and down the Range, and finally ended up here in Pollock Pines. There was an added bonus to that because Ray had grown up in the area and still had friends and family here.

During all the years I have enjoyed photography and writing poetry and short stories.

Most Memorable Real Estate Moment...

After I had been in real estate for three short years, I had a transaction in which I represented both the out-of-state Sellers and the local Buyers.

The escrow was supposed to close right before Memorial Day weekend, but because of a paperwork delay on the Seller side, the closing slipped to Tuesday following the long weekend. The Buyers were anxious to get their hands on the vacant and slightly run-down house and begin to do some work, so when I called them they were disappointed. At that point I was just thankful that they weren't blaming me.

On Sunday afternoon on my way home from church I decided to stop and get my lockbox off the house. When I pulled into the driveway my mouth fell open and I could hardly breath I was so shocked. The deck was missing! Completely ripped off the front of the house!

I knew the Sellers hadn't done it; they were in another state. What was I going to do??? When I finally began to breath again I managed to get my lockbox, and I left. All the way home I alternated between laughing out loud at the audacity of the Buyers and saying "Oh my goodness! What am I going to do?"

I finally decided that I was going to do nothing. There was no point in calling the Sellers and upsetting them, and what good would it do to call the Buyers and tell them they were busted. It wouldn't get the deck back on the house.

The thing I did do was call my Manager and tell her what had happened and that I wasn't calling anyone. She was just as horrified as I was, but agreed with my decision.

Four years later I was sitting with the Buyers who now wanted to sell that house. In the midst of conversation I casually mentioned that I had gone by that weekend. They sheepishly confessed and so I told them the story of my discovery and subsequent decision to "let sleeping dogs lie."

Thankfully there were no repercussions, but it taught me that very strange things can happen in transactions.