7 minute read
Cindy Haskett and Evie Feldman of Better Homes and Gardens Real
Better Homes and Gardens Real estate A Culture of Giving
What if instead of finding your Realtor® through an ad in the newspaper or a Yelp review, you met them through your time at the Chico Humane Society, a veteran’s fundraiser, or at the local Rotary Club? What if this connection could happen more organically, like a connection created through shared community interests? These are the types of relationships that Cindy Haskett and Evie Feldman of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate are hoping to foster at all four of their realty offices. Both Cindy and Evie went into real estate for similar reasons, mainly wanting a career that allowed them time to raise their children. Evie shares, “It was one of the only ways you could earn and parent at the same time. It allowed an acceptable balance between those two.” As their careers progressed, they moved from working together at a franchised brokerage to an independent office Cindy had opened in Paradise. Later, they were sought out by Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate to run their franchises here in the Northstate. They now have offices in Paradise, Magalia, Oroville, and Chico. Cindy has lived in Butte County her entire life. “It’s just home,” she says. She loves the community and the hometown values, “It’s a beautiful place with creeks, lakes, and mountains, and it has so much to offer.” Evie says, “I didn’t grow up in the county, but moving here was easy.” She talks about how welcoming the community is for new people, perhaps owing to the fact that it’s a university town used to new
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faces, so there was never any barrier to acceptance. “They’re ready for you to come in, and I’ve never lived in a town like that.”
Their love for their community is what drives them. Operations Manager Krissy Farrara says that Evie and Cindy are very open, caring, and supportive to a level not often experienced in business. She says, “They are like this not because that’s how they are supposed to act but because that’s just who they are as people; they don’t know how to be any other way.” Your agent should really care about you and your needs. Whether you’re buying or selling, it’s an extremely personal experience full of vulnerabilities. Your agent should really care about you and your needs. Cindy and Evie certainly see it that way.
They’ve worked to develop a business that allows them to give to the community in ways that matter. Evie says, “Our character has informed our actions, and our actions are what have created the business we have.” It’s the kind of business that focuses on giving back to the community in a multitude of ways. Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate is an example of real people making real changes in the community. Cindy and Evie strive to bring like-minded agents into their brokerage. They look for individuals who want to make
a difference, not just make a dollar. Evie says, “We look for givers.” As they added more agents to their brokerage, they were able to expand into other communities. This expansion allowed them to continue to give back to their original ‘hometown’ on the ridge and then support and give back to their new hometowns of Chico, Oroville, and Magalia.
Giving back takes on many forms. The business helps support local animal shelters by covering the cost of adoption and allowing their clients to adopt a pet for free. They also boast a Veterans’ Advantage program that offers cash rewards at closing for veterans when they buy or sell a home through one of their certified military relocation specialists. Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate also has a moving van that clients can use free of charge when they buy or sell a home through one of their four offices, and local charities are also welcome to make use of the van in preparing for their various events. Their agents give back to the community personally as well as through their offices. Cindy has been a member of the Paradise Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club, and the Salvation Army’s advisory board. Evie has served on Explore Butte County, Paradise Gem and Mineral Club, and volunteers as a docent at the Chico Observatory. Some of BHG’s other agents have volunteered with the Paradise Symphony Orchestra, various animal rescue organizations, and local veteran outreach groups. Nearly every agent at the Better Homes and Gardens office is engaged in some type of philanthropy, “Whatever is close to their heart.” Evie says, “When you have those like-minded agents, and they see what you do, and they want to do it too—there’s that additional energy that comes from people having the same ideals.”
Cindy credits her mentor, Steve Williams, as the person who encouraged her to be a giver. The idea of business tithing is that you give back to the community that gives to you. Their Halloween Welcome Home Trick or Treat is how this culture of giving back through business began seven years ago in Paradise. At that time, there weren’t a lot of walkable trick-or-treat neighborhoods in Paradise due to lack of sidewalks and street lights. Cindy decided to host the event at the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate office, making sure to have it early enough so that families could do something at home afterwards if they desired, but late enough so parents were able to get off work and bring the children in for treats. Office windows were blacked out to create the nighttime, along with a slightly spooky atmosphere complete with orange and purple lights with plenty of Halloween decor. The 2,700 square foot location with 14 offices became a Halloween wonderland. Agents and volunteers from the Gold Nugget Museum, Rotary Club, and elsewhere would dress up in festive costumes to entertain the community children in a safe environment. Cindy and Evie had been doing it for so long that when the pandemic hit two years ago, they didn’t want to abandon this tradition. “We wanted to keep that thread going for the Paradise community. For Paradise, that sense of continuity has a different meaning that others might not understand. To give up was admitting defeat. We had to keep it going for them.” So, they merely switched gears and shifted to a drive-thru trick-or-treat in order to continue the tradition and keep that thread in play. This year marks the seventhannual Better Homes and Gardens Trick or Treat for Paradise, the second for Chico, and the first for Oroville. Both Paradise and Oroville offices will have a drive-thru only while Chico will host a drive-thru as well as an indoor trick-or-treat event. The Chico event will have a face painter, candy for the kids, and coupons from local sweet treat businesses for the accompanying adults. Cindy and Evie have invited all the other businesses in the 5th & Mangrove Avenues complex to participate in the event as well.
One of Cindy’s favorite books is The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea by Bob Burg and John David Mann. He says, “Go looking for the best in people, and you’ll be amazed at how much talent, ingenuity, empathy and goodwill you’ll find.” That’s exactly what Cindy and Evie have done, and what they continue to do, as they bring in more givers to join one of the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate branches.
Be sure to stop by their Chico office at 1600 Mangrove Suite 100 for a spooktacular good time this Halloween and see what Cindy and Evie’s culture of giving is all about. You can also reach them by phone at (530) 961-3400.
7TH ANNUAL
BHGRE WELCOME HOME TRICK OR TREAT!!!
THREE DIFFERENT LOCATIONS
Trick or Treat Booths & Face Painter Inside BHGRE, Along With Complex Walk Through. Participants Include: Paradise Salon, Northern Lights, The Cookie Shoppe, Nevin & Witt, The Barberia, Chico Hearing Aid Center, Chico Florist & Halal Boss Smokehouse! !
Drive Through (Across The Street From Dutch Bros Coffee, Behind US Bank) Dutch Bros Coffee, Behind US Bank)
Drive Through (Located in Downtown Oroville, Near Oroville State Theater)
Brought to you by:
Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Welcome Home • 530-961-3400 1600 Mangrove # 100, Chico CA 95926 6141 Center Street, Paradise CA 95969 1453 Downer Street, Oroville CA 95965 14154 Skyway, Magalia CA 95954 Info@WelcomeHomeButteCounty.com
