By Carrie Struss, December 14, 2016
I am elated to be a part of Living Room Realty, where they literally hang their values on the wall for all to see. Below are what Living Room Realty’s values mean to me.
Diversity — We seek to promote, honor and embrace the culture within our community.
I believe in equality and inclusion whether that is cultural, socio-econmical, gender, orientation, or race. Having awareness to embrace, encourage, and support diversity allows us to see past the labels and cultures that divide us, goes beyond like seeking like, and creates an enriching life experience.
Connection — We work to create meaningful and powerful relationships in our community.
As a new mom without family in town, connection became a very strong element in my life. I had to seek connection beyond the given. In creating deeper relationships to my community, I was amazed by the support I had. It took me a minute to let down my guard and embrace it but in doing so, the rewards were great. I have experienced support beyond measure within my community. I continue to build and connect with my community each day.
Integrity — We honor ourselves and those around us by doing what we say and saying what we mean.
Having integrity shows respect. Respect is a basic human right. Integrity leads to credibility. Whenever I hear the word integrity, I think of Horton… ”I meant what I said, and said what I meant…”
Joy — We cultivate joy through energy and gratitude.
The times I feel my best in life are when I am either so filled with joy it illuminates my environment or my environment is so filled with joy I reflect it. Joy is not always easy to come by, but it is contagious. Consciously seek joy. Be a ray of (f-ing) sunshine!
Balance — We strive to create achievement and enjoyment each day.
Who doesn’t strive for balance? Nothing illuminates and challenges this more than being a mother. So as for now, I will skip this one…for the next 16 years.
Abundance — We appreciate and value what we have, in order to create true generosity.
I feel like I cannot say thank you enough. I practice daily gratitude. I appreciate and acknowledge those that support me. I hope to be a source of abundance for others.
Excellence — We achieve excellence through distinctive client experiences and service.
We all have expectations. Clients have expectations. When you exceed expectations, you can achieve excellence. Whether I am working on a half million dollar deal, or scrubbing toilets (past life job), my goal is to always exceed expectations.
Relevance — We seek relevance, beauty and meaning in all we do.
My wife, Chris, is a priest. Her job is relevant. In the first few months of my real estate career I struggled with the inequity I felt between the relevance of her job versus the relevance of my job. And then I talked to a devout parishioner of my wife’s church and a friend of mine. We were talking about selling her home of 40 years. She is close to retirement, has a partner close to retirement, and they have no way to support themselves beyond a meager social security check, so they have to eventually sell. I walked them through their financial options. I talked to them about market conditions in their neighborhood. We talked about downsizing, preparing the house, and what it would mean to leave their home of 40 years. Imagine being with attached to something for forty years and having to leave it! So with hope, we talked about what the next chapter of their lives will be like. Later she asked how I felt about going back to work after being at home with our son for two years. In a moment of frustration trying to balance (that word again…) motherhood and career, I expressed my concerns about not feeling what I do is as relevant or important as what Chris does. Upon reflection and with tears in her eyes, she told me what I was doing for her, supporting her through not just a sales transaction, but a huge life transition, is beyond relevant to her. I was overwhelmed with a sense of purpose. THIS is why I do what I do.
Carrie Struss
Broker | OR & WA
She/Her
Carrie brings eight years of experience as a Licensed Broker in Oregon and Washington, combining her industry expertise with an eye for detail honed through her degree in Commercial Photography.
Her career began with one of her proudest accomplishments: relocating to New York straight out of college to work as a photo producer, where she never settled for an entry-level mindset. It is this same tenacity that has helped make her the top producing agent at Living Room Realty in the Vancouver, WA area since 2021. This accomplishment is a testament to her unwavering commitment to client success.
Throughout her career, Carrie has had the privilege of assisting over 100 homeowners achieve their real estate goals. What sets Carrie apart as an agent is her empathetic approach, ensuring that every client feels heard and understood throughout the buying or selling process.
Carrie has lived in the Pacific Northwest since 2017, though she’s been visiting the area since her teenage years. Beyond her professional life, Carrie finds peace and joy in nature, spending summers by the river and winters in Hawaii. Amidst her successful career, Carrie's greatest joy is her son Jack, who brings boundless love and inspiration to her life.
As your agent Carrie will…
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- help get your home (and emotions) ready to sell, then sell your home.
- find you a new home complete with (fill in the “must have” blank).
- facilitate the transaction making sure everyone does what they need to do and has what they need to do it.
- negotiate tenaciously for you.
- educate you on the daunting, overwhelming, and at times stressful process.
- remain calm, always.
- keep you focused on your goals.
- pay attention to every detail.
- show up.
- effectively communicate in the way that works best for you.
- uphold Living Room Realty’s values and what they mean to her.
- T: 503-953-0850
- carrie@carriestruss.com
