I was raised in Seal Cove in rural Downeast Maine. My Mom was a single mother of 3 but made time to teach us some very simple lessons that I carry with me today. Always say, “please” and, “thank you”. Open the door for others. If you see trash on the ground, pick it up! Be respectful and polite. Do something nice for someone everyday. We didn’t have much growing up but we did learned how to treat people right. I was in law enforcement for 14 years and I used those lessons daily. My 21 years in real estate have been the same. Treat people with respect and be polite.
Life is so busy. Family and work take up most of our time. Attending as many events for our kids as we can is something my wife and I always made a priority. We’ve also volunteered for community events and boards including the Chamber of Commerce, City Council, Board of Assessment Review, have coached baseball, soccer and hockey and have of course hosted numerous events at our office including our Annual Community Yard Sale, Octoberfest Celebration, pictures with Santa and the Easter Bunny, job shadows for Mahoney and Memorial Middle Schools, an occasional car wash and have helped out with our local tree lighting ceremony and Winterfest. We believe in our community and there is much that we are thankful for.
When Gabby left for college I found myself with extra time at night so I began refereeing soccer. I was at South Portland High School for a game and 3 of the kids I coached in the South Portland Strikers program came up to shake my hand and asked how Jackson and Gabby were doing. As I began lining up for the game kick off, another player came up, shook my hand and said, “nice to see you Coach Linscott.” I coached Strikers for 5 years and now many of those boys are playing for South Portland’s varsity soccer team who are 13-0-1 heading into the playoffs! During Strikers practices back in the day, we had team rules. Homework and studies come first. Say “thank you” to your parents. Be on time! (or your parents will have to run! This only happened 2x and the parents learned to drop their player off way up the road so they wouldn’t have to run!). Be respectful and polite to the officials and other players and have fun!
I went to watch a varsity game last week and one of the Strikers parents patted me on the back and said, “Now there’s a coach.” It’s been amazing to watch that group of boys grow and to witness and be a part of their success. I’m happy to have been able to pass on some of the simple lessons my mother taught me.
In real estate the market is constantly changing and can be very challenging. We’ve had our share of easy transactions this year but we’ve also had a few that were very difficult. We had a closing last week and when the buyers did a final walk through, they reported some items left behind by the seller. I called Melissa and she went right over to the house and gathered everything in a pile at the end of the driveway for me to pick up with our truck. The sellers did beat me to it but were happy to have the help. It’s small gestures like these that most agents would not do that help to make life a bit nicer.
Our day is filled with decisions. We all have them. As I was dropping Jackson off at school today I said, “Do something nice for someone today.” He knew I meant it. He’s heard it from me as many times as I did from my mother.
It truly is the little things that often mean the most.