What turned out to be the strangest and most surprising year in the real estate industry was well documented in the blogs we wrote, the personal and professional social media posts we shared, and the media’s overall coverage of 2020’s market conditions.
It did not seem necessary to share another “here’s what we learned and what we did” recap, however, this image of Vitalius' Jes Wallimann, reminded us how important it was to pause and reflect on a year of personal and professional growth, community-building, and good old-fashioned resilience.
We hope you'll take a moment to visually look back at 2020. Here is how it started:
“Our small team left the office on March 13th, not really knowing what to expect. Only Jes Wallimann, Broker and former ER nurse, seemed to have a grasp of the magnitude of what may lie ahead. She left the office that day with an insightful-but-slightly- nervous, “I’ll see you all on the other side.” We all kind of laughed, thinking the hyperbole was a bit overblown.”
- Brit Vitalius, Excerpt from Maine REALTOR Magazine, June 2020
March 2021
Along with her husband, Steve, Jes, put her RN experience and medical training to good use administering COVID-19 vaccines at the Portland Expo to administer COVID-19 vaccines for Northern Light Mercy. We are proud of Jes for volunteering her time to give back to the community to help to keep us all safe.
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December 2020
In addition to welcoming her first baby with her husband and fellow Vitalius Broker Ben (who joined our team in 2021), Katie Brooke continued her tradition of sending her buyer clients these amazing handmade custom holiday cards of their homes.
November 2020
#PSOSoloTogether We continued to support our favorite neighborhood restaurants offering take-out options and cultural institutions - attending virtual concerts from our outdoor spaces! In addition to her role as Vitalius CFO, Yasmin is professional violinist who plays in the Portland Symphony Orchestra, runs a full teaching studio out of her home, is Director of the New England Suzuki Institute (“NESI”), and a violin instructor at both NESI and Bowdoin College.
September 2020
In addition to being a mom, working with her clients, and serving as co-chair of Maine Coast Heritage Trust's Next Wave, Nova Tower, was still able to find new and creative ways to be outside with friends and family through the fall, including, live streaming shows and concerts on their projector screen outside by the fire pit.
In the Fall of 2020 we were incredibly excited to share that Kayla made the transition to a full-time real estate agent with Vitalius Real Estate Group!
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August 2020
We remained motivated, innovative, and creative - Rachel celebrated closings with drive-by congratulatory signs and when the state would not allow us to attend home inspections, Broker Elise Loschiavo set up her chair outside to direct inspection traffic on behalf of her buyers.
In August, we welcomed Lisa, our new licensed transaction coordinator! As a breast cancer survivor who underwent a double mastectomy, chemo and radiation, Lisa is an enthusiastic voice of support and encouragement to others with cancer.
July 2020
With a mix of confidence, industry expertise, and trust in the process, Rachel Davey and her family sold their home and purchased their dream home.
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The summer of 2020 also gave us the opportunity to pivot and make new plans. Kate Carey intended to sell her available units as condos but the uncertainty allowed them to pause and hold them for long enough to realize furnished rentals would work better. It was nerve wracking, but with the help of her son, rennovations a new direction resulted in a fresh, beautiful space.
Summer in Maine is amazing! Often we are so busy we do not have the time to slow down and rediscover what we love so much about living here. When business slowed due to COVID, Jim and his partner Scott, took some time to enjoy all the outdoor venues that Portland has to offer.
“We had the time to enjoy the many greater Portland attributes that we discuss so frequently with our clients”. - Jim Duplissie
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June 2020
The summer ahead looked unpredictable but Vitalius Partner and Broker Chris Sullivan kept verything in perspective if not a bit magical.
May 2020
It was important to stay connected to our clients and community so we worked with our talented friend and client, Jessica Esch at Shineboltstation, to create custom postcards to mail.
April 2020
It did not take long for our close-knit team to seamlessly transition our weekly meetings, and occasional happy-hours, to online Zoom sessions. In this digital space, we honed our communication skills while we exchanged homeschooling woes, housekeeping tasks, reported on learned baking skills, and all those other homestead functions that bridged us.
March 2020
Chris Davis balanced client work and family with humor and determination thanks to the Frozen 1 & 2 soundtracks and his hands-free phone.
We are grateful to be moving into 2021 just as strong and we are fortunate that so many of our friends and colleagues are thriving. This success allows us to continue giving back to the communities we love. Thank you to our clients and business partners who have trusted our Team to help them navigate the process.
We look forward to seeing more of you in 2021!
Be well.
