If Pat Vosburgh were to get a papercut, don’t be surprised if she bleeds orange. Since joining NextHome Gulf to Bay along with her husband, Chuck, in spring 2015, Pat has been an enthusiastic NextHome supporter. And because of all the ways she’s wrapped herself completely in NextHome orange and gray, our Culture Committee selected Pat as this month’s NextHomie of the Month.
“It was such a fresh, new company,” Pat said, recalling the first time NextHome crossed her radar. “Our brokers were enthused, the brand had great colors and a very youthful feel to it. The tech is awesome – and [NextHome’s mascot] Luke really did it for me.”
And did it in a big way for Pat, as on any given day today, you will find Pat wearing an orange accented dress, carrying her orange purse, wearing an orange Luke watch, and driving in her orange 1972 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia.
“If I wear a different color, people say, ‘Oh my, why aren’t you in orange?” Pat said with a laugh. “And Luke goes with me almost everywhere!”
Pat, a native of Brooklyn, New York, migrated to St. Petersburg, Florida, in the early 1990’s to get away from the high costs and taxes in New York and enjoy a more temperate climate. It was there in 2009 that she met her now husband, Chuck.
“Chuck is so patient and kind, and I really need that in my life,” Pat added. “I’m very fortunate to have found Chuck.”
Pat and Chuck were married in 2013.
At the time, Chuck had been a professional photographer in the St. Petersburg area for nearly 30 years. Having met Pat, Chuck realized he no longer enjoyed hefting heavy photographic equipment out to photo shoots. He knew it was time for a career change.
Today, Pat and Chuck are REALTORS® at NextHome Gulf to Bay, which is run by Broker/Owners Michael Bindman and Jan Bruzas.
“We love our brokers,” said Pat. “They are devoted and committed to the NextHome model.”
Pat is battling a second go around with Lyme Disease, but she faces it with the same “I got this” attitude that she takes on everything.
“Everyone has a story,” Pat added. “I thought I knew [NextHome Vice President] Imran Poladi’s story until he shared the whole story at last year’s conference. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Imran has a grateful heart and those kinds of stories are meant to be told. Watching all of that makes me want to be a kinder, better person. NextHome is all about having a grateful heart.”
Pat is delighted with the way NextHome leads by example.
“I love our corporate integrity and our loyalty to our brand,” Pat said. “I love the genuine way management treats our people. [NextHome CEO] James Dwiggins just getting on a plane to go help after the floods in Houston. That kind of thing. It’s a corporate culture of caring and love and you feel it up and down the corporate team. Being in a company that is that dedicated to its people makes it easy to act similarly and feel at ease about making the right decision to be at NextHome.”
When Chuck and Pat travel around the country they intentionally point their vehicle so they can stop and visit other NextHome offices along the way.
“It’s absolutely the people,” Pat said. “We’re one big family, and I don’t think there’s another real estate company out there where you’d have that same feeling of camaraderie and belonging.”
Giving back in their own way, the Vosburghs open their home every Thanksgiving and Christmas to those who want a free meal or to come by and enjoy a sense of being together.
“I love to cook and so we have these two open houses and invite people to come and eat for free,” added Pat. “I love to give back that way – by doing something that I love to do.”
Pat and Chuck get every morning off to a fast start by hosting a nationwide book club – at 5 am Eastern time.
“We host it on Zoom every morning,” Pat said. “We’ve been doing it for about two years. Right now, we’re doing ‘Three Feet from Gold’ [by Sharon Lechter and Greg Reid]. Our club is all entrepreneurs.” And they are always looking for new members.
Among Pat’s personal mentors is poet Maya Angelou, citing this statement as one of her own personal mantras: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
For Pat, it all comes down to her belief that NextHome is the right place for her.
“It’s all about the people – all those NextHomies out there,” Pat said. And her goal for NextHome: “We just surpassed 3,000 NextHomies – let’s double that and go for 6,000!