Shari McGrail, Sun City Lincoln Hills Realtor

Most Realtors do not start out aspiring to become Realtors. It was my long-time interest in business that afforded me the opportunity to build the skills necessary to be an effective Realtor, and all of my experience serves you well. I stay by your side through your real estate transaction and well past the close of your escrow. What many people do not know about Realtors is that we operate as ind

ependent business people. In addition to Sales, we are our own Marketing department, we establish Business Plans and Budgets to follow, and we are Negotiators. We are responsible for carefully assisting our clients through legal contracts, and I represent you and your best interest every step along the way. Additionally, real state laws change, the many forms needed for real estate transactions change, and the market itself has changed in a way that “new” types of sales are with us. Staying alert for change is something I take seriously as I continue to keep my real estate license current. I grew into being a Realtor through my work experiences, which include managing my own business ventures as well as working in the corporate world. Some of the skills I honed are negotiation skills, managing people and projects, task and timeline organization, communicating clearly with people, analyzing data, and working with attorneys -- all are experiences that help make me a very competent Realtor. Click here for More specifics about my working and professional background. That experience combined with my policy of giving honest and complete responses to your questions, works well. Additionally, working together with people truly brings me enjoyment. I honestly love what I do, and the result is that my long list of happy and satisfied clients just keeps growing! (Click here to read Notes of Appreciation I have received.) Being a Realtor is truly the “ultimate job” for me. Additionally, a professional measure of success I have achieved is Placer County Association of Realtors’ Masters Club status in 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. Master’s Club designates the Top Ten Percentile of Agents in the County, and I am now a Lifetime Member. When we first moved to Lincoln in 2004, our daughter, Jenna, and I were a mother-daughter Realtor team. (She had been a Realtor in Walnut Creek and decided to move to this area, as well.) We worked with Keller Williams Realty, and most of our business was in Rocklin and Roseville. As I became more involved with new friends and activities in Lincoln Hills, it was clear that the best way to enjoy the Lincoln Hills Lifestyle was to work close to home. Coincidentally that was the same time (late 2005) that Penny Carolan decided to expand her brokerage by bringing on agents to work with her. I really feel like the winner in this regard because Penny was a wonderful Broker for me. So then I could have my cake and can eat it, too! My brokerage affiliation was right down the street from where I live, and I continued a robust, full-time career in a place where I can knowledgeably introduce you to a variety of real estate choices in a community with oh-so-many amenities. – Plus I can play and enjoy the Lincoln Hills Lifestyle myself! Change happens: In Fall 2011 Penny decided to stop wearing her Broker’s hat and she took her license to Keller Williams Realty in Roseville. A number of us did the same and now I have gone full circle, but again I get to have my cake and eat it, too! Keller Williams does not normally have satellite offices, but Penny negotiated to keep the office in Sun City Lincoln Hills open under the name of KW. It is wonderful continuing to have a presence in my own community and the brokerage support and other advantages of an international realty only a short drive away on Pleasant Grove Boulevard. Click Here to learn about the many advantages of doing business with Keller Williams Realty. On a personal note -- Jim and I made the move from the Bay Area in order to find our dream home; that is, a single story home in great condition. Luckily Jenna followed and lives nearby in Roseville with her husband, Erik, and my two darling grandchildren, Drew and Brynn. Our son, Ryan, lives in Pleasanton which is an easy car trip away for frequent visits. Also, my Mom and Sibs relocated from Nebraska to Reno long ago, and living in Lincoln makes it possible to see them more easily, too! I continue to be happy with the move to Lincoln Hills. I love our beautiful home and neighborhood, and have fun with neighbors and new friends. I like spending time at the swimming pools, somewhat regular visits to the gyms, playing pool, playing board games, dabbling with golf, hiking the trails, summer concerts at the amphitheater and much more. There is a never-ending supply of activities to explore. So, THIS IS THE LIFE for me ! More about Shari...

I grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, and my first Executive Admin experience was at Strategic Air Command at Offutt AFB, where I reported directly to a bird Colonel and he, in turn, to a General. There was no shortage of Generals at SAC Hq, and it was my introduction to producing reliable, presentable results with executives in mind. We soon moved to California, and my Top Secret clearance led me to Lockheed (LMSC) in Sunnyvale where I assisted the head of the Microelectronics Division (microelectronics was all the rage and LMSC had it’s own clean room where silicon chips were made – we were right next door to the group working on the Space Shuttle – all so fascinating!); then on to being the personal assistant to the Founder and Chairman of Ampex Corporation in Redwood City (another fascinating experience right in the thick of technology and health research at the time); and then to San Francisco. There I began with an international executive recruiting firm (headhunters ) and then accepted the position of Executive Admin for two independently wealthy venture capitalists. It was quite interesting observing them evaluate the management and profitability of new companies, to be followed with commitment of their funds. … And then I took some time to have two wonderful children! My years of Exec Admin and Assisting afforded me valuable educational opportunities in learning about business and the appreciation of managing business risk, managing projects, preparing and making presentations, and so on. Meanwhile, Jim was a software engineer and developer throughout his career, operating independently most of the time. So, it was natural for me to participate in small, independent ventures while we raised our children. Eventually I owned and operated a computer outsource business for seven years. My primary client was SCO (Santa Cruz Operation), a key player in the UNIX operating system arena at the time. I was their point of contact for approximately 3,000 Authorized Resellers in North America. A major part of that responsibility was for the data input and accuracy of a large, custom and complex database. I operated remotely at a time when that method was not all that commonplace. Additionally, I was the initial point of contact for several thousand UNIX ACE’s worldwide, which required still more database involvement and fulfillment. Though I was the name and voice all of these people turned to, I employed a small staff to assist me. Since I had the bandwidth, I also managed a very active seminar registration and fulfillment service for SCO, using our own custom software. As constant changes occurred within this international corporation, I was one of the stable entities that Management often turned to for a clear understanding of the programs I administered for the company. When the software industry experienced a major downturn around the year 2000, I returned to the corporate world. I was employed by ChevronTexaco as their sole Litigation Analyst for international litigation, reporting directly to the attorney who handled all international litigation for ChevronTexaco. I tracked 700 to 800 cases, especially the status of the large, involved suits. I also tracked rather large budgets for outside counsel, approved payments, and so on. The attorney I worked for was amazing and she reported directly to the VP level. Her position along with my interaction with attorneys, case data and budget data often put me in a position to produce “results under fire”, and my contributions were always relied upon and appreciated. I expected to stay at ChevronTexaco until retirement, but after much thought we made the decision to move to Lincoln, which afforded me the choice to work independently again. Meanwhile our daughter was a Realtor in Walnut Creek at the time and continually encouraged me to join her. She was my mentor and well in advance of our move to Lincoln, I rolled up my sleeves and became a licensed Realtor. Additional about Shari.....

I grew up in Omaha, Nebraska. My husband, Jim, grew up in Pennsylvania and Florida, and I’m happy his time in the Air Force brought him to Strategic Air Command Headquarters in Omaha where we could meet. Early in our marriage we moved to California to be in San Francisco, though our work caused us to live in Palo Alto a few years and then Daly City. (Jim and I smile at the fact that we began our married life in Lincoln, Nebraska and love that we find ourselves in Lincoln, California now.) On a personal note, early on Jim and I had been looking to buy our first house on the Peninsula for quite a while and would frequent open houses thinking we could find the “the right one” on our own. A couple times we thought we were close, but it did not seem we could really afford to buy. Then we had our first Realtor experience! We met a friend of a friend who happened to be a Realtor and with whom we shared our story. She was from Lafayette, a part of the Bay Area we had not explored by then, and she was sure she could help. To be polite, wet met her in Lafayette the next day and fell in love with the town. Our Realtor helped us through the process, we discovered we could afford a modest home in Lafayette and happily became home owners! We stayed in the East Bay – Lafayette to Pleasant Hill – for 30 years and still see our long-time friends there. Over the years we bought and sold a few more homes, always with the guidance of knowledgeable Realtors … but I digress. Like so many parents, we enjoyed good times with our children as they grew up. We spent countless weekends timing races at swim meets and attended lots of soccer games. We went sailing, learned to windsurf, enjoyed season tickets to Shakespeare in the Orinda Hills and traveled with (and without ) our children. Because we worked independently we had the luxury of scheduling our own time and could have special involvement with Jenna and Ryan. One such opportunity was an extra circular program called Odyssey of the Mind. It was offered through public school, but had to be run by volunteers. It is an academic program that encourages children to think outside the box in a big way, learning how to solve problems and think creatively. We coached several small teams of students from fifth grade through high school, and even took many of our teams to State competitions. Jenna and Ryan still refer to arriving at OM solutions to issues they encounter today. Now as grandparents, we have the fun of watching the creative wheels turn with Drew and Brynn (born 2007 and 2012).