It has been a while since we have talked, or we may have just met, so Ginger and I wanted to follow up with you to share a little bit more about our story.
In our 54 years together, Ginger and I have experienced a lot. From my humble beginnings as a tow truck driver and auto body technician to my recent adventures as a Harley Davidson riding Santa Claus, and everything in between, we have been through it side by side.
Even though we’ve seen it all, I think the most important thing to share with you is how it all started. Way back in the beginning of us.
It was summer in San Jose, so I was cruising around town with a couple of friends in my lowered ‘57 DeSoto. It had a sierra gold bottom with a root beer brown top that I painted myself. It was a sweet ride. My car was my baby. Until that day in 1965. That was the day it all changed for me. That’s the day I met her.
I was seventeen and had long hair (now I have none!), so I thought I was a pretty cool guy just rollin’ around town listening to tunes on the DeSoto’s custom stereo. I’m don’t know exactly what I was listening to, but I’m sure it was the music of the time, what we call “the Oldies” now.
For the purposes of this story, we’ll say I had “You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feelin’” by the Righteous Brothers playing in the tape deck when I pulled up to the end of the strip in my DeSoto and parked at the Dairy Bell drive-up hamburger joint. If you are our age, you remember this kind of place, but if this was before your time, think “Sonic,” but local.
Anyway, I parked in one of the spots, pushed the black button on the old silver intercom and ordered a chocolate milkshake. Then I saw her. She was sitting at a table across the restaurant from us with a group of girls. She was a pretty thing. “Ooh la la,” I thought in my head. I knew that she was it!
Now if you know me, you know that I am a confident guy with the gift of gab. I was going to talk to this girl, but I couldn’t really think of what to say. That was a new experience for me. Should I ask, “Do you come here often?” No, that wasn’t it. “Can I buy you a drink?” wouldn’t work. How about, “You got a light?” Definitely not.
Finally, I settled on, “Hi, I’m Paul. What’s your name?”
“Ginger,” she told me and blushed a little. She and her girls giggled. She introduced me to them, and they turned out to be her cousins.
We all hung out and talked for a while, then I asked her, “can I give you a ride home?” They all whispered among themselves. “Sure,” she answered with a smile.
That was probably one of the proudest moments of my life full of proud moments.
The funny thing is, once we all piled into my old baby the DeSoto, the trip to Ginger’s destination was a short one. Only a half a block!
But in my eyes, that was a good sign, so I asked her if she’d go out with me on a date that night. She accepted. We went to the beach and had a fabulous time. The rest, as they say, is history!
Ginger and I got married two years later, in 1967. I worked a couple blue collar jobs for the next ten years, advancing to management roles in both. Then one day, I decided to go into real estate. Ginger thought it was a good idea, so I walked away from the stability and comfort of my jobs, with 4 kids and just $3,000 in the bank!
It was a leap of faith, but in 1977 I earned my Realtor’s License, and never looked back. I applied my blue-collar work ethic and quickly became the number one agent in the office. Forty-two years later, I’m still going strong.
About twenty years after I started in the business, my wife became more than my life partner, she also became my partner in business. In 1997, our kids had all moved out of the house. Ginger came with me to one of my listings that was vacant.
“I think I can do something with this place. It’s so empty. So cold,” Ginger told me. She was always restyling our own house, so we had a lot of stuff out in the garage. She went home got a box and fixed it up. It sold right away. We knew we were onto something. We were two of the first people in the staging business.
In my real estate career, I’ve sold over 1,500 houses and Ginger has staged 550 of them. She’s been so prolific in the field that she’s been the leader of numerous organizations, worked with a couple of television shows, and even wrote a book titled, “The Art of Home Staging,” that has done really well in sales.
About five years ago, Ginger and I moved to Rocklin to be closer to our daughter and grandkids. We didn’t know anyone when we got here, so I took a year and a half to get to know everyone.
Paul loves to give back to the community.
I was the Ambassador of the Year at the Rocklin Chamber. I am a full-fledged volunteer for the Rocklin police and fire department. I am on the board of the Rotary Club as the community service director. I even play Santa Claus at the local Senior Homes and Schools. The community in Rocklin has welcomed us and now this is our home! When you choose us to represent you with your real estate needs, you’re not just getting a realtor and a stager, you’re getting friends for life. We have been in this business for over four decades, so I’ve seen most of the problems and I know most of the answers, but I am not going to let it go that far. Because we are here to handle it for you.
Thank you for taking the time to learn about our story. If you are ready to reach for new horizons, turn to professionals you can count on for the kind of service you deserve and are willing to put you first. Paul and Ginger would love the opportunity to help you buy or sell a home or income property and welcome the opportunity to connect with you.
Looks like history is repeating its self. I’m back into classic cars and Ginger and I are now listening to the Righteous Brothers in one of our Chevys.
Sincerely,
Paul & Ginger Conti
Realtor/HomeStager
Realty ONE Infinity
916-677-7446
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