Smoke Signals
NOVEMBER 1, 2001
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Shelley Sanson:
Turning Houses
into Homes
Tribal member uses
her many talents to help
others find a home.
By Justin Phillips
From family members to friends,
this is how this story got started.
You have decided it is time for the
next step in your life. Pre-approved
for a loan to buy a house?
Armed with a real estate license
for Oregon and experience, Tribal
member Shelley Hanson is ready
to help.
Hanson is a self-proprietor for
John L. Scott Real Estate in Salem.
"I was working at Spirit Moun
tain (casino) doing real estate and
we were doing financing," said
Hanson. "I got my real estate li
cense to have a better understand
ing of what we were doing at the
job."
Hanson said she has always been
interested in homes.
"I went ahead and 'hung' my li
cense with this brokerage firm
(John L. Scott)," said Hanson. "I
just started out part-time as a sec
ondary income."
For some people, the process of
Shelley Hanson
SALES ASSOCIATE
Office: 503-585-0100
Toll Free: 877-722-5504
E-mail: shansonwvi.com
John L. Scott Real Estate
3755 Commercial Street SE
Salem, OR 97302
buying a house can be confusing,
complicated and scary.
"It's a dream that a lot of us have,"
said Hanson.
Her biggest challenge is building
her business.
Hanson said a key thing to suc
cess is getting the word out that she
can help.
"Challenges sometimes are teach
ing people about the process and
what value the realtor adds and
what expectations people should
have about it (the process of home
buying)," said Hanson.
But, with challenges there also
comes rewards.
"For me, helping people overcome
their home-buying challenges is a
big one," said Hanson.
The future looks bright for
Hanson.
In the next three to five years her
goals are to build a strong real es
tate business.
"My long-term goal is to become a
national speaker," said Hanson. "I
want to develop a curriculum and
go on the road. I love it. I get so
jazzed about it. It might have to do
with women's issues or something
like that. I'm still not sure yet."
Hanson. holds a Master's degree
in business as well as
two undergraduate de
grees. She also took a
training course for her
real estate license in Or
egon. That includes 120
hours of in-class train
ing with a national and
state exam.
Hanson's works in Sa
lem, Stayton, Wood-
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She KnOWS Her Stuff Grand Ronde Tribal member Shelley Hanson is
ready to help you achieve home ownership by making the process easier to
understand. Currently Hanson is a self-proprietor for John L. Scott Realty in Salem
as she has recently added real estate sales to her many talents and interests.
burn, Dallas, Grand Ronde, Sheri
dan and Willamina.
"If you have real estate needs in
other areas, I can refer you to
agents within John L. Scott," said
Hanson. "We have a really good
website, www.johnlscott.com
shelleyh. For people who list their
house for sale with our company,
we offer a free home warranty dur
ing that listing period."
Hanson believes that people
should have someone that they
trust when they begin the process
of buying a home, especially if you
are a first time homebuyer.
"In real estate, it's important to
find people that are honest, upfront
and someone that you can relate to,"
said Hanson. "I'm not going to hide
problems from people, I'm not go
ing to make recommendations that
I don't think are in the clients best
interest. I'm not going to try to sell
them a house that is more than
they can afford. My business is
more about long-term."
There are a lot of qualified loan
programs that are very low or no
down payments required on a
home.
"People who are looking at buy
ing, there are a lot of financing op
tions," said Hanson. "If you are
thinking about buying, that is the
first step, find out how much you
can afford."
Hanson has worked with several
good financing companies.
"They have a similar philosophy,"
said Hanson. "They are easy to work
with, they are responsive. They will
make recommendations that are in
the best interest of the client."
With education and experience
under her belt, Hanson is ready to
make the process of buying a house
a lot less complicated for you. B
Tribal Member is Setting a Standard Few Can Top
Humble, unassuming Tim Holmes wins 2001 Governor's Award.
By Chris Mercier
For a man who shuns the spotlight, Tribal
member Tim Holmes sure seems to garner
plenty of attention. Maybe if he'd quit win
ning awards it wouldn't be such a problem.
Those who sit atop the Oregon Disabilities
Commission clearly must not have known of
Holmes' shy nature or else they surely would
not have bestowed upon him their most cov
eted form of recognition, the 2001 Governor's
Award.
Nominated by the Oregon Department of
Human Services, Holmes may have been a
virtual shoe-in for the award, especially be
ing a man whose influence and reputation
extend well beyond the confines of the Grand
Ronde community.
Tribal readers may remember Holmes as the
man who, along with his wife Nancy, joined
the March for Justice in Washington, D.C.
with nearly 7,000 people in October of last
year. Their mission was to celebrate the 10th
Anniversary of the Americans with Disabili
ties Act and at the same time protest a poten-
tial Supreme Court involving the ADA. Tim and
Nancy went as representatives of the Oregon
State Independent Living Council.
Washington would also serve as the site of
Tim's greatest honor in December receiving
the Paul G. Hearne American Association of Per
sons with Disabilities Leadership Award. The
Hearne Award is one of the highest honors be
stowed upon advocates for" disabled persons in
the country and Holmes was selected from more
than 400 applicants.
Holmes' involvement in numerous organiza
tions and on various boards makes for a long list
and also explains why in the span of a year he
has received two major awards.
He works as Chairman of the State Rehabili
tation Council and acts as representative of the
Native American Vocational Rehabilitation Pro
gram with the Confederated Tribes of Grand
Ronde. He also serves as the Chairman for the
Grand Ronde Tribal Housing Authority and is a
trustee of the Blanche Fisher Foundation. All
in all, he is involved in 13 different boards and
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Tim Holmes
committees.
Last year,
Holmes modestly
shrugged off cel
ebration of his ac
colades. Thus his
response to the lat
est merit appears
true to form.
"Oh, you know me Chris," he said. "I'd just
as soon you write about someone who's doing
just as much as me and hasn't gotten the rec
ognition. It's nice, but there's still a lot of work
to be done."
Holmes reluctance mattered little October
23, the date of the Disability Employment
Awards Ceremony at the Oregon State Capi
tol in Salem. There, Holmes and a slew of
other award winners gathered to garner their
prizes. And Tim, no doubt, was probably won
dering what happened to the Mariners, whose
dream season sadly ended only the night before.