Letters: Real estate Santa

Francis “Santa” Dryden and Anastasia Boyd

I just wanted to go a step further with Lloyd Manning’s article re: Partnering with your better half (October REM). My wife, Anastasia Boyd, and I started our partnership in 1984, before we were married in 1987, and it continues today but has now proceeded through about four years after I retired from active real estate.

Anastasia is now licensed with Realty Executives – North Star Real Estate in Edmonton and I still carry my license but with an off-board company. I maintain Anastasia’s website and act as her licensed assistant and we have done this with success.

My “business” successes are a reality when we see the business that is coming directly from our website, which has been, and continues to be, very successful. I also handle any out-of-town business and commercial business, which tends to tie up her time in the residential. I also attend with her on “unknown” calls that can be very dangerous for a lady by herself. And I do the little “errand stuff” that can take so much of her time.

She tells me I still have moments of brilliance in transactions but my day-to-day drive is nothing like it used to be.

I am enjoying my music endeavours (play drums), my Freemasonry and Shriners, and I’m now doing my annual month and a half as a “real beard” Santa working about 60 engagements between the middle of November and Christmas Eve. The attached photo is what we do each year for our Christmas mail-out and print media greeting ads.

 Francis Dryden

Edmonton