About BigDogRealty.com
BigDogRealty.com was founded in 1998, and was one of the first Real Estate websites to exist in the State of Washington.
Created with the goal of providing distinctive and memorable marketing for client properties, in an on-line environment that was just beginning to boom, the website has achieved its goal of being an easy place to go to see a specific property represented by the Team at BigDogRealty.com.
Why the name BigDogRealty? Good question! We brainstormed many different possibilities before launching. Being one of the very first real estate web sites in the region meant we had the “pick of the litter” in terms of a name.
We threw a few names into the hat referencing the region; names like PacificNWRealty, SeattleHomes&Land, and they all seemed boring in comparison to BigDogRealty. We even conducted a market survey of about 25 clients and colleagues asking them to vote on the name. In the end, the survey agreed and the website was launched with the name BigDogRealty and the goal of providing a distinctive and memorable platform to showcase properties was achieved.
Our original mascot was an old-soul named Charlie Brown. Those who knew us in the early days will remember that Charlie Brown was a dachshund who thought he was a big dog! This seemed appropriate since the term Big Dog was defined as “a notably prominent, important, or powerful person, organization, etc.” (Miriam-Webster) or as the McMillan Dictionary defines it: “a very important or influential person or thing”.
The name stuck, and our brand image became quickly associated with many prominent high-end properties and homes. Our logo contains a coat of arms seal, and marketing materials often include gold embossed foil. Achieving a luxury brand with a “wiener dog” was no easy feat, but it worked because the brand is memorable and those that know us (or have seen our marketing) enjoy the easy-to-remember URL to see unusual properties, or as an easy way to reach out to our Team.
Although we have handled many multi-million dollar record sales for our clients, we love to work with folks in all price ranges and those that know us will attest to our down-to-earth roots. We have been playing in the “Big Leagues” now for over 25 years, but it’s worth mentioning here that our hearts’ desire is to treat all people (and dogs) as equal and important, no matter what their size!
The fact is, our Team has set an extraordinary number of new price records for unusual properties around the State of Washington, yet we are happy when a first time home buyer utilizes our expertise. To learn more about our services and how our track-record of noteworthy results can benefit you, send us an email at HeidiBigDogRealty@yahoo.com
And last but not least, you’ll see below that our new mascot (Kora Lou) is an actual “Big Dog”, and a handsome one at that. Read Kora’s Bio below and how she came to be our D.E.O., and please sign up for our Quarterly Newsletter if you’re not on our list for updates and tid-bits from our Team.
“How did her real estate career begin? Good question! Destiny called when she was asked to help market an $18 million residential property in Medina, Washington (the highest priced home at that time)…”
Heidi Bright
CEO and Founder
heidibigdogrealty@yahoo.com
mobile: 425 417 4716
A fourth generation Kirkland native, Heidi’s career path has encompassed the investment world, marketing, advertising, & film production. Her path has culminated in the “perfect storm” where she has worked for the past 25 years…in the high-demand realm of residential & commercial real estate. Since the late 1990’s Heidi has had the privilege of running a record-setting real estate business. She’s handled a substantial number of record sales for Sellers who have hired her (in several geographic areas of Washington State), and has a reputation for winning in multiple Offers for many Buyers who have utilized her experience and negotiation skills as well.
Right-brain or left-brain? You decide. In the early 1980s, Heidi worked in the investment industry and was recognized by the S.E.C. as the 2nd youngest female stockbrokers in the United States. Ask Heidi for a market analysis and you’ll get a report with enormous time and effort invested to truly analyze the property…this love of “the numbers” was hatched in Heidi’s experience with Wall Street investment firms, and is part of the perfect storm that benefits her real estate clients.
After climbing as high as she could go in the investment industry, Heidi was recruited to serve as second in command at a Seattle based staffing firm. In just 3 1/2 years she catapulted this small company from under $1 million in Revenue to more than $5 million annually! It is here that she began to experience tremendous career achievement, as she executed unique branding, marketing & P.R. strategies. Her work was not only highly successful for the Seattle based firm, but also earned a Mayor’s Small Business Award and a prestigious National Award from Inc. Magazine & Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Awards.
In 1994/95 Heidi was asked to head up the International Sales division of a Seattle based film production company. This small company had earned a prestigious Cannes Film Festival award before Heidi joined them, and the year she spent on board was just enough “up close & personal experience” in commercial film & video for her, learning the art of “story-boarding” and developing a critical-eye for editing — skills she has since employed for the benefit of real estate clients.
In 1996 Heidi co-founded a large marketing & advertising agency, Creative Connections NW, where she worked with a large cadre of Seattle’s most experienced marketing professionals. The fact is this: many incredible Creative Talent Pro’s had migrated to the Pacific NW after working in Chicago, LA, New York & San Francisco (for many of the world’s largest Ad Agencies). Names like McCann, Ogilvy, Saatchi & Saatchi, Leo Burnett and other top tier Ad Agencies were represented by the roster of veterans that Heidi’s firm worked with. It’s worth noting that Creative Connections NW housed their talent under a large non-traditional “virtual” roof — and this was an incredibly innovative (read “unheard of”) concept at that time! This is where Heidi truly learned from the Best of the Best in the World of Advertising & Marketing.
How did her real estate career begin? Good question! Destiny called when she was asked to help market an $18 million residential property in Medina, Washington (the highest priced home at that time)…so she rolled up her sleeves and created a high-impact, targeted marketing & P.R. campaign for that property using innovative marketing strategies. The result? The sale she personally procured for this property became the beginning of what has become a long list of record sales for her clients in Washington State. Want proof? Heidi has been featured on the cover of USA Today’s Financial section, the Wall Street Journal’s real estate section, and she’s appeared in television programs such as Entertainment Tonight where the beautiful Linda Evans Estate was featured.
What’s on the horizon? Stay tuned and we will share some exciting news with you! Subscribe to receive our Newsletters/Blog Posts and be sure to contact us for unmatched marketing strategies and superior valuation expertise for your real estate decisions!
“A fateful visit to Ellensburg in the Summer of 2017 launched Joe into his current role as co-owner & Co-founder of an Event Venue that is located on a rural luxury property. ”
Joe Done
Marketing & Client Services Director
joebigdogrealty@yahoo.com
mobile: 425 677 5381
Raised in the Snoqualmie Valley, in the woods of the Indian Hill community (15 minutes from Snoqualmie Falls) Joe comes from a family of 5 boys. His parents took an active roll in their sons’ education; all 5 of the Done boys were home-schooled from pre-school to high school, and at age 23 Joe earned a Bachelor’s degree from CWU in Ellensburg.
While growing up, Joe was active in the Boy Scouts of America where he achieved the rank of Eagle Scout and he made many life-long friendships. When asked what his most memorable experience in Scouts was, he replied “definitely the 50 mile canoe ‘high adventure trip’ at Ross Lake in the North Cascades”! Joe has always had an entrepreneurial mind-set, in fact he started his first business at age 9. Mentored by his father, a successful business executive in the tech industry,
Joe wrote and submitted his first business plan for a dog breeding business to his first ever Angel investor for the seed money. Joe’s dog breeding business was profitable and helped cover his baseball training at Rijo Athletics in Woodinville, and Summer Baseball programs which eventually led to multiple college scholarships.
Baseball has been an area of passion for Joe, one that took him across the United States and to the Dominican Republic, and ultimately shaped his current life story! Several of his past teammates, currently play in the MLB. Earning multiple College scholarships, Joe played Baseball first at Skagit Valley Community College, then he was recruited to Northwestern College in Iowa, and ultimately he came back to Washington State to play at Central Washington University.
A fateful visit to Ellensburg in the Summer of 2017 launched Joe into his current role as co-owner & Co-founder of an Event Venue that is located on a rural luxury property. Joe is a Husband to Emma Done and a Father to Briar Kate Done, while he takes an active role as a leader within the Community. Read more about that fateful journey here!
Real estate runs in the Done family blood; Joe’s paternal grandparents have owned many income properties and his Grandmother has served as an inspiration and mentor to Joe — in fact, Grandma Done has held a real estate license for over 50 years. In college, Joe also studied music and film while in the process of gaining his Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations.
Joe’s natural talent for film creation and production has been fostered through his relationship with Heidi Bright, CEO at BigDogRealty.com and partner in the Rural Luxury Event Venue Business. Together, Heidi and Joe have collaborated to write captivating Story-boards and to produce unique short films which have been key in providing BigDogRealty.com clients with distinctive on-line marketing!
Their style in showcasing Luxury Lifestyle Properties has truly set BigDogRealty clients’ properties apart “from the pack” — and they’ve been attracting Buyers to their listings via this powerful marketing strategy.
Joe currently serves as the Marketing & Client Services Director at BigDogRealty.com where he Teams with Heidi (his business partner and mentor), Rachel Hall their Administrative Assistant, and Kora Lou Done who proudly serves as the NEW BigDogRealty.com mascot.
Stay tuned as we roll out a series of Case Studies Videos that will knock your socks off, providing both education and inspiration!
“Since it is hard for her to imagine a life without dogs, Rachel is very thankful for the opportunity to serve alongside those at Big Dog Realty who, like her, are dedicated to the well-being of the canine community in addition to providing exceptional service to their real estate clients.”
Rachel Hall
Office Manager
rachelbigdogrealty@yahoo.com
mobile: 253 802 1803
Born in Seattle and raised in Maple Valley, Rachel spent much of her childhood visiting various locations throughout the Pacific Northwest with her family, giving her a significant appreciation for the versatility offered by this gorgeous region.
At a young age, Rachel was introduced to the world of real estate, as her parents own a property management company, and have a history with both commercial and residential real estate investing. This propelled a passion within Rachel to pursue training within the field, and she has held a license as a Realtor within Washington State.
A graduate of Central Washington University, Rachel pursued a major in Psychology and a minor in Non-Profit Organization Management, and is now completing her graduate degree within Counseling from Northwest University. Bringing knowledge and insight to the relational aspect of the business of real estate, Rachel has excelled within her role as a compassionate listener from her various experiences and training.
Rachel finds joy in having the opportunity to bring her driven creativity, organization skills, innovative mindset, wisdom, and passion for real estate to the Big Dog Realty Team, as she truly seeks to serve others with a welcoming spirit, as well as live by The Golden Rule on a daily basis. Currently residing within Ellensburg alongside her husband Nate (also a real estate investor and builder),
Rachel enjoys her role as an avid “dog mom” to their English Labrador Retrievers, Bridget and Macy. Rachel has been promoting the human-canine bond since childhood, and along with pursuing several other hobbies, Rachel has a strong passion for going on therapy dog visits with Bridget. The two trained together and passed an extensive evaluation process, in order to become a registered therapy animal Team.
Since passing their evaluation, Rachel and Bridget have visited various locations such as schools, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and other places as well, volunteering their time in order to reach out to those in need of encouragement and hope.
Rachel’s lifelong goal is to one day start a non-profit organization that raises and trains both therapy dogs and service dogs for those in need, as well as provide resources for professionals from various disciplines who would like to incorporate therapy dog interventions into their own practices.
Since it is hard for her to imagine a life without dogs, Rachel is very thankful for the opportunity to serve alongside those at Big Dog Realty who, like her, are dedicated to the well-being of the canine community in addition to providing exceptional service to their real estate clients.
Kora Lou
DEO
mobile: 425 677 5381
Kora Lou currently serves as the Dog Executive Officer (D.E.O.) for the Big Dog Realty Team. Born and bred in Kittitas County, Kora was a wedding gift to Joe Done (our Marketing Director).
She began her life as a Farm Dog serving the hospitality needs of Brightside Vintage Farm, where Joe is also the G.M. Training commenced at Gungho Dog Training when Kora was a year old. Joe hopes to compete with Kora in field trials in the future — since her Grandfather was a National Champion. Kora has the look and temperament suited for field work.
Kora is also passionate about marketing consultation. In fact she helped design the re-branded logo for Big Dog Realty, where her silhouette is now featured. While Kora has a strong passion for the field of marketing, she has an even stronger passion for running through fields of pasture — sniffing out birds and mice!
Those interested in Kora’s future children may want to reach out to Joe, or just watch for future Newsletters announcing her upcoming litter(s).