| Transcript |
HEEDS
Local Realtor Catapults to New Heights
Ray Allison is not an over night sensation.
Indeed, he has worked hard at obtaining his
current success that is perceived by many in
the community to have been ascertained over
night. Ray Allison Realtors has been a staple
in the industry for more than a decade. In the
past year, however, the company has soared
to new heights. So much so that the company is the largest Realtor in the area encompassing zip code 77006.
Recently, the Houston Voice contacted Mr.
Allison to discuss his meteoric rise in the
competitive real estate market.
Allison grew up in Beaumont, Texas. He
moved to Houston and went to work for an
Engineering firm, a job he despised. After
working part-time purchasing and selling
property, he realized how much he enjoyed
the real estate business. He has been in the
business since 1982 and got his license in the
late 80's figuring if he could have success in
the business as a hobby, he should be able to
achieve success professionally as well. He
went to work for Acker - Blum.
Three years ago, he formed his company
and with hard work he has managed to
become the Realtor with the most listings in
the Montrose area. He credits his newfound
success to the Vilven Design firm who redesigned his marketing package, as well as his
dedication to his work. As a result, his company now employs 14 agents, and increased
his phone lines tenfold. Indeed, business has
increased three hundred percent within the
past year.
"The real estate market is very complicated
now. There are several aspects that al! have to
be taken into account at the same time,"
advised Allison. He counsels his clients to
establish how much money they want to
spend per month and the location they want
to live-in. If the two do not mesh, he advises
his clients to work on the location. Allison
believes that an honest approach with clients
heeds the best results.
The company encompasses sales, leasing,
residential and commercial. "About 70% of
what this firm does is residential, 30% is commercial," said Allison. He contends leasing is
not lucrative, yet he offers it to clients because
he believes that potentially leasing clients
could become customers. Allison stressed
the importance of customer service.
Allison stated that his brand of service
related real estate has earned him repeat customers. "We have a very large loyal following," enthused Allison "I sell people a house,
two years later they sell it and want me to
help them find another one. Now, its beginning to happen with all of my agents here."
Allison is 36 years old and his enthusiasm
is contagious. He is a testament to the old
adage of hard work and subsequent rewards.
One thing is certain, he is ambitious, intelligent and entrepreneurial. And, benevolent.
With those traits, it's highly probable that you
have not heard the lasl of Ray Allison.
TTTTTTTTT
BOOK REVEIW
Sexpert Proffers Opinions
on State of the Union
by Mary McGregor-Dunne
Susie Bright, the self proclaimed
"Sexpert", has just released another book
about guess what? SEX. Her latest release
is a Simon and Schuster effort none the less,
called "The Sexual State of the Union". Her
past efforts Sexwise - Susie Bright's Sexual
Reality, Susie Sexpert's Lesbian Sex World
and Nothing But the Girl: The Blatant
Lesbian Image - have all graced the shelves
at the local gay book stores as well as more
recently, the mainstream book stores.
Since the demise of her very controversial
lesbian pornography magazine, On Our
Backs, the writer/ sexpert has had a lot of
time on her hands. In between her lectures
at universities, mini-seminars, speaking
engagements, and editing short stories, she
has found the time to compile this mishmash
of essays and call it a book.
The marketing department at Simon and
Schuster has outdone themselves gathering
quotes for the dust cover from Erica Jong to
Armistead Maupin praising the contents of
this book as the work of a "visionary" and
"a leading thinker of our time". The cover
also is marketing department's dream- a
naked "Sexpert" wrapped in an American
flag. The image will surely guarantee every
monkey gland teenybopper will take a look
or two at it and snicker.
Ms. Bright gives her opinion on a vast
variety of subjects. At the back of the book
you will find a very detailed twelve-page
index cataloging each topical reference and
the pertinent page numbers. Not only will
you find a reference for sex with 34 sub-reference but also separate references for intercourse (6 sub-references), orgasms (19 sub-
references), sadomasochism (3 sub-references), sexual fantasies (10 sub-references),
and pornography (27 sub-references).
Basically, if you want to know what Susie
Bright has to say about anything al all you
can flip to the back of Ihe book and locate
the multiple page numbers for easy location
of the topic of your choice.
Ms. Bright does not limit her rather
skewed opinions to the various topics of sex.
She also comments on politics, religion,
abortion, the Mormon Church, racism, the
sixties, drugs, the Internet, the Catholic
Church, AIDS, and children. 1 did not find
her musings totally disagreeable. I found
that some of her observations were moderately amusing. However, I found her sense of
morality to be pretty much debased and disgusting.
In the introduction, the author attempts to
wrap up the collection of random essays that
are to follow. I can just -imagine the Simon
and Schuster editor sitting with the chapter
titles on 3' x 5' cards and a story board trying to put all of this in some logical order.
Obviously, the editor has had some expenence with the everyday life journeys of sado-
masochists and porn siars. In this case, the
editor and author choose to play out the bad
to worse sequence.
Religion is the first victim of Ms. Bright's
obvious disdain. She states, "...I do feel
superior to deeply religious people...that
kind of faith genuinely seems backward to
me, a sign of ignorance and fear." Her comments about God appear to be blasphemous.
The rationalizing of her obvious horrendous life choices are all cataloged here in
this book for the entire world to see. She
rationalizes her abortion, her promiscuity,
and her obsession with pornography and on
and on.She discusses her daughter and
how she is raising her in this environment.
The more the child knows the better choices
she will make, seem to be the guidance plan
for her little girl.
For the truly voyeuristic, the author
includes questions she has collected from
college students that attend her lecture series
and campus tours. She also includes the
averaged results of a sex survey. She wntes
that 29% of the men she surveyed are
attracted to both men and women and that
43% of the women are attracted to both.
According to Susie, the campus coeds are
much more open-minded these days.
Susie Bright's Sexual State of the Union is
251 pages in length including 2 pages of
sources, a 12-page index, 2 pages of
Content, 9 pages of introduction and 226
pages of light reading The book retails for
$23.00 U.S. That price averages out to be
around eleven cents per page.
You Bette' the Voice Gets
Exclusive Interviews!
■ In addition to viatical settlements Life Today, Inc
can now help with your financial needs through
the purchase of:
• Annuities & Structured Settlements
• Privately (owner) financed, mortgages
• lottery payments
• Personal injury awards
• Business notes
(7B)892-5433
170 South Post Out lore, Sul* 690. Houstoi. ferns 770$b
liebita,h.EO«^miiTdaitBdorv-j|-to*Bo^
WSMOlradnjsymtolliail M0-5H-21W HfNT/HttEl! INQUIRES WltOMc.
Noon Open to 7pm 7 Days a Week
ALL WELL, BEER 8 WINE $2
NEVER A COVER CHARGE!
FRIDAY, March 28
9 pm till ???
Guest Bartenders on the Top
Houston Area Bears
SUNDAY, March 30
5 pm till ??? • Snacks on the Farside
Guest Bartenders Texas Renegades
8 pm Show
Benefiting Steven's House
&
m Texas Renegades
Anniversary Run
Thursdays • Free, Confidential HIV Testing • 4pm-8pm
,'■-■■-■**
ivi /\ n
CM 2 S X H
|
