July Newsletter: Our Team is Growing!

July. Whew. Where do I start?

Our Team is Growing

First off, our team is growing! We added Morgan and Emily to our team in the last few weeks. You made that possible (and necessary) by being awesome clients and trusting me to help your friends and family too. So thank you!

In the last few months, Emma and I found ourselves in too many situations where we needed to be in two important places as once. We were having conversations like this... "Okay, you're writing up the offer for Jane and John... I'm going to write up the offer for Bob... so... who is going to show that house to James right now because the offer deadline for that is tonight and he needs to get in there."

The first few times this happened, it was exhilarating. Look at me, I'm busy! Then, it started to get old really fast. Especially when it became clear that that sort of thing was going to keep happening.

I really didn't want that to impact our ability to deliver great service to all of you. And I REALLY didn't want Emma to burn out, because that woman saves my life regularly.

And so, we're growing. And I'm learning to manage. And delegate. And let go of a bit of control. And it's pretty cool. It's also terrifying.

To help me, I hired a business coach, Kelly from the Hero Nation, to help me figure all this out. I know I'm not the first person to go through this, so I figured I'd find some smart people who had already done this to help me.

Stay tuned. I'm sure I'll have more to say on this topic as the months go by.

Five Years of Marriage and Selling Deerfield

While Chris and I were in Tulum and Playa del Carmen celebrating our five year wedding anniversary in the middle of July, we thought it would be fun to sell our home in Deerfield. Because we enjoy chaos. So with limited cell service and several margaritas deep, we listed our home for what turned out to be a rather heated multiple offer situation.

When the buyer who ultimately won it asked "If he wants to move in on July 31st will that be a problem?" we didn't hesitate. "Noooo, we said. Not at allllll. We barely have anything left in that old house."

That was grossly inaccurate and based mostly on me not having visited Deerfield in a few weeks. Like everyone who ever moves, we had roughly three times as much craps as we thought.

So, of course, we were down to the wire moving out. But we DID close that sale in 9 days flat. We did accept a fantastic cash offer well over asking. It was a delightful transaction with a delightful agent. So I can't complain.

I might have had a moment standing in the middle of our living room, wild-eyed and dangerously wielding one of those packing tape contraptions with the tiny cutter on it, cautioning Chris, "Don't ask me to make any decisions right now" after he asked me whether we should leave the speakers or not.

But no one got hurt. And we closed on time.

Moving did remind me how much moving sucks, which has inspired me to add some resources to my seller board about strategies for moving with less stress. I'll share those next month. 

The Market

Still very hot and still lots of multiple offers, but I'm starting to see a strange thing happen. More and more buyers are getting cold feet after winning a multiple offer situation.

We've had it happen twice in the last week. First with Deerfield, our own home, where 3 of the 6 offers got cold feet, and then with another listing where the buyer terminated during option. In both cases, there were no negotiations, no particular thing that caused it. Just buyers changing their minds. Maybe this is a coincidence, or maybe it's a market-wide reality.

Regardless, there are a few lessons here: If you're a seller, stay open to plan B, C and maybe even D.

If you're a buyer, don't despair if you lose a multiple offer situation. Make sure your agent communicates that they want to stay informed as the first contract progresses, and consider putting in a backup offer.

What I'm Reading

I just downloaded The Five Second Rule by Mel Robbins and I'm really digging it. It was recommended to me by my friend and fellow 30 Under 30 agent Jordan Salisbury from Lake of the Ozarks.

One line from today stood out to me as particularly relevant to my current situation.

"Every phase of your life and your career will require a different you."

I'm definitely working on becoming a different me to fill the position I've created for myself.

Remember in January when I was all smug about being calm and not busy and having plenty of free time? Yeah, that was over fast. Let's see if I can get it back.

Bastrop Listing

We have the adorable listing in Bastrop, built-in 1895, maybe earlier. I met the sellers, Pete and Annie, years ago when they contacted me off of Zillow. They looked at a few homes with me in Austin before ultimately deciding to buy in Bastrop. We stayed in touch for years just because we enjoyed each other's company. Now they're ready to sell and come back to Austin.

Near downtown Bastrop, under $400,000. Historic, renovated home. 

Contracts and Closings

Our clients are the coolest, you guys. I'm not kidding. I've had the pleasure this month of working with some truly awesome human beings, and when I have time, I'm going to throw a party and introduce everyone to each other, because we should all be friends.

Caitlin

This month, my clients Dan and Lauren were kind enough to recommend me to their friend Caitlin. We signed up to work together, and Morgan helped me get her under contract at the end of July on an awesome home in East Austin. It's a 1904 gut remodel, and it's charming. I actually showed it to some clients several months back but it wasn't quite right for them. I'm so happy that someone I know bought it, and now she's walking distance to our condo so she can come to hang at our pool.

Parker and Maddie

Parker and Maddie, who I met at an open house for one of my listings a few months back, also went under contract on a historic remodel in East Austin. We saw a TON of homes together. What do you think guys. Did we see 50 houses? We've been touring together almost weekly since the spring. They knew exactly what they wanted (a move-in ready historic home with charm) and they weathered MANY multiple offer situations before they finally locked this one down. We're headed to closing at the beginning of August. This was a story of persistence.

Athan and AnneMarie

The owners of my gym, Fortitude Strength and Conditioning, went under contract and closed on a historic home in Bastrop. Athan and AnneMarie are some of my longest-standing clients and have been so supportive of our business for so many years. We weathered a long contract with many ups and downs and finally got to closing. They own Crossfit Strive in Bastrop as well, so now they'll be closer to their other location, and with good schools for their adorable daughter Harlow.

Cheryl

AnneMarie was kind enough to introduce me to one of her own clients, Cheryl, who just closed on a condo in Clarksville. That negotiations and contract were extremely difficult, and Morgan handled a lot of it since I was in Mexico for Cheryl's tour as well as her closing. It was truly a baptism by fire for Morgan, but Cheryl was an absolute trooper. Congrats Cheryl and God bless you!

Hannah and Zach

Hannah and Zach closed on a renovated home in South Austin with a pool, winning a multiple offer situation to lock it down. We were worried about appraisal, but it came in at value and the transaction was mostly smooth. They, too, made many offers before winning this one. They were introduced to me over a year ago by my delightful friends and clients Dustin and Jess.

Heather

My nutrition coach and friend Heather sold her condo in The Boulevard Condos in East Riverside to move to Kauai (jealous!). We accepted a quick contract at asking price. It was a nice, smooth transaction, and as she put it "the universe aligned" to get her to Kauai on time. She has an awesome Instagram profile which I highly recommend checking out. @thepositivethread

Christian and Christy

And I'm currently working with Christian and Christy who have an absurdly desirable listing in South East Austin. We had 60 showings in the first week and a very competitive multiple offer situation. Their home is priced just under $300,000 for a renovated home about 15 minutes to downtown, and as you might imagine the interest was through the roof. They were introduced to us by our friend, client and architect Davey McEathron. And Christian has a sweet Instagram page for his steel fabrication business, 

https://www.spyglassrealty.com/listing/4387427-6126-wagon-bnd-austin-tx-78744/