When I was a kid, I had a hard time with climate change and believing it was inevitable. So I went to college for environmental geology and hydrogeology. I was gonna save the world, right?!

Why does this matter? Because in 2011, I met the sellers of 3900 Mattie. Yep, 13 years ago.

I was volunteering for a smart grid study in the Mueller neighborhood. The study was going to look at a heavy density of solar panels and electric cars and the effect on the grid in the area. So of course I was over the moon with this concept and agreed to go door-to-door to help recruit volunteers to install solar panels and purchase plug-in vehicles. It’s not a cheap endeavor to get these high-end technologies and the participants had to believe in the story we were telling. I definitely stopped by 3900 Mattie and signed them up for the study!

I started my real estate career in 2016, hoping to save the world in a different way.

It was 2023 when I heard from the sellers again – years after the solar panels were installed and electric cars were plugged in. They had received a mailer from me and asked me to come by to see how they could start prepping their home for sale. We started talking almost a year in advance of listing the home, and it was that smart grid study adventure that formed the infancy of our relationship. They knew they wanted to work with me! What a gift!

The sellers knew their HVAC wasn’t long for this world, and being advocates for efficiency, opted to get a new unit prior to listing during a slow season to get the best deal. We talked about paint, staging, other potential upgrades they could do with a big ROI, and we talked about getting a pre-inspection so there were no surprises for potential buyers. These folks did everything we discussed and they did it with a smile.

How it’s going…

Not only were we able to take a completely move-in ready home to market in the spring of 2024, but we got the perfect offer on the first weekend of listing.

Every story is different, and every buyer and seller has their own unique path. I am really looking forward to seeing how the next story unfolds!