City Chic Real Estate

For buyers, I like to schedule a buyer consultation to set expectations and answer questions about the process. Since the DC Metro market moves fairly quickly, I believe that a prepared client is a happy client! This consultation prevents my clients from feeling rushed once they find a home they like and gets them prepared to submit an offer once we start searching for properties. 

For sellers, I will schedule a listing appointment at their home so that I can evaluate it in person for price suggestions and tips to prepare the home for sale. We have an aggressive marketing campaign within our brokerage but if we don't start with the home ready to sell, the effectiveness of that program is decreased exponentially. 

The biggest thing to me for both buyers and sellers is communication throughout the process. I never want my clients to wonder "What's Next?" because they will know! Constantly checking in at every step of the process helps educate and prepare my clients so the process goes smoothly and there is no stress!

I have a Bachelors Degree in Communications from The University of Texas at Austin with an emphasis on Human Relations. I was pre-law at UT so I also took several courses on Conflict Resolution and Negotiation which I believe laid the groundwork for my love for real estate transactions. I also keep up with my continuing education and try to seek out courses that will help me better serve my clients.

We do not. At City Chic Real Estate we believe that every client is different, every property is different. Real estate should not be "one size fits all." At our initial consultation we will discuss the services I can provide, as well as what I recommend and determine the pricing strategy that fits your needs and budget.

For buyers, we do not charge a consultation fee or commission. We will receive compensation from the listing agent as an offer of cooperative compensation through the MLS. I'm happy to explain more how this works at our initial meeting but the bottom line is that our buyers do not pay us a commission.

I actually started working in new home construction sales in 2001. I worked for a large production builder and then a privately held company that focused more on semi-custom homes. I got my license in 2003 and have worked in Austin and Dallas/Fort Worth in Texas and in the DC Metro Area (licensed in VA, MD and DC).

I have worked with customers of all types! Did you know that DC actually now has 21 protected traits?! Equal opportunity housing has always been a passion of mine and I love the chance to help clients become more educated about the real estate industry and also to help build wealth for their future.

I had some clients relocating from out of state who were looking for a home in a specific area of DC and MD that was very competitive (think buyers paying $100K over asking, waiving the appraisal and paying the cash difference or just paying cash outright for a $1 million home). My clients did not have the liquid assets to compete in this realm so they lost out on several multiple offer situations unfortunately. However, I was able to find them an amazing home that did not need much work (most of what we had been looking at had several major projects) and although we did bid over asking price, the home appraised for $100k OVER what my buyers were paying. It was so rewarding to see them settle into their new home knowing that even in a hot market they were able to secure a home for much less than appraised value due to a strong offer strategy.

Find someone that fits your personality and has a level of experience with which you are comfortable. The DC area market is extremely competitive so it is very important to hire someone who knows what they are doing! The barrier to entry in the real estate field is incredibly low so ask questions about their actual experience. For example...If you are a first-time buyer? Ask if they have worked with first-time buyers and how does that differ from how they serve the rest of their clients.