A Special Home Gets an Upgrade from a Thankful Family of Five

by Tracey Moore

Virginia and Matt Candler adored their home on State Street but with three growing children, they needed more space. The problem was, they weren’t sure they’d find another home to fall in love with – so, they weighed the options of renovating vs. moving. After much deliberation, they decided to pursue both possibilities simultaneously. Recommended to them by friends I’d worked with, I started looking for the right fit.

Renovate or Move?

The thing is, I understood their conundrum. In fact, I offered them advice and ideas for renovating the home they were in, in order to create more space. While other agents might not be willing to do that, since it wouldn’t result in a sale and a commission, that’s not how I operate. Helping clients find a solution to their problem — whatever the problem – is what I do.

I showed Virginia and Matt lots of different properties over a six-month period, and while they checked all the boxes, nothing stood out. So, they decided to stop looking and start renovating — until the very next week, when I found something special. It turned out to be a wonderful property full of promise, and from the moment we walked through it together and talked about the possibilities, we knew it was the one.

Found: A Unique Home Filled with Love

The home sits on two and a half lots and consists of two shotguns that were joined in the middle years ago, forming a single U-shaped home. Featuring loads of green space, a pool, and enough bedrooms to include a guest room, the home had the potential for an open floor plan and was priced so that they could renovate it. Also key to the deal was that Virginia, an artist, would now have dedicated space for her studio.

What made the situation special was that Virginia and Matt felt incredibly fortunate for this home to become theirs. It was an emotional decision for the owner to sell because she had raised her own children there, and Virginia felt a connection to her. There was much mutual admiration, and the seller was excited to see their eventual reconfiguration and renovation of the space.

A 9-Month Renovation and a Timely Sale

Virginia and Matt were also lucky to be able to stay in their State Street house while renovating the new home. The renovation took about nine months, and when their move-in date was within sight, I listed their house on State Street and sold it in about a month. Says Virginia, “It was all just super lucky stars to have it work out time-wise.”

What Virginia Says About Working with Me

I love helping my clients’ dreams come to fruition and am so pleased that Virginia had this to say about working with me:

“In our first meeting with Tracey, she helped us think through renovating our current home –which wouldn’t have benefitted her at all. She was just so generous with her time and expertise, listening to what we wanted. Our search didn’t feel like a wild goose chase because everything she showed us made sense. But when it came to finding this house, she had great vision for what it could be and how it could work for us. And all three of us could see the potential and feel that this home was filled with love.

Tracey never gave up on us; she was patient and logistically, made everything easy. She has so much knowledge of the city and the market, and at the same time, she let us make our own decisions and judgments. Since working with her, I’ve realized that about half the people I know in New Orleans have worked with her as well, and I’ve already recommended her to at least five other people!”