A Special Home Gets an Upgrade from a Thankful Family of Five
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!” Photography Credit: Zack Smith Photography
Curveballs Almost Took Out This Client’s Dream Home Renovation
A few years back, I helped Jenny and Pat McGuinness get through the thorny process of buying a Mid-Century Modern diva that required a total renovation, and sell their Lakeview cottage that was suddenly too small for their growing family. The story starts post-Hurricane Katrina, when Jenny was single and rebuilding her home in Lakeview. She’d always adored Mid-Century Modern architecture, but felt obligated to recreate what was there before Katrina. I helped her sell the downtown condo she lived in while rebuilding, and she moved into her new home that was perfectly suited for one. A few years later, she added a husband to the mix, as well as two stepchildren. And on the heels of that, two more children, two dogs, and all the strollers, bikes, swing sets and toys that accompany them. Soon enough, that cute Lakeview cottage couldn’t handle the crazy, busy life of a family that big. They loved the house, but it wasn’t right for them anymore. Knowing that Jenny was still secretly enamored with Mid-Century Modern homes, I found one at the Lakefront before it hit the market and had Jenny check it out. Built in 1961 by Saputo & Rowe, the house was untouched and hadn’t been updated at all. After seeing it, she told Pat, “It’s a HUGE project, but somebody’s going to make it really cool.” Pat was intrigued and went to see it for himself. They were attracted to the idea of what it could be, but the price was high and they had trouble getting past the “we’re not even house-shopping yet” mentality. They decided not to pursue it, but I kept running into Jenny at restaurants and Saints games, and each time, we’d talk about the house – and I think Jenny took that as a sign. I suggested that they make an offer at a price that worked for them, and fortunately, after a little back and forth, their offer was accepted. From roof damage to complicated A/C issues, there were so many problems and eccentricities found during the inspection process, that I sourced all the experts they needed to assess the situation as best as possible. From a contractor, an architect, and a roofing guy, to a brick guy and someone who specializes in the particular kind of windows the house featured – all consulted and offered valuable insight. Unfortunately, it was going to take a considerable amount of money to fix all the house’s issues. As Jenny reflects back on it now, “We wondered, is this even going to work? Will the structure of the house actually let us do what we want to do? It was nerve racking, but we got as much good information as we could without actually owning the house.” They decided to ask the seller for an allowance to cover the problems, but they were turned down. Dejected, but with my urging, Jenny wrote a sincere letter to the seller explaining they just couldn’t make it work at their original offer price. The next morning, the seller had a change of heart and accepted their lower price. “We had let the house go again, and it came back to us. Again.” In order to live in their current house while renovating the other, they carried two mortgages and efficiently renovated the new house from top to bottom in less than five months. When it was close to being finished, I listed and sold their Lakeview cottage, and they moved into their dream home. There were hiccups along the way, but I appreciate that Jenny had this to say: “Whatever curveball came up, Tracey always figured out a way to get around it. She and I had so many conversations about every little thing. I was anxious about the whole process, but she’s calm, assertive, direct and quick to act. She never lets anything sit. She expertly helped us navigate this complicated purchase that involved several hurdles, as well as the sale of our own home, which also had some challenges. She’s extremely responsive and always puts the interests of her clients above her own.” Jenny continues, “I think people sometimes don’t realize when you’re buying and selling real estate that there are challenges that come up, that you really need someone experienced to help you navigate them. If you don’t, you’re either going to make a mistake, or a deal is going to fall through because you don’t know how to get past it. The purchase of this house should have fallen through like 10 times!” And of course, I did everything I could to make sure it didn’t. Jenny and Pat did an amazing job on their renovation, staying true to the original style while making it their own. Check out the photos below – before, during and after their renovation! Before: During: After:
Creative Vision + Good Advice = A Successful Flip
I met Brian Bain about 25 years ago, and several years later, went on to learn the ins and outs of the real estate business from his father-in-law, Louie Velez. Since that time, I’ve helped Brian and his wife Julie (one of my oldest, dearest friends) buy their first home in Lakeview, sell a renovation/flip Uptown, buy and sell their second home near the Freret St. Corridor, and buy another home Uptown. Along the way, I also worked with Brian and his business partner Jake Springfield to buy their Mid-City office building on Tulane Avenue. Throughout those 20-something years, Brian and I, in some form or fashion, have been Saints season ticket holders together. With a twinkle in his eye, Brian calls me “a die hard fan who literally never gives up. And a great person to have on your team.” Most recently, I was Brian and Jake’s agent and source of advice for design trends, finishes, and functionality as they bought, renovated, and sold a down-to-the-studs, double shotgun to single camelback investment property at 5508 Annunciation Street. While Brian and Jake co-own a TV commercial & film production company, they’ve each completed renovations and flips individually and together, with their own homes and other projects. Brian sums it up this way: “When we bought our building on Tulane Avenue and renovated it to be our new film production offices, we had an awesome team of folks and a great experience. Doing a renovation is in many ways similar to film production – at its core, it’s a creative endeavor, bringing into action many of the same processes — like planning, scheduling, organization, team work, and a creative vision. Fortunately, we have amazing teams working with us in both construction and in film production. So when the opportunity arose to do this renovation as a flip, we were excited to jump on it — knowing that we could manage it while running the day to day business of our production company.” I worked with Brian and Jake when they bought the property, as the listing agent to sell it, and consulted throughout the entire renovation process. Check out some quotes from Brian and Jake about what it’s like to work with me. “Tracey’s a straight shooter who’s tenacious and always makes herself available. If she doesn’t know the answer to a question, she’s going to find it.” Brian Bain “Should we go with a tankless water heater? Do we need to install handrails on the front porch? What color stain should we use on the floors? These were just a few of the questions we threw at Tracey. She knows what’s out there, what’s selling, what buyers are looking for, and the quirky little things that can trip them up. She’s been checking on our progress and making suggestions throughout. And that’s been tremendously valuable.” Jake Springfield Get a step-by-step snapshot of their renovation:
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