From Costa Rica to Mardi Gras Parades
My client Sally has lived in Costa Rica and Austin, TX, and now travels the world, plotting her next adventure. Hometown Pride But like a lot of native New Orleanians, she has a real sense of connection to the Crescent city, a lot of hometown pride, and wanted her two daughters to love this place like she does. So, years ago, she bought a condo (half of a duplex) near the parade route and made it a point to bring them for Mardi Gras every year. Says Sally, “My girls (now in their twenties) are more and more in love with New Orleans, but they’re old enough to go on their own.” A Condo for Someone Else to Love In Sally’s mind, the condo had served its purpose, and it was an old house sitting vacant too often. She explains it this way: “It was time for someone else to love it.” Sally and I went to St. Martin’s Episcopal School together back in the day, and our mutual friend Michael lives a few blocks from the condo. When Sally was ready to sell, Michael said, “You need to call Tracey.” The condo needed some work before listing, and because Sally wasn’t in New Orleans, I stepped in to spearhead the efforts. She valued that I have an appreciation for and understanding of older homes -- as well as a long list of tradesmen and vendors at my fingertips who are reasonably priced and quick to respond. After the work was done, we priced it right, and the condo sold quickly. At some point, Sally says she’ll re-invest in something a little smaller, noting, “My husband loves New Orleans as well. He’s one of those converts.” I'm honored that Sally had this to say about working with me: “From the get-go, I felt like Tracey had my back and anticipated a lot of my needs. If we had a dilemma, and I was stymied, she had the answer and knew what to do. In every scenario, she went above and beyond and was always there to facilitate. “I’ve worked with a lot of real estate agents in Wyoming and Costa Rica. Everybody’s got different styles, different levels of engagement and trustworthiness, and she just checks all those boxes. Even the agents who are really engaged don’t always go that extra step or approach things with friendliness and calmness like Tracey does. “I love that she NEVER loses her cool! She approaches any potential problem with good humor, efficiency, expediency, and I just love it. Not only could I really count on her from before we even signed the contract, to the very end, but she just made me feel comfortable. She’s all business, but she approached it like a friend would to me, and in a business-like manner with everything else. We could laugh about things -- and relieve the tension with some humor. That was huge. She’s awesome!” - Sally Owens Leman Looking to buy, sell, or invest? Let's talk.
Moving On: A Different Phase of Life
My client Rebecca originally listed her house with another realtor. But it was priced too high, there was no movement or interest for six months, and she and her ex-husband became anxious to sell. It was a beautiful, 120-year old Uptown home with amazing architectural details and character. But she was worried that something major would break at any moment, and she’d be on the hook to fix it. Says Rebecca, “I felt like I was a hair away from disaster.” Out with the Old Through a friend and family connection, Rebecca turned to me for help, and I listed the house at a new price. As old homes go, issues do arise, and on the day of our first open house, a pipe broke. I sprang into action, and with my long list of trusted resources and vendors, I called in a plumber and had the leak fixed within hours. On top of that, we had a great offer within 10 days! Explains Rebecca, “Tracey’s a force! She handled everything, holding my hand and getting me through it all. I’m not good at any of this. But she’s so professional, punctual, skilled, and methodical -- telling me exactly what I needed to do and when, and making the entire process as easy as possible.” There was a lot of back and forth negotiation with the buyers, but we worked out all the kinks, so that Rebecca could move on. In with the New We found a newly constructed, low-maintenance home in Jefferson that was the perfect antidote, and Rebecca was thrilled. To make sure punch list items were taken care of, I walked through with a roll of blue tape, marking things we wanted the owner to address. Adds Rebecca, “Tracey went back to the owners a few times with suggestions and asks, and then successfully negotiated a price reduction. I wanted a nice, quiet, safe neighborhood, and I needed everything to be less expensive. Going from a 120-year old house to a brand new home, it’s been amazing. I cried at the closing on my old house – I’d raised three children there. But now I love this new house so much. It’s just a different phase of life.” I have to laugh when Rebecca had this say: “My god, this woman! Tracey’s just really f*%king good at what she does! She’s on it, and nothing goes unnoticed. She has amazing attention to detail, and she’ll be the one I recommend all the time.” Looking to buy, sell, or invest? Let's talk.
An Architectural Landmark that’s a Haven for Out-of-Towners
Nine years ago, Aaryanne and Rick Preusch visited New Orleans with friends who owned a condo in the city. Looking back, Aaryanne says now, “We had so much fun that weekend, we decided we needed a condo here, too!” Soon after, they found my listing at St. Elizabeth’s for a corner condo with breathtaking views, and that’s how we met. The condo offered them the rare opportunity to spend time in a Second Empire architectural landmark in the heart of Uptown New Orleans. A Get-Away Spot That’s Close to Home, But Worlds Away Splitting their time between Hattiesburg and New Orleans, they tend to come down for a week or two at a time. Says Aaryanne, “We try to be in New Orleans as much as possible because we love it so much. For years, we’ve used our time there to relax, walk around the neighborhood, sleep in and not have a set schedule. It’s evolved, and we’re looking forward to being there more and getting involved with the community. It’s 1 ½ hours from door-to-door, and it’s been the best decision we’ve ever made!” Successfully Moving from One Spot in St. Elizabeth’s to Another When Aaryanne and Rick found out that a condo below theirs would soon be for sale, they jumped on it before it hit the market. It’s rare for a unit in the main building overlooking Napoleon Ave. to become available, and since it had the same square footage but offered one-level living, it made sense. The corner condo I’d sold them had stairs, but Aaryanne had recently had knee surgery and back issues and puts it this way: “We knew we didn’t need stairs in the coming years, and we want to be in this building for many years to come. So, we said let’s act now, because we may not get another chance.” To make sure that Aaryanne and Rick were in the best possible position to buy the condo downstairs, they turned to me to list the corner condo they needed to sell. Offers came quickly, and we were under contract in just 22 days. But there was a lot of countering and negotiating back and forth, and the closing date had to be pushed. Aaryanne and Rick needed five weeks to renovate the downstairs unit and wanted to stay where they were until it was ready. The buyers were anxious to get in, but we worked things out and in the end, kept everything on track – which can be a delicate balancing act! I’m thrilled that Aaryanne had this to say about working with me: "From the first time I met Tracey, I always had it in the back of my mind – if I needed a realtor again in New Orleans, I was going to work with her. I just liked what I saw. So when it came time to sell our corner condo and buy the unit downstairs, she was my go-to. She’s so well connected and really takes real estate up a notch. The process she goes through to make things go smoothly for you – I had never experienced that before. And when it comes to negotiating, she helps you think through everything and keeps you focused on what’s important. "Tracey is calm, cool, and collected – which is what you need when you’re going through the process of buying and selling. She’s incredibly responsive, and while you know you’re a client, you feel like a friend. She just lets you into her circle. "What really blew our minds is that even though we worked out a deal for the downstairs condo without Tracey, she helped us through that process anyway! Because she wanted us to be in a good position so that we could sell the corner condo. "I love how she doesn’t try to micromanage a situation. She just lets you call the shots and guides you through the process. She doesn't try to force anything, and she’s very honest and straightforward. "I also love how dedicated she is to her favorite non-profits and how she’s always giving back. She’s just such a caring person and you can see it in everything she does. She obviously loves what she does, loves New Orleans, and loves this community. It’s truly amazing what she did for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society – she’s so humble, but she raised a ton of money! I mean, she really goes after it! She’s just fabulous, and I can’t say enough about her!" - Aaryanne
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