Experience. Strategy. Straight Answers.
Experience. Strategy. Straight Answers.
I've always believed real estate should feel a lot more like professional counsel and a lot less like a sales pitch.
Buying or selling a property may be one of the largest financial transactions you'll ever make. If you're going to trust me to advise you through it, I think I should bring considerably more value to the table than access to the MLS, a sign in the yard and the ability to write a contract.
I believe you should expect the same kind of thoughtful analysis and candid advice from your real estate broker that you expect from your attorney, CPA or financial advisor.
That means understanding what you're actually trying to accomplish, looking at the numbers, considering the risks, discussing the alternatives and sometimes telling you that I don't think you should buy or sell at all.
I'm not particularly interested in being the slickest real estate guy in Austin. I want to be the person you trust enough to call when you need a straight answer, even when the answer isn't the one you were hoping to hear.
An Unconventional Path Into Real Estate
Before real estate, I spent about ten years managing restaurants and serving in director-level operations positions. That experience taught me an enormous amount about customer service, but it also taught me something that has shaped the way I run my real estate business: great results usually aren't accidental. There is a process behind them.
My path into real estate actually began as an investor. I purchased a property that needed substantial work, completed a major remodel and eventually sold it for a significant profit. I had found the property, analyzed the opportunity and negotiated the purchase myself, and I remember thinking, If I'm going to do all of this, I should probably get my own real estate license.
So I did.
I became licensed in 2002, originally intending to use my license primarily for my own investments. Instead, I discovered that my background in operations, sales and customer service gave me an opportunity to offer something I felt was often missing in real estate: actual counsel.
More than two decades later, that's still how I practice.
I Look at Property Differently
Most of my business is residential, although I've also represented tens of millions of dollars in commercial transactions and have experience with land, development, commercial investments and 1031 exchanges.
That experience influences how I advise residential clients.
A house is your home, but it's also a significant financial asset. I think residential clients deserve many of the same conversations sophisticated commercial clients expect: What is the property really worth? What are the risks? What's the likely return on an improvement? How marketable will this property be later? What's our eventual exit strategy?
Over my career, I've represented hundreds of millions of dollars in residential transactions. I'm a licensed real estate broker and Certified Negotiation Specialist, and I served for three years as a Director of the Austin Board of REALTORS®, where I received the President's Award.
But some of the most valuable experience I bring to a transaction has come from putting my own money at risk.
I've purchased, remodeled and sold investment properties, completed numerous remodels and served as general contractor on significant construction projects. That means when I walk through a property, I'm not just looking at countertops and square footage. I'm thinking about how the property works, what could be changed, what shouldn't be changed and where another dollar spent is…or isn't…likely to produce a return.
Every Property Deserves a Strategy, Not Just a Listing
When someone calls me about selling a house, my first priority isn't getting a listing agreement signed.
I want to understand the property and what you're trying to accomplish. Then I want to see it myself.
From there, we'll analyze the market and develop a preparation strategy. That may include repairs, paint, landscaping, decluttering, staging, furniture placement or other improvements that could change the way buyers perceive the property.
I'm very hands-on with that process, and when work needs to be done, I have relationships with contractors, tradespeople and other professionals who can help make it happen.
Then we market it.
My listings can include professional photography, drone photography and video, floor plans, dedicated property websites, social media, broker outreach, open houses and digital marketing optimized for modern search.
But I'm not interested in marketing simply because it looks impressive. Every piece should have a purpose.
The question I'm trying to answer for a buyer is simple:
Why this property?
Pricing works the same way. I'll give you my analysis, explain the data behind it and tell you what I recommend. If you disagree, we'll discuss it and develop a strategy together.
You'll know what we're doing, why we're doing it and what happens next.
You're always in control of the decision.
Sometimes the Best Transaction Is the One We Don't Do
I don't believe a broker earns a fee simply because a transaction occurred.
I believe the fee should be earned through expertise, preparation and execution.
Sometimes that means giving advice that doesn't result in a commission for me.
I've advised people not to sell because I thought the timing would unnecessarily cost them money. I've advised buyers to wait because, although they could technically afford a property, I thought the purchase would stretch them too far financially. I've told investors that I didn't think the numbers worked and homeowners that the expensive improvement they were considering probably wouldn't return what it cost.
I'd rather lose a transaction than manufacture a reason why you should do one.
My job isn't to make the decision for you. My job is to make sure you have the information, context and professional advice you need to make the right decision for yourself.
The Relationship Doesn't End at Closing
One of the things I'm proudest of is that my clients continue to call me long after we've bought or sold a property together.
And I want them to.
Sometimes it's another real estate decision. Should we sell? Is this a good investment? Would adding a room increase the value of the house?
But just as often, there's a water leak. The AC isn't working. They're thinking about adding a deck. They're planning a remodel. They need a plumber, electrician or contractor they can trust. Or they're about to spend a significant amount of money on their property and want to know whether I think it makes sense.
Those are all reasons to call me.
After more than two decades in real estate, along with years spent remodeling properties, managing construction projects and working with contractors and tradespeople, I've accumulated a tremendous amount of practical knowledge and a network of people I trust.
Sometimes I'll know the answer. Sometimes I'll know exactly who you should call. And sometimes I'll tell you that I don't know, but I'll help you figure it out.
I don't want to be the person you call every seven or ten years when you need to buy or sell a house.
I want to be the person you call whenever you have a question about the property you own.
Austin Has Been Home Since 1999
I moved to Austin in 1999 and have had the opportunity to watch this city transform for more than a quarter century.
Northwest Austin is particularly home for me, including Northwest Hills, Great Hills, Mesa Park, Balcones Woods, the Arboretum and Domain areas, along with Cedar Park, Leander, Liberty Hill, Round Rock, Pflugerville and the surrounding communities.
There's value in knowing today's comparable sales. There's another kind of value in remembering how an area got here.
My family is also deeply rooted in the Northwest Austin community. I'm heavily involved with Balcones Youth Sports, where I eventually became president after initially taking responsibility for sponsorships and fundraising. Over the years, I've helped develop partnerships and lead significant improvements to the organization's fields, facilities and long-term infrastructure.
That experience actually reflects a lot about how I approach my business: understand the underlying problem, develop a plan and fix it for the long term instead of repeatedly treating the symptom.
A Little More About Me
My wife and I have been together for three decades, and most of my life outside real estate revolves around our children and their sports, music, dance, gymnastics, school and whatever else happens to be on the calendar that week.
I'm an enthusiastic cook, fascinated by emerging technology and artificial intelligence, and still the kind of person who wants to understand how something works instead of simply knowing that it does.
I also have a couple of chapters in my résumé that clients don't usually expect.
Before my business career, I performed professionally as an opera singer and spent years doing choral work and singing in multiple languages. Later, after moving to Austin, I spent time representing wine for a major distributor, which left me with a fairly extensive knowledge of wine and still makes for considerably better dinner conversation than real estate contracts.
What You Can Expect From Me
If you hire me, you're hiring me.
The phone number on my sign is my phone number. Your calls and texts come to me. The person analyzing your property and developing the strategy is the same person advising you and negotiating on your behalf.
Whether we're talking about a $700,000 house or a $7 million property, I don't believe the standard of advice should change.
You'll know what we're doing.
You'll know why we're doing it.
You'll understand your options.
And I'll shoot you straight.
My job isn't to make the decision for you. It's to make sure you have everything you need to make the right one.
Because you should expect the same level of analysis and counsel from your real estate broker that you expect from your other trusted professional advisors.
Every property deserves a strategy, not just a listing.