Louis area for almost 2 years now. We were excited when Bridgewater Communities reached out to us to represent two of their villa communities in Franklin County this year as well. We have admired their custom-built villas for many years and are grateful they have entrusted us with getting their communities sold. Rick and I have worked so hard for many years now to give our customers everything we can! Not only do we give them our time and make sure we are always available and responsive, but we also love marketing their properties in our magazine and on our weekly real estate radio shows. It is truly an honor to get to tell the story of our client’s property in a way that helps the buyer see the property in a different light. I have always said that some people spend more time checking out a car they are buying than their home purchase which is usually their largest investment. It is always beneficial to find out the details of a property, along with the improvements the seller has done to the property that makes it unique from another. Every home tells a story and we really enjoy telling them and that is why we created this magazine. Some are under the impression we only work in luxury real estate; we work in all real estate, in all price ranges! It does not matter to us if your home is $40,000 or $4,000,000, you get the exact same service and care as everyone! A benefit to a luxury property owner, is that those properties tend to have a lot of features and we may not be able to properly market them in the allotted space in the MLS. Through our magazine, we can truly tell their story and highlight all the unique features of the property, which is what people are looking for when paying top dollar for a home. They want something custom and unique and enjoy hearing about the quality throughout the home in a story. I like to use my Editorial, to let you into who I am as a person. Who we are as a family! I feel this is my way to let you know who you are entrusting to come into your home and represent your family in the sale of your home. We work hard for our clients and we will fight to get you the most money for your property with the least repairs or the lowest price on your purchase and make sure you are buying a quality home and not overpaying! No different than fighting for our country, we fight for our clients to get them the best results. We will also be there to help you throughout the process and to make it as smooth as possible. After all, that is why you hire a Realtor! Recently Rick and I had a full circle moment, and it made our hearts swell with pride. Our oldest son, Brett, (who works in new construction real estate) is buying his first home with his fiancé. We have been on the hunt in an extremely limited market as you all know. Our youngest son, Drake, who plans to join us in real estate had a snow day recently and asked if he could go with us to show them property. Of course, we told him to join us. We knew it would be a great learning experience for him. As we were walking out the door, I quickly noticed Drake had on not only his Sunday best with a tie, but his slick soled, dress shoes. I told him he needed to put boots on since it was snowing outside, and it was going to be very slick. He refused and said he wanted to dress the part and be professional. I told him he would quickly learn that in real estate when you are out showing property in snow and ice what you have on your feet is especially important. We decided to let him learn this for himself. I am happy to say he handled it very well and had no issues, but it made us so proud to see him taking it seriously.
6 TRACY ELLIS: REAL ESTATE MAGAZINE
It was so interesting to watch Drake and know that he really has been listening to us all these years. Asking his Dad questions about soffit and fascia, checking out the improvements of the home and the things they may need to spend money on sooner rather than later for repairs. I quickly realized he is well equipped; we have prepared him well for life and real estate. The full circle moment came while we were out with Drake teaching him life lessons in real estate while showing our oldest son homes. The area we were showing them homes was the same area that Rick and I bought our first home over thirty years ago. Brett was three weeks old when we bought our first home in the North County area where Rick was born and raised. We were over the moon to bring our new baby into what was to us at the time, our perfect home. Although Brett and Sarah decided on a home in the City of St. Louis instead, it was still a surreal moment to realize that Rick and I have done our job. Although being a parent will never stop, we have raised our four sons into respectful, caring young men; our youngest will be a senior this fall. We have built a wonderful business together for almost twenty-five years that we love and have even bigger dreams for the future. Most of all we have been blessed with thirty-four years together this month, what a blessing! I am so proud of my family and what Rick and I have accomplished together. There is nobody else I can imagine doing life with and thank God every day for sending him my way as well as all of you reading this. I am so grateful that because of our wonderful clients, we get to do what we love every single day and now teach our sons to help others with the dream of home ownership. It is such a rewarding career to feel you made a difference in someone’s life. Real Estate is so much more than buying, building, investing, and selling homes. You become a part of their story, their journey. At times, our clients could be going through the most difficult time in their life. They may have just lost their spouse or be going through a difficult divorce. Some could be relocating or downsizing, while others are looking to create investment portfolios. Of course, there are some looking to buy their ultimate dream home and could be disagreeing with their spouse about the style or location. It is our job, as your real estate agent, to be so much more! We also become your friend, therapist, and financial advisor. We always have your best interest in mind. It is truly a joy to know we made a difference in a family’s life and watch their family grow and prosper over time. After almost twenty-five years in the real estate business, we are now helping our client’s children. I guess that is when you know you are getting older, LOL. On a positive note, I guess that also means we have a lot of knowledge and experience in the real estate industry as well as in life. We would appreciate it so much, if you ever know of anyone thinking of selling, buying, building, or investing, in real estate, please mention our names and tell them to give us a call. We would love to be a part of their story as well! God Bless You ALL!