09/02/2026
I met Chandler and her mom several years ago after receiving a random phone call one afternoon. They had found my name and number on Zillow and were looking for a local real estate expert. Chandler’s mom is a Realtor in Charlotte, and Chandler was moving to Durham for a new job.
We hit it off right away.
Chandler purchased a sweet new-construction home in East Durham that was listed by one of my colleagues. It was a great first home and the beginning of her life here in Durham.
A few years later, Chandler got married. She and her wife were both working from home, dreaming about having children, and realizing they needed more space. I helped them sell that first home off-market and purchase a new one that was about twice the size.
Fast-forward several more years.
Their family had grown, and so had their priorities. They wanted walkability, their ideal school district, and enough space for their family to grow. They were ready to find their forever home—but worried that the kind of house they wanted, in the kind of Durham neighborhood they loved, might be beyond their budget.
And then they found it.
The PERFECT HOUSE.
There was just one small problem: two other buyers wanted it, too.
We had to move quickly, thoughtfully, and strategically. This time, the whole crew came to investigate: Chandler’s mom, the Realtor; her dad, the structural engineer; her wife, the veterinarian; and their toddler, the certified cutie.
We looked over every inch of the house—and they fell even more deeply in love with it.
Our first challenge was beating the other offers. We succeeded!
Then came the inspections.
We uncovered significant electrical and plumbing problems—honestly, some of the most extensive issues I have encountered in the past few years. What followed were multiple inspections, contractor appointments, estimates, phone calls, emails, and many conversations with experienced electricians and plumbers.
Then came the negotiations.
We went back and forth…and back and forth some more. Eventually, we negotiated a substantial financial contribution from the sellers to help Chandler and her wife address the problems discovered during inspections.
They closed. They moved in. They had their forever home!
But we weren’t finished yet.
Next, we had to sell their previous home in a neighborhood that already had quite a few competing homes on the market. I brought in my trusted painter and handyman to spruce things up, arranged for the house to be professionally cleaned, and got to work building a strong marketing plan.
With so much competition nearby, pricing and presentation mattered enormously. I recommended a strategic list price designed to make the home stand out and generate urgency.
Five days later, we were under contract—with multiple offers!
The rest of the transaction went smoothly…well, mostly. The buyers did discover termites, because apparently every real estate story needs one last plot twist. But I guided my clients through that challenge, helped keep the transaction together, and got the home closed.
This is the kind of work I love.
Real estate is not simply opening doors, writing offers, and putting signs in yards. It is building relationships, solving problems, managing complicated details, assembling the right team, negotiating fiercely, and remaining steady when unexpected challenges arise.
I am committed to being a strong advocate for my clients through every part of the process. And it means more than I can say when clients call me a few years later—and then a few years after that—to trust me with the next chapter of their lives.
Helping Chandler and her family buy and sell not once, but again and again, has been such a privilege. I am grateful for their trust, thrilled that they found their forever home, and honored to have played a part in their Durham story.
