Home » Business Profile: Tracy Nelson Talks Real Estate

Business Profile: Tracy Nelson Talks Real Estate

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by CC News
Realtor Tracy Nelson

Tracy Nelson has been named as Top 1.5% (of 1.6 Million licensed Realtors) in the Country by RealTrends + Tom Ferry America’s Best. She remains in the Top 1% for Keller Williams Northern CA Hawaii Region year after year. She is known for her use of video marketing to sell homes for top dollar, earning numerous awards for her achievements. She has appeared in many industry magazines and is on a National Emmy nominated TV show. Tracy grew up in San Ramon, CA and has an intimate knowledge of the greater San Francisco Bay Area. She is actively involved in her local community & schools, volunteers at various events, and donates to local charities.

 

Why did you get into real estate?

In 2004, I began investing in real estate with a friend and went to real estate school. I then entered the mortgage industry as a loan officer. By 2012, I decided I wanted to narrow my focus and work on becoming a leader in the industry. After being involved in buying homes, the court auction process, rehabbing homes, and originating mortgages, it took trying different things to truly find my passion which is guiding people through every step of selling and buying as their main point of contact.

Being able to take my time in growing my business around raising four children was important to me and being a Realtor allowed me to do (and juggle) that. Listening to a clients wants and needs and then developing and implementing a plan-to-action while following it to a successful close is fulfilling. As an advocate during the biggest financial decision most people will ever make, my job is something I take very seriously. I take pride in excellent service and the commitment to my client’s needs.

 

You are active in the community, what are some of the things you are involved in?

Supporting small businesses by sharing their information consistently to my network, dining out, shopping, and talking about the establishments consistently. I collaborate with small business owners in give backs and hold raffles with prizes being from small business owners. I hold neighborhood events which incorporate local small business products.

Quarterly, I film a TV show highlighting the small business owners in our community. I enjoy volunteering and/or donating to local charities such as Shepard’s Gate, school PTAs, Unravel pediatric cancer, and through my office’s Keller Williams Red Day where we have upgraded school gardens, filled backpacks with school supplies for children in need, fixed farm animal habitats, painted a women’s shelter. I participate in the KW Cares program through each closed transaction, which helps towards donations during major disasters such as fire, hurricanes, etc.

As a small business owner myself, I understand how crucial community support is, how hard it can be to run a business in our state, what it means to build something on your own without help and make it successful. Being an owner is also what allows us to do our passion and have freedom in running our company as we see fit and beneficial to our customers. Spreading daily awareness around the small business owners in our community is important for us all to do. Supporting local is how we create the culture we want in our community for our families.

 

What is the most difficult part of real estate transactions in January 2023?

The January market was hypersensitive, with buyers jumping in and out as rates moved. There was uncertainty for both sellers and buyers.

The education part of my position as a Realtor shifted from showing buyers what they shockingly would need to do to get the home they want, to showing sellers market statistics which proved that although they still have a large amount of equity, they’d be listing their home 10-15% lower than June 2022 comparables, or even offering to help a buyer with some closing credit due to the rate increase.  The normal healthy market realities that most have forgotten the last 3 years.

 

Explain the psychology right now with home-buying and selling. Home prices have come down so some want to hold on. While others don’t want to buy due to interest rates? Where is this headed?

Just within the last week we have already seen the market pick up. Buyers are out and there isn’t enough inventory. There are pockets within our community that are already seeing multiple offers.

I have sellers reaching out for earlier than planned listing appointments and buyers getting serious again. Rates have softened a little, and buyers are being educated that in this market, despite the interest rate going up (still historic lows) that they can be fully protected with purchase contingencies, and not pay $100K over a list price or compete with 22 offers (like we saw in 2021 and 1st half of 2022).

Sellers are understanding that they still have made quite bit of money in their home investment and upswing of the market to walk away with what they want.

Helping buyers understand that we won’t see rates in the 2-3% range again probably in our lifetime. I am showing buyers a (2021) comparison of paying $50-$100K over list price with no seller credits or extra purchase protections vs. (late 2022-2023) paying list price with closing cost help and all contingencies in place is really the eye opener for buyers. You may still go up against 2-3 other offers, but not competing with 15-20 offers. It is in black and white for them to see the opportunity.

It’s not about ‘holding’ or not getting what you want, it is about simply re-working numbers and being creative to make a transaction work for all parties.

 

Why is Contra Costa County considered a much different market than the bold predictions nationwide of a housing crash? 

The communities that saw values increase the most in the 2021 boom, are seeing the largest value decrease and the S.F. Bay Area is included in that. My Nationwide agent network is mostly seeing the market pick up already, some never saw a decline.

There isn’t a ‘crash’ in my definition of a ‘crash’ like we saw coming in ’07. I went through that personally and as a business owner.  I know what it is like to lose everything and build up again, I come from a cautious and protective mindset when my clients ask for my opinion to help them make their decisions.

Our labor market is strong, we have less risky loans, an inventory shortage (decade of under production after the ‘crash’), and there’s a historic low in mortgage delinquency rates.

Foreclosure rates were artificially low during the pandemic due to forbearance options and moratoriums, now that those have expired numbers look large in media headlines (which creates uncertainty and fear), when really we have only returned to pre-pandemic numbers.

 

Everyone wants a forecast, do you have a 6-month and 12-month outlook?

Believe it or not, we are entering a normal and healthy spring real estate market that we haven’t seen since Spring of 2019. Home values are going to increase at a much slower rate this year, this will off-set some of the quick home value jump we saw. Buyers are out shopping, there is still a huge lack of inventory, and foreclosures are still at an all time low. Life events still happen regardless of any fear or uncertainty: marriage, children, parents move-in, job relocation, kids move out. There’s still no better place to invest your money over time than purchasing Real Estate.

 

When selecting a realtor, what should be the golden rule?  

Interview more than one. Whether you are a seller or buyer, look for experience, vast market knowledge in your community, an agent that believes in continued education and is a trainer in the industry.

A Realtor that picks up their phone and communicates, has integrity, excellent negotiating skills, and the client reviews that confirm this. They should have great relationships with vendors and other industry professionals (Locally and Nationally) as this helps your process go smoother.  One that is going to put in that time, effort, and upfront marketing costs. Someone that will link you up with their preferred lender and put you on a home buying plan, whether that is 3 or 12 months out. An agent that will not forget or discard you as a client because you aren’t ready yet to sign.

It is also important to have your own representation if you are looking into new construction. The sales representatives inside the model homes are great, however they do work for the builder/seller.  A Realtor that represents you can take you on a new home tour based on your needs, negotiate with the builder on many items, and will be your advocate throughout.

Look for a Realtor whom genuinely cares about your housing needs and your experience while being excited to help you with the next chapter. A Realtor with determination and work ethic to pursue what their client wants tirelessly. Even when market conditions are different, a great agent is relentless in going to bat for their clients.

I’m committed to providing the highest level of services. I offer custom listing packages for sellers to choose from that will suit individual pre-listing needs.

 

Lets end this on a happy note, can you share a major success story recently of a real estate transaction.

Recently I helped a local Veteran sell his home ‘contingent on finding a replacement property’ and purchase a new home ‘contingent on selling his current’. His purchase was protected with an appraisal, inspection, and loan contingency. With 4 young kids, this could’ve been very stressful for all involved and protections in place and timing of all sides was crucial.  I took on the preparations: staging, cleaning, videography, etc.

Once we found the perfect replacement home, I helped the other agent alleviate any VA loan misconceptions to explain to her seller and build trust. This was instrumental in the process as any other offer coming in wouldn’t have as many contingencies in place, possibly making that more attractive to the seller. My client’s offer was accepted with a 10 day window to find a buyer for his current home.

I reached out to my network in the South Bay, as many buyers have been coming from that area over the last few years. I secured an offer within my Broker network that my seller was very happy with. I stayed on top of all vendors, inspectors, loan officers, and agents to ensure our timing necessity was met over our 45 day escrow period. My client’s needs were met and having the extra time in his home after the sale to move into his new home was such a relief for his family.

I am here to help whether you are looking to sell, buy, invest, set home buying goals, or even just to learn more about real estate.

 


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