Tina Brickhouse is a Realtor with Keller Williams in The Woodlands/Spring area.
Every week, we ask a Houston real estate professional for their thoughts on the top three stories from the week before.
This week, we talked with Tina Brickhouse, a Realtor with Keller Williams in The Woodlands/Spring area. Brickhouse, a Woodlands area resident of 15 years, has been in the real estate industry for four years. She has a background in business and management and started her career path at Bank of America. She chose to pursue real estate because of her love for people and beautiful houses. When she is not working, Brickhouse enjoys spending time with her three children, Bryan, Jenna and Brad.
Houston Agent (HA): In your opinion, what are some of the most beneficial things an agent can do for a client?
Tina Brickhouse (TB): There are a few things that are beneficial in working with clients. I think first is to listen to your clients’ needs and wants. Not just hear what they say but really listen. Sometimes clients think they want one thing but end up really wanting another. So being able to clearly assess what they are saying can be the difference between them being over the moon happy or barely satisfied. A client that is selling because they are in a distressed situation is very different than one who has full equity looking to down size. The Art of Listening is very important.
Becoming partners with our clients is also important. Guiding them through a process that is not always clear. As agents we understand the process and the real estate jargon but we forget that not everyone on the planet is as passionate about real estate as we are, so having systems in place that are at your clients fingertips are important. Do they need a vendor or are they a first time home buyer that needs help understanding the closing process?
Communication is another important thing on this list. Buying and selling a home is a huge decision, as agents we do this every day, but we have to stop and put ourselves in our clients shoes, understand their urgency, their need to know what is going on, their heartbreak when the house they love goes to another buyer. I recently sold and purchased another home and I struggled with some of these issues and it made me realize how hard it can be to be a seller or a buyer. It’s made me a better agent for sure.
HA: Houston’s housing inventory is very low, however since the start of 2013, inventory is up 10.5 percent. Have you noticed an increase of inventory in your area of Houston?
TB: I am in The Woodlands/Spring area and we are seeing an uptick in the housing inventory as the summer comes to a close. Our Market was moving so fast at one point, it made sellers afraid to list for fear of being unable to find another home , but now that the summer buying season is coming to an end I think those sellers will begin to take advantage of the turn in the market.
The Woodlands/Spring area will be one of the central locations for an influx of Exxon employees relocating to the area so I anticipate that the market will remain strong in our area for several years with home prices continuing to increase as demand goes up.
HA: Have you been noticing many foreclosures in your area of Houston?
TB: No. The Woodlands/Spring area is not generally an area with an abundance of distressed properties.