Q: How did you get started in real estate?
A: I was actually a teacher before getting my real estate license. After “surviving” five corporate relocations for my husband’s job, I decided to get licensed so I could put my experience to use helping others with their moves. I’ve been licensed in Ohio since 2001 and started building my Keller Williams team about 10 years ago.
Q: Your business is based in Loveland, is that where most of your work is conducted?
A: Fifty percent of our business is actually outside of Loveland. Our business takes us all over the city, but our Loveland strength comes from the fact that I’ve lived there for over 20 years. I built my business early on close to home to be able to see my kids grow up.
Q: Tell us about your team.
A: There are 15 of us now, but we’ve been very deliberate about building the right group of individuals over time. I’ve always believed that you can chase people to join you, or you can attract people by creating an environment they want to be in and modeling a work ethic they want to emulate. We have been very blessed to be in “attract” mode, and don’t take that lightly.
Q: You have several buyer’s agents. What is the advantage of that?
A: The frenetic pace of the market these past few years has demanded having breadth and depth in our team’s structure so there is always someone available at a moment’s notice to show a house to a buyer. The added bonus of having buyer “specialists” is that when they spend most of their time showing homes, writing offers, and negotiating, they get a true feel for the market and are able to become real experts in the strategy that the buyside involves.
Q: You have a stager on your team. What is her role?
A: Our stager happens to be a former client with a background in interior design. She helps prepare our properties for photography and showings. We offer her services at no cost to our sellers when listing their home, then also give our buyers a free consultation with her once they move in.
Q: What are the top things a seller should do to get their home ready?
A: Be open-minded to taking an objective look at your house and paring down the amount of personal items. Too many items or oversized pieces of furniture make a room look smaller. More floor and surface space reads as bigger rooms, and bigger rooms mean more money!
Sellers should also keep in mind that agents are not critiquing your home, but rather presenting it in its best light so you can maximize your return. For example, we might recommend spending $5,000 to replace carpeting in order to net $15,000 more when you sell. If work does need to be done, we have a lengthy list of wonderful partners (painters, carpenters, home inspectors, handymen, etc) that work as an extension of our team.
Q: What are some tips for selling quickly?
A: Pricing has never been more relevant or more important. If I have a superpower, I would say it is strategic pricing. That expertise comes from experience with a variety of market conditions. Missteps in pricing can be costly, not only in the amount of time it takes to sell, but also in the price you ultimately sell for.
Q: Is the Cincinnati market slowing down?
A: Seasonality has returned to our market, where the winter months were a bit slower for sales (as was typical pre-2020). With buyer demand continuing to exceed inventory, it is still a “seller’s market.”
However, if you think we’re in the selling environment from a few years ago where you can just put a sign in the yard, not get rid of the wet dog smell or freshen up chipping exterior paint, and still sell for top dollar, you are mistaken. Your house will be overlooked or suffer a price reduction. Today’s houses are expensive, and money is expensive, so buyers have gotten more picky. Are we still selling quickly? Yes. Are we still selling with multiple offers? Yes. Are we still selling homes for more today than yesterday? Absolutely. But the preparedness of a home for the market and proper pricing is more important than ever.
For more tips on “How to Buy a House in Greater Cincinnati in 2025,” visit Ellie’s blog at Move2Team.com.
Article originally appeared in April 2025