New Normals, Cool Spaces, & Vegas, Baby

New Normals, Cool Spaces, & Vegas, Baby

  • Victoria Merchant
  • 01/28/22

Currently at my convention in Vegas and living the life, as they say. It’s for Tom Ferry Coaching and is only for elite clients, which means attendees must have coaching once a week. The convention is free, and I’ve made tons of new friends and partners and have met several great referral agents. Everyone is so nice. 

I came a day early (because of the storm) and planned a breakfast where I met two fabulous women, one from Oregan and the other from NYC. It’s been fun to have them to pal around with. 

Key takeaways:

  • The belief is that there will be another four years of market chaos and sound real estate years before a recession hits 
  • The biggest hedge against inflation is real estate, so if you want to protect your money, put it in real estate; it’s a real, necessary asset that holds value and provides something
  • Don’t get the coffee or touch the minibar in your Mandalay Bay hotel room; if you even breathe on it, they charge you $50, the coffee is $12 (for 2 cups with a $50 restocking fee, so yes, that’s $62 for two cups of coffee)
  • The food here is insane- there’s a sushi roll for over $150 that has gold incorporated into it (I didn’t get it but I certainly wanted to)

On Thursday, we went over our ACL personality test results to see if they lined up. We spoke about the test in a previous post; my test results said I should be a mega agent. So, my team leader went over the results in the office to qualify the test more. Everything fit for me, and I’m best suited as a mega agent at Keller Williams, just like the test said. I’ll take it. No second-guessing my career choices!

Colorado Realtor Activity

I talked to a client of mine this week (who I met at my very first-ever open house, super nice guy), we signed a listing in 2019, but he backed out and decided not to sell at that time. But now he’s ready. (FYI, the value of the house has gone up $100,000, but alas, there’s no inventory!) He’s currently in Denver but open to moving anywhere. And I have another client in the mountains who wants to move to Denver. So, my brain is working in overdrive about this. How about a switch-’em-up? 

This scenario is unorthodox and a long shot, but I’m working the numbers and introducing them to each other because a swap may actually work out. How awesome. They’d both be getting what they want. Neither would be able to afford the others’ house in the open market. But, this way… they got a shot. 

This situation has given me some ideas for a future in matchmaking homes because this market needs creativity to work. The old-fashioned way is just not happening at the moment, but the off-market transactions are happening, and it’s the new normal. 

On another note, I had two showings last weekend, and one really stood out. It was so fun. It was for a mixed-use building on Blake Street, 19,000 square feet, $5.9 million. It’s such a cool space, built in the 20s, and it used to be a coffee bean roasting facility. It has a two-story loft upstairs, really worn-in and funky, exposed beams and all that. 

This client has several commercial properties, but this one would take the cake. This would be a 1031 exchange for an existing place he owns. We currently have a residential Castle Rock sale that’s moving right along. I sincerely enjoy working with this guy, he’s a super-smart businessman, and I look up to his business acumen for sure. Roger, if you’re reading: happy birthday! 

The other showing was great, too. I took out a friend’s son, who is a first-time homebuyer. It was good, but again, that nasty inventory issue reared its ugly head. I hope to find him and his new little family something soon. We’ve been talking for two years, and now he’s ready to go, and I’d love to make it happen for them. 

Alright, I’m off to gamble because: when in Vegas…

Work With Victoria

If you have any real estate related questions, are interested in having a 'no-strings' valuation done on your property, or would like to see some Colorado mountain homes, don't be afraid to reach out!