2024 was my craziest year in real estate. I say this in regard to the quantity of transactions, but more so in the variety and extremes of what my clients’ wanted or needed me to accomplish, the challenges that needed to be overcome, and the triumph and satisfaction of being able to truly help people navigate the course of getting from where they were to where they wanted or needed to be.
Although I have a small team, I personally helped buyers and sellers with 41 homes in 2024, for a total sales volume of over $22 million. This, however, isn’t what motivates me. At the end of the day, every day, I want to have done the best I possibly can for the people who choose to hire me. You might have seen me moving furniture, holding an estate sale, loading dumpsters, picking up goose poop from the shoreline, or bringing donations here, there and everywhere over the past year. My clients know that when we start working together, I’m all in.
Honestly, 2024 was something of a blur. The transactions were tougher, and more intense. During Covid, if you had a pulse, you could sell real estate. People aren’t so much moving ‘just because’ right now, but the serious buyers and sellers are out there year round. A few highlights coming out of 2024–there were several clients who absolutely needed to hit a certain sale price in a specific time frame, and we did it. I was also fired (twice!) by the same guy who wanted me to be more ‘hard selling’ toward the potential buyers who came through his listing. If that’s what you’re looking for, then we’re not a match. Then there was the unicorn, super-specific, $1.125 million listing in Fitchburg that they said couldn’t be done, and with a lot of perseverance, we found the absolute perfect buyers for it.
I love my client reviews, but I think the most tangible win I helped a client with was when I had to testify in Worcester District Court in a 2 day trial, just a few months ago. You might remember that in May 2023, I had a transaction that fell apart at the final walk through, when the buyer decided she didn’t want to purchase the property after all. She walked away, did not buy the house and she sued the sellers, in an attempt to get the $32,000 deposit that was held in escrow. After a year and a half of negotiations, it went to trial. I was subpoenaed by both attorneys and had to testify. A bit stressful, but being prepared went a long way, which the judge referenced in his decision when he found in favor of my clients, the sellers. They were able to retain the $32,000 deposit to mitigate some of the losses they sustained by having to put their vacant home back on the market and subsequently work with a buyer at a lesser sale price.
My team has several closings in January, but of course those are a result of listings and buyers that were active 2-4 months ago. As fast as 2025 goes, I’ve already had more than a few conversations with people who know they want to be ready for the Spring market, people who aren’t sure when they will be ready but know that they need to start getting ready, buyers who have leases ending and have decided to buy in order to have more control over their housing costs, really–a wide range of people, all with different life situations and goals. If you’d like to informally and confidentially chat about anything, reach out anytime–call or text 9788709260, email jennifershenk@kw.com or message me through Facebook or Instagram to set up a time to chat. I’m here, heading into my 13th year in real estate, and looking forward to another year of personal fulfillment, consistently helping buyers and sellers achieve their real estate goals in Central Massachusetts.