The Standard of Real Estate Excellence

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COVER STORY | Photos by Nesossi Studios –

For Cathy Stubbs, selling houses is more than just a profession – it’s a philosophy of service where excellence is standard.  She and her team of seasoned Real Estate professionals strive to put the “wow” into the details, and they do so with a comprehensive team approach of high quality, professional, detail-oriented service.

The Team Approach

For the past 22 years, Stubbs has refined her professional approach by thinking outside of the box. Her first inspiration: to develop a team. “Just getting by was not doing it for me,” Stubbs said. “And on that premise alone, I knew I needed to create a team to deliver the type of specialized service my clients deserve.”

With a talented team – The Cathy Stubbs Team – in place, Stubbs knew she had what it took to reach her goal of excellence. “These talented people make The Cathy Stubbs Team what it is — exceptional. What we have is a team that runs on all cylinders,” Stubbs said proudly. “Each one has their own niche, and they enjoy their work. They truly love what they do, and because of that, we can meet our clients’ needs and provide excellent service.”

With a stellar team in place, once again, Stubbs continued her strive for excellence. She developed a professional philosophy containing five key components that she and her team execute for every client. “These key steps lead to the optimization of the best outcome possible both financially and emotionally,” explained Stubbs.  “Each step has different meanings whether you are on the buying side or the selling side.”

Consulting

Many people ask when is the best time to buy or sell their home, and The Cathy Stubbs Team has many conversations with people who are not quite ready. “We are very open to visiting with people about their situation and whether they are ready or not to buy or sell their home,” said Stubbs, who places a great deal of value in building relationships. “In most cases, it’s not only a financial decision, it’s an emotional decision that is driven by life events. Our Team enjoys being an asset to people in helping them achieve their Real Estate goals, and consulting is a big part of that process.”  Stubbs’ advice: Don’t try to predict the market on your own; hire a professional to optimize your buying power, your personal situation and return on your investment.

Advising

“For sellers, clients want to know where and how to spend their money to get their property ready – essentially how to get the biggest bang for their buck,” said Stubbs. Stubbs and her team advise clients how to get the look for less. “We show clients how to make their home look like a model home without spending $50,000.”

On the buying side, The Cathy Stubbs Team advises the buyer to look at the big picture before they land on a particular house. The big picture can include the area, accessibility and the tax base, as well as career goals. “The fact that people move more often now due to their careers means that we often get houses and clients coming back to us when they need to relocate,” said Stubbs. “We are very careful on advising clients where to buy, because we don’t want our clients to hit a curve in the road and need to make a change that will be difficult. Through the advising phase, we look at our client’s needs both today and potential needs for the future.”

Strategizing

When selling a home, strategizing where a house fits into the market is key.  “Defining the target market and where to price it to put it in front of the right people is a vital part of the process,” said Stubbs, and that’s one role Jenn LaRocca, marketing director, plays.  “Jenn is always investigating new avenues to reach the public,” Stubbs said of LaRocca, who she affectionately calls the “team’s cheerleader.” “Jenn thinks of ways to keep the Team on the cutting edge and working outside of the box when promoting properties.” Finding new ways to entice audiences other Realtors ignore or can’t reach is LaRocca’s specialty.

For buyers, strategizing is equally as crucial. “We focus on how we are best going to get the buyer what they need,” explained Stubbs. “This can include various nuances to leverage the buyer into a more powerful position to ensure the best purchase price.” The Team focuses on how to be the winning offer utilizing years of experience, including a few tricks of the trade to get the desired results for their clients.

Organizing

“Organization is key for both sellers and buyers,” said Stubbs. “Knowing what needs to happen to get your home ready to sell – and having the resources and people to help organize this major effort – is key for success.”

According to Stubbs, the order of the organizational effort is paramount.  “On both sides, the process must be completed in the correct order for everything to work as it should.”  From shopping for insurance, securing a lender and ordering an appraisal and inspection, each transaction must be done in the correct order at the correct time, and that’s a substantial organizational feat. Fortunately, The Cathy Stubbs Team has Dena Day.  Day, the director of operations, is responsible for overseeing the day to day operations as quality assurance.  “She is my anchor,” Stubbs said.

Orchestration

Buying or selling a home is an intricate process. “What people may not understand about the process of buying or selling a home is the amount of moving parts,” Stubbs explained.

The reality is that the home buying/selling process includes Realtors, appraisers, lenders, inspectors and the Title company. Many times, not all of these entities always see the importance of the contractual time restraints in a transaction. It is Stubbs’ job to keep everyone on track to the finish line.

“In order to have a seamless transaction, experience is key,” said Stubbs.  “There are so many intricate steps associated with the buying and selling process, it’s very intensive and can be very overwhelming. Having a team of seasoned professionals orchestrate your transaction is very important.”

The Cathy Stubbs Team Experience

Seasoned professionals is what you get with The Cathy Stubbs Team.  Not only does each team member understand the energy that goes into buying or selling a home, their motivation isn’t just about money made but more about the lives they touch.

Stubbs, who is married and a mother of two children — a 13 year-old daughter and 11 year-old son — knows that buying or selling a home affects a family, and that is always taken into consideration when her Team meets and works with clients. There isn’t a rush to get to the “sign date” that will leave people in a tailspin. Stubbs wants her clients to be completely satisfied with the property and how they were treated.

That’s why Stubbs and her Team meet weekly to make sure they are giving their all to their work. “We meet twice a week formally. We review each individual listing, the challenges we’re facing and we come up with solutions. But informally, we meet almost daily.”

The only thing that separates each Team member from one another is a wall of glass, and that’s how Stubbs likes it. The transparency allows constant communication between the Team members, and together, they stay on top of completing superior transactions.

To date, the company has closed more than 1,000 transactions with more than $200 million home sales. “We work well here in this office because what inspires us is true and genuine,” Stubbs said. “It’s amazing how we bonded, and we are always on the same page to get things done. I’m fortunate to have these people who are always on board 110 percent.”

For more information about The Cathy Stubbs Team, call 281-340-4120 or visit cathystubbs.com to make your dream home a reality.