Introducing Brandi Walker

De-Cluttering Take Me Out To Savoring Virginia’s 101 The Dog Park Craft Breweries Celebrating the Region’s Most Influential Real Estate Professionals Unlocking Your Dreams Brandi Walker REALTOR®, SFR®, MRP®, SRES®, ASP®, E-PRO®, PSA®, ABR®, SRS®, GRI®, C2EX®, RENE® Integrity, energy, hard work and creative service REALTOR®, SFR®, MRP®, SRES®, ASP®, E-PRO®, PSA®, ABR®, SRS®, GRI®, C2EX®, RENE® 757-751-7743 brandiwalkerhomes.com

DID YOU KNOW?A FEW FUN REAL ESTATE FACTS In Scotland, Warren Buffet Monica’s A couple sold apartment homeowners paint is one of the richest an acre of land in their front door red men in the world from “Friends” is North Carolina to when they pay off and he still lives in estimated to cost Apple for $1.7 their mortgage. the same house he $3,500,000. million. They paid bought for $31,500 $6,000 for it. 1 in 1958. The White House Aspen, Colorado The landmark is valued at $110 “Hollywood” sign million. has such high real estate prices that in originally read 2011, the cheapest “Hollywoodland” listing was a and was constructed $559,000 trailer. in 1923 as a publicity stunt to Builders in China sell real estate. are able to build a 30 story skyscraper in only 15 days!

Rainmakers are selected based on their sales Brandi Walker accomplishments earning them a spot among the top 20% of Liz Moore & Associates’ top REALTOR®, SFR®, MRP®, SRES®, performers. ASP®, E-PRO®, PSA®, ABR®, SRS®, GRI®, C2EX®, RENE® In addition to sales volume standards, Rainmakers share client-centric philosophies, PROUDEST MOMENT a dedication to being masters of their craft, and a commitment to giving back to the Joining the Military at the age of 17 communities they serve. and serving 20+ years I am thrilled to have been selected as the INSPIRATION featured Rainmaker for the month! My girls, Victoria & Reagan Brandi Walker ON MY BUCKET LIST Travel to Europe with my girls FAVORITE DESTINATION Pigeon Forge, Tennessee HOBBY Genealogy research I LOVE TO SHOP AT Lowes and Home Depot because I LOVE home improvement You simply cannot find a better REALTOR® than Brandi. Period. Her most important quality is that she truly cares. She makes you feel as if you are the single most important client she has and she really listens to your wants and desires. P. Mueller

Rainmaker Brandi WalkerSpotlight: Growing up, Brandi Walker learned the value of hard work and service to one’s country from her father and grandfather. “My grandfather was a World War II veteran and lived down the street from us in our West Virginia town, so we were very close. Dad had served in the Navy, worked in the coal mines and then studied to become an engineer.” Brandi became determined to continue the family’s tradition by serving her country in the military. Brandi’s grandfather passed when she was 16, and at 17 her parents signed a waiver so that Brandi could join the West Virginia Air National Guard. “I had duty one weekend a month until I returned from Basic Training and Technical schools, and then I was AGR (Active Guard Reserve) the same as being active duty,” she remembers. She graduated from West Virginia University Technical Institute with a degree in Civil Engineering, Industrial Relations and Human Resources. She recalls of that hectic time, “I was working full time at the nearby Air National Guard base, studying, and was a college cheerleader, too, so I had a full plate. That’s just how I like to do things; the busier the better!” Despite growing up a few miles away from each other, Brandi didn’t meet her husband, Justin, until she had graduated from college. “He was home on leave from his first deployment with the Army in Iraq. We met at Walmart, of all places, in 2004, and we’ve been together ever since”, she says. Shortly after they married they became a dual-military Air Force family, both of them serving for the same branch. They knew to expect separations as part of their service, such as when Brandi experienced a difficult pregnancy and birth while Justin was deployed. The new daddy finally met his baby daughter, Victoria, when she was six months old. Fourteen months later, the couple had another daughter they named Reagan. Brandi would leave their house in Northern Virginia with two babies in tow at 4:30 in the morning and not return until 8:30 p.m. Soon they got orders to move, but the housing market had recently crashed and the home they had bought at $575,000 near its peak had dropped in value to $270,000. “I learned then what it was like to lose a lot of money in real estate,” Brandi says ruefully. Resilience and persistence is only built through adversity, so these experiences all continued to mold and shape Brandi’s character and skills.

In 2010 Brandi received orders to Joint Base Langley Eustis and the family found a home in Williamsburg. She decided to come off of active duty status in the Air Force and return to her Air National Guard roots for three more years of service, simply so she could be more present for her children. “Both my girls went into daycare at six weeks old,” she remembers. “We had no family nearby and no friends, because who has time for relationships when you’re that busy? I was struggling as a new mom, and that was a very good decision.” Brandi became more drawn to the idea of one day making real estate a career as her daughters grew. “We got to know Liz Moore and we had a great relationship. She is brilliant and amazing, and I wanted to work for her, but I knew the statistics say that most new agents don’t make it beyond the initial three years.” Brandi was motivated, however, and entered the real estate world full time in 2015. “I was starting over in the civilian sector and was eager to succeed in a completely new way,” she says. For the first three years, she concentrated her efforts elsewhere with some success, but in the end, Brandi was simply drawn to military clients, and they to her. “I put in almost 22 years before retiring in 2017, and I’m still a military spouse, too, so I’ve seen the life from both sides,” she says. Brandi has done it all, from being the daughter and grandchild of veterans to being deployed for months on end. “I’ve also been the spouse left to close and sell a house, move, and buy another by myself,” she says. “I’ve started over again in different communities and made new friends who became like close family. How could I not bring all the experience I gained to the table?” At first, these clients were just a small part of her business, but gradually word of mouth got her name passed along from one satisfied family to the next. Brandi feels that military families are sometimes susceptible to those who exploit the unique vulnerabilities of their lifestyle. “Some people are looking for an easy payday, and don’t have their best interests at heart. When I saw that happening, I quit fighting being categorized and decided to embrace what I knew from experience.” Her business exploded as her reputation for being trustworthy and competent grew. “So far this year, many of my clients are military,” she says with pride. “They’re my tribe, and I’ve got their backs.” Brandi believes full disclosure and total transparency instills mutual trust between her and any client, military or civilian. If she’s doing a video tour for potential homebuyers, the person on the other end will see just what she does. Her goal is not to ignore any drawbacks or selling points of a home. “I don’t like to sugarcoat anything, I just try to show what’s real with no surprises,” Brandi states. Honestly putting the needs of her clients first has ultimately led to the success that Brandi Walker sought when she became a REALTOR®. It’s great to be recognized as one of Liz Moore & Associates’ top sellers, a Rainmaker, but even that honor is overshadowed by the satisfaction she feels in the work she’s doing. “I really want to make sure all my clients are taken care of,” Brandi says. “That’s the most important thing to me!”

DECLUTT1ER0IN1G HOME STAGING Home staging is one of the most powerful ways to help buyers imagine IS ONE OF THE themselves in your home and make them want to buy it. Decluttering is MOST POWERFUL the first, and most important step, in home staging. Removing clutter WAYS TO BOOST allows buyers to see the structure and space of your home. YOUR SELLING Sentimentality can be a powerful disincentive to declutter. You might feel guilty packing away your grandmother's china, or your ADVANTAGE budding Picasso’s finger paintings, but doing so allows your home to really be seen. Buyers need to be able to picture themselves living in your home, with their furniture and their belongings, and if too many of your things fill their field of vision, they might not be able to see their life there and they might walk away. Decluttering can be overwhelming, so we’ve broken it down and provided some helpful tips. Study your entire house. Go room-by-room, starting with the entryway. Try and view each room for the first time with a stranger’s eyes. Notice anything that sticks out? Try and make each room resemble a neatly organized, clean hotel. 5 Taking it little by little makes the task more manageable rather than trying to tackle the entire house at once.

Making piles is very helpful. shine. A few well-placed home décor items can add sparkle to the space. Home stagers follow a “rule of As you go through each room, make a stack of items three” for clustering items into small groups to create to keep, one to donate, one to sell, and one to pack visual interest but not distract from the room. away. Evaluate the value, need, use, and sentimentality of every item, place it in one of the Purge attics, basements, and garages piles, and move on. This organized approach can make the task easier. of clutter. These storage spaces often don’t get much attention and quickly become cluttered, unorganized Creating a spreadsheet can also help. and untidy. Arranging items by type or holiday into clear, labeled tubs can help keep the space looking Each room will have different needs. Upon nice and neat while keeping you organized. It also evaluation, you might find one room needs new helps potential buyers see all of the storage space your paint, while another needs shelving for organization, home offers. and another needs boxes to pack excess items away. Organizing these tasks and needs into a spreadsheet Make sure your bathrooms are spotless. can help prioritize expenses and improvements. Not every house has a luxurious spa, but by cleaning Emptying closets makes a difference. your grout, tile, toilets and showers you can help your bathroom shine. Clearing off vanities and cleaning out Closets often become catchalls and graveyards; drawers, cabinets, and medicine cabinets can help when homeowners don't know what to do with buyers see the storage your bathroom offers and help something they often stash it in a closet and it them imagine their toothbrush by your sink. becomes forgotten with the out-of-sight out-of- Unfortunately, our homes can become cluttered on the mind mentality. A good rule of thumb is discarding outside as well as the inside. Check around your anything you haven’t worn in the last year. Studies home’s exterior for outdoor toys, decorations, and show we only really wear about 20 percent of our natural clutter like leaves, branches, etc. This is also a clothes and that extra space will make your closets great time to evaluate your home's overall curb appeal look bigger and more attractive to buyers. and make sure your home is making a good first impression. Lawns, shrubs, trees, and flower gardens Clearing off countertops should all be kept trimmed and tidy. and bookcases creates clean, visual lines and neutral You have loved your home and style, allowing your home, and not your stuff, to worked hard to maintain it, you want that care and maintenance to show. By removing unnecessary items, you allow your home to shine and make the great first impression needed to impress buyers. Don’t forget your 6 bathrooms! Clean and clutter free is your goal.









Congratulations, Brandi!