Eileen Townsend didn't plan on a career in real estate, let alone leading one of the top- performing small teams in the country. Real estate came and found her. Here's how Eileen first made a life out of the art of moving, then transitioned to real estate from her career in journalism. You'll see why the team now sets such a high bar for each buyer's and seller's experience.
The phone rang and I knew with a sense of dread what it meant. We were moving. Again. After five relocations over 15 years, I decided to take things into my own hands.
I never knew when that call from my spouse’s company might come. I just knew what came next: packing up life, selling the house, and landing somewhere we’d never dreamed of living. Sometimes we had a matter of days to organize a million logistics, let alone manage the reactions of two kids, our social circle, and my own employer. Yet, each time, it became a great adventure.
Over a dozen moves, I got better at starting over every few years … except for re-launching my career so many times. I’d been a journalist before having children. I transitioned into marketing and public relations once we started moving. I worked with amazing people and exciting projects, but the corporate world didn’t bring the sense of making a difference in people’s lives that I’d loved as a journalist.
We were on our 6th state, shopping for our 12th house, when I faced that mid-life moment – what “else” do I know how to do? I’d grown weary of depending on agents with little insight into all the change we faced. I had, after all, made a life out of the art of moving. It was time to use all I’d learned to make a real difference for people like me, making important financial decisions while navigating huge life transitions.
As a mom, schools and neighborhoods were priorities when choosing a home. Before the boxes were unpacked, I’d be exploring my new community – finding that “village” we need to raise a child. That community was my lifeline when, a few years after I became a REALTOR®, I also became a single mom. The recession had hit, so the business was tough, and it was hard to fit everyone’s needs into any given day. I couldn’t have done it without the friends, neighbors and co-workers who lent a hand or an ear.
Once I’d spent some years helping other people buy and sell homes, an odd realization dawned on me. What I was doing now was not so different from my life as a reporter. Every client was like a new story; every house filled with as-yet-unknown issues to be investigated; every transaction governed by a series of deadlines. As a reporter, I’d start with just one fact or idea, and have to find the people and information needed to convey the whole message. The thrill is in the novelty of each new story … or, each new client’s set of needs. You have to have a curious mind to find out all you need to share, and tenacity to steer the course whatever arises. I felt like I was right back where I started, where I belonged.
One key difference … in the news, topics could be entirely new or foreign to me on any assignment. In real estate, I feel a sense of familiarity with whatever circumstances present. Sure, every transaction is unique, yet, in the course of so many moves, I probably faced something similar, or “relatable.” The earnestness of buying that first home. The pride that comes with “moving up.” The sorrow over leaving a cherished community. The hopefulness about what comes next. The dollars and sense of the investment decision. Even the bittersweet of selling a parent’s estate. I’ve been there, in those very same shoes. It means everything to me to get it right, like the urgency of making it right for my kids when we moved.
Through all the moves, I have fed my soul by absorbing what’s special about the place I live into my life. Here in my favorite place on earth, you’ll find me hiking the Headlands, learning to sail on the Bay, and practicing my new golf swing – if not just exploring the artsy, brainy, historic-and-brand-new-all-at-once vibe that makes the Bay Area different from anywhere else. If I’m lucky, I’ll get to share more of it with you.
Introducing Eileen Townsend & Team, The difference you've been seeking:
In the course of hiring other Realtors for those dozen moves before becoming a Realtor myself, I figured out exactly what I’d do differently, given the chance. Now, it is my career's fulfillment to mentor a team of Realtors to elevate the real estate experience for each of our clients: to transcend the "sales" aspect by fully embracing the "service" aspect, to educate and advocate so our clients truly achieve their goals ... to "get it right," as passionately as if each transaction were for our own families. We focus first on meeting you where you are – savvy in real estate, first-time out, or somewhere between? Have you set goals and timeframe, need help to do so, or are you raring to get it done, yesterday?
It matters to me that our agents, and our clients, understand every step, and have the information on-hand to guide you to make smart decisions, in your own best interest. We never forget we are dealing with an asset as cherished as the place you call home, possibly your largest financial asset. We are data-driven on price and timing, systems-savvy so nothing slips through the cracks, and tuned-in to trends that move the market. We are well versed in condition concerns and solutions, and how aesthetics add (or detract from) value. Our gift is weaving it all together to make real estate work for you.
Sincerely,
Eileen Townsend
