Meet Christy Watson | Realtor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Christy Watson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Christy, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
We moved from Seattle to Colorado and I knew no one, other than my kids and husband. Great time to launch a real estate business, right? I grew up helping my Dad do fix and flips in the 80’s before it was cool and on TV. I bought my first house at 19 and real estate has always been “easy” for me. When we moved here, I thought I’d get my license and just do fix and flips. But the instructor for the real estate exam asked what I did previously and suggested I consider commercial or residential real estate. I dismissed them at first, but as often happens with things that are “meant to be”, I couldn’t stop thinking that it might be a great option. We had three small kids and while starting my own business that served others in a new profession scared me, I jumped in. I committed myself to learning and educating myself as quickly as possible. I knew I had a my corporate background of Client Experience for Fortune 100 banks and Hospitality Management would be a solid foundation and would allow me to serve clients through the emotions and stresses of the real estate process.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I serve clients all over the front range of Denver and Boulder to help them through their real estate journey. I’ve grown my business organically, all through word of mouth and referrals. A happy client who sends their mom or best friend or neighbor to me is the highest compliment and the only way I have grown my local business. Agents from across the country who also know me, the way I conduct business and my values and integrity will often send their clients who have a need in Colorado.

I started working at age 14 in California as a hostess, went on to work for Marriott Hotels and was one of the youngest managers hired at 19. I just fell in love with being the best at whatever job I had and realized that even if it was the most entry level job, the sense of satisfaction that came from the rewards of knowing that I showed up and left nothing on the table that day. I have done that over the years in my corporate life and that translates to my clients. I often hear from clients that they know I am busy, but they always feel like they’re the only ones I am working with.

Being a young, female manager was not always easy but I think we all face our own set of unique obstacles. The thing that sets those who are at the top of their respective industries is tenacity and resourcefulness. The number of times I have been given a role or a task in a job and not had the first clue how to tackle it, well it’s significant. I’ve been hired as “the fixer” in several roles – where a region was in trouble and they needed someone to come in and get things straightened out and then thrive.

With real estate, my goal is to never have things need fixing. There are so many predictable steps in the process of buying or selling land or real estate that we have that process down. I do prepare my clients that doesn’t mean we won’t have surprises, since real estate involves humans and that can make things interesting. But, so far I haven’t encountered a surprise we couldn’t figure out and get to the goal we set out with in the beginning. A servant mindset means that I strive to have a stress-free transaction for my clients as well as those on the other side of a deal. My clients get white glove service, a holdover from my hospitality days, I’m sure, no matter their price point.

I’m also a mom, a wife and someone who lives in their community. They’ll be invited to my house for our annual Halloween party or see me at a restaurant or out on a trail.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Well, I would probably visit several areas if we had a week. A few days in Boulder, Denver, Estes Park and the mountains. Boulder would be Pearl Street for sure, maybe for cocktails at Rosetta Hall or Boulderado and dinner at Black Cat or Stella. We are season ticket holders and huge Colorado Avalanche fans, so we would definitely go see a game and probably visit a museum or two. I love the quirky pop-ups and speakeasy bars. Depending on the time of year, a hike out to Chattaquah or Estes Park would definitely be something we would do.

About 25% of my business is in the mountains, so we would head up there for a few days and go hiking or snowshoeing. Coffee and breakfast from Clint’s or Blue Moose and dinner at Blue River Bistro are always on the list.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My husband and kids have been incredible in supporting me in this journey. From my first year that was full of self-doubt and worry, the subsequent years of frenzied activity while I built my systems as my business grew, to today where we have things figured out and they often help in some aspects of my business from time to time.

My dad was also a foundation and a rock that I leaned on heavily as I was learning the business. He had been in real estate for 40+ years and had seen everything.

Website: www.christywatsonhomes.com

Instagram: christywatsonhomes

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christywatson/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christywatsonhomes

Other: Co-Founder of luxury home tour, Hearth & Stone https://www.hearthandstonelht.com/

Image Credits
Heidi Howard Photography for image credit