10-14-2026 Paintball Bruises and the Best Seat in the House

I have bruises in places I didn't know could bruise, and I'd go paintballing again tomorrow.

Sterling and I traveled to Florida to check on our house there, and I invited his friend and his friend's mom to come along. We all tried paintball for the first time. It was more fun than I thought it would be. It was also more painful than I thought it would be. Both things are true, and I'm bringing the bruises home as proof. #truth

Then came the convention. There were about 450 people, and I got assigned the front and center table. Of course I did. I also happened to land in the best seat, right next to keynote speaker Valerie Burton between her sessions. She wrote a book called Rules of Resilience, and she spoke on and off all day alongside James Shaw, the leader of the Inspire Collective, the real estate group I'm part of. I mean. Talk about lucky.

A few has followed me around. You can't have only performance goals, you need growth goals right alongside them. To change what you do, you have to change how you think. And the one that really hit: there is no real growth without fear or discomfort. No stretching without discomfort, no growth without stretching. So that uncomfortable feeling? It can mean you're on the right track. The trick is telling the difference between fear that comes from growth and a gut reaction that's a real warning.

I had a couple of stressful real estate transactions going all week, plus childcare to sort out for Sterling after his friend had to leave early. Somehow I got through it without a major meltdown or panic attack. Lemme tell you how. I focused on what I could control, which I do anyway and which Valerie also teaches. Then I sorted everything into three piles: what needed me right now, what could wait, and what needed a little attention but not my full attention.

This Week in Real Estate: My Real Estate Life

One of my deals fell apart this week, and I honestly can't remember the last time that happened.

It was a buyer-side transaction, so I'll keep the details to myself. Here's what I'll say. If it isn't right, it isn't right. Whether you're moving to Colorado or across town, nobody should push forward on a purchase this big when it doesn't feel right. It's worth asking why it doesn't feel right, too, and treating the answer as a lesson instead of a failure. Homeownership is a big deal, and it comes with a lot of responsibility.

Plus side: I scheduled showings for a buyer client on a whim, using a showing service.

This trip also showed me exactly where I need to get better. The biggest one is that I need help, and I'm handling that by hiring someone. I hired a company that sends me candidates to review. I've interviewed one, and we're interviewing another later this week. I also need to set better expectations from the very beginning, set better boundaries, and plan better.

Annnnd I'm making a series of videos for my clients that walks through everything that's common in a transaction. When someone gets nervous or has a question, they'll have a bank of videos to turn to, and they'll see me right there, comforting them and answering the question.

The Market: Evergreen, Conifer & Pine Market Snapshot

One Evergreen home started at $1,375,000 and closed at $1,009,000 after 216 days. That's $366,000 off the starting price.

That's the extreme end of this week's 15 closed sales: 8 in Evergreen, 7 in Conifer, and none in Pine. Eight of the 15 cut their price before they sold. Seven never did.

Here's the split that matters. Homes that never cut their price sold in a median of 13 days on market. Homes that did cut their price took a median of 78.

The median sold price was $810,000, with Conifer's median at $899,000 and Evergreen's at $593,000. Measured against the final list price, the typical home closed at 100%. Measured against where it started, the median home closed at 96.6% of its original list price.

If you want to sell a home in Evergreen or Conifer right now, price it where it belongs on day one. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

On the other end, a 1,274-square-foot Evergreen home listed at $550,000 never changed its price, and closed at $580,000 in 4 days.