8-20-2025 Life Lately: From Stabbings to Stir-Fry and Everything in Between

Family & Personal Life

School is back in session, which is always a milestone, but this year came with a little more drama than usual. On the first day of school, there was a stabbing in Staunton State Park, which is basically in my backyard. We were getting Amber Alerts all day, and it was truly unsettling. Thankfully, the man who was stabbed is going to be okay, but it was a sharp reminder that life can flip in an instant. Have you ever had one of those weeks where the unexpected just smacks you right in the face? That was ours.

Meanwhile, Bridger started high school, and let’s just say he’s already singing the blues about his honors classes. The one bright spot, at least for me, is that his school has a business club called DECA. They host competitions and even need community business leaders to help judge. I don’t think Bridger is nearly as excited as I am, but I’m crossing my fingers he’ll catch the bug once he gets into it. If not, maybe I’ll just show up with pom-poms and embarrass him into participation.

Sterling, on the other hand, had a traumatic week in the haircut department. He chopped it all off and swears he looks like Bart Simpson. Personally, I think he looks super cute, and I’ve been telling him exactly that because poor guy, he needs all the encouragement he can get. The silver lining is we saved the hair and plan to donate it. If it doesn’t go to a wig charity, we’ll send it to Matter of Trust, a nonprofit that weaves donated hair into mats that help soak up oil spills in the ocean. Who knew a buzz cut could help save the planet?

On a lighter note, Tag and I had a date night that actually started with some serious work. We spent two and a half hours clearing out a client’s house for an out-of-state seller. After lugging furniture, calling in 1-800-GOT-JUNK, and setting up a cleaning crew, I can honestly say I earned my dinner. And dinner was worth it, because we treated ourselves to bibimbap at our favorite Korean spot. There’s something deeply satisfying about collapsing into a chair with someone you love and realizing you worked hard together, then rewarding yourselves with spicy comfort food.

And in the ongoing saga of Instagram meal planning, this week’s highlight was an Asian noodle salad with edamame noodles. I wasn’t a big fan, but Adam really loved it, so I’m still counting it as a win.

Real Estate Life

On the business side of things, it has been a rush of activity. One of my clients went under contract sight unseen on a condo, and let me tell you, the pressure of that is real. They were considering renting at first, but after touring via my video walkthroughs, they decided to take the plunge. It’s a nice place, and I’m relieved they trusted me enough to guide them through it.

I also got a couple of new buyers under contract and am waiting to hear back on an offer I submitted. The heat is on in the market, and honestly, it feels good to be this busy. One of my listings that had been temporarily pulled is now back in play, freshly painted. Here’s where AI came in handy: instead of hiring a photographer for new photos after the trim was painted white, I updated the old ones using AI to swap the blue trim for white. It turned out so good, you’d never know they weren’t brand new photos. Technology may not make my steering-wheel recall any safer, but it sure does make marketing easier.

Speaking of the market, let’s talk about where things are headed. Even though it happens every year, we always seem surprised when real estate slows down after the Fourth of July. And yet, here we are again. Kids are back in school, July already feels like a distant (and very hot) memory, and sellers are wondering when activity will pick back up. Here’s the honest truth: without a big improvement in affordability—either through wage growth or a sharp drop in interest rates—we probably won’t see a fall market pop. If you’re waiting for things to “get better,” you’ll likely be waiting until late February 2026. Sellers who want or need to move in 2025 are better off adjusting pricing now to capture the remaining buyer activity.

Buyers, on the other hand, this is your season. You’ve got more inventory to choose from than we’ve seen in 13 years, and while the year-over-year gap is narrowing each month, there’s still plenty of room to shop thoughtfully. For the first time in two decades, we may actually be in what feels like a normal market. It’s not the chaos of the short sale era, it’s not the steady growth of 2013–2019, and it’s not the frenzy of COVID where home values spiked 40–50% in under three years. It’s something in between. Dare I say, the Goldilocks zone? At least for detached single-family homes in metro Denver, things are finally “just right.”

Between juggling contracts, client prep work, market analysis, and a few car survival prayers (yes, my year-old truck has three recalls and counting), I’m feeling grateful for the pace of it all. It’s busy, yes, but it’s the kind of busy that reminds me why I love this business.