Ben & Yolandra Heinkel

“The process was nothing but joy the whole time- just really magical, really peaceful.“

Listen along as I sit down with two dear friends Ben and Yolandra Heinkel and discuss their whirlwind journey through home buying, marriage, and their love for the Shoals!

Who knew an invite to grab lunch would end up being their engagement announcement and expressed desire to buy a home with me! These two trusted me as friends and as a realtor, and we jumped right into the process.

When I think about joyful clients I think about Ben and Yolandra. The process of understanding what they wanted, walking alongside them through each step, and finding the perfect home for them was nothing short of “magical” as Yolandra says. She reminisces “You came and locked arms with us through the process.”

Yolandra jokes “We were like this is fun! Homebuying isn’t supposed to be fun, right?”

To hear clients describe that the sometimes stressful process of home buying was made fun by working with me, is the greatest feedback I could hear.

The Heinkel’s wanted a house they could customize and make their own, which led to some extensive dream sessions, especially once we saw the house they ended up choosing! There were so many possibilities…

Ben’s advice for home buyers is to “find someone that will hold your hand through every step of the process.”

I’m so lucky to get to walk through home buying hand-in-hand with people like the Heinkel’s!

Sarah Ann Evans

“The setting of a story is so key, and I think that’s why homes are so important.”

This week I had the opportunity to have a fun conversation with a dear friend. We recorded this in the home that I sold her a few years ago, on the day before we put it on the market. Listen as we dive right in…

I met Sarah Ann about 6 years ago while she was working at a local Title and Closing office in Florence. Since then she has done so many amazing things for our community and it has been a joy to watch her grow up into the incredible human she is today. I was honored to be her Realtor when she bought her first home and equally grateful to get to be the listing agent as we sell it.

Here is a bit about my friend…

Like many, Sarah Ann went to The University of North Alabama and quickly knew she wanted to stay in Florence. She fell in love with the town and has remained here for a decade. She says “the Shoals is home for my soul,” and I couldn’t agree more.

Not only does is she head of marketing for nSide, a school safety technology company, but she is also cofounder of an organization called Shoals Nonprofit Center. SNC works in our community to amplify the impact of nonprofits in the Shoals area by providing networking and professional development opportunities, therefore increasing their skills and connections. She’s making an impact and it’s easy to see, “Just seeing the support and encouragement of the community- that’s what I want to keep doing.”

First time home buying can be an intimidating experience, and can feel out of reach. It was a joy to get to be her comfort and guide through the process. Her advice is that “Finding a quality realtor who will be honest with you and seek out the properties you want, and who will follow up with you, and be there with you through that process- it changes the game.”

After she told me she wanted to start a new chapter of her life by purchasing her first home we looked and looked. In our interview she confidently states “I’m a big follow your instincts kind of person…when I saw this place, I knew it…It’s been a fantastic experience ever since.” One of my favorite parts of discovering this house was the finished attic upstairs that quickly became a favorite spot for her. It has been a yoga studio turned writing/painting spot, and I love that it served her well in her time here.

“Our houses bear witness to these very intimate moments in life. The walls of your space are the witness of the life you live within it” she shares. Getting to see my dear friend grow and prosper in this home has been such a gift! Walking through life moments and milestones with my clients is why I do what I do.

Tera & Wes Wages

“What fun, to take a 120 year old home and tell the new story of it. We found old photos in the kids’ room, bourbon bottles hidden in the walls from the prohibition era, we uncovered a fireplace. We discovered a lot of little gems.”

Hi folks! Welcome to the first interview of our blog series.

Join us as we get a glimpse into these clients’ lives and the journey that got them to their dream home, working with us, and thriving in the Shoals.

After going to college at the University of North Alabama, meeting, and falling in love in Florence, Tera and Wes Wages did a bit of moving around. While living for stints in a few other cities Tera and Wes always knew this town had a special place in their hearts- special enough to put down family roots. “Florence is affordable, has a lot of creatives, and we just knew it was the right place for us to be to start our business.” Wes adds that “it’s a great place to raise kids, and now we have 4 of them!”

How they came to be in their current home on Poplar Street wasn’t an overnight process. Their first home together was a brick ranch-style home on Baker Drive, just over a mile from downtown. As they began their family they found and fell in love with a 7 acre plot of land on Cypress Creek. They made plans to build there, constantly dreamt of what it would become, and even picked out the perfect homesite. But sometimes our plans change.

The process of actually getting the house was its own challenge. It was in need of full renovation, but that did not stop multiple people (mostly investors) from making offers. After fighting hard for the house, we got it! Tera and Wes took on a HUGE project. The entire process was captured by them and released as an online series, Building Us With Tera and Wes.

“This house is not haunted, I’m confident of that, but I will haunt this house. This is the house I will choose” Tera laughed. “No, but I’ve told Wes, no matter where we go and where we live, this house will always be the one.”

The Wages have done amazing things in this community. They’ll always be Florence locals no matter their mailing address.

Their advice to home buyers: “Don’t be afraid to live small in order to get the space that you want one day. You’re setting yourself up for your future wants.”

It’s been an honor to get them in and out of homes that have made them who they are. Our relationship has only grown over the years, and I’m lucky to be trusted with a small part of their story.

(Full disclosure, we did not intend on releasing this interview as an audio file. The plan was to simply record it so that it could be transcribed into text form. But, then we played it back. Tera and Wes are so expressive and such delightful humans to listen to, that we decided that people needed to hear it! Please excuse the less than professional quality of the recording and understand that you are about to gain some fun wisdom and joy.