(My Why) Wednesday
WHO: Christa and James
WHAT: Looking for a home, 5 to 20 acres of land with a shop or barn
WHERE: Within 30 minutes of Springfield
WHEN: Started in April 2023 and closed in July 2023
WHY…..
I met Christa years ago at a networking event and I liked her immediately. She had a great sense of humor and a terrific laugh but we didn’t really connect until a few years later while canoeing with a group of friends. She and her husband James are a perfect match. Both are hilarious, both hate talking about themselves and they both love gardening, but their work lives are very different. Christa is a busy, successful American National insurance agent for the past seven years, and James is a nationally renowned sculptor. He might even be a world renowned sculptor but he will never tell you that. I had to hear it from friends. The whale in the Smithsonium in Washington DC is part of his work. Yes, that whale!
Last year Christa called me about finding a home for them along with their two dogs, Harriet and Jerry. They were pretty specific but flexible in what they were looking for. They wanted to find a home where they could entertain friends, spend time in nature and have a building for James to work out of for his business. Some of Jamie’s pieces are very large so the building needed to be able to accommodate them. Christa needed to be able to commute to her insurance office within 30 minutes and Harriet and Jerry needed a place to run amok.
Jerry & Harriet
Steadfast and poised
They called me when a home came on the market with 20 acres, a barn/shop and the acreage could be split. I called and made an appointment with the listing agent and we set out to see the property. It was a beautiful home and the property worked well for their needs but between our viewing and my office, the property went under contract with a buyer that wanted all of the land instead of just part of it. It was a big disappointment because once you find the “perfect” home it’s hard to find anything that competes with it. Over the next month we checked out numerous places but nothing quite fit. Christa called to let me know that she and James would be on vacation to Mexico for a week and she hoped their “dream home” would not come on the market while they were gone…..
Before the phone call
Count on finding your dream house when you are not there to look at it. this is what we call karma
One day after they left on vacation a property came on the market and it was perfect. I sent the listing to them. We all cried together on the phone and then we made a plan. I set off to see the house and thought I would try to video the home and grounds. By the time I finished the nearly 30 minute (too large a file to ever upload on any platform available to me) video that included the words “it’s just so pretty!” five-hundred times, I called them. “I think this home is perfect but it’s so unique that I don’t think I’m comfortable telling you to put an offer on the home without seeing it in person.” They would not be home for another week so every morning I would check the listing to see if it was pending. It stayed active until the day before Christa and James came home and then the house showed active but with a contingency. We still had a chance! As soon as Christa and James got home we made an appointment to see the house. They loved it as much as I did. I called the listing agent and he encouraged us to put in a back-up offer in case the current deal fell through. We quickly wrote up the back-up offer and sent it over to the listing agent. Now the waiting began. One week, two weeks, three weeks, and then I got the phone call. “Could we close by a particular date?” Yes, we could. “Could I write that change up and get it to him?” Yes, I could. I called James and Christa and with a barely concealed scream, told them they were getting the house! Christa will tell you that I did scream and I was incoherent but they eventually figured out what I was saying. I sent the paperwork over to them, they signed and I sent it immediately over to the listing agent. We were under contract on their dream home! This deal was one of the smoothest transactions I had ever done, thanks to a great listing agent and a hardworking lender. Christa and James were able to close within about 3 weeks.
Backyard Shenanigans
When your friends decide to bring guitars
Fast Forward one year. Last week we met them at Fellows Lake along with a group of friends and did a nice long hike, then we followed them back to their new home to enjoy the fire pit, a little guitar playing, laughter and some good food. The house is even more beautiful now that Christa has put her decorating touch on everything and James is building an even bigger shop for his business. This is everything they were looking for and I’m so happy to have been a part of it.
Just a sample of the beautiful garden that Christa & James designed.
A little something James built for the back yard.
The beautiful backyard of Christa and James prior home.
And this is what I had to find out about from friends…. James Hall’s work.
James Hall
Missouri FeaturedArtist James Hall makes sculpture not only in bronze but in urethane, especially for museums worldwide. jhcreative.org Here are just a few! A pair of Edmontosauruses face off against a T-Rex at the Cairo Ministry of Education in Egypt. A ginormous rattlesnake skeleton hovers in the Lakeside Nature Center of KC. And a steam engine (being petted by the sculptor) hurtles into the Railroad Historical Museum-Grant Beach Park, Springfield, MO. Pictures and article courtesy of the Missouri Arts Council
The Right Whale
Hangs in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington DC
You can see James Hall’s work at the Smithsonian, colleges, museums and parks and to see more of his work check out jhcreative.org. | JH Creative, LLC
Christa Hall Insurance Agency
417-233-2273
1655 S Enterprise Ave Suite A2, Springfield MO 65804
She is experienced, honest and a great agent, plus you will get to hear her laugh!
If you want to find your dream home and listen to me scream in your ear that “you’ve got the house!” Call me at 417-844-3122 or email me at Deborah@417theory.com
Deborah Rowell - House Theory Realty
1807 E Edgewood St, STE C, Springfield, MO 65804
417-890-1455 Office