Nicole Espinosa, the top agent for the past three years at JP and Associates, has joined Keller Williams. She and her team of five agents will be based out of the Preston Road location in Dallas.
“In order for us to get to where we want to be I felt like this was a much better fit for our goals,” she said.
One of those goals is doubling the size of her team by year’s end. In 2017, Espinosa expanded into Houston where she now has around 20 listings. She hopes to soon add local agents there, and believes being a part of Keller Williams will play a big role in making that happen.
The past year has been quite eventful for Espinosa. In February she released her first book titled Short Sales Uncensored. It provides an overview of how agents can work with sellers on these kinds of transactions.
Short sales typically involve a homeowner who owes more on their house than it is worth. The agent helps negotiate a deal in which the bank agrees to take a loss. This allows the homeowner to avoid going through a foreclosure, and protects them from further lawsuits and liabilities related to the home.
“The book is only 75 pages because let’s be real — nobody wants to read 300 pages about short sales,” she said. “And it also has a little personality so that it’s not boring.”
Espinosa specializes in short sales. She has closed more than 400 of them, and typically averages between 40 and 50 per month.
She completed her first short sale in 2011. As she learned more about this type of sale, she realized there were not a lot of experts out there. She set about educating herself, and worked to develop more efficient processes.
“I’m really passionate about helping these homeowners move on to the next phase of their lives and not have to go through a foreclosure,” she said.
The demand for short sales in Houston skyrocketed last year in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. Despite only being active in the market for about six months, her expertise was soon sought out as homeowners worked to extricate themselves from trying circumstances.
While Espinosa continues to focus on short sales, the rest of her team handles more traditional real estate deals. She considers this an advantage because it allows each of them to focus on their strengths and better guide and instruct their clients.
“You can’t be good at everything if you do everything,” she said. “I’m so passionate about what we do and I have an amazing team.”
