We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Crissie Cudd a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Crissie, thanks for joining us today. When you’ve been a professional in an industry for long enough, you’ll experience an industry-wide U-Turn, an instance where the consensus completely flips upside down or where the “best practices” completely change. If you’ve experienced such a U-Turn over the course of your professional career, we’d love to hear about it.

I’ve been in real estate now for 32 years. That covers multiple U-turns.

When the market went nuts in 2004-2006 I still advised buyers to think about location and the other things that make a property special because when it’s time to sell if there are 25 or a hundred properties interchangeable with yours the only way to compete is price. But even an ugly property in a great location will find a buyer.

When the recession hit that was proven true. At one point over half the homes for sale in the Jacksonville area were upside down – worth less than what the owners paid. After a time things leveled out.

Now we’re coming out of a relatively brief buying frenzy and those lessons still apply. Neighborhoods that are sought after because of their uniqueness will hold their value. We are seeing that in Historic Springfield right now. While inventory is increasing in some areas it is still hard to find enough homes for sale in Springfield to satisfy demand.

Crissie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I have a tendency to be really passionate about things. When I was growing up, it was Nancy Drew and now it’s gardening and geneology. But one other passion that began early and lasted to this day is history. Being around it, hearing about it, absorbing it, and now living in it, has made me an ardent cheerleader for the historic homes in Jacksonville. Maybe that enthusiasm will wane in twenty years or so, but for now I’m a diehard fanatic.

My husband and I live in Historic Springfield near Klutho Park, have Big Jim as an alarm clock, and friendly people who stop to chat when we are working in the yard or sitting on the porch. We walk past homes each day that tell the story of who has lived there. Maybe they were the Spanish ambassador, or was a famous actor a hundred years ago, or it was the location of a silent film studio, or where a former governor and his wife lived. I never get tired of learning about Springfield.

With decades of experience in real estate as an agent, trainer and manager, I bring real-world experience to the business of real estate. I am the author of numerous real estate articles and the book “Sell Your Home in a Tough Market – Now!”.

I’m active in the community – one of the inaugural committee that began Jax Porchfest, the chair of the Historic Marker Task Force, I’ve worked to legalize back yard hens, and more. There is so much you can do here!

I’m doing everything I can to help other folks discover our historic treasures – Jacksonville’s best kept secrets.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

My engagement in the community and my passion for Springfield have created my reputation. I would hope that after twelve years living and working here have given people an opportunity to know who I am and what I stand for.

As a resident and Realtor I’ve stood up to fight for the things that matter to us here. I’ve fought against uncalled for demolitions of historic buildings, I’ve fought against uses of buildings that violate the Historic Overlay put in place years ago.

People know that I not only care about the job I do but the place I do it in. I’m not shy.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

If I’m honest I’ll go back to the days I read Nancy Drew books. I admired her tenacity and her ability to use clues to solve mysteries. Those are skills that I use every day. Whether it’s knowing how to come up with the right supporting data in pricing a property, to negotiating through tough inspections, I sometimes turn into Nancy. She never gave up and neither do I.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.historicjaxhomes.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/historicjaxhomes/