Just off her best sales year ever, Realtor Kris Moxley is looking for a similarly strong 2006 as Pleasanton’s housing market continues robust.
This year, she has the advantage of having her son Tyler, 23, join what is now the Moxley Real Estate Team, an affiliate of Alain Pinel Realtors at 900 Main St., where the Moxleys have offices.
The two Moxleys may have a head start on boosting the 2005 sales record. Both are award winners from last year. Tyler Moxley was named “Rookie of the Year” by the Bay East Association of Realtors, winning over 1,100 new Realtors who vied for the honor.
Kris Moxley achieved East Bay’s coveted Pinnacle Award, given to Realtors who sell $20 million or more in Tri-Valley real estate.
“While last year was my best ever, 2004 was also very good,” said Kris, who started selling real estate 26 years ago. “Although 2006 started off a bit slow as what generally happens in January, we’re already seeing sales pick up this month and March looks extremely promising.”
`As of last Monday, she said Pleasanton had a total of 109 single family homes on the market, ranging in offering price from $569,000 to $4,595,000 for a 7,800-square-foot home in Ruby Hill. In addition, 54 condominiums are currently on the market, ranging in price from $329,000 to $760,000.
The Moxley mother and son real estate team may be the only such combination in the area, in a field where even father-son and mother-daughter professional independent real estate contractors are few. Besides the uniqueness of their business arrangement, the Moxleys share another first. The mother of Kris Moxley’s husband Wally, who operates Moxley Chiropractic on Cedarwood Lane, is Ann Moxley, 85. A Southern California resident, she sold real estate in the Long Beach area for 35 years before retiring. Ann’s late mother was also was a broker and Realtor in earlier years.
Kris Moxley joined the old Realty World real estate office on Main Street 26 years ago when she received her license. Then she took a few years off to raise four children: Tyler, Mandy Moxley Mascarai, Cody, and the youngest, Paige. Paige attends Azusa (Calif.) Pacific University. Kris also coached girls’ softball when Paige was growing up.
Later, she returned to selling as an agent with Mason McDuffie Realtors, transferring to Prudential Real Estate when it bought the McDuffie agency. She joined Alain Pinel six years ago.
She recalled that when she first started selling homes in Pleasanton, “We did everything one-on-one.”
“Communications were by mail or telephone,” she said. “There were no cell phones or facsimile machines, and I walked around with a huge book of listings, including photos, to show prospective buyers. That’s all changed, with virtual tours and the Internet making it easier and faster for both the agent and the buyer, and computerized listings that can instantly search for the kind of house a buyer wants.”
Even so, it’s the personal touch that Kris and Tyler Moxley find important to their success. Handshakes and one-on-one conversations at Valley Community Church, where they’re members, in the neighborhoods and in community activities keep clients coming back and also sharing their friendships with others.
Tyler Moxley agrees. A 2001 graduate of Amador Valley High School, he keeps in touch with his classmates who, though still too young to buy in Pleasanton, will be among his best prospects in the years ahead. Often helping his mother, he decided to join her in real estate, obtaining his state license two years ago and becoming a Realtor last year.
At 23 in a Pleasanton market that generally sees older sellers and buyers, Tyler hasn’t found age to be a drawback. In fact, it’s an advantage with younger buyers in their late 20s and early 30s who like both his youthful appearance and close working knowledge of Pleasanton.
“I can drive clients by Amador and say that’s where I graduated just five years ago, and they’re impressed that they are with someone who knows the school,” Tyler said. “It’s the same with Alisal and Harvest Park, depending on the ages of their children. Schools, by far, are the most important consideration for young couples and families looking at the Pleasanton housing market.”
The Moxley team also has other advantages. When one’s away, the other fills in, making it much like a 2-for-1 representation for buyers or sellers. It also gives Tyler and Kris Moxley a weekend off now and then, a luxury most Realtors can’t afford.
