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THE SUNDAY SANTAN SUN NEWS | DECEMBER 5, 2021
For more community news visit SanTanSun.com
Mother-daughter team open Chandler brokerage BY KEN SAIN Staff Writer
Few considered starting their own business in October 2020 as the nation reeled from a third wave of COVID-19 infections, businesses were going bankrupt and 7.4 million Americans were unemployed – way above the pre-pandemic rate. Seems like a strange time to set up your own shop, but that’s exactly what the mother and daughter team of Laurie and Chelsea McDonnell did. The women opened their own real estate brokerage in Chandler called Locality Real Estate. “There are some hurdles with it, right, but the real estate market was very strong, and continues to be strong,” Laurie said. “A little hiccup when COVID first happened, where people, you know, a little craziness, with cancellations and a little uncertainty with what the market was going to do. But we were in the real estate market for a long time and we were very confident in our abilities.” Not only did they survive the pandemic, they thrived during it. A year after they opened, they have hired 33 agents with another hire expected soon. “We’re not recruiting, we are organically growing based on attracting people to what we’re doing,” Laurie said. “They’re calling us, which is awesome.”
Mother-daughter team Laurie and Chelsea McDonnell started their own real estate brokerage in Chandler, called Locality, during the height of the pandemic. (Ken Sains/STSN Staff)
Laurie and Chelsea said they look for agents who share their vision for a real estate company. “We wanted to build a brokerage of agents that were community focused,” Laurie said. “That are in the trenches, full-time real estate agents. Like minded, and have a sense of paying it forward in the community. And having fun while we’re doing it.”
Chelsea said their agents support giving back to the communities where they work. For example, Locality supports other local businesses, the schools and nonprofits. “Whatever we can do on a local level, that’s where are hearts are,” Laurie said. “It’s been neat to see that come together,” Chelsea said. They encourage their agents to
donate a portion of every escrow they do to the Arizona Housing Fund, which is working to end homelessness in the state. Laurie and Chelsea say they are matching those donations through the end of this year. This is not the first time the mother-daughter team has worked together – which motivated them to do it again. “I think it was inevitable that it was going to happen,” Chelsea said. “It’s just kind of our thing.” In addition to working together a few years ago at another brokerage, they had also worked together a family-own restaurant. “We’re very much alike, but … she has her strengths and I have mine,” Laurie said. “She’s the operations, marketing side of things, and I’m more the compliance, out in the field [person].” A major reason the McDonnells have built a successful business during a pandemic is because the real estate market has been red hot in Arizona. They said they expect the market to slow a bit, but still remain hot. “I think the market is going to stabilize here soon, and I think we’re going to see appreciations, just not at the level we’ve been seeing,” Laurie said. “We’re not going to see 40 percent appreciation or some crazy numbers like we’ve seen, but 10 to 15 percent is all right too.” Information: 133 W. Frye Road, Chandler, 602-758-6007
Chandler flooring specialist sees uptick in business and re-investing money back into their homes. We haven’t slowed down since. Year over year, we’ve seen an increase in revenue.” And one of the areas in their homes that people tend to notice quickly is the condition of their floors, he said. “As people continue to work and
SANTAN SUN NEWS STAFF
Matt GiIstrap’s business gives him the chance to demonstrate his passion and skill for remodeling and designing. The Oregon native last year moved to Chandler and also opened Footprints Floors – a business that makes it easy for people to buy flooring and accent walls without ever leaving their home. “I have always had a passion for remodel and design,” Gilstrap said. “I love learning about the customers’ vision for the project and working together so see it come to life. I was drawn to flooring because there are so many choices and it makes such an impact. It’s the foundation to any great remodel.” Gilstrap specializes in installing luxury vinyl plank flooring, laminate, tile flooring, tile showers, backsplash and accent walls Though he has no storefront, he said, “We offer products using our mobile showroom that we bring to you or customers can use our ‘visualizer’ tool on our website to shop from home. Not surprisingly, he hardly skipped a beat during the worst of the pandemic – particularly as people stayed home and got to pay more attention to their surroundings and where they might spruce things up. “When the shutdowns first hap-
our installs,” he said, “but we work with great vendors and partners that make sure our customers get their new flooring even if a little delayed.” While he said “I’m looking forward to expanding my territory, giving back to the Chandler community, and hiring a production manager,” Gilstrap also
I have always had a passion for remodel and “ design, I love learning about the customers’ vision
for the project and working together so see it come to life. I was drawn to flooring because there are so many choices and it makes such an impact. It’s the foundation to any great remodel.
”
– Matt GiIstrap
Matt GiIstrap pened, we saw a little slow down but it didn’t last long,” Gilstrap said. “Once customers were confident in our safety precautions and we could go back into homes, business picked back up. “Between the real estate boom, people relocating, and people spending more time working and learning from home, they began tackling projects
learn from home, it’s easier to notice the projects you’ve overlooked or improvements you’ve been putting off. Because floors are such an integral part of rooms, floors are one of the first places people start,” Gilstrap said. Yet, the pandemic-driven supply chain disruptions have taken a toll. “Right now there is a national shortage of glue, which is affecting some of
saves time for other priorities in his life. “As many business owners will tell you,” the challenge of running your own shop is “maintaining a good work life balance.” “The business is obviously a huge priority, but so is making enough time for my family, friends and hobbies.” Information: footprintsfloors.com/ chandler.
