Jim Pyle’s Story

by Amy Sharp

JimPyle and his kids discovered Keller Williams Southwest (KWSW) agent Sapana Patel when they were bored one weekend. “I wasn’t looking for a home,” says Jim. “But the kids and I had nothing to do, so we started looking at houses online. There was one we liked that was listed by Sapana. We met with her to show us the house.”

That house didn’t work out, but Jim liked Sapana. He says, “She’s such a good person. She understands what you’re looking for, and she’s good with kids and family. We decided to look at other houses. Next thing we knew, we had found the perfect home. It was a random act of God; just perfect!”

Jim’s also sold two homes with Sapana as his listing agent. “Sapana knows so many real estate agents,” explains Jim. “We had people lined up for both of our open houses. She takes great photographs, and her marketing is excellent. Both times, my home sold so fast that Sapana had to negotiate a lease back to give me time to move out. But that’s ok, the opposite situation–where you’ve already bought a home and can’t sell the current one–is much worse.”

Sapana knows the Sugar Land and the Fort Bend

County housing market. She’s a longtime community leader and a member of the KWSW Agent Leadership Council. Commissioner Patel is on Sugar Land’s Planning and Zoning Commission. She’s involved in FBISD schools, including serving as PTA President at Commonwealth Elementary and PTO Vice President at Fort Settlement Middle School. Sapana is a past HOA President of the Telfair community. She’s currently serving on the Fort Bend Education Foundation gala committee, and she’s the HOA delegate for the Telfair community.

Jim says, “Sapana loves where we live, and she’s invested in this community. She’s well-connected–she literally knows everyone on friendly terms–and that gives her an edge in real estate. Sapana has the inside track on what our city and county will look like five to 10 years down the road. She knows what’s coming up that is attractive, and what’s coming up to avoid. All of that is important when buying a home.”

“Sapana’s just fantastic,” adds Jim. “She does an amazing job, and she’s very personable…she’s become a friend of the family!” Your

281-265-0000

by Amy Sharp

Local Alan’s Plumbing was founded nearly 30 years ago by Master Plumber Alan Burkhalter. Alan’s licensed team includes his brother Chris and his son Luke, both of whom are also Master Plumbers. Alan’s son Beau is journeyman-licensed and studying for his master plumber license. His son Jake is an apprentice close to his journeyman license. For 28 years, Alan’s wife Jennifer has served as the Alan’s Plumbing office. She’s been the voice on the phone when you call. Today, Alan’s Plumbing is introducing the next generation as family friend Katie McFarland assists Jennifer with the Alan’s Plumbing office.

Katie was born and raised in Missouri City. She attended the same schools as Beau, Luke and Jake. From Boy Scouting, to swim team, to pee-wee football (where the boys played and Katie was a cheerleader), Katie has always been on the sidelines “cheering” on the Burkhalter family business.

After attending Texas A&M to study sociology, Katie worked in real estate in Bryan/

College Station. There, Katie’s customer service skills flourished. She loved working with and talking to clients. Although the world is big and the opportunities were endless, Katie’s heart was drawn back home. She ultimately realized that Fort Bend was the perfect community to start a family and raise her daughter, four-yearold Hadley.

Katie says, “I had the honor to start working for Alan’s Plumbing in 2017. Boy, what a full circle! I have so many amazing memories of growing up with the Burkhalter family. But a constant memory that always stood out was Jennifer’s devotion to both her family and the company. She was involved in all of her sons’ school activities and never missed a game or a Boy Scout meeting. I vividly remember her carrying around her spiral notebook, a pen, and her cell phone. She was ALWAYS ready to schedule and dispatch Alan to plumbing calls…then once she was off the phone, she was back in mom mode. Our community has always admired her

by Amy Sharp