Design Realty Solutions
Real estate broker and owner of Design Realty Solutions Amanda Otieno Breaks Down her work/life balance and shares tips for North Alabama’s market.
LL: What should new buyers know about real estate in North Alabama?
AO: Just like many markets around the country, North Alabama is experiencing its share of low inventory, construction delays, etc. New buyers should be equipped with top-notch representation, patience, and resilience. Emphasis on the patience and resilience! We can still find you the right home, but you’ve got to trust your agent, trust the process and be prepared to be competitive in this market.
LL: What is your experience/background?
AO: Many are surprised to learn this, but I also work for NASA! I work in the Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity, where my primary role is to ensure equitable treatment and opportunities for all employees. I’m passionate about the work because my instinct has always been to advocate for what is fair and good. I use this same energy to advocate for my clients, and for my team of agents and designers.
I have a wonderful partner in business who works full-time in real estate and who is the firm’s qualifying broker. So while my days are spent with rocket scientists (never gets old saying this), she takes care of most of the day-to-day operations.
LL: What is something unique about your agency/firm that you feel like sets you apart from others?
AO: Design Realty Solutions has both real estate experts as well as design experts who work together to offer our clients the complete package. In the past, I’ve had clients express their desire to have a professional to help with decorating/design/functionality decisions, and it was really important to me to be able to offer this luxury to all of Huntsville.
Another thing that sets DRS apart is our high standard for presenting our listings. Every home deserves to shine, and we will never list a home without first staging it, FOR FREE! We’ve seen over and over again that a beautifully staged home gets higher traffic and ultimately more money for our sellers. It’s a little more work on the front end for us but worth it every time!
LL: What are some of the services you offer?
AO: We of course have both listing and buyer’s agents at the firm. We also offer free home staging with every listing and interior design if you already have a home (even if you didn’t buy it with us). Check back with us to learn about first-time home buyer courses that will be offered very soon!
LL: Do you specialize in anything in particular? New construction, relocation, remodels, etc…?
AO: We have a heart for first-time home buyers. I know that many people will say that’s not where the money is, but we don’t do it for that. There is nothing like seeing the joy on a first-time home buyer’s face when they get the keys to their new home! It never gets old! Being part of a transaction so life-changing for our clients keeps us motivated and reminds us why we got in the business in the first place.
On the other end of that, we are a luxury brand that specializes in selling luxury homes as well. So consider our specialty very broad. Stay tuned for DRS luxury division coming soon!
LL: What advice would you give to anyone thinking of beginning their own business?
AO: Just start! Don’t wait until you have every single thing lined up and every answer to every single question. Start small if you have to, but just start!
LL: Any secrets to happiness/success?
AO: I’m not sure I’ve completely cracked the code to happiness, but I try daily to tap into things that make me happy. Some days are better than others, but I find that the days I feel the most joy are the days I spend doing things I’m passionate about. So if I could give advice, it would be as basic and as simple as follow your passion with hopeless abandon.
Comparison is the thief of joy, so resist the temptation to compare your life with someone else’s. Maybe it’s called the “secret to happiness” because the answer is whispered within, and completely unique to your specific life purpose.
On success? I’d say first define what success looks like for you. Is it wealth, which for most really means freedom? Is it recognition? Identify that thing for you, and then create a quantifiable plan to get there step by step. I find that separating my goals into bite-size portions makes them easier to focus on and complete.
I’m also compelled to say that mental health is so very important. Please check in with yourself often to make sure your days are healthily aligned. Some people like to say, “Choose happiness.” I understand that, for some, it’s not that simple. Get professional help to sort through things when happiness just doesn’t seem attainable. Don’t be afraid to ask for support! I’m never too busy to share a cup of coffee or tea with anyone who needs a little extra encouragement. We are all in this together.
LL: Your motto is “Live Beautiful.” How does that translate into what you do every day?
AO: For a long time, I was afraid. I was afraid of being myself for fear of what others might think, afraid of chasing my dreams because they seemed too big, afraid of not being enough…and the list could go on and on. For me personally, to “live beautiful” meant to live in authenticity, purpose, and in wild pursuit of my dreams.
The freedom that I found in practicing my motto led me to real estate and interior design, two dreams that I’d deferred for far too long. Now that I own a brokerage and design firm, we’ve woven this principle of “living beautiful” into the fabric of the company. Our goal is to create a space where our agents and designers can cultivate their own beautiful life through the power of entrepreneurship. And, of course, every day, with every client we touch, our aim is to help them discover the beauty homeownership brings and its potential to be life changing.
Oh, and yes, we take this idea of “living beautiful” quite literally also. We believe a thoughtfully designed, beautiful space is just plain good for the soul, and we want to do our part to spread beauty in this community and city that we love and call home.