The Holistic Realtor

Over the past decade, I’ve walked through challenges that stretched me, tested me, and ultimately gave me a fire to advocate for what matters most. I know firsthand how toxic building practices and materials can impact health—because I’ve lived it. And I’ve watched the same happen to client after client. That’s why I’ve spent years doing the “dirty work”—hundreds of contracts, inspections, and repair negotiations—fighting hard to protect my clients. At times, it’s felt like I’ve worn a permanent pair of boxing gloves. 🥊 God instilled in me a passion to protect and guide people in some of their most vulnerable moments, and I’ll never stop showing up for that calling.

My Healthy Homes Membership was created with one purpose in mind: to give you the tools to confidently advocate for yourself and your family. It’s the guide I wish I had when I was completely clueless, navigating the unknowns, and the blueprint that has come from serving hundreds of clients in their home purchases, new builds and environmental inspections. In the membership you’ll find ongoing practical resources, in-depth education and guidance, and community support to help you buy, build, and maintain a home that truly supports your health. We’ll cover topics ranging from indoor air and water quality, how to choose healthier building materials, better building practices to home maintenance strategies, healthier product swaps and more.

So whether you’re house-hunting, planning a build or renovation, or simply wanting to stay ahead of issues in your current home so it doesn’t impact your health—this is a resource you can tap into anytime, day or night.

Get ready to Advocate Like A Mother.

Comment “advocate” below for a link to the membership WAITLIST and for a chance to WIN a Safe and Sound Pro II RF Meter. (A $425 value!!)

Some of the more common sources the meter can detect: cell towers, cell phone emissions, cordless home phones, wireless routers (both 2.4 and 5 GHz), Bluetooth devices, smart meter emissions, baby monitors, airport radar, and, microwave oven leakage detection.

Shirt courtesy of

Always a pleasure to serve! So grateful and thankful for each one of my clients!

The beginnings of a healthy home!

Did you know that in addition to selling Real Estate I have a passion for helping homebuyers create a healthier living space? So much that I embarked on a certification consisting of 200+ hours of coursework to become a Building Biologist and New Build Consultant!

Building Biology standards begin with quality and functionality and correct application of materials and spans a million details in between to ensure that all systems work synergistically for the health of the building and its occupants. Today we evaluated exterior finishes. So excited to be a part of this project!

For those of you that have been following my personal mold saga - here’s an update. Backstory: we’ve lived in a new construction home since March. We contracted after the framing and drywall stage and cabinetry had just been installed.

Fast forward a few months later and I noticed a musty smell coming from one of the kitchen outlets. My husband had hung some artwork on the opposite wall and we were sure that he accidentally hit a PEX line. We started to investigate a little further by opening up a small section of the drywall behind the screws that he’d hung the artwork with. Zero signs of any plumbing being hit. We explored further, relying on a few visual cues and eventually came to the conclusion that the cabinet company hit the drain line when they installed the cabinets. The installer probably thought he hit a stud. This drain line is connected to at least two bathrooms above this area.

So after waiting for a month after scheduling, our remediation team started today and it was validated that indeed this a result of improper cabinet installation .

So, while I sit and process this, here are a few takeaways:

-I am super grateful to God for my very keen, bloodhound sense of smell. There were zero signs of moisture - I used my FLIR, checked moisture content on the drywall. Nothing but an odor that tipped me off.

-I’m grateful that my builder obliged to my requests to have my chosen remediation company set up proper containment before disassembling and materials.

-I am grateful to have some health things validated - there were a few off things that made me suspect exposure.

-New construction is not ever exempt from issues. No one or nothing could have caught this. I’ve lived in 3 new construction spec homes and every one of them had a mold problem that presented early on. It’s not a perfect process, humans build homes and they make mistakes - in this case the installer had zero clue that he had mistaken a drain line for a stud. BE DILIGENT!

-God is really exposing me to a wide variety of building nuances both at home and in the field every day that you can’t glean from reading books.

Stay tuned as I share more as the story unfolds.

https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/petition-calls-to-remove-cell-tower-from-nearby-tn-elementary-school/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=socialflow&fbclid=IwAR1uZXW4pfKy5fbVSZpDTNfLO2AJBNalTF72Fm7VYDimhOqhZv_e16WXWE4_aem_AUVRtWyqLeR373m3y6ZbjAv9XW2WonUu5tI9a159SrZ0FA0eepoUyDPEU60hb8_0M0g

730+ people petition to remove cell tower from nearby Williamson County elementary school Hundreds of people are petitioning for the removal of a cellphone tower in Williamson County. Right before the school year started, the tower was placed close to Trinity Elementary School.

Building against the grain of conventional construction is challenging, but I will continue to champion my clients that want to embark on producing a healthier home. These concepts focus on why and how buildings fail to serve human health. ANY improvement is worthwhile!

Y’all! I’m not going to sugar coat it. If an agent is doing their job, it’s hard. There’s never an off button and timing is really everything. But I love going to bat for my clients and especially when it incites a change for the better in the building industry.

So, a few tips to consider when choosing an agent that will represent you in a resale or a new build.

🍃 They need to fully understand contracts and agreements. No, we’re not attorneys and there are times to defer to one. But breezing through a contract and not explaining potential repercussions of language in a contract (especially new construction) could be detrimental. I’m talking clauses that take away your ability to seek legal recourse in the event that you ever needed to. I’m talking contracts that exclude inspections, “as-is” properties and important timelines that you are responsible for.

🍃Timelines, deadlines and site visits are important. I have it down to an art when I make site visits in new construction. Many phases move so fast that there are things you can no longer see or have inspected once the next phase starts. I visit weekly at a minimum but often daily during certain phases. I have systems I use for resale homes every time.

🍃Buying and selling a home is hard enough with preparing to sell, the search process for a new home, choosing selections in a new build, navigating inspections and well, let’s face it - finding or a home that is less likely to contribute to health issues. You need an ADVOCATE. My personal journey has really made me passionate in this area and my Building Biology training further ignites that passion. Building science is a complicated topic and sadly most builders don’t fully understand it. I’m on a mission to learn as much as I can, ask questions, tap into industry knowledge and speak up when things don’t seem right.

So, choose wisely! I’m Including a sampling of email correspondence that happens on the daily - the nitty gritty details - There are hundreds of others vetting and detailing non toxic materials, safer build practices, etc.

My goal is to deliver the best experience that I possibly can as I help clients navigate a healthier home purchase.

Catch my latest interview with ! Learn how to protect yourself when purchasing a home! 🏡

https://changetheairfoundation.org/a-realtors.../

Let’s talk showers. Tile showers are aesthetically great, but the devil is in the details (pretty much just like anything else). In my 10 years of practicing real estate I’ve seen a lot of failed showers and also experienced one personally - so for me it’s been an area of increased interest. I’ve witnessed failures with various types of construction as evident on inspection reports and most often it revolves around the pan and waterproofing (or lack thereof) and drains.

Most builders are shifting toward using Schluter systems or Wedi/Kerdi membranes and there proper techniques to this installation as well, especially when incorporating a bench seat.

If you’re curious how your tile shower is holding up, some signs of failure can be discoloration, odors, cracked tiles or grout, and constant moldy grout joints. These issues can happen from improper slopes, improperly installed curbing and shoddy pans that utilize foam and mud-set pan base. Grout is not impermeable and the pan needs to function in order to prevent issues.

It’s also a good idea to scope out your plumbing penetrations occasionally for leaks - if you have a crawl space they will be visible. And if you having batting insulation in the subfloor (a topic for another post) you’ll need to pull it back to see the plumbing to look for signs of moisture or leaks.

There are many more nuances such as specific tile types to avoid. So bottom line - make sure you understand what your builder specs are in regards to the shower pan and shower construction. And when in doubt - refer to your trusted inspector and/or manufacturer specs to ensure proper installation.

This is an excellent summary of extremely critical points that need to be taken into consideration before a remediation project begins.