Donna Flamm with Gateway Real Estate in Crystal City said homebuyers should pair with an established, trusted Realtor when they’re on the house hunt.
Knowledge about a community is crucial when it comes to buying a house, Flamm said, and oftentimes the algorithms used by real estate marketplace websites like Zillow or Realtor.com get it wrong.
“Don’t believe anything you see on Zillow or Realtor.com,” she said. “They are not Realtors, they are not in our city, they are not in our neighborhood. Use an experienced Realtor with knowledge of your area every time, all day long, twice on Sunday.”
Flamm, a top producer at her office at 515 Bailey Road, works primarily in Jefferson and St. Louis counties, also branching out to St. Charles, Washington and Franklin counties. She’s in her 14th year doing real estate.
Flamm said she’s a right-of-way agent, meaning she works with utility companies to represent the homebuyer and ensure easements are handled correctly in the lease or purchase of the property.
“The one thing that is paramount to real estate is that no two pieces of land are definitely the same,” Flamm said. “When you own a piece of land, you own what’s under it and above it. It’s from underground to the sky. (Being a right-of-way agent) is another degree of knowing your business and how it applies.”
She is also VA-certified, which means she has training to help veterans and military members buy and sell homes, and is an Accredited Buyer’s Representative.
The majority of Flamm’s business comes through referrals. For information, contact her at Donna.FlammSellsHomes@gmail.com or 636-614-0433.
“Some clients I’ve worked with six, seven or eight times, selling different properties, whether it be residential for themselves or properties they purchased for rental properties,” Flamm said.