Global Real Estate Advisor Linda Baker often quips that she grew up in a Lowe's hardware store. Given that her father was a custom home builder with whom she became an enthralled sidekick, those early years of her life clearly influenced her passion for building a real estate career.
Now, as a Briggs Freeman | Sotheby's International Realty professional and a multimillion-dollar producer, Linda says she stakes her results on tenacity, trust and impeccable standards. "My clients know that I value integrity and putting their needs first," she adds. "I stay with them throughout every step of the buying and selling process."
Linda says the local real estate market doesn't appear to be slowing down, even with rising interest rates. "Getting multiple offers and over-asking purchase amounts is across all price points, which is a trend that started in 2020. Some offers come with waved contingencies," she says.
Prior to holding her real estate license, Linda worked for 20 years in corporate positions, holding various roles in operations, accounting, sales and legal -- all integral skills, she says, to fully evaluate real estate purchases. She works with properties of all price points in Collin, Denton, Dallas and Tarrant Counties, and the surrounding DFW areas.
"I have inside knowledge of the local market, and am an expert negotiator. I work hard to secure great deals for my clients, regardless of the ups and downs of the market," Linda says.
Her effort and diligence shows in that Linda was Briggs Freeman's Top Individual Agent for the North Office in both 2020 and 2021.
Not all buyers are from out-of-state, she reveals, with a significant number of local buyers realizing there are advantages to selling now -- even those retiring, downsizing or upsizing, as the market continues to remain extremely strong in Frisco.
"Frisco is an insanely popular place, very high on buyers' lists, due to the quality schools, entertainment, low tax rate, geographic accessibility, sports and extra activities as the driving factors," Linda adds.
Part of the area's growth is still coming from companies whose leaders are moving the businesses to Texas, particularly to business-friendly Frisco, Linda says. "And I work with plenty of people who desire to upsize because they want to have enough yard space or rooms for extended family," she adds.
Additionally, Frisco leaders snagged the attention of PGA Of America leaders to relocate their headquarters there from Florida, which is adding two championship golf courses, a conference center and a resort-style hotel to the area.
No doubt, Frisco often appears at the top of national rankings for the city's safety, fast-growing local economy and other factors that contribute to it being one of Money magazine’s “best places to live.” In fact, a WalletHub study reported Frisco was the nation's top real estate market. Frisco, Denton, McKinney and Allen claimed four of the top 10 real estate markets in the country — at positions 1, 4, 5 and 7, respectively — while an additional eight North Texas suburbs placed in the top third.
Frisco’s market is more competitive than most U.S. cities and outperforms other strong markets, according to Redfin, a Seattle-based real estate brokerage that analyzes the national housing market. Here’s what the brokerage reported for Frisco during presstime:
$650,000: Median home sale price
32%: Year-over-year increase in median home sale price
15%: Amount above listing price average home sold for
67.1%: Percentage of homes sold above listing price
13 days: How long average home was on market before selling
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