MEMBER FEATURE: THE HVIZDA TEAM / KELLER WILLIAMS REALTY

MEMBER FEATURE: A conversation with Ryan Hvizda, The Hvizda Team / Keller Williams Realty

Matchingmaking: People & Homes

We recently met Ryan and her husband Michael, who are The Hvizda Team at Keller Williams Realty, and are delighted to welcome them as new members of NHBSR. Some of you may have met Ryan and Michael at the conference a couple of weeks ago, but if not we hope that you’ll have a chance to meet them at another point this year.  Please join us in giving them a warm welcome. We recently had a conversation with Ryan to learn a little more about her and The Hvizda Team, their business and interest in NHBSR.  

I think that for most of us our homes are our sanctuaries and is the place that we return to at the end of the day, where we gather with family and friends, and where we invest an amazing amount of time in working to make it reflect who were are and how we like to live. Do you remember your first house and what it was about the house that spoke to you and made you know it was “one”? I was completely smitten with the window latches of my first house and the big red barn, which was an 1870’s in-town farm house in midcoast Maine. I remember my mom suggesting that I look beyond the latches to make the decision, which I did, but all to say these little details are sometimes what hook us. And when it comes selling one’s house we hope that we will be passing on the house to someone who will love and appreciate some of the same things we did. This isn’t always the case, but personally speaking, it makes it easier to let go when we feel there’s a good match with the next owners.

Ryan has been studying and practicing permaculture since 2010 when she and her husband Michael lived on a permaculture farm for a year. Their personal experience in searching for their own permaculture homestead was their catalyst for getting into the real estate business. While all real estate is about finding the right fit for both seller and buyer, they realized that there are types of properties, particularly agricultural ones, where stewardship plays a key role in the transfer of such a property.

Ryan received her PDC in 2011 at Colby Sawyer College and then went on to take numerous permaculture courses ranging from urban permaculture design to regenerative wasteland ecosystems in Haiti. Throughout this process of continuing education she and Michael realized that real estate affects all of us and there was an enormous opportunity to found a real estate practice on the ethics of permaculture. The Hvizda Team has been practicing real estate for three years, getting their start deeply rooted in community and ethics grounded in permaculture.

There are three main principals in permaculture: fair share, people care, earth care. There is a lot of information about permaculture available- in fact, too much to share here. However, we will share a few key elements that are important to Ryan and The Hvizda Team.

[photo credit: Aliza Eliazarov, http://alizaeliazarov.com/]

Their top priority is the wellbeing of their team and the people they work for. In terms of their business this means they meet people where they are at—by assisting them in identifying and articulating their goals. Buying or selling a home is a significant decision and so this clarity helps the team know how to best support their clients as they make this transition.

The Hvizda Team believes that real estate starts with community and so education is a core element their practice. They offer a series of free, consumer-based educational workshops throughout the year, including a Home Stewardship Series and Land Access & Transfer Series. These workshops bring together a wide range of professionals in that realm who are available to as a resource to individuals considering either purchasing or selling a property. The more informed they are, the better decisions they are able to make. Between 2012-2015, The Hvizda Team has had 15 such educational workshops which have brought together service providers that have included: NOFA-NH, Land For Good, New Hampshire Community Loan Fund, Farm Service Agency, Farm Credit East, ACA, New Hampshire Agricultural Mediation Program, UNH Cooperative Extension, The Russell Foundation, South East Land Trust, Five Rivers Land Trust, NRCS, and BCM Environmental & Land Law PLLC.

As the title of this message suggests—fitting a person with a home or a home with a person is a bit like matchmaking, the essence of which is about relationships. While many real estate transactions are straightforward, there are just as many that require a greater understanding of both the place and the person. For The Hvizda Team, getting clear about a client’s goals and motivations is essential. Clients need to paint the picture of what they want and have a vision of who they would like to take over their property. From there Ryan and the team can put their energy into finding the right fit.  Ryan and Michael have had the opportunity to help a number of people with unique properties, that include one that has been homesteaded for 40 years, a nature-based pre-school, and a biodynamic farm. In the small world of NH, we learned that Ryan and Michael represented the sellers of Third Stone Farm, which was bought by a NHBSR board member and her husband. Ryan shared with us that the sellers continue to serve as mentors to both she and Michael along with the new owners of Third Stone Farm.  While they are uniquely equipped to help with these special properties, their team of 5 specializes in all residential real estate.

We asked Ryan what inspired her to join NHBSR and her answer—why wouldn’t they? She and Michael learned about NHBSR from a fellow NHBSR member, Warrenstreet Architects, and in learning more realized that NHBSR was an organization of like-minded people that they both want to be a part of and support. The conversations that are happening in the NHBSR community are the conversations that fuel their whole passion about why they are in the business.  Ryan feels they have a social responsibility to their community and being part of NHBSR is an opportunity to connect with and learn from others who feel the same.

We asked Ryan what they are looking forward to as a member of NHBSR. She shared that they are looking forward to hearing about different organizations successes around their sustainability and social responsibility initiatives. They find themselves connecting with a lot of entrepreneurial groups, but having participated in the NHBSR conference they were excited to be injected into conversations with people from different levels of companies in NH.

The Hvizda Team has offices in Bedford and Concord—and will soon be in the seacoast as well, and offers services for all aspects of Residential Real Estate. Ryan welcomes the opportunity to connect with fellow NHBSR members. You can reach Ryan by email at rhvizda@kw.com, or via phone at 603-557- 6661 or 603-232- 8282. You can also find them on Facebook and their new website will be live any day at www.hvizdateam.com.