Bidding Wars and Baby Bottles: How One Wenatchee Realtor is Prepping for Motherhood and Market Shifts
The music blares, the lights flash, and a bead of sweat drops as she pushes through one last sprint on her bike — another great workout with her Sweat Equity Cycle Studio tribe is in the books. As she reaches for her phone to scroll through the dozens of texts and calls from clients, she feels a kick from her baby boy, who is getting his own workout in utero.
This is a day in the life of Aubrey Gettman — cycle studio manager, Wenatchee Valley real estate mogul, and expectant first-time mom.
She’s not trying to do it all. She’s embracing the mess, finding her own rhythms, and helping others do the same.
Juggling bids and a bun in the oven
We love to talk to moms, wives, and women about balance, but when you think about all there is to balance (household duties, husband care, child care, personal health and wellness, spiritual discipline, and social responsibilities — and that’s just a typical Monday), the notion almost becomes laughable.
“There’s no such thing as balance,” she laughs. “Some days your business is thriving and your house is a mess. Other days, the house is spotless, and you’re wondering where your next paycheck is coming from.” It’s time to rethink balance in a new way. Instead of measuring out your duties with military precision every day, maybe we need to take a more holistic approach to rhythm and balance.
And Aubrey is already on her way to mastering that.
“I sleep when I can. Work when I can. Try to have a lot of grace with myself. Sometimes I’ll accomplish 3 days of work in 4 days.” Too often, we put pressure on ourselves to check all of the boxes day in and day out, but for Aubrey, it’s all about grace, gratitude, and getting it done when it gets done — and this coming from a gal working in high-stakes industries.
Aubrey’s secret sauce
How is Aubrey running multiple businesses, prepping for labor and new motherhood, and still managing to match her dress with her nails? One word: boundaries.
“I’ve learned to let calls go through.”
Something you might never hear a real estate agent say — and she sees that as a problem. In her industry (and others like it), availability equals commission. Too often, she sees fellow brokers work themselves into a tizzy over not letting a single notification go unchecked or unanswered.
This soon-to-be momma is taking a different approach to her business and drawing lines in the sand to protect herself and her growing family. Aubrey is killing it in the real estate market, but before 9am and after 7pm, you won’t catch Aubrey glued to her phone. Her phone is on DND, and she’s spending time with her loved ones (probably at Slide Waters), working up a sweat on her bike, or adventuring with her rescue pups — talk about balance.
Don’t worry; she’s not going to ghost you if you’re buying/selling a house with her. Aubrey knows when work needs to get done, but she also knows how to put her family (and her sanity) first. Expect open, honest communication if you team up with Aubrey Joy Homes.
But her boundaries aren’t the only thing keeping her together.
Boundaries plus bonds
There’s this thing we moms love to talk about — have you heard of it? We call it “the village.” It’s something almost every momma is after, and once she finds it, she holds on tight.
Aubrey has a village and then some.
From her cycle studio crew and fellow mom-boss friends to her group of close friends and her amazing family, Aubrey has more of a village than she knows what to do with. Whatever she’s going through, she’s got a friend for that.
She made the decision early on not to surround herself with “…anyone who is toxic. If they don’t make me feel safe, I don’t have time for that.”
The best part? As her support system grew, it helped her become a better village member for others.
It hasn’t always been easy for Aubrey to sit with others in pain comfortably. She’s a self-described reformed Positive Polly, someone who attempts to fix every little problem without really listening. But after experiencing her own tragedies and learning from people like her mother-in-law, Aubrey learned how to stop trying to fix her friend’s problems and waterboarding them with positivity. Instead, she sits with them in their pain, listens closely, and gently walks her friends through their struggles.
Her advice for finding a village? “[Find] nonjudgmental people to talk to in the same phase of life. Find a friend you can share battle stories with.” Your village probably won’t look like a dozen workout buddies or a network of boss babes. It might look like a few soul sisters or a trusty neighbor, but Aubrey says (and we agree) that it can be easy to complain or feel down about who’s in (or not in) your circle. But if we stop to be grateful for those who’ve shown up (even if it’s not what we expected), we can still find all the love and support we need.
Back to business
Amid lessons learned, Aubrey has also been focusing on businesses. She’s part cycle studio manager and part real estate agent — and she’s making it all work.
We tapped her business acumen and got the inside scoop on the Wenatchee Valley market.
"You have to know how to play the game, you need the equipment, and the right coach. It’s competitive. In the last two weeks, I’ve written up six to ten offers — all of them were competing.”
The real estate market is always hot and always expensive, and unfortunately, Aubrey doesn’t really see an end in sight. “Signs that prices will drop are homes sitting on the market for a few months — not counting winter!”
But if you get the right team and coach together, you can still make a competitive offer on your dream home!
Here are some other tricks of the trade we learned from Aubrey.
Q: What are some things you wish buyers (first-time or veterans) knew?
A: Talk to a lender MONTHS before you’re ready to start looking — lenders can do a soft pull that doesn’t ding your credit. Paying off debt and/or consolidating it can save you a lot of money later on. Don’t be afraid to write your first offer, and remember rejection isn’t always a bad thing — it’s practice! Look for red flags in a realtor, like having you sign things without explaining them in full.
Your realtor should be your toolbox! They should have contacts for everyone in the Valley (roofers, inspectors, etc.). They’re paid to know things and paid to know people.
Also, make sure your inspector differentiates between safety hazards and maintenance issues — and keep in mind you can always back out based on the inspection!
Q: There have been some recent legislative shifts in the real estate world. Can you explain what’s happening?
As a buyer, your realtor, by law, must sign a buyer broker agreement with you before showing you houses. There has been pushback on paying buyer broker commissions. The buyer broker's contract states that in the event the seller defaults, the buyer is required to pay. However, I explain that if you want to buy a house and the agent doesn’t want to pay the commission, you can go on as an unrepresented buyer.
Q: What are some common issues in Wenatchee area homes that buyers should be aware of?
A: According to Aubrey, Wenatchee homes can often have “mice and rat issues, aging HVAC systems, and roofing needs because of our extreme heat and cold.”
Q: Which neighborhoods are becoming popular with young families?
A: Aubrey sees young families and new home buyers looking at Historic downtown (Garfield, Franklin, etc.), new construction in East Wenatchee, new developments in Sunnyslope, and even Rock Island! Another popular option right now is buying old homes and renovating them.
Q: What about renting in the Valley?
The best way to find a rental is to ask a local resident to post on Facebook and inquire about the price, number of bedrooms, and pet policy on your behalf, as people who own rentals typically don’t post them.
Q: What should people know about moving to the Valley?
We don’t have much paid entertainment, so you have to do a little more legwork for entertainment; you have to go on a little bit of an adventure. If you look, there’s always something to do! Respect the local traditions and they will respect you; don’t try to change us. This is a town for go-getters; you have to be willing to get outside and take the initiative. If you’re not a small talker, you’re not going to do well here.
Aubrey’s journey as a business owner, friend, and mom is just beginning, and we’re here for all of it. Valley Moms like Aubrey teach and remind us that we’re not going to get it perfect — and that’s not the point. The point is to keep showing up for what matters, even if it looks messy.
