Wanting to take advantage of the booming real estate market, a husband and wife from Albemarle recently opened a new downtown real estate business called Danu Realty LLC.
After moving into their premises last October, Katie Brasseur and her husband Dean, both Keller Williams agents, had their first open house last month. The company, located at 232 E. North St., is an extension of the select Keller Williams Indian Trail office and is the first Keller Williams office in the county.
“From initial meeting to closing, our goal is to make sure you feel comfortable, supported and informed,” according to the Danu Realty website.
Having previously worked from home, things got so busy that the couple decided they needed to establish a physical presence in the county.
Much of the demand, Katie Brasseur said, comes from people attracted to the affordable housing on offer in Stanly County compared to more expensive areas like Charlotte and Concord.
“The prices are going up, but it’s not like Charlotte,” she said.
And Stanly County has seen a surge in new residents over the past two years, largely a byproduct of so many people moving to the Charlotte area.
Pending home sales in the county through January this year, the most recent data, rose 22%, with 82 properties sold, compared to the same period last year, according to data from the Canopy Realtor Association, based in Charlotte. New listings and average selling prices have also increased so far this year compared to last year.
“For every home we review, there must be 50 or more buyers looking at the same home,” Brasseur said. “It’s a market like no one has ever seen before.”
By operating under the Keller Williams umbrella, Brasseur said, she and her team of five agents have access to listings around the world. Besides Stanly County, Danu Realty also serves residents of Cabarrus and Mecklenburg counties as well as parts of South Carolina.
“We’re just excited to see the growth”
Although not originally from Albemarle, where she and Dean have lived for nearly six years, Brasseur can still relate to longtime residents based on similar experiences in Saginaw, Michigan.
“The town we came from was a predominantly General Motors town,” she said, “and when GM pulled out, it was kind of like Albemarle when the big cotton pulled out… What we see here is that Albemarle has a revitalization going on which looks similar to what we saw up there.
The couple moved to North Carolina about eight years ago after Dean got a job with Lionel, a Concord-based company that designs model trains and model railroads.
After many years in the corporate world, Brasseur obtained her real estate licenses in 2014 and Dean joined in 2020.
“I’ve always loved real estate and wanted to get into it for a long time,” she said.
Wanting to avoid the hustle and bustle of life in Concord, the couple decided to move to Albemarle.
“We liked the small town feel and we had been driving through Albemarle and we loved the look of the town,” Brasseur said.
Getting involved in real estate has also given Brewers a chance to give back and play their part in helping to revitalize the community.
“We’re just excited to see the growth happening right now,” she said. “Albemarle is coming back and we’re delighted to see that.”
Danu Realty is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday.