I’ll be honest with you. Sometimes it’s embarrassing to tell people I’m a real estate agent. I’ve seen the look that crosses someone’s face when I say it, that little eye-roll moment, because how many real estate agents do you know? Probably a dozen. After the pandemic, so many people got their licenses that we ended up with far more agents than home sales, and “I’m a Realtor” became almost a punchline. I understand why. Some of what I read in agent forums and Facebook groups makes me cringe, too.
It’s been a tough stretch in this business. I’m fortunate that I’ve built other work alongside it. I publish I Love Fair Oaks, and my photography business has carried me through. There were times I stepped back from real estate to focus on building my publishing platform, so I understand why some people are surprised when I tell them I’m a Realtor.
But I didn’t just get my license. Real estate was my first career. I got my start at Foxwell and Company, a little office at 1330 Church Street in Noe Valley, San Francisco, working with my father and stepmother in their real estate business. Together with a group of investors, they would buy buildings, renovate them, rent them out for a few years, then sell and put the money into the next one. My job was right in the middle of all of it. I typed contracts, managed the properties, collected rents, arranged repairs, and showed units when inspections came up. I also handled my stepmother’s transaction files, much like a transaction coordinator would today, which is how I learned to read a preliminary title report and understand what I was looking at.
That training followed me when I was offered a job at a mortgage company. They started me at the front desk copying files, but my stepmother had taught me to pay attention to details, and I began catching mistakes in those files. Before long they were training me as a loan processor, then in underwriting, and eventually I became a loan officer, packaging files so they had everything a lender needed to approve them. From there I went into title, and then into sales. I go way back with some of the Realtors and loan officers around here.
All of that gave me a well-rounded understanding of contracts, escrows, and what it takes to solve problems and get a transaction to the finish line. I’m a good negotiator, and I’m diplomatic by nature. A friend and I were having breakfast recently when she laughed and said, “You have got to be a Libra.” I am. “You’re always weighing and measuring,” she said. She’s right, and it’s exactly what this work calls for. It’s also why the part I love most is the work inside the business: working with the client, solving the problems that come up, and getting them through the process.
What I don’t love is the way a lot of real estate gets marketed. I’m not the loudest Realtor in the room. I’m not going to turn every conversation into real estate, and I’m not going to run around town telling everyone I can help them buy or sell. To me, that feels cringy, and I know plenty of Realtors feel the same way. I don’t hold it against anyone who’s comfortable with it. It just isn’t me.
So how do you find clients when the usual way of getting business feels wrong to you? That’s been the hard part for me. My answer was to write. I wrote my book, Downsizing with Intention, and I thought carefully about the kind of person I’m best at helping. Now I talk to that person here on my blog and on my YouTube channel, and I let them find me.
I don’t want a lot of clients. That would be overwhelming, and it isn’t why I do this. I’m at a stage in my life where I don’t need high volume, and I don’t care about top-producer rankings. I want a handful of clients so I can give each of them excellent service and help them feel confident that they’re making the right decisions.
Here’s what I do care about. I want to make a difference in someone’s life. I want a client to look back and say, “I got here because Chrysti helped me.” I want them to feel that I took something scary and made it less scary, that they could ask me anything, and that they could let their guard down because they trusted me to take care of them. That’s what I want every client to feel.
If you’re reading this and you’re facing a move, whether you’re downsizing, settling a parent’s estate, or wondering what comes next, I wrote this for you. I’m not going to chase you or pressure you. I’m putting myself out here so that when you’re ready, you know where to find me. Email me at hello@chrystitovani.com or call 916-320-2663, and we’ll talk.
Chrysti Tovani is a Fair Oaks real estate advisor, life-transition specialist, and the author of Downsizing with Intention. Her work is built around one idea: making room for what comes next. Through The Making Room Framework™, she helps people sell long-held homes, downsize with clarity, and move through major life changes with confidence, care, and a real plan.
With decades of experience across real estate, mortgage, and title, Chrysti brings deep industry knowledge and thoughtful preparation to every move. She is a Seniors Real Estate Specialist® (SRES) and a Certified Probate and Trust Real Estate Specialist, and her approach blends strategic marketing, skilled negotiation, and emotional intelligence so each transition is handled with both precision and heart.
Chrysti is also the founder of I Love Fair Oaks, a hyperlocal media platform celebrating trusted businesses and community life in Fair Oaks, California, a beloved Sacramento County community known for its historic village, the American River Parkway, and a small-town feel that keeps people here for decades. She has called it home for more than 35 years. Chrysti is a licensed REALTOR® with eXp Realty of California, DRE #01118449.