About Austin

I’m Austin Hellickson, a Managing Broker with LPT Realty. King County Home Team is how I represent buyers and sellers in Seattle, on the Eastside and through the south end of the county.

One person is accountable for your purchase or your sale from the first phone call to closing, and that person is me. When a transaction needs someone else (an inspector, a lender, an escrow officer, an agent in another state), I bring them in and I stay responsible for how it goes.

What a managing broker does

In Washington, a managing broker holds the license level that allows supervising other brokers as well as representing clients directly. The job involves a lot of close reading of contracts, deadlines and the clauses that matter when a transaction gets complicated. I bring the same habit to my own clients’ files. I read the title commitment and the condo budget, and I look up the permit history before we write an offer on a house with a new addition.

On the buying side

With buyers, I start with how you live and work backward to the house. Which bridge you’ll cross, which school district you’re buying into, how much yard you want, how much work you’re willing to take on. If I see a problem on a tour, I’ll point it out then, before an inspector has to. When we find the right one, I write the offer to win on terms as well as price, and then I manage every date between mutual acceptance and closing.

On the selling side

With sellers, most of my work happens before the sign goes up. We walk the house together and decide what to fix, what to leave, and what to disclose. I price from sales of homes like yours and show you every one. I hold every listing to the same presentation standards, with professional photography scheduled for the right light, a measured floor plan, and remarks written for your house specifically. When offers come in, I lay them out side by side and we decide together.

From a first condo to the waterfront

A waterfront house calls for things a condo doesn’t: private showings when the seller wants them, and a buyer’s side that checks the permits on the bulkhead. A first condo in Kent has its own homework, like the association’s reserves and any special assessment on the horizon. Both get the same close reading.

Where we’ll meet

My office is at 1230 Fryar Ave in Sumner, just south of the King County line, but most of my meetings happen at the house in question. For sellers that means a slow walk through every room and around the lot. For buyers it often means coffee near your work, in South Lake Union, downtown Bellevue or Overlake, and then a drive through the neighborhoods on your list. Video calls fill the gaps, especially for people relocating from out of state who want to see a house properly before they book a flight. Wherever we meet, you’ll have my cell number, and you’ll be talking to me.

The Homexa® network

I’m part of Homexa®, a network of 300+ agents across 25 states. It’s how I can introduce a client who is moving across the country to an agent on the other end, and how an agent in another state can refer a client who is moving to King County. The brokerage services I provide are through LPT Realty.

Austin

Managing Broker, LPT Realty · 206.940.0942