Today we’d like to introduce you to Sara Sawyer
Hi Sara, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My husband, Ben, and I moved to Savannah in 2017. When we arrived, my husband started at his new job and I began the search for our very first home. I instantly fell in love with the people and processes of home buying and considered getting into the world of Real Estate. A few months after we closed on our house and settled into life here in Georgia, I went on to get my Real Estate license and hit the ground running.
I spent several years working as a Realtor, executive assistant, and coordinator at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, Cora Bett Thomas Realty. During that time I learned so much about navigating the business, and improved my customer service skills. During the latter part of 2020, I discovered my true passion for the paperwork & organizational side of Real Estate, and knowing there was a lack of Transaction Management in Savannah, I co-founded my first company, Precision Transactions. After perfecting the systems & navigating owning a business, I branched off & founded my own company, Moon River Transactions in May of 2022.
When I began Moon River, it was just me and I was offering contract-to-close services to a few local Agents. Now, I have an amazing team, expanded services, and work with over 40 Agents in the Savannah area. And, after years of watching me navigate the world of Real Estate, my husband has decided to jump in! He recently got his License and joined the Coastal Empire Real Estate Team as an active agent.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
What a question! Of course, the road has not been smooth but I am so thankful for every twist and turn that has helped me become a better business owner, transaction coordinator, and overall person.
Getting started was the hardest part, both financially and mentally. A lot of blood, sweat, and tears went into building my business and perfecting the systems we use. Thankfully, I had my husband by my side encouraging me every step of the way. I learned so much when I started, including standing up for myself and feeling confident in the services I offer. I was able to learn the difference between offering too much to a client and over-extending myself versus customizing my services per agent.
One harder lesson to learn was that not every agent will want to work with us, and not every client will be the best fit. As somewhat of a perfectionist, that is hard to navigate, but I’m grateful I learned it early on.
I also learned what being a boss was all about! Although I have been in management positions before, it’s quite different to pull someone into your small business and have them agree to join you on this adventure.
My friend and first employee, Bailey, started shadowing me when I started Moon River. By January of 2023, I was able to hire her part-time as my executive administrator. She and I have navigated this crazy world together – the good, easy times and the not-so-good, harder times. I am so grateful to have Bailey as a sounding board and she is so understanding when I am figuring things out. I would not be where I am today without her!
Bailey is now full-time and serves as the Director of Operations and a Transaction Coordinator with her own clients. Her husband, Jacob, joined our team a few months ago and took on the Executive Administrator duties. Shortly after, we brought on our friend Dawn as our Social Media and Marketing Manager.
In the end, no matter what hurdles I have experienced, it all brought me to this moment. I have been a business owner for four years, I get to work alongside my friends and we are growing and expanding day by day. I am very excited to see what the future holds – struggles and all!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Realtors spend an average of 15-20 hours preparing & handling a contract from the time all parties have signed until it is closed. While this is a necessary part of being a real estate agent, savvy agents leverage their time. These hours can be spent networking, prospecting, obtaining more listings, writing more offers, or spending more time doing things you love. And that is where we come in! Moon River is here to give Real Estate Agents the ability to leverage their time & energy away from the non-income-producing tasks of transaction management. We do this by utilizing efficient systems, excellent customer service & ever-growing knowledge from contract to close.
Although we specialize in contract-to-close services, we offer a la carte options including, compliance-only, offer writing, and MLS Listing input. We also offer full brokerage services on a case-by-case basis.
I think what sets us apart from others is our capability to customize services per agent, team, or brokerage. We are very flexible in what we can do and always working to perfect the back end of our systems to better serve our clients. As they change and grow, so do we! We are continuously learning how to add value to our client’s services and exploring what our client’s needs are. With that in mind, we have recently started beta-testing options for content and social media services. We love it when our agents give us new ideas on ways to fill administrative holes in the market, I am thankful to have such a creative and motivated team surrounding me who are willing to navigate the unknown.
I am very proud to be a locally-based Savannah business. Although we service clients all throughout Georiga, most of our clients are within an hour’s radius of Savannah. Unlike the national or fully virtual Transaction Management companies, we meet and socialize with not only our clients but also other Real Estate colleges. Moon River is an affiliate of the Savannah Area Realtors and we love to attend Real Estate networking events. We keep up with local Attorneys and Lenders and even throw Happy Hour events as well! We enjoy being involved in the community and make sure to keep up with the market and what’s going on in our area.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
Real Estate, especially in such a tight-knit and small community like Savannah, is an intimidating world to enter, but over the years I have gained a lot of confidence and made many lasting connections and friendships.
It has blown me away how supportive people here are – even if they do not utilize our services! Some of my best referrals have come from Agents who work on teams with in-house TCs, or agents who have assistants and do not feel the need to add Transaction Management services. I have even received a few clients from fellow Transaction Coordinators in the area and referred others to them as well – that goes hand in hand with the lesson that not every client is a good fit, and that is okay!
Although I do a little marketing, my business has grown a lot through word of mouth and referrals and I am so thankful for it. Savannah truly is an amazing city filled with people who want to see others succeed and I’m grateful to be a part of it.
When I moved here in 2017, I could have never imagined my life would turn out this way. It’s been such an amazing adventure and I am excited to see what the future holds for myself and Moon River Transactions.
Pricing:
- Contract to Close Services $350-$500
- Compliance Only $50-$100
- Offer Writing $50
- MLS Listing Input $50-75
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.moonrivertransactions.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moonrivertransactions/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/moonrivertransactions
