Janet Davila

Janet Davila helps homeowners in Rosenberg, Richmond, and Sugar Land, Texas, through the moves that come with life’s biggest changes: downsizing, relocating, going through a divorce, or owing more on a mortgage than the home is worth. She also guides buyers through new construction, attending every builder appointment with them and taking notes along the way. Janet is the owner of JD Realty Advisors, LLC, has sold real estate since 2009, and averages $10 million in sales each year.

Janet chose this career on purpose. After watching her parents start investing in rental properties, she used a college scholarship to take real estate courses. She got her license in the middle of the housing crash, and her early years were spent helping homeowners who were upside down on their mortgages work through short sales. That experience still shapes how she works today.

Many of Janet’s clients come to her after another agent let them down. One family’s home had sat on the market for 90 days with little communication and almost no marketing. Janet brought in videography that showed off the home’s sunroom, and the house sold in under 30 days, sending the family on to their new life in another state. Another seller’s listing expired after six months of nothing but price cuts. Janet started with two questions the previous agent never asked: How much is owed on the mortgage? And did you know you could short sell the home? With no equity left, she worked directly with the lender to secure a short sale that protected his credit. When it closed, he told her he felt “as free as a bird.”

She doesn’t back away from hard deals. A seller who bought a property at a tax auction later discovered a mortgage balance still owed and an HOA foreclosure date already set. With less than 60 days, Janet listed, sold, and closed the home, and it funded at 4:55 p.m. on the deadline day, five minutes before 5 p.m. He recovered his investment and told her he’ll never buy another house without talking to her first.

Janet is direct when it counts. She once told a divorcing seller who was angry at her ex that the sale wasn’t the place for it, because staying agreeable would get her what she wanted most: a sold home and no more dealings with him. It worked.

For new construction buyers, she knows “up to code” isn’t always enough. On one recent purchase, an inspection Janet insisted on found minimal attic ventilation. The builder said code didn’t require more, but in Houston’s humidity, that’s a mold problem waiting to happen. Janet got it addressed and negotiated $15,000 off the price.

What matters most to Janet is clients ending up in a home they can grow old in. Years ago, a buyer came to her set on a fixer-upper she didn’t have the cash to fix. Janet took her to a different neighborhood where the same budget bought a move-in-ready home. Nine years later, that client says she plans to stay there until the end of time.