Today we’d like to introduce you to Danika Thomas.
Danika, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I began my real estate career in 2005 after moving back to Austin from NYC.
While living in NYC I realized the importance of community to support and nurture its residents. Our ‘village life’ in the West Village and the walkability of the city in general would greatly inform where I live today, in Travis Heights, and how I engage in business.
The culturally diverse experience of life in NYC would also offer me an important education in the value of diversity, remaining open-minded and compassionate towards other perspectives and customs and instilled a worldly market view and a determined attitude and approach to work.
When I moved back to Austin, I was hired by a small local builder in Bouldin Creek straight out of real estate school. Over the years I sold over 20 spec and custom homes for them in South and East Austin helping clients envision their options to customize and creatively directed the company’s rebrand and future housing developments. I very much loved my work and discovered my ‘signature’ so to speak through the creative design and construction process that those early years provided.
I also started buying and renovating properties myself, including an old church in East Austin where my husband, young son and I lived for some time. Discovering up and coming areas and oft overlooked opportunities has always been a passion of mine and has now led me to consider emerging markets worldwide.
While in college at UT Austin I studied abroad in Paris at the Sorbonne University and fell in love with France, the French culture, high quality of life and standard of excellence. This early experience and my time spent there throughout the years also shapes much of my work and vision in both real estate and the overall creative direction for Fauve House.
Each role and location informs and inspires the others and the lead hat changes when timing requires.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Not smooth, but real. Some years felt like a superhighway and others like I was hanging to the side of a cliff.
The real estate market has seen many ups and downs and I’ve worked hard to diversify myself as a result and to keep myself creatively inspired. Being flexible and adaptable, while staying within your own play and rule book, I think is key to surviving in business and life.
I also think some of the the greatest challenges have involved people. Business is essentially people- so the better you want to become at business the more experience one needs with a diverse and broad range of clients- and the understanding of how we all have the power to affect one another. I think Covid can attest to that. In order to work with that knowledge one has to be willing to step outside certain belief systems and comfort zones and see others and themselves as capable of doing great things together but also dependent on one another- which doesn’t always work out the way we want or expect and can lead to some pretty tough pain points as lessons.
The journey is worth it though when you’re on your own path. And I’m a big believer that the path speaks to you, but in a quiet, direct voice.
The biggest takeaway of my own journey so far has been learning to trust myself even while listening to the opinions and experiences of others and knowing when to dim the noise and go within.
At the end of each day I want to look back and feel I embraced all aspects of life as authentically as possible and acted kindly toward others and myself.
These are all important aspects in my pursuit of meaning and happiness and helped me overcome the hardships. My greatest hope in being of service to others is that of a high quality of care, compassion and attention.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I am the founder, creative director and licensed broker for Fauve House located in Austin, Texas. With over 17 years of experience, we specialize in the sales and marketing of historic, luxury, rare and unique properties in Austin and environs and consult on purchasing abroad.
As founder my vision is to shift the way we traditionally see and purchase real estate from a purely transactional experience to a personal, more wholistic one, similar to the way a global fashion house engages with its customers and clients throughout their lives and across many different mediums.
My goal with the Fauve House brand is to grow it into a global lifestyle company that bridges the sale of real estate with homewares, home wellness and design. I’m currently working on my first candle with a candle manufacturer in Grasse, France, which we hope to launch next year.
At the moment we have a home office and it’s a fun, family affair working around the table but the goal is to eventually have a storefront here in Austin where in a similar way clients can come in and meet with their agent or designer, have tea or a glass of champagne, or shop for a home fragrance or special object for the kitchen or bath.
Through it all though its about the people and building solid, long-term relationships with our clients, the community, our peers and our agent partners remains at the heart of what we do and why.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
“How to Stop Worrying and Start Living” and “The Power of Positive Thinking.” were constant companions growing up and are still very relevant today. Worrying is such a debilitating force if we surrender to it.
I listen to / watch a lot of Bloomberg Business and Behind the Business videos and podcasts. It’s encouraging to hear from some of the greatest leaders of our time what personally motivates them, their trials and how they overcame them – including and especially their success!
I’m very visual and therefore constantly inspired by other creative disciplines found in books, art, nature, food, fashion and of course other people – they are all beautiful and unique expressions of love!
Contact Info:
- Email: danika@fauvehouse.com
- Website: fauvehouse.com
- Instagram: @danikamthomas and @fauvehouse
Image Credits
Danika Thomas 1-4 Megan Dorsey (headshot) 5
