Austin Agent Crystal Washington Helps Sports Pros Get in the Real Estate Game

As a member of Douglas Elliman’s prestigious Sports & Entertainment division , Austin, Tex.-based agent Crystal Washington understands that sports pros often have a more complex set of needs than most real estate clients. While privacy and discretion are certainly among the requirements for any high-profile client, the expertise that Washington provides to clients who play for Major League Soccer or the NFL goes beyond managing their celebrity status. “Most of players we work with are not the Tom Bradys or the Lionel Messis of the world,” she said. “It’s often guys that you may not hear about all the time on Sports Center , but they still have a good salary—the average soccer player probably makes $250,000. So, what’s meaningful to me about working with athletes isn’t the price point.” What Washington enjoys most about being a Sports & Entertainment agent is the chance to help her clients leverage the long-term financial benefits of owning real estate. “Most of the athletes I work with don’t buy high-end,” she said. “They buy homes in fast-growing, appreciating areas so that they are in a good equity position when they get traded in two to three years.” For Washington, who attended college on a cheerleading scholarship before embarking on a successful career as a TV news anchor, reporter and producer, the work has personal resonance. “A lot of these players grew up very similar to how I did, social economically,” she said. “They practiced really hard and achieved a lot of success, but often what they don’t have is money management experience or guidance on what buying property can do for them in the long run when their career is over at 30.” Her specialty, she says, is teaching her athlete clients how to buy properties with potential to become good rental properties when they get traded. “Buying and owning real estate literally changed my life—it enabled me to get out of debt and make money for my family and help my parents purchase properties,” she said. “If I can help these guys to buy a rental, and if they get traded, they’ll still have a check coming in, that’s really gratifying.” In the six years since Washington transitioned from broadcast journalism to real estate, she has established herself as a go-to agent for members of the market’s MLS franchise, Austin FC. She recently helped defender Nick Lima sell one of his homes when he relocated to Boston after being traded to the New England Revolution. And she has built a referral network by drawing on the skills she used to cultivate sources as a crime reporter. “What I learned is that you really have to find out who touches the family the most,” said Washington, explaining that the spheres of influence that revolve around athletes often vary depending on the sport. “For Austin FC players, it’s the barber—soccer is big on haircuts! With the NFL, it’s all about training and high impact, so it’s knowing the surgeon and physical therapists.” That holistic approach extends “beyond the players’ day-to-day to what impacts their lives,” she added, such as pointing players with young children to daycares or nanny referrals. “Those things are important to providing a more full-service experience.” As a former athlete herself, whose passion for fitness has driven her to participate in several Spartan Races (and kept her on the Peloton well into the third trimester of her pregnancy), Washington can also relate to her clients’ active lifestyles and be a resource for local gyms or trails for hiking and biking. “With athletes, it often comes down to those commonalities of what a fit person tends to do,” she said. “What does an athlete do in their leisure time? Well, often it’s something that’s physically challenging.” As she continues to build her business in Austin, Washington is leaning into an affinity for data and research she developed as an investigative reporter. “I look for the areas of growth, where the opportunities zones are, what business trends are going to help boost value,” she said. And she is excited to “dive into the network of Douglas Elliman” and the S&E division. “ We have such a powerful, elevated brand, which is what attracted me to it,” she said. “The division has recruited some amazing agents throughout this company. I’ve been traveling to different offices to connect and network because that’s how I learn about player trades, which typically aren’t disclosed or publicized. Truly, the magic in the sports space is all about the trades.”