If there’s a Grand Dame of real estate in Rockdale, it’s Judith Matula, and everyone knows that. And after 45 years in the business Judith is making a big change.
“This was the hardest decision of my life,” she said. “I love Pud Owens like a brother and all the rest of his family as well, but the time for change has come.”
Oh, readers, did you think she was retiring?
Not a chance. According to her, “The day I retire will be the day I drop dead, which will probably be in someone’s house I’m trying to sell.”
Judith is going into a new real estate business with her daughter Lisa Kosub, Leslie Davidson, with whom she’s worked for almost 10 years, and Kathryne Roddam who has been working with Lisa for four years at Keller Williams Northwest Market Center, after retiring from teaching at RISD for 27 years.
So Rockdale will have a new Keller Williams Realty at the current office where Judith has been working for decades, an office with almost 100 years combined experience. That’s a lot of real estate experience in one office.
Some of you will remember that Judith had an exclusive deal with Alcoa in the 1970s and 1980s and often knew when people were being transferred to the company’s other plants in different cities before they did. But she kept all of that under wraps.
Judith and Pud Owens went into business together 45 years ago and had several offices around town before moving into the current office at 910 West Cameron Avenue in 1984. She said one of the offices was inside a farm supply company and she remembers, “Loading feed and salt licks into customer’s trucks in high heels.”
The man who owned the farm supply company told his employees that “a nicely dressed lady was going to start working here and they’d better watch their mouths around her.” I like to think she taught those young men a few choice phrases.
“I have been trying to get my mom to become a Keller Williams affiliate for over 20 years so I’m very excited about this finally happening,” said daughter Lisa.
The current concept was actually Ward Roddam’s idea. He mentioned it to them and it took about a year for all of the paperwork and legalities to become finalized.
“We are still crossing our T’s and dotting our I’s but it’s basically a done deal,” Lisa said.
The Rockdale office will be an extension of the Austin office out of which Lisa and Kathryne currently work.
Judith is excited about the growth potential for Rockdale as the jobs at Sandow Lakes Ranch and Samsung become a reality. “I think people will want to stay west of those jobs, and more young families will be moving to Rockdale over time,” she said.
“The market will explode, but not as quickly as people think it will happen,” she added.
Leslie summed up the situation best by saying, “For so long now it’s just been mostly Judith and me. I look so forward to having a work family.”
A mother/daughter duo with 84 years’ experience between them and two good friends sounds like an ideal situation for success.
- Log in or Subscribe to post comments.