The Long Version

Friends,

Last week my daughter turned thirty. Tomorrow my mother turns ninety-two.

Two birthdays, sixty-two years apart.

I've probably sent my daughter thousands of texts in her lifetime. My mother, zero. She doesn't own an iPhone and has no interest in getting one. But it's not that we have long, deep conversations either. She can barely hear anymore. So the truth is simpler than that: what matters when I'm with her isn't what gets said. It's that I'm there.

She still reads constantly, though. I just gave her a copy of The Correspondent, months late to the party myself. A novel written almost entirely in letters, one woman choosing her words instead of firing off the fastest available ones. Intentional. Considered. Careful.

The real estate market has its own version of this too. From 2020 through 2023, buyers didn't get a beat to think in. Multiple offers, waived inspections, decide this second or lose the house to someone who will. Most people ended up happy. But happy isn't the same as unhurried, and a home deserves more than a fast yes.

Some of that pressure has eased in Saint Paul's Macalester-Groveland, Highland Park, Summit Hill, and Summit University neighborhoods. Not gone — I just sold two houses in less than three days recently — but there's a little more room now. Just a little.

One of the most important parts of this job isn't just finding the house or selling one. It's holding the line for calm, for analysis, for strategy and reason, so a decision this important gets the care it deserves.

Reads & Rhythms

This month's picks are reflections on the lost art of taking time and being intentional, and what gets lost when we don't finish the thought.

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans — Lordy, am I late to this party. It's been a #1 New York Times bestseller since February and I'm only now getting to it.

It's an epistolary novel: seventy-three-year-old retired lawyer Sybil Van Antwerp, told entirely through the letters she writes and receives — to family, to old friends, to authors she admires, to the dead. Sharp, funny, occasionally maddening, and quietly devastating by the end. Ann Patchett called it "a cause for celebration," and I get it. The letters aren't decoration. They're the entire architecture of a life.

It also happens to be the best possible argument for slowing down and choosing your words that I've read in years.

Box Full of Letters by Wilco — Less elegant than the book, and I'm including it anyway because I'm Gen X. 1995. It was a time.

Underneath the shrug, there's real ache in this one: a guy sitting with a box of unanswered correspondence, still wanting to get the words right, still not able to find the time to write his mind the way he means it. Less "every word intentional." More "I meant to, and then I didn't, and it still bothers me."

Note from Natasha

I text as much as anyone. Showings, questions, quick check-ins — most of my day runs in shorthand, same as everyone else's.

But your actual deal doesn't get that treatment. The offer strategy, the negotiation, the decision to make on your house — that gets the considered version. Every time.

If you're thinking about buying or selling, let's talk when you're ready.

Xo, Natasha

FAQ

What neighborhoods does Natasha Cejudo serve? Natasha Cejudo is a real estate advisor with Sotheby's International Realty specializing in Saint Paul's Macalester-Groveland, Highland Park, Summit Hill, and Summit University neighborhoods.

What is WOW (Words of Wisdom)? WOW is Natasha Cejudo's weekly Wednesday newsletter blending personal essay, cultural recommendations, and real estate insight for Saint Paul's central neighborhoods. Sections rotate weekly and include a personal opener, seasonal features, and market perspective from Natasha.

What are current market conditions in Saint Paul? Saint Paul's Macalester-Groveland, Highland Park, Summit Hill, and Summit University markets remain active — well-priced listings are still selling quickly, in some cases within days — though buyers have somewhat more room to make informed, unhurried decisions than during the highly competitive 2020–2023 period.

Who is Natasha Cejudo? Natasha Cejudo is a real estate advisor with Sotheby's International Realty in the Twin Cities, known for her editorial approach to real estate marketing and her weekly WOW newsletter.

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— Natasha Cejudo