Mike Tinsley – Man Of The People

When you know, you know. The first time I met Mike Tinsley, I just knew he was a “people person.” Mike, along with his wife, Bianca, introduced themselves to me at the Westwood Living Fall Social at Casa Loca Cantina and we immediately bonded. I could tell right away Mike and Bianca were sincere and thoughtful and truly interested in meeting people from their hometown of Westwood.
 
Just a few days later, Mike and I met at the library and he signed on as the presenting sponsor of the “Tinsley Team Standout Student of the Month” program, focused on recognizing students from Westwood who have achieved great things. The fact Mike hopped on that opportunity spoke to his commitment to Westwood, to families and to enriching our community by investing in something positive and empowering.
 
Each month, Mike honors the students on his own website, liveinwestwood.com.
 

“I’m excited to be a sponsor,” said Mike. “It’s a great way for me to get initiated into the community a little bit, get my face out there, get my name out there and we’re happy to be that sponsor.”
 

While The Tinsley Team has a great ring to it, Mike’s individual group is one cog in a wheel. Along with his partner, Nick Reynolds, Mike is a managing partner of Longwood Residential.
 
“That’s the overarching brokerage office,” said Mike about Longwood. “We’ve been open since 2011 doing business, helping people buy and sell all around Greater Boston. I’ve got the Tinsley Team, he’s got the Reynolds Group. Nick lives in Medford. He focuses more on the north side of the city, but The Tinsley Team, we focus more towards this side of the city.”
 

Westwood residents for almost three years, Mike and Bianca work together and like many, moved here with the public school system in mind.
 

“Prior to this, we lived in Dedham, not far, so we were always familiar with the general area,” said Mike. “I have a business partner who lives in Westwood. He’s a huge cheerleader for the town, and he was always telling me all the great things that go on here. My son was approaching school-age, and we had that in mind as we were house-hunting. This was a perfect fit and we’ve enjoyed it so far, it’s been good.”
 

The real estate market has been interesting to watch over the last 18 months. Limited inventory has at times put a stranglehold on property movement and interest rates have risen, but Mike has learned a great deal about patience and perspective over the course of his career.
 

“When the interest rates go up, yes, it’s kind of a bummer because your monthly payment on whatever you end up buying is going to be a little bit higher, but it means decreased competition,” he said. “This is something that, for the past few years, everyone’s been complaining about. You probably know, the last few years have been marked by really competitive situations, things going over asking price, multiple offers. Well, now that the interest rates have ticked up, it’s not as bad as it was a year and a half ago.
 

“So for an investor, the idea is you’re gonna pay a little bit more for a multi-family that you’ve purchased because of the increased interest rate, but you’re competing against less buyers. You might actually have a chance to land a great property that otherwise you wouldn’t have been able to land. Rents are very high around the city, so you’re gonna be collecting good rents in whatever property you buy, and then, of course, interest rates go up and down. So you land a great property, maybe interest rates drop later this year, maybe they drop next year, you refinance. Now you’ve got the best of both worlds.”
 

The way Mike talks about real estate is the way a coach talks about his or her sport. You can tell in a coach’s tone and tenor how knowledgeable he or she is about the profession. It’s a confidence that makes his clients feel at ease.
 

“He is so professional, down-to-earth and trustworthy,” said Westwood resident Liah Malley. “We felt immediately comfortable with him and confident that he would guide us through the home-buying process with patience, thoughtfulness and enthusiasm. He certainly surpassed all of our expectations and found us our dream home.”
 

As we sat around Mike’s kitchen table, we finished our conversation by talking about some key lessons Mike might want to pass on to people who don’t follow the real estate market as closely as he does.
 

“I think people can kind of overthink and try to “time” the market,” said Mike. “Listen, you’re never gonna time the market perfectly. No one at the end of the day really knows. So more than that, I always encourage people, whatever makes sense for your situation. Let’s talk about your budget. What can you afford comfortably? What town makes sense for your situation? What size home makes sense for your situation? Do you need a fence because you have a dog? Do you need to be close to the train station because you need to get to work every day in Back Bay? Whatever it is, let’s focus on what makes sense for your situation and let’s make that happen. The timing, it is what it is.”
 

Good advice from a guy who will tell you what’s what with confidence and a friendly delivery.
 

Listen to more of my conversation with Mike on the Westwood Living Podcast Network, available on SoundCloud, Sticher, Spotify, Amazon and YouTube. Contact Mike by calling 508-769-2544.