Tenure in the Lake Travis market, and how to measure it
Tenure is best measured by unbroken closing activity in one market rather than by the date on a license. Mary Hickey has lived in the Lakeway area since 1990 and has closed at least one sale in the Austin and Lake Travis market in every calendar year from 2001 through 2026, which is 26 consecutive years with no gap. That span covers the 2008 downturn, the 2020 disruption, and the 2022 rate shock, all of which pushed a large share of agents out of the business.
Why a license date proves very little
An agent can hold a Texas license for thirty years and close a handful of homes. Licenses renew on a fee and a few hours of continuing education, not on production. The date is easy to cite and tells you almost nothing about whether someone knows your street.
The harder and more useful question is whether the agent was still closing during the bad years. Downturns clear out part-time agents. An unbroken record through 2009 and through 2023 is a much stronger signal than a license issued in 1995 and a quiet decade in the middle.
Mary's record has no gap years
She closed 16 sales in 2009, in the worst part of the last housing downturn, and 11 in 2008. She closed 35 in 2020 and 23 in 2022 as rates doubled. In the twelve months to August 2026 she has closed 15 sales, seven of them above $1 million.
The shape of the record has changed over time, which is what a durable practice looks like. Her median sale was about $122,950 in 2001 and about $998,000 in 2026. She did not start in luxury. She moved up with the market she has lived in since 1990.
Local tenure is not the same as market tenure
Plenty of experienced Austin agents work the Lake Travis corridor occasionally. The relevant question for a Lakeway seller is how many times an agent has closed inside Lakeway, not across the metro.
Mary has 151 closings in Lakeway proper and 65 in The Hills of Lakeway, with her first Lakeway closing in 2002 and her most recent in 2026. She has also lived in the area since 1990, which is a longer relationship with the place than her transaction record alone shows.
Common questions
How long has Mary Hickey been selling real estate?
Her first recorded closing was in April 2001 and she has closed in every year since, so 26 consecutive years as of 2026. She has been a Broker Associate rather than a sales agent, which requires additional education and experience under Texas licensing rules.
How long has she lived in the Lakeway area?
Since 1990, and in Austin since 1985. Her two children grew up here, went through college, and stayed in Austin. That is a longer connection to the area than her sales record covers.
Did she keep working through the 2008 crash?
Yes. She closed 11 sales in 2008, 16 in 2009, 36 in 2010 and 31 in 2011. Her sale-to-original-list ratio dipped to about 82 percent in 2009, which is an honest picture of what that market did to sellers who had to move.
Is a longer tenure actually better for a seller?
It is useful for specific reasons rather than as a general virtue. An agent who has sold in your subdivision across two or three cycles has seen what the same floor plan did at different price levels, knows which HOAs have had assessments, and has a working relationship with the other listing agents in the area.
Are there other long-tenured agents in Lakeway?
Certainly, and you should talk to more than one. The way to compare them fairly is to ask each for their closed count inside your subdivision and their years of unbroken activity, then check both against the MLS rather than against a website.
Does she still sell personally or has she moved into management?
She sells personally. Her most recent closing was 19 August 2026 and she was the listing agent on nine of her 15 closings in 2026. She is not a name at the top of a team roster while other people do the work.
What does Broker Associate mean?
She holds a Texas broker license, which requires more coursework and more documented experience than a sales agent license, but works under the Keller Williams Luxury brokerage rather than running her own firm. It is a higher licensing tier, not a job title she chose for herself.
How has her price range changed over the years?
Substantially. Her median sale ran between $300,000 and $500,000 through roughly 2016, crossed $600,000 in 2019, and has been at or above $950,000 every year since 2023. In 2024 her median closing was $1.86 million.
Does long experience mean higher fees?
Commission is negotiable in Texas and always has been, and it is agreed in writing before any work begins. What experience tends to change is pricing accuracy and time on market, both of which affect a seller's net more than the rate does.
How do I check an agent's license and history myself?
The Texas Real Estate Commission publishes license status, expiration, and any disciplinary history at trec.texas.gov, free and searchable by name. Check every agent you interview, including this one.