Realtor Profile

Versatile Houston Realtor brings a lifetime of experience to the job

Houston Realtor Lynn Zarr.

Photo courtesy of Martha Turner Sotheby's International Realty

There is no better way to intimately know a city than to grow up in it, and for Realtor Lynn Zarr, that native knowledge belongs in Houston. He has the added bonus of being a fourth-generation Houstonian, which means that the Bayou City runs deep in the family's history, affording Zarr an elevated understanding that he puts to use for his clients.

Licensed in his role since the 1980s, Zarr consistently takes a hands-on approach that was modeled by his father, who also worked as a long-time Houston Realtor. Dedicated and steadfast, Zarr's methods have awarded him a spot as a top producer at Martha Turner Sotheby’s International Realty, as well as membership in the firm's Circle of Excellence.

Even with a lifetime of exposure to the city and the industry, Zarr is committed to developing the most innovative and modern methods to market his clients’ homes. He uses customized methods to represent their unique needs, achieving the results they desire. By tapping into his vast network of friends, family, and past clients, Zarr keeps his finger on the pulse of the market as well as off-market opportunities, giving him an edge over the competition.

He's also become adept at international real estate and helps clients find primary and secondary homes all around the globe, and has earned designations as an Accredited Buyer’s Representative (ABR) and Certified Negotiations Expert (CNE).

Considering himself a "turn-key Realtor," Zarr has worked in nearly every corner of Houston, including the Heights, West University, River Oaks, Tanglewood, Memorial, and beyond. He and his wife, Holly, an elementary school teacher, enjoy spending time outdoors in this great city they call home along with their five children and golden retriever, and remain ever-involved in their community.

Zarr has played an active role in a number of organizations, including Feed the Hunger and Trotter Family YMCA, as well as schools such as Briargrove Elementary, St. Francis, Kinkaid, and Memorial High.

We chatted with Zarr to find out more about his work and what drives him.

CultureMap: What inspires you to do what you do?

Lynn Zarr: Knowing that people have put their trust in me to assist them in managing one of their largest assets.

CM: What's one piece of advice you'd give to people looking for their dream home?

LZ: There will always be a compromise when you're looking for that "dream home." The key is to find one that satisfies most of your wants and needs.

CM: And advice to those who are selling?

LZ: Keys to a successful sale are knowing the market and pricing.

CM: Sum up Houston in three words.

LZ: Vibrant, diverse, home.

CM: What do you consider your "special skill"?

LZ: First, my ability to help buyers identify ways to make a home theirs. And secondly, my honesty with sellers helps make their home more marketable to maximize the net sales price.

CM: What's one thing people might not know about you?

LZ: My friends have long called me "MacGyver" because I've always been good at fixing things and improvising. Or they call me "Martha Stewart" because I have an eye for home improvements, remodeling, and decorating.

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Learn more about Lynn Zarr here, or contact him at 713-502-9996 or Lynn.Zarr@Sothebyshomes.com.

interview qa promoted home-for-sale

Documentary News

Netflix series Waco: American Apocalypse debuts with newly unearthed footage

Waco: American Apocalypse

ATF agents at Waco compound in 1993.

Netflix has a new series on the tragedy that took place in Waco three decades ago: Called Waco: American Apocalypse, it's a three-part series documenting the standoff between cult leader David Koresh and the federal government that ended in a fiery inferno, televised live, with 76 people dead.

The series debuts on March 22, to coincide with the 30-year anniversary of the event which took place from February 28 to April 19, 1993.

It's an oft-told tale and not the only new release to try and exploit the 30-year anniversary: Jeff Guinn, former books editor at the Fort Worth Star Telegram, just came out with a book in January, also described as definitive, called Waco: David Koresh, the Branch Davidians, and a Legacy of Rage.

Waco: American Apocalypse is directed by another Texan: Dallas native Tiller Russell (Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer), who obtained never-before-seen videotapes of FBI negotiations, as well as raw news footage and interviews with insiders.

Those insiders include one of David Koresh’s spiritual wives; the last child released from the compound alive; a sniper from the FBI Hostage Rescue Team; the FBI Crisis Negotiation Unit Chief; journalists; and members of the ATF tactical team who watched colleagues die in the shootout against the heavily armed members of the religious sect.

The FBI videotaped inside the hostage negation room, thinking they'd be there maybe 24 hours, not 51 days.

"These are video cassettes that were sitting in somebody’s closet for 30 years, that show the mechanics of hostage negotiations in an intimate setting - not the hostage negotiation scenarios you see in films, but a team of people grinding, day in and day out, for 51 days," Russell says.

He also procured footage from Waco TV station KWTX, who had a reporter embedded in the initial gunfight.

While the standoff was broadcast live on TV at the time, much of it was out of camera range. The film uses 3D graphics to recreate the details of the compound.

Russell acknowledges that the tale of the cult leader who was also a pedophile, the debate over the right to bear arms, the constitutional limits of religious freedom, dredge up painful conversations that continue today.

"It cast a long shadow, pre-saging the Timothy McVeigh bombing in Oklahoma, the shooting at Colombine, and a growing distrust of government, but I think it's important to reckon with our past so we don't repeat mistakes," he says.

"So much of what’s roiling in culture today can be traced to Waco, a story about God and guns in America with all these children at the center whose lives were determined by the adults around them," he says. "There was no playbook for what happened, everyone was out on a limb, and people made mistakes. But almost everybody was trying to do their very best."

"I think this is a story that's often recalled in politicized terms, with finger-pointing on who screwed up and how did we get here, but there's a profound humanity to it all," he says.

Watch the trailer below:

history movies

Realtor Profile

Versatile Houston Realtor brings a lifetime of experience to the job

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