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In real estate, we often talk about numbers: square footage, price per foot, days on market, ROI. But every once in a while, a story comes along that reminds us what property is really about—people, purpose, and the lives that unfold inside four walls.
This episode of Spilling the Real Tea is one of those stories.
At first glance, it may not sound like a traditional real estate conversation. There are no market stats or listing tips in the opening minutes. Instead, listeners are invited into something far deeper: the story of loss, healing, and how a single home in Waco became a vessel for restoration.
And trust us—the payoff is worth it.
Dana Gage’s journey into Waco real estate did not begin with investment goals or a portfolio strategy. It began with unimaginable grief.
After losing her 15-year-old son, Connor, to a preventable lake drowning, Dana’s world stopped. A successful corporate career suddenly felt meaningless. The routines of everyday life became unbearable. Like many parents navigating profound loss, she was searching—not just for healing, but for meaning.
Grief has a way of clarifying what matters. It strips life down to its essentials. And for Dana, that clarity led her to a question that would shape everything that followed:
If suffering is inevitable, how do you make it count?
Finding Purpose Through Property
Years later, that question led Dana to Waco.
While waiting for her surviving son, Riley, to get out of class at Baylor, Dana drove the streets near campus and noticed a house that seemed stuck in time—on and off the market, neglected, falling apart. When she stepped inside, she didn’t just see a fixer-upper.
She saw herself.
The home was broken, overwhelmed, forgotten. And instead of walking away, Dana felt called to bring it back to life.
What followed was not a flip—it was a transformation.
Every board removed, every wall repaired, every design choice was intentional. The home became a physical reflection of Dana’s healing journey: broken to beautiful, pain to purpose.
This wasn’t about profit. It was about restoration.
The Power of Storytelling in Real Estate
As real estate professionals, we know that homes carry energy. Some spaces feel warm the moment you walk in. Others feel cold and transactional. The difference is rarely the finishes—it’s the story.
Dana’s first short-term rental, later named Poppy & Rye, carried story in every room. From reclaimed wood built by her son Riley to poems written by her late father, the home was layered with meaning.
And guests felt it.
This is where the real estate lesson begins to take shape: people don’t just book properties—they book experiences.
When done well, short-term rentals aren’t simply places to sleep. They are places where memories are made, where families gather, where healing quietly begins.
Short-Term Rentals With a Mission
As demand for the property grew, something unexpected happened. Dana realized she could use the home for more than travelers.
She remembered how leaving town—just briefly—had given her breathing room during the darkest days of grief. And she wondered:
What if this home could offer that same gift to others?
That question became the foundation of the LV Project’s Grief Getaways—all-expense-paid stays for parents who have lost a child.
These are not vacations. They are safe spaces.
Families are supported from the moment they arrive. Activities are optional. Privacy is respected. The goal isn’t distraction—it’s gentleness. Space to rest. Space to breathe. Space to exist without expectations.
And it’s all made possible by real estate.
Why This Matters to Agents and Investors
This episode is a powerful reminder that real estate is one of the few industries where profit and purpose can coexist beautifully.
Dana’s properties generate income. That income fuels her nonprofit mission. And the mission, in turn, strengthens the brand, the guest experience, and the long-term success of the rentals.
For agents, investors, and STR owners, this story reframes what success can look like.
It challenges the idea that properties must be fully booked 365 days a year to be valuable. Sometimes, the most impactful use of a property is a few days set aside for someone who truly needs it.
And here’s the truth: purpose doesn’t diminish profit—it enhances it.
What This Means for Real Estate Marketing
As a real estate photography and marketing company serving Waco, Temple, Belton, Killeen, Georgetown, and Round Rock, we see this every day.
Listings with intention photograph differently. Homes with stories market better. Properties designed with care create emotional connection—and emotional connection drives action.
Great photography doesn’t just show what a space looks like. It captures how it feels.
That’s why storytelling matters so much in real estate marketing. Whether it’s a short-term rental, a family home, or a luxury listing, buyers and guests are responding to more than features. They’re responding to meaning.
A Bigger Vision for Central Texas Real Estate
Dana’s hope is that this model doesn’t stay exclusive to her properties.
She believes other short-term rental owners can do the same—donating time, stays, or proceeds to causes they care about. The idea isn’t perfection. It’s participation.
Real estate has the power to restore neighborhoods, families, and lives. And when agents and property owners embrace that truth, the ripple effect reaches far beyond a single transaction.
This episode is emotional, yes—but it’s also deeply practical. It shows what’s possible when real estate is used as a tool for good.
And it reminds us why we do what we do in the first place.
If you’re an agent, investor, or property owner in Central Texas, this is an episode you don’t want to miss.
For more information about Short Term Rental Photography check out: https://soldinasnap.com/short-term-rentals/
