When you are the daughter of a lifelong home builder, you gain intimate knowledge of home types, architectural quirks, and how age changes buildings. You understand materials and craftsmanship. And you know all the neighborhoods in your town from the map imprinted on your brain. 

Early on, Traci Cypher developed a love for both houses and the people who lived in them. She transferred that education from her father and familiarity with her communi...